Coach David Oxford poses for a photo in the Holy Cross All Grade School gymnasium earlier this week.
Oxford grew up playing a number of sports in Corner Brook and had a lot of fun doing so. When he arrived at Holy Cross All Grade School four years ago he wanted to offer the students a chance to play sports and the consensus was that volleyball would be a great choice.
A team was formed and students got a chance to play some volleyball on a small scale against some of the schools on the Northern Peninsula. Playing in zone tournaments and entering the Diggers Classic at Cloud River Academy in Roddickton was the highlight of the team’s participation in the sport.
“When I came here they couldn’t serve the volleyball over the net. They never had any exposure to it whatsoever,” Oxford said earlier this week.
This year, even with a student population of only 26 boys and girls in a K-12 school, coach Oxford wanted to give the team — comprised of the eight high school students in the school — a chance to play the game at a higher level. He only had four male and four females so there wasn’t enough to form a full team on either side so co-ed was the only route to take.
Oxford applied to the Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Association to get permission to have Holy Cross All Grade School participate in 2015 Volleywest in Corner Brook as a co-ed entry and the green light was given.
It’s the first foray for a co-ed team at Volleywest, but one that coach Oxford insists was a great opportunity for his players.
“They just ate it up. All I did was give them the opportunity to play,” Oxford said.
The team, featuring four girls and four guys, finished third overall in Tier 2 in the senior male division. The team picked up one win in five matches, but managed to win at least one set in every match with the exception of one.
“They loved every second of it,” the proud coach said of his team.
