Team Canada was beaten in straight sets by Poland, showing an inconsistent game
By Sidronio Henrique
Winters, Mainville and Schmitt try to stop Piotr Gruszka. Photo: Courtesy FIVB
Winters, Mainville and Schmitt try to stop Piotr Gruszka. Photo: Courtesy FIVB
Team Canada was beaten in straight sets by Poland, showing an inconsistent gameThe Polish squad wasn’t playing its best, but that wasn’t even necessary to overplay Canada in straight sets earlier today in the opening round of the men’s volleyball world championship, in Italy. The mistakes made by the Canucks, the lack of attention on defence, and the chances wasted when they could score during transitions killed the possibility of giving a hard time to Poland. The European champions defeated Canada by 25-22, 25-21 and 25-13.
Team Canada started with Fred Winters and Toon Van Lankvelt on the left side, Gavin Schmitt on the right side, Adam Simac and Louis-Pierre Mainville playing middle, and Josh Howatson was the line-up setter. Canada is in pool F, completed with Serbia and Germany, in the city of Trieste.
The first set was the most balanced, with both teams a little bit nervous. The veteran Fred Winters, playing for the national team since 2003, was the reference, ending that set as the main scorer for Canada, with five points. The Canadian squad could have won the first set. When the game was tied in 20, Team Canada missed three opportunities to make a kill. Later, Poland was leading 23-22, and Canada was receiving, having the chance to side out, but Howatson made a double touch, giving the Polish their first set point, which was promptly converted.
On the second set, it seemed things had changed. Some float serves by Lankvelt complicated the Polish passing, and Canada opened 3-0. The team kept its rhythm, reaching the first technical time out ahead, 8-3. However, that was the beginning of the end for the Canucks, as the Polish players showed more concentration, specially the setter Pawel Zagumny. On the next technical time out, Poland was leading 16-12 – they had scored 13 points since the previous one, while Canada had only four points. The scenario didn’t change until the end of the set.
The third and last set was the most disappointing for Canadian fans. The team seemed lost. Poland was leading 8-4, then 16-8, and they closed the set with an advantage of 12 points. Some moments were embarrassing, like the two aces scored by Poland that gave them their 15th and 16th points.
As the match went on, Gavin Schmitt grew in importance, finishing as the main Canadian scorer with 13 points – Bartosz Kurek made 19 points for Poland, and was the main scorer of the game. Recently, one of the main Brazilian news websites pointed Schmitt as the best Canadian player, the one to be observed by the opponents, highlighting his achievements in the South Korean league.
Tomorrow, Canada plays against Serbia, a squad that has been playing in a higher level than Poland lately. Team Canada faces Germany on Monday , closing its participation on pool F. Serbia and Germany played today, and the Serbians won 3-0 (25-21, 25-21 and 25-13). Three teams qualify to the next phase.
Men’s tournament starts this coming Saturday in Italy, and Team Canada faces off the European champion in the opening round
By Sidrônio Henrique
Soonias (7) and Mainville (1) block against Cuba during a friendly match in Ottawa. Photo: Phillip MacCallum / Photo Ventures
A few days from its first match on the world championship, Team Canada has something else to worry about than just a powerhouse like Poland – a squad that is simply the European champion, silver medalist in the last edition of this tournament, and arrives in Italy as one of the favourites. The execution of some plays and the improvement in transition as the defence needs more attention are still issues, according to the team manager, Julien Boucher. Canada will play against Serbia and Germany on the sequence in pool F, in the city of Trieste, trying to get one of the three spots to the second phase. The world championship has 24 teams in six groups.
After leaving Canada on September 12th, the group stopped in Prague, Czech Republic for three matches against their national team. The series would help Canada, who had a low number of games on the way to the world championship, to get used to the style used by its opponents – very physical teams relying on a heavy serve and tall blocks. Even though Czech Republic isn’t as strong as Poland, Serbia and Germany, the results were disappointing to the Canucks – three defeats by 3-0. After Prague, Team Canada headed to Bled, Slovenia to face a local club coached in the last two seasons by Glenn Hoag, Canada’s head coach. In Bled the Canadians tasted a victory, but some problems remain, like those issues mentioned above.
The line-up in the first match versus the Czech will probably be the same in the world championship, with Fred Winters and Dallas Soonias on the left side, Gavin Schmitt on the right side, Adam Simac and Louis-Pierre Mainville as middle players, and Josh Howatson as the setter. However, Julien Boucher said changes still can be made.
Polish and Serbians, the first two adversaries of Canada in Trieste, are ending their route to the tournament playing friendly matches against some of the best teams in the world, but the bad news came from the German side, the third Canadian opponent, and theoretically the less difficult and direct obstacle to the third berth on pool F to the next phase. The Germans beat Italy recently by 3-1 and just finished a series against the ever champion Brazil. Team Germany defeated the Brazilians twice, by 3-2 and 3-0, having surprised Brazil with a strong serve. Obviously, exhibition games involve experiences, and the Brazilian coach, Bernardo Rezende, took the opportunity to give rhythm to some substitutes – Brazil won one match by 3-1. Anyway, the level of the game showed by the Germans was considered very consistent. Germany is coached by Raul Lozano, an Argentine with an impressive resume that includes the silver medal in the last world championship, when he took a relatively young Polish team to an unexpected result.
Julien Boucher commented that Team Canada is studying carefully its three opponents, and they are really focused to the face the challenge which is just about to start.
The International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) website doesn’t inform yet which matches of the tournament will be streamed – FIVB started a partnership this year at the World League with Laola TV. The Canadian volleyball fans can check it out later at www.fivb.org. At least, the fans will have a live score. The world championship ends on October 10th. Brazil, the defending champion, Russia, Serbia, Cuba, Poland, Bulgaria and Italy are considered the favourites.
The Canucks play against Poland, Serbia and Germany at the men’s volleyball world championship, starting September 25th in Italy
By Sidronio Henrique
Left side Toon Van Lankvelt hits to score against Cuba. Photo: Phillip MacCallum / Photo Ventures
It will be a long way until Team Canada can be seen again as it was almost 30 years ago. Glenn Hoag, the head coach for the men’s volleyball squad, knows very well what that was then. He was a back-up middle player in a group that finished fourth at the 1984 Olympics, and later most of them made a career being part of the elite in the best European leagues. Back to 2010, Hoag and his staff are doing their best to put the team in a competitive level. They have a tough task right ahead of them: The World Championship starts on September 25thin Italy, and Canada is the underdog in the “pool of death”, in the city of Trieste, facing powerhouses like Poland and Serbia, and also the strong German team. Three teams qualify to the next phase. The tournament, ending on October 10th, has 24 teams in six groups.
Last time, in 2006, Canada finished 11th, having Fred Winters on the left side and Paul Duerden on the right side as the main hitters. Duerden is no longer playing with the national team, but Winters, a 28-year-old veteran that has been playing in Europe since 2003, is supposedly the one to lead the squad, this time with a help from Dallas Soonias, who has just moved from right side to left side, and Gavin Schmitt as the opposite.
Three effective hitters represent a good scenario for a team that has been relying on only two through the past decade. Two years ago, during the Norceca qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Canada had Winters and an young Soonias when they lost in the semis to Puerto Rico, of the outstanding Hector Soto, and said goodbye to the berth – later taken by the United States.
Dan Lewis, who used to be a left side more recognized for his defense skills though, now is a world-class libero, with a very consistent game. Passing and defending are key for a team who hasn’t the same ball control as elite members like Brazil, United States, Italy or Serbia, or either cannot depend on the strength of their hitters like Russia, Poland, Bulgaria or Cuba.
Soonias, a rookie on the left side, has to develop his skills as a receiver – he started passing last month, as Alexandre Gaumont-Casias, who played on the left side, had to leave the team due to an injury. In some rotations, Louis-Pierre Mainville, a former left side now playing as middle, helps receiving. During a recent series of exhibition matches against Cuba, Glenn Hoag also put Toon Van Lankvelt to play, as a sub for Winters – the veteran injured a finger during the first match.
In the middle, besides Mainville, Adam Simac is one of the starters. Josh Howatson is the line-up setter, a fast thinker, but struggles with the lack of training with his teammates, as the squad hasn’t played enough since they got together in May – started the season at the Pan American Cup, in Puerto Rico, headed to Australia for four matches against the Aussies, and finally had three games in Canada versus Cuba. According to Hoag, one of his main concerns is the adjustment of the timing of the plays in the middle. Team Canada is looking for more variation, trying to surprise their opponents.
Dealing with some injuries on his group, Glenn Hoag hopes to develop a pool of athletes who could change their game when a key guy is hurt or cannot play, so the squad would be able to absorb that and keep the level.
Team Canada celebrates a point during a friendly match against Cuba in Ottawa. Photo: Phillip MacCallum / Photo Ventures
Adversaries
The first match at the World Championship will be against Poland, one of the most traditional teams in the world, silver medalist in the last edition and also European champion. However, the most recent results made their fans worried. The Polish team had a disappointing performance last year at the World Grand Champions Cup, when they finished fourth in a tournament with six teams, losing the third place to an improbable Japan. At the 2010 World League, Poland didn’t qualify to the finals, but the coach Daniel Castellani has been putting the pieces together, bringing back some veterans, ready to try to keep the Polish tradition. Four years ago, in the World Championship held in Japan, Poland outplayed Canada in straight sets.
The Serbians, second opponents of Team Canada, are probably the strongest squad on the pool. They recently finished third at the World League, holding a place at the podium for the third year in a row. Lead by the right side Ivan Miljkovic and the setter Nikola Grbic, both among the best in the world in their position, the Serbians will arrive in Italy as one of the favourites. They also beat Canada 3-0 in 2006 during the World Championship.
In theory, Germany is the less difficult barrier to the Canadian dream of advancing to the next phase, but it will not be easy. Coached by Raul Lozano, who took Poland to the second place in the last edition of the tournament, the Germans have high quality players like Stephan Hübner, a middle blocker. Team Germany is definitely a world class side. Probably they will battle against Canada for the third berth on the final round of pool F, stepping in as the favourite.
“We will play our best in Italy, I don’t think of ourselves as the underdog”, said Dallas Soonias after one of the friendly matches against Cuba. Adam Simac sees a more consistent team as the World Championship approaches. And Fred Winters is absolutely confident in good presentations of Team Canada in Trieste.
Against Cuba, in late August, Canada won one match, with a thrilling triumph by 3-1 in Ottawa. The Cubans, without three starters, saw Canada serving well that night. Although concerned with some aspects of the game, Glenn Hoag was satisfied with the improvement at the passing system. Anyway, blocking and getting more effectiveness on the attack on the middle were still an issue less than a month before the tournament.
Brazil, the defending champion, Russia, Serbia, Cuba, Poland, Bulgaria and Italy, supported by their fanatic crowd, show up as the main candidates to the title. On the International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) rank Canada appears as the 20th, but it doesn’t reflect the reality of the scenario of this sport, once the regional competitions are given too much points. This way, for have won the weak African championship and for have gotten a berth for the last Olympics at the regional qualification, a mid-level team like Egypt appears at 14th place, while much stronger squads like Netherlands (27th) or Finland (33rd), facing tough opponents in Europe, have a low rank.
Absent from the World League since 2008, when the team dropped due to the lack of funds, Canada has been playing a low number of international matches compared to the main squads, like Brazil or Russia.
It takes a long time to make a team play consistently during most of the matches, with ball control, and keeping the attention in the crucial moments. More training and the gain of international experience would give Canada a chance to play in equal conditions against the powerhouses. Glenn Hoag, internationally recognized by his job in some of the most important clubs in Europe, knows the road. This is not something for this Olympic cycle, but maybe in one or two we could see Team Canada arriving at the main competitions with the same status it had back in the 1980s.
Stanley and his teammates warming up for the first game in Chicago. Photo: Joel Masci
“I wish we could get more people to watch volleyball”: Clayton Stanley
The man who destroyed the Brazilian dream of winning the gold medal in the last Olympics after dominating the sport during the decade talks about how intense volleyball can be, the dream of seeing the rising popularity of that sport in North America, and shows concern about the training of the American squad towards the World Championship in September. But he is confident about his way to the next Olympics, to be held in London, 2012. One gold medal is not enough to Clayton Stanley, the MVP of the men’s volleyball tournament at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. PanTV interviewed him in Chicago, during the World League.
By Sidronio Henrique
Every Brazilian volleyball fan knows him very well; it’s a household name – Clayton Stanley, an American opposite hitter, the most valuable player of the 2008 Olympic Games. Italians, Bulgarians, Serbians and Russians had felt the power of his kills, when he and his mates finally faced Brazil in the final match at Beijing Olympics. A sequence of serves by Stanley put the Americans 6-0 ahead in the second set, after Brazil won the first. Stanley’s destroying serves was only the beginning of a comeback. The match ended 3-1 to the US team – 20 years later they got the gold again, led by Stanley, who was also the best scorer and the best server of the tournament. To Brazil, the silver medal had a bitter taste, a disappointment for a group who had won every major title in that decade until then. Clayton Stanley, a 6’8’’ tall athlete, 32 years old, doesn’t bring back good memories to the Brazilian volleyball fans.
On the last weekend of June, in Chicago, PanTV talked with the top American volleyball player — the US team hosted Finland for two matches at the 21st edition of the World League. A star in Russia, where he has been playing in the last four years, after two seasons in Greece, Stanley can walk anonymously in any American city. “I wish we could get more people to watch volleyball”, he said, after helping his squad to beat the Finnish on the second match. Being recognized, according to him, is not relevant, but making volleyball big in the land of baseball is a goal. The Sears Arena, with 12,000 seats, had only 3,500 people on the first night, and 4,000 on the second — a small audience to the Olympic champions, a modest number if we think about the packed gymnasiums in Brazil with 20,000 people to watch Giba, Dante or Murilo playing for the national team.
Attracting people to watch volleyball in North America is a tough task, agrees the MVP of the Beijing Olympics. Without support from the media, almost none TV coverage, the sport has been seen only by a few fans. A local newspaper in Chicago covered the first match, but focused on Sean Rooney, an outside hitter for the US team who was born in the city, saying almost nothing about the game. A local blogger informed that two years ago, also during the World League, he had to explain to a photographer of another Chicago newspaper what kind of pictures could be interesting for volleyball coverage — the photographer had no clue.
Two teenagers were waiting to take pictures with Stanley as he was coming to talk to PanTV – a contrast in comparison to the legion of fans in Brazil that go frenzy every time a Brazilian player walks by near the crowd. “People here don’t understand how intense volleyball can be. It is a tough sport, very demanding”, he stresses.
In three months the World Championship starts, the most important competition of the year, and the second most relevant for volleyball, after the Olympics. Both are held every four years — the World League is annual. The World Championship will be held in Italy, in late September. Brazil, the defending champion, and Russia are, in Stanley’s opinion, the main obstacles on the way of his team to a title the US only won 24 years ago — when a legend called Karch Kiraly was the lead and helped to put the pieces together in order to beat the former USSR, another powerhouse in the eighties. “Brazil has so many talented players, and they keep coming”, says Stanley, showing respect to the number one team on the FIVB (International Federation of Volleyball) rank — the US comes right after, as number two. The new Cuban generation, who beat the Americans last year in the continental tournament, is also a source of concern.
If two years ago the American squad was running smoothly, today things go different. Some veteran players are injured, new faces joined the team representing new blood but lacking in experience. “We are trying to keep the team together, but there are many problems”, Stanley affirms, referring to the injuries — that weekend the captain William Priddy, an outside hitter and one of the best American players, had to be subbed in due to some pain. “It is a young team, but we have a long journey until London 2012”, says Clayton Stanley, looking ahead to another gold medal. The Brazilians surely don’t want him to be as inspired as he was in 2008.
Stanley’s father, Jon, played on the 1968 American men’s Olympic volleyball team and he is a member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame. Clay’s step-grandfather, Tom Haine, was also on 1968 men’s Olympic volleyball team. Clay’s mother, Sandra Haine, played professionally for the Denver Comets as well as for Canada’s national team. With Stanley’s first Olympic appearance in 2004 he and his father became the first father-son Olympians in USA Volleyball history.
Stanley hits in the second match in Chicago. Photo: Courtesy FIVB
The matches
The Finnish team started the weekend surprising the host, but on the second match the Americans downed the visitors.
A short outside hitter for professional volleyball, only 6’5’’ tall, the Finn Urpo Sivula, a 22 year old player, was the name of the first game with 31 points on 28 kills, two blocks and one ace. The Finns stun the US squad with a 3-2. The Finnish coach, the Italian Mauro Berruto, was proud that night in Chicago. “I have been forced to congratulate our opponent the last four times. This was a victory against one of the best teams in the world. Passing was key. We showed a real improvement”, said Berruto.
Back on track, the Americans were more consistent on the second night in Chicago, and led by the veteran Clayton Stanley they showed a more appropriate game to their position as the second ranked team in the world. Stanley scored 19 points on 15 kills, one block and three aces. Still, the top scorer that night was the Finnish Urpo Sivula with 22 points on 22 kills. “I thought it was important that we improve in transition and we did that”, remarked Alan Knipe, the American coach.
The US and Finland are on pool C of the World League – there are four groups. Russia leads with nine victories and one defeat, followed by the Americans with a 7-3 record – Egypt completes the group. Brazil leads pool A. The finals will be held from July 21 to 25, in Cordoba, Argentina. Brazil and Italy are the biggest winners of the World League, with eight titles each.
Canada
The last time Canada participated of the World League was in 2007. Canada team was supposed to participate in the 2008 edition, but dropped due to lack of funds. The Canadian men’s team is now ranked 20th by FIVB. Canada doesn’t qualify to the men’s volleyball tournament at the Olympic Games since Barcelona, in 1992, when they finished in 10th place. Their best participation was in the 1984 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, with a 4th place – Canada had one of the best teams in the world in the first half of the eighties, but the sport never took off in the country.
The largest documentary festival in North America, the Hot Docs, based in Toronto, presents Brazilians documentaries on its 17th edition.
B1, Citizen Boilesen, Beyond Ipanema, Secrets of the tribe and Geral, were th e selected projects, but there is also Waste land, an international production
7News interviewed some of them on this special edition.
The first interviewee is Chaim Litewski, director/producer of Citizen Biolesen, a film about the life of Henning Albert Boilesen, using his life in Brazil as the field to discuss the years of dictatorship. Boilesen was involved with repression apparatus forces, like many entrepreneurs who supported financially the Oban (Operaçnão bandeirante) the right wing repression arm, which tortured and killed many ‘leftists’ in Brazil between 1964-1984.
Here in Vancouver 2010 are coming 2500 athletes, representing 80 countries in 86 events in 15 different sports, with the opening ceremony on February 12 and the games until 28th
The sports and year that was introduced to the games are:
Alpine Skiing (1936)
Biathlon (1960)
Bobsleigh (1924)
Cross Country Skiing (1924)
Curling (1924 and then in 1998)
Figure Skating (1924)
Free Style Skiing (1992)
Ice Hockey (1920)
Luge (1964)
Nordic Combined (1924)
Skeleton (1948, and since 2002)
Ski Jumping (1924)
Short Track Speed Skating (1992)
Speed Skating (1924)
Snowboarding (1998)
The Brazilian athletes confirmed to come are:
Alpine Skiing: Maya Harrison and Jhonatan Longui
Cross Country Skiing: Jaqueline Mourao in the Classic10K e Leandro Ribela in the Classic 15K
With the Winter Olympic Games coming around, it’s time to start to figure out who are the brazucas that will be in the competition.
Before we get stated, lets try to remind how was the brazilian participation in the games. Its clear that winter sports aren’t our forte, but with the globalization it’s not really hard to find some brazilians living in another foreign country that are engaged to some of these sports.
The Winter Olympic Games officially started in 1924. At that time, its venue was the same as the Summer Olympic Games. Then, both began to have different locations and to be held 2 years after the summer games with each one happening every 4 years.
So far, Brazil has been in the following Winter Games: 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 and we will be here in 2010
Brazilian participation was as follow:
1992 -Albertville, France
7 athletes, 6 men and 1 female, all of them in the Alpine Skiing
1994 – Lillehammer, in Norway
1 man only, in Alpine Skiing
1998 in Nagano, Japan
1 man: Alpine Skiing
2002 in Salt Lake City, in United States
The biggest team with 9 men and 2 women: Alpine Skiing, Cross Country, Bobsled and Luge
2006 in Turim, Italy
7 men and 2 women, in the Bobsled, Alpine Skiing, Cross Country and Snowboard
Just to let you know, so far, we haven’t got any medal, but our participation is becoming more important every time. For now, winning medals is too much for us. To me, only soccer is the sport we should demand a medal in every single tournament participation
Next round, we are going to introduce you to the brazilian athletes coming to Vancouver.
Interviewing Bruno Capinan, a provocative Brazilian singer-songwriter, in Toronto, Canada. Bruno is a musician and poet with multiple facets that composes his music by mixing his experiences of living in Brazil and Canada. He recently released his independent and unique album “Gozo” in Canada. Bruno stops to talk to PanTV before going to Brazil for the release of his album in that country.
Procon, the consumer protection agency, was created more than 30 years ago in Brazil. There are 240 offices in São Paulo state, and the oldest ones are located in Campinas and São Paulo city. In 2008 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula ad Silva signed a decree nº 6.253/08 after the elaboration of the Consumer Service Regulation document, created following public consultation intended to improve the quality of consumer service of the financial institutions, telephone operating companies, and airlines, the complain champions.
