East End had home court advantage but did not sweep aside West Bay.
Instead the two districts earned a split in the exhibition volleyball games at the East End Civic Centre last Saturday evening. East End, behind Anthony Bodden, would claim the adult version of the matches (technically West Bay forfeit due to a lack of players but a friendly contest was played nonetheless). West Bay meanwhile downed the East Enders in the youth division in straight sets.
Part of the winning team for West Bay was Krista Ebanks, 15. The year nine Wesleyan Christian Academy student, who made athletic dives, states the competition was good.
“It was great and a good experience,” Ebanks said. “Our team played well and had fun. The volleyball league as a whole has been a good experience as I’m able to get out there and look forward to something on a Saturday evening. I know it keeps us out of trouble. If I wasn’t doing this I’d probably be at the movies, hanging out with friends or at home talking on the phone.”
Both games, which were umpired by Curtis Richards, were put on by the West Bay and East End Community Sports Committees. Both groups recently wrapped up district volleyball leagues in both locales.
Even though he came out on the losing end, East End youth team captain Jamie Montero, 15, was upbeat. The year nine Clifton Hunter high school student spoke about his involvement in the league as a whole.
“It was a good game that was exciting and challenging,” Montero said. “If we were in West Bay I’m sure we’d encounter the same atmosphere. I live by Farm Road and being in the East End league wasn’t a waste of time. I was able to meet new people and have fun.”
One of the lasting impacts of the community volleyball leagues is their ability to foster family unity. For example Jackie Bodden is in her second year playing in West Bay competition alongside son Ronaldo McLaughlin and sister Debbie Bodden. Jackie, who captained the Northwest Point team to second place in the adult league, states the event is worth it.
“I played on the Northwest Point team with my sister and my son played for the first place youth team Blazers,” Bodden said. “This is something that’s needed for kids to do. It’s exciting for us adults too and we see it as a way to give back to the West Bay community. Hopefully my son inherits that mentality and he encourages more youth to get involved, which will help the youth of the community.
“Sports are something positive and clean for the kids. It’s a good way for us adults to reconnect with the youth. We get a lot of adult spectators to the matches and that adds to the atmosphere too.
“At the end of the day, last Saturday’s match was well put-together. East End hosted us well and it’s great that they worked with us because we didn’t have enough adult players. It was a great, friendly night of competition. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to keeping it going annually.”
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