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Barrhead teens win national title as part of club team

Two Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) Gryphon volleyball players, Bryan Fountain and Jacob Deinum, can chalk up another provincial championship to their resume. For that matter, they can add a national title as well.

Two Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) Gryphon volleyball players, Bryan Fountain and Jacob Deinum, can chalk up another provincial championship to their resume. For that matter, they can add a national title as well.

In late November, the BCHS Senior Boys Gryphons volleyball team captured the provincial high school championship.

This time the pair won both the provincial and national championship as part of the Edmonton FOG Black U18 team. The team won the Volleyball Alberta Championship (provincial championship) in late April, in Edmonton and the national U18 title on May 15, in Saskatoon.

FOG Black U18 is a team playing in Alberta Volleyball’s club team system in which athletes of similar ages have an opportunity to develop their volleyball skills by playing together and competing against other teams in a series of tournaments, including provincial and national championship tournaments.

This year marked Fountain’s third season with the FOG squadron while for Deinum it was his first.

In order to be included in one of the various Edmonton FOG teams (the club has 12 teams, both men and women ranging from the under 12 teams to adults) players must undergo a rigorous tryout session, at least usually.

“For this team there were no tryouts. The coach just found the best players, the ones he wanted on his team and asked them to come,” Fountain said, adding that the majority of the players are ones he had either coached or seen in the various FOG teams.

Others, like Deinum, were invited because one of the FOG players suggested them because they knew of their abilities and recommended them or they were scouted by a FOG coach. For example, Deinum said in a tournament the Gryphons played in they played against the son of the FOG head coach, adding he believes that is when he first showed up on the team’s radar.

As for what it was like coming to a team with mostly established players, Deinum said he was understandably nervous.

“I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that there was going to be some very high level volleyball, but the guys made me feel comfortable and were always there to help,” Deinum said, adding he feels that is one of the reasons why the team managed to get off to such a great start.

At the end of January, the FOG 18U played in their first tournament in Gainesville, Florida, finishing in fifth place against some strong competition.

“There were between 50 and 60 teams from all over the U.S. and Canada and to be able to finish where we did is a real accomplishment,” they both said, adding there were also teams from Puerto Rico and Cuba.

After returning to Alberta, the FOG 18U squad won two Alberta Volleyball sponsored tournaments in Calgary, both of which sported a 24-team field.

Deinum and Fountain said it took a lot of hard work to be able to get off to such a strong start.

During an average week, the team practised three times usually three-and-a-half to four hours long. Because the team consisted of players from all over northern Alberta, they picked a practice location in central Edmonton, which usually ended up being in an elementary school gym.

“Actually, I believe there were only three players from Edmonton. The rest were from places like Athabasca, Whitecourt and Barrhead,” Fountain said.

Unfortunately, the pair said the team could not hold on to their momentum during the Best of the West tournament in Calgary at the end of March, preferring not to dwell on the results too much.

One of the reasons the pair believes the team didn’t perform up to their standards is because of the actual volleyball that tournament organizers used.

“The ball was made out of a lighter material than we were used to,” Fountain said.

Deinum agreed, adding because the ball was lighter it tended to float more and drop quicker when hit.

A week later the team performed below their expectations finishing in third place in another Alberta Volleyball sponsored tournament at the Go Centre in Edmonton.

Despite having two subpar performances, FOG entered the Provincial Championships ranked in second place, right behind the defending national champions, the Canuck Dinos from Calgary.

The team had little trouble defeating their first three opponents, which qualified them for the playoff rounds.

“We pushed through the teams in the quarter and semi-finals pretty handily,” Deinum said.

Fountain agreed, adding the final series against the Canuck Dinos ended up being much more difficult.

The FOG team got off to a good start, winning the first set by about six points. In the second set the Dinos responded by winning narrowly, 30 to 28. In the third set, FOG got off to a strong start, scoring the first five points. They managed to hold on to the lead for the entire set, taking the game and the provincial title.

Heading into the National Championships in Saskatoon, Sask., they had two weeks to prepare. Both Deinum and Fountain” said the team kept to their normal practice sessions, but the coaching staff toned down the intensity of the workouts, focusing on passing and serving.

“We also wanted to get used to the new ball, which we knew they would be using at the championships,” Fountain said.

The National Championship Tournament featured 60 teams from all over the country, broken into 10 different pools, with games being played over three days.

On the first day, FOG played three teams, one from Alberta, the Saskatoon host team, as well as the number one seeded team from Newfoundland. Once again the team had little difficulty dispatching their opponents.

On the second day, the players knew they would be facing stiffer competition as all the games would be against teams who finished in the top two of their respective pools. To make sure the team was ready for their first game, which was in the afternoon, the players decided they would play a game of Ultimate Frisbee to lower their stress levels and prepare them physically.

“That’s one of the things we learned after the Best in the West Tournament,” Deinum said. “We would have a game in the afternoon, but physically we weren’t prepared, so from then on we always wanted to do something that would help us be ready to play.”

And it would seem the ploy worked because once again the team confidently won all its games right up to the quarterfinals the next day when they faced the Apex Volleyball club from Vancouver.

After losing the first set the team came back to win the next two, taking the match.

In the semi finals, FOG U18, faced off against a team from Winnipeg. A team, which Fountain said beat them handily in the Best of the West Tournament a few weeks earlier.

“They are a really big team and have a number of really skilled players including one of the best players in Canada,” Deinum said.

In addition to their skill level, both Deinum and Fountain characterized their style of play as being unemotional and one that didn’t rattle easily. The teams split the first two closely played sets. The deciding set was just as close, but in the end FOG pulled it out.

In the final matchup, FOG faced the Pakmen from Mississauga, Ont, a team, which has made it to the national finals for the last five years.

“They were definitely the team to beat,” the pair said. “They have some very athletic, determined players.”

After getting off to a decent start FOG ended up losing the first set by five points. In the second set, the two teams were neck and neck the whole way.

“They were actually one point from winning (being up 24 to 23) and they actually thought they got the final point,” Fountain said.

Deinum added the Pakmen actually flooded the court in celebration.

“But they were told they had to go back because the ball was actually out.”

FOG then went on to win the next three points, forcing a third set, which the team went on to win by a score of 15 to 12.

As for what is next in Fountain and Deinum’s volleyball career, Fountain says he will be taking a year off before starting his college career at Briercrest College and Seminary. Deinum said he hopes to make Alberta’s U18 club before he joins the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

Fountain said by winning the national title the team fulfilled a promise his coach made to them when they were playing on the U18 team.

“At our first practice our coach told us the goal for this team is to win nationals in U18. In all of my three club years we were training to win that one tournament. It has been something I have been working towards all of high school,” he said. “And now that I’ve done it, I can graduate in peace.”

As for Deinum, he said he is grateful to have had the experience. “After winning provincials with our high school team, to be able to continue that on another team, play hard, win a national championship with a group of really good guys... It was just a wonderful experience.”


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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