SPORTS mclennonb@douglas.be.ca World Masters Volleyball Games Journal Mike Sapic, OP Contributor At last May's Canadian Masters Nationals in Vancouver, Ian Allan of the AVA told me that my team should enter the World Masters Games in Edmonton, in July. After I asked him what those Games were, and he explained that over 20,000 athletes competed in this, the largest “Games” in the world, my curiosity was piqued. It sounded great! However, there was the issue of cost, get- ting time off work, getting organized, getting commitment from all the guys, and a short time frame—the deadline for entrance was in a week! Plus, there was a nagging uncertainty: Would it be worth it? When I asked Ian about that, he replied, “If you go, you'll be hooked! You'll want to go again!” Well, we went, and yes, we're hooked. Here's our story weiss Not all of the guys could make World Masters however. We needed some power hitter help, and we got it from Steve “Pickle” (don't ask) Oliver, an old beach doubles and club buddy, who had moved to BC's frozen north. The other key addition to our group was Mike Perra, a UBC alumni and possibly the world's largest libero, who gave us the enthusiasm, talk, and passing that every good team needs. In Edmonton, we wete accredited and properly welcomed with a live band and beer gardens. Not knowing what to expect at the tournament, our goal was obviously to play well, but also to have fun. After all, it was a road trip. As most of us know, however, bal- ancing fun and competition is the key to a successful road trip. “Winning” the social, usually means losing the tournament. The tournament venue was impressive— U of Alberta's cavernous “Butterdome,” which featured two rows of six courts, side by side, with bleachers all around. Athletes from all over the world in their various age divisions were on assigned courts. Everybody watched the Brazilian women, of course, but the Canada-Russia womens' 45-49 was intense. And the cold war was re-enacted all over again in the USA-Russia men's over 60 final, when the Americans “forgot” to tell the Russians that they were going to start warm- up hitting as the Russians were peppering! The bodies may age, but the competitive fires never die! Our first day was a mixed bag. We lost, playing poorly against North Peace, but made up for it with a big win against Australia. Dean Witter, an old beach and club buddy, picked it up big time in that match. Day two of the round robin saw us win both our matches, with the boys determined to have an excellent day. Bob Smith, a five- year UBC alumnus, and Sukh Khaira, a Vancover Community College All-Canadian (and guys who I had coached in the past!) dominated in the middle. Probably the oddest feeling of the tournament for both Bob and I was when he mentioned that having me hit at him during our five minute warm-up remind- ed him of Provincial Team days, when he was a 16-year-old with more character than skill! The third day of the tournament was the beginning of the double knock-out. As num- ber one seeds, we were feeling good about ourselves, but not so good after we lost 15-13 in the third game of our match with Manitoba. Many of us had “won” the social the night before, I think. The guys were upset and there was plenty of grumbling. After a big loss, a good team will respond with a great effort, however. And we needed to, as every match from then on was an elimination match; we would have to win six straight matches to win the World title! Maybe it was a shock we needed. The boys got to work. Reed Umlagh, an old Dalhousie foe (beat my UVIC team at CIAU Nationals in 86!) was at the top of his all round game, serving, passing and blasting 62s from the right side. Dave Blue, his hamstring still sore from a bronze medal high jumping performance, showed plenty of fire on the court and leadership on the sidelines, as he took over the coaching from me. I had hurt my knee. The sport-court-on-concrete play- ing surface was taking its toll. We won all three matches that day; we had three more to win on day four. On the fourth day, bolstered by ice bags and plenty of “vitamin I,” we kicked into high gear. The benefit of playing extra matches on day three was that rusty skills were now razor sharp. Also, the motivation a competitor gets with a gold medal dangling as bait is not to be underestimated. I truly believe that while athleticism and skill are important in volleyball, the desire to win trumps all other considerations. When I had to set Sukh Khaira his 51s a foot higher than I normally do, as he turned back the clock to jump like he did in college, I knew something special was happening. Win or lose, this group would be at its best. On that final day, we repaid Manitoba with 2-0 low-teens shellacking, and faced Edmonton's Tekila in the all-Canadian final. The match was hard-fought, but we took it 25-23 and 25-16. I still remember almost every point, with every guy taking his turn to make a “highlight-reel”’ play. Experiencing the power and beauty of a true team effort and peak performance in a championship game is what we all aspire to. It's a feeling our group will cherish forever, and certainly for the next four years. As World Masters Champions, (35-39 age group) it's going to be awfully dif- ficult to resist Australia 2009.