Titans have repeat medal win at provincials

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It was yet another successful season for a Saskatchewan-based First Nations youth volleyball squad.

The highlight for the Thunderchild Titans was winning the bronze medal in the juvenile boys' (18 and under) category at the Saskatchewan Volleyball Association (SVA) provincial championship held in Saskatoon in April.

A team from Saskatoon captured the gold medal while a Prince Albert squad took home the silver.

The Titans were the lone First Nation squad competing at the provincials. Only one of the Thunderchild players is non-Native.

"We were actually very pleased with our result," said Titans coach Simon Bird. "We got a lot of compliments from a lot of other coaches there. They were telling us things like we're not the biggest team but we've got the biggest hearts."

Bird said there are more talented Native players than those on his team, but the 10 members of the Titans were chosen not only for their on-court skills but for their attitude as well.

Bird founded the Titans last year. He was keen to give Native players more of an opportunity to play. Players with the team were with other organizations in the past, but they were primarily benchwarmers who didn't see much game action.

Last year the Titans were based out of Loon Lake. This year Bird moved the club to the Thunderchild First Nation, located just north of North Battleford.

The Titans also placed third at last year's provincial championships. The club then travelled to Moncton, N.B. for the national juvenile boys' tournament.

This year's Canadian tournament was again held in Moncton, but the Titans couldn't afford the return trip.

"It was going to cost us over $10,000 to go," Bird said. "We couldn't afford to do it."

Instead of heading east, the Titans opted to go west. They participated in the Western Pepsi Challenge, a tournament held May 13 to 15 in Calgary.

The Thunderchild squad placed fifth in its division at that tournament, which primarily featured teams from Western Canada.

"The provincials for us was the ultimate goal," Bird said. "The one in Calgary was just a trip to recognize the boys for their accomplishments. It was more of a reward for them. It was sort of a vacation for them. Our game was on vacation as well."

The Titans did not play their best at the Calgary tournament. Part of the reason for this is that only eight team members were able to participate in the event. Two of the club's key players did not travel to Calgary, staying at home in order to attend their high school prom.

Besides the provincials and the Calgary event, the Titans also competed in three other SVA sanctioned tournaments this season. They were silver medallists at events in Lumsden and Kenaston. A short-staffed Titans' team also placed fourth at a tournament in Estevan.

As for next year, Bird must rebuild almost his entire team. That's because all but one of the Titans' players have now used up their eligibility at the juvenile level.

The Titans' 2006 campaign will not begin until January. That will give Bird sufficient time to recruit some new members.

During the rebuilding process, Bird will remain focused on the reason he started the team up in the first place.

"We're definitely going to try and focus on First Nations players," he said.