A gold medal is the goal of many an athlete when entering tournament play. When it is not to be, however, the ability to dust yourself off and focus on the next best option is key.
That was the takeaway for the 14U Northern Chill girls, who overcame a disappointing semi-final loss in their first OVA tournament of the year in Orillia, returning to Sudbury with bronze medals in hand.
Seeded number one entering the competition, the Chill upended the Georgian Bay Vista (Midland) 25-11, 25-22 early Saturday morning. The pushback was much more forceful in game two, as the Kawartha Krushers (Lindsay) took the Sudbury crew to a third set, before the locals prevailed 13-25, 25-18, 15-12.
Coach Eric Bacon and company improved to 3-0 thanks to a 25-17, 25-17 triumph over the North Bay Lakers, with the team suffering their one and only loss in their semi-final battle with the Aurora Storm Cyclone, falling 25-19, 13-25, 8-15.
A rematch with the Krushers, with third place on the line, proved equally as competitive as their pool play battle, with the Northern Chill pulling out a 16-25, 25-22, 15-13 win. “It was a great learning experience for both the players and the coaching staff,” said coach Bacon.
After the disappointment of losing in the semi-finals, the team rallied back nicely to claim bronze.
Facing elimination in the second and third sets against Kawartha, we relied on strong serving to put us over the top.
The 2016-2017 edition of the 14U Northern Chill team features Faith Charbonneau, Maggie Davidson, Fyscher McQueen, Jorja Bast, Danielle Stinson, Danika Osterberg, Julianna Toppazzini, Sydney Nicholls, Emily Ayotte, Josée Beauchamp, Elizabeth Hughes and Kyla Parsons.
