Phaneuf Bringing Volleyball Academy To CK Youth
Jeff Phaneuf and his daughter will be a part of the new Timbits Chatham Volleyball Academy – Contributed Photo
Veteran coach and teacher Jeff Phaneuf of Chatham, along with several other dedicated volunteer coaches will be running the Chatham Volleyball Academy, sponsored by Tim Hortons this Fall, for local youth aged 5-9.
“Volleyball is a great sport,” says Phaneuf, who coaches at UCC, as well as for the Chatham Ballhawks volleyball organization. “Many young athletes are driven away from it because of the inability to master the skills needed to keep a rally going. They see volleyball as boring because rallies never last at the younger level. I can’t think of another game where the most important element in the game must be in constant motion. When skills can be developed early it is impressive what the game looks and feels like.”
The Chatham Volleyball Academy’s Timbits Volleyball Program is a learn-to-play volleyball program for girls and boys aged 5-9. This grassroots volleyball program aims to emphasize the FUNdamentals of the game, stressing the importance of FUN in a non-competitive environment.
According to Phaneuf, he and his wife Laurie, who will also coach at the academy, got the idea to start a youth skills program in Chatham after coaching the Ballhawks and watching other successful communities who have young age programs in place. After taking his daughter to a program in London, Phaneuf decided it was time to bring the concept to Chatham-Kent children.
“My hope that the benefits will be long lasting, we are following “Long Term Athlete Development” module set out by Volleyball Canada. Our focus is on FUNdementals for volleyball and other sports as well as learning to train. I hope to open the eyes of those little athletes to show them what they are capable of. Hopefully down the road it provides our youth with another choice for athletics as volleyball is game that you can play for life,” says Phaneuf.
Phaneuf praised a team of volunteers for getting the program off the ground, including Chatham’s Adam Kaminski, a member of Canada’s National Men’s Volleyball team. Kaminski also believes in the value of the program, “Chatham’s Timbit Volleyball Academy is a great way to get kids involved in volleyball at a young age by teaching them the skills and fundamentals of the game in a fun and non-competitive atmosphere,” stated Kaminski.
Registration for the Chatham Volleyball Academy can be found online at http://www.chathamvolleyballacademy.com/ or on the Academy’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CHATHAMVOLLEYBALLACADEMY