uclid Avenue resident James Buchanan describes competing at the Ontario Summer Games in August in Whitby as "simply awesome, an amazing experience!"
One of only nine players selected for the Eastern Regional Juvenile Volleyball Team, this was James's first opportunity to play at this level of competition and he rose to the occasion, being named best offside player at the Summer Games.
He attended regional tryouts in the spring at the urging of his high school coach and made the team after the second tryout. Three solid weeks of intense daily practice before the Games began paid off. Ranked last in the province going into the Summer Games, James's team ended up playing in the bronze medal finals.
"The pre-Games training here at home was comparable to going to a camp because of the level of coaching and the level of play. Our team had some of the best volleyball coaches in Ontario. This elevates the level of play which forces you to up your play to be able to keep up with the competition."
A Grade 12 student at Glebe, James, 16, began playing volleyballfive years ago when he was at Hopewell and has competed every year since then. Two years ago, this middle and offside player was captain of the junior boys' team at Glebe; last year he was a starter for the senior boys' team.
James plans to play this year for both Glebe and the Ottawa Kangaroos competitive club team. His long-term goal is to play university volleyball and the Ontario Summer Games was certainly a step towards attaining that goal.
James likes volleyball because it is a quick reflex sport. "A player has to be prepared more mentally than physically because of what can happen during a game in a fraction of a second." He encourages other kids to try volleyball if they haven't played before. "The game is tough to learn but learning the little details of the game make you a much better player."
All around, competing at the Ontario Summer Games was an invaluable experience for this young athlete. He not only met kids from all over Ontario but got to play against the province's top young volleyball players. Congratulations, James!