Aloha!
Can-west Sports Group recently left Canadian soil and took a trip to the beautiful
island of Maui, Hawaii! Owner and head recruiter of the company, Ty
Plandowski, along with coaches Sarah Hogue and Kaylie Lueck, set out to bring
their volleyball knowledge and experience to the young athletes of Maui in a
volleyball camp setting.
We started off the week by attending practice with the athletes of the Kahalawai
Volleyball Club practicing out of Maui Preparatory Academy. It was such an
exciting experience to participate in their practice and learn some new games to
bring back to Canada. Their effort level was inspiring, and it was so fun to
compete and play alongside them! We returned to their practice a few days later
to join in with them one more time!
It was our pleasure to be able to host a volleyball clinic one early evening for the
boys and girls club of Maui. The boys and girls club serves many youths on the
island of Maui. It is much more than an after-school club; working hard to provide
a safe space for homework, activities, fun, and building relationships, the Boys
and girls club has a very meaningful impact on youth and community.
The kids were full of energy and eager to learn anything and everything that we
had to share with them. We brought to them some of the most fun games we
have played with different groups in the past and they enjoyed having some fun
with us. It was such a great opportunity to be able to bond with the students and
share our love of volleyball with them. Their participation and enthusiasm is
greatly appreciated!
The Can-west Sports Group volleyball camp ran Friday evening 5-7, Saturday
10-12 and 1-3, and Sunday 10-12 and 1-3. Our camp structure was formulated to
provide a fun and encouraging camp environment that allowed young athletes to
improve in each volleyball skill area.
We had a small group of young athletes attending the camp that allowed time to
focus on individual improvement and we were then able to form great
relationships with those athletes. Their hard work, ability to always give 100%,
and their positive attitude towards trying new things was extremely motivating to
coach.
Friday evening began with an introduction to ball control and serving specific
drills to follow. Saturday sessions focused on defensive skills, working on digging
the ball and leading into games in the afternoon that concentrated on using those
specific skills in a game scenario. Sunday the focus was shifted onto offence.
The athletes went through drills that emphasized the use of spike approach and
arm swing to improve their attack. They were also introduced to different blocking
sequences. The afternoon was filled with game play where the athletes were
able to apply everything that they had learned into real game conditions.
The camp was an incredible success, and the enthusiastic participation of the
athletes made the entire experience that much better. We hope to return in the
coming years to be able to run this camp in the future.
Mahalo, to all the people and young athletes we met through this incredible
experience, it would not have been possible without the support and participation
of all of you!
Make sure to keep up with everything Can-west Sports Group is doing for the
rest of the summer and beyond by checking out the webpage and following the
Instagram @canwestsportsgroup to see if there is anything happening near you!