A familiar face to volleyball fans was in the crowd taking in the fast and furious first day of action at the 17U Girls Provincial Championships on the floors of the Richmond Oval.

Women’s National Team Captain, Lucy Charuk (Tsawwassen, B.C.), who competed in past Club Provincial Championships with Big Kahuna, Seaside and Thunder volleyball clubs, was in the crowd watch some of the young ladies who have aspirations of following in her footsteps.

Her Thunder team placed fourth overall her final 18U season at Club Provincials and eighth overall at Nationals.

We caught up with Charuk to ask her a few questions about Club Provincials.

Do you have a favourite memory from playing at Club Provincials?

Just the whole atmosphere of the tournament and getting to play teams from all over B.C. was really cool, like teams from the Island, because we didn’t really travel as much as teams do now to play teams. Having the whole B.C. volleyball community in one place was great too. And of course, spending time with your teammates every night and in the gym all day are great memories too.

How did a tournament like Club Provincials prepare you for the National Team?

When you play in the playoffs or a big tournament like this you feel the pressure and find yourself looking at other teams. For instance, when I played you’d look and say to yourself ‘Fraser Valley is really good this year…’ and it really helps with developing your sense of competition and seeing where you need to get to. That aspect definitely helps when playing internationally because you look at other National teams and use them as a measuring stick to see where you need to get to.

How much does having the chance to play in pressure situations like Club Provincials help with athlete development?

A lot. I think there’s more pressure now, with college and university coaches watching. Learning to play well with all the stressors a tournament like this has is really big in helping athletes develop.

What advice do you have to all the girls and boys playing at Club Provincials this weekend and the weekends to come?

Play in the moment and focus on having fun because you don’t really get a ton of chances to play in events like this. Pay attention to your performance, but also make sure to take in everything the tournament offers while you’re here.

*Note, some answers may have been edited for length and clarity.

Thank you to our friends at belairdirect, GLC Solutions, Boston Pizza Ackroyd and Lululemon, Richmond Centre. Make sure to look in the 17U & 18U programs and take advantage of all the awesome deals.

• Belairdirect – find out how you can save on insurance and enter to win $250 Visa gift card
• GLC Solutions – check out their website to learn more about their internship program
• Boston Pizza Ackroyd – book your teams meal with them and make sure you’re coach has a coupon
• Lululemon, Richmond Centre – show the program ad and receive 15% your entire purchase this weekend