Before the matches had even begun at the 22nd Annual Joan Dehler Charity Volleyball tournament, the boxes filled with donated canned food made it clear that the event was a success, at least in terms of fundraising.
The Sprott Business Students’ Society had obviously put a lot of effort into organizing the tournament, which had 12 teams vying for some very impressive prizes, all in the name of charity. The Ottawa Food Bank was the beneficiary of the money and the food collected, as each team had to pay an entrance fee of $2 per player or two cans of food.
Although my team, the District 5 Peewee Hockey Team, didn’t make it past the quarter-finals, we all still had a great time. As someone who hasn’t played volleyball competitively since high school, I had lots of fun playing in an event where many people seemed just as rusty as me. Despite a we’re-just-here-for-a-good-time and relaxed attitude, the level of play was very reasonable.
There was an unofficial sub-competition to see which team would come up with the most ridiculous name and theme seemed to set the tone of the day perfectly. Fittingly, as the District 5 Peewee Hockey Team, we decked ourselves out in hockey tape and stuck the names of the Mighty Duck legendary on our backs.
I was, however, disappointed by Carleton Athletics’ decision to supply a tournament of close to 100 people with 6 or 7 balls that had a stronger resemblance to soccer balls than volleyballs. At a tournament where the number of teams simply dictates that you’ll be off the court for more time than you’ll be playing, I feel that it’s important for the teams to have an opportunity to hit a ball around while they’re waiting to play – and preferably a ball that wouldn’t leave your arms black and blue. Many teams either didn’t get that chance or chose not to because of the sub-par equipment, and had the SBSS found some softer volleyballs, the day would have been a lot more fun.
Petty complaints aside, I had a great time playing with and against some awesome people, and I’ll definitely be at this tournament again next year.