Eagles in the top 20

Page 13

It's common practice in volleyball for team members to swap high fives between plays to keep motivated. Perhaps the success of the Samson Eagles lies in their willingness to take this tradition a step further.

Between plays, Eagle team members quickly touch hands together to form a circle on the court. You often can't tell from their expressions if they won or lost the previous point. The circle pulls the team together to focus on the next play. As player Destiny Ward explained, "When a person gets mad, we encourage them, tell them it's all right, tell them don't give up," said Ward.

This philosophy has served the team well. As the 1999 Alberta provincial champions for under 16 girls, the Samson Eagles won their way into the top tier at the Canadian Open Midget National Volleyball Championships held May 22 to 24 in Calgary. While final results were not available at press time, Eagles Coach Tim Margets was confident the girls finished within the top 20 teams.

Calgary's Olympic Oval was turned into the world's largest gym to accommodate the more than 2,000 players from 143 teams. Competition was fierce and the pace relentless.

"They're competing at twice the speed they're used to," explained Coach Tim Margets. "But these girls have the skills and they'll rise to the occasion."

This team of 14, 15 and 16 year old girls from the Samson Cree First Nation and the Enoch First Nation are no strangers to the hard work that builds skills and team work. The Samson Eagles practice twice each week, with occasional extra practices on weekends.

"We take it seriously," said player Kashina Swampy.

Parent Bev Ward credits the team's success to the quality of the coaching and to the friendship between the girls. She explained that her daughter Kasia tried an Edmonton league but didn't feel comfortable. So now Bev Ward drives an hour each way to bring Kasia to the practices in Samson.

"I put her in sports to keep her out of mischief. She's good at it and enjoys it," said Ward.

Player Kashina Swampy agreed.

"There are people on reserve having babies. It keeps us away from all that," she said.

The future looks bright for the Samson Eagles. According to assistant coach Chris Hollingworth, three of Alberta's top 25 midget players are with the Eagles, and five of their top players are only 14 years old. The Eagles expect to be back at the top championships again next year.