Canada’s Team Announced at the NORCECA Continental ChampionshipmPress Conference
(Sept. 20, 2013) Men’s Volleyball National Team coach Glenn Hoag today introduced the players who travelled to British Columbia to compete in the 2013 NORCECA Continental Championship at the Langley Events Centre.
“It is a chance to show where we are right now in the growth of our program”
“We will show you some good volleyball”
“This championship is really important to us. It is the first year of the new quad and the teams that we will be playing here are the teams that we will be meeting in 2015 and 2016 in order to qualify for the Olympics,” said head coach Glenn Hoag. “It is a chance to measure ourselves against these teams to see where we are at right now and I’m sure that we will be able to showcase some good volleyball.”
Other speakers at today’s media kick-off included Mayor Jack Froese, Township of Langley, Tom Jones, Volleyball BC President and former National Team player, and team Canada players Rudy Verhoeff and Josh Howatson.
“This is the first time we have hosted a major international championship in BC in 20 years,” said Volleyball BC President Tom Jones. “We are looking forward to some incredible matches with the Langley Events Centre absolutely rocking.”
Every two years, the NORCECA Volleyball Confederation celebrates its Continental Senior Championship, and 2013 offers the next opportunity for our men’s team to compete for Continental supremacy. The NORCECA Volleyball Federation is the FIVB Continental Zone and includes countries from North and Central America, and the Caribbean. The event will not only determine the newest Continental champion and offer valuable world ranking points, but will also qualify the winning team to the 2013 Grand Champions Cup to be held later in the fall in Japan. The Canadian Men’s National Team – ranked No. 11 in the current International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) world ranking – is coming off a strong showing at the 2013 World League finals. Last year, Canada narrowly missed qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics after being defeated by the USA last summer. The US men’s team finished 5th in London.
The tournament kicks off on Sept. 23, with three matches including Canada facing Guatemala at 8 pm at the Langley Events Centre. Other games that day include the U.S. against St. Lucia at 4pm, and Cuba vs the Bahamas at 6pm. The NORCECA Men’s Volleyball Continental Championship continues to Sept. 28.
Tickets are still available, and webcasts can be purchased at a low price of $1.99 per day, or $4.99 for the complete events.
Links to the schedule and live stream are available at http://www.langleyeventscentre.com/continentalvolleyball
CONTACT:
Brian Hiebert
Communications Manager, Volleyball BC
Mobile: 604-364-2660
[email protected]
Travelling Roster – Team Canada
#2 Nicholas Hoag, Sherbrooke, QC
#4 Josh Howatson, Victoria, BC
#5 Rudy Verhoeff, Calgary, AB
#7 Dallas Soonias, Red Deer, AB
#8 Adam Simac, Ottawa, ON
#9 Dustin Schneider, Brandon, MB
#10 Toon Van Lankvelt, River, MB
#11 Steve Brinkman, Bowmanville, ON
#12 Gavin Schmitt, Saskatoon, SK
#15 Fred Winters, Victoria, BC
#17 Graham Vigrass, Calgary, AB
#18 Gord Perrin, Creston, BC
#19 Blair Bann, Edmonton, AB
#23 TJ Sanders, London, ON
