Lahey’s Enjoy A Summer Of “Home Court” Advantage
The summer of 2020 was different for all athletes. Luckily for Kenzie and Lauryn Lahey, they have a home court advantage, literally.
The Mitchell’s Bay area sisters, who typically play beach volleyball tournaments across Southwestern Ontario in the summer didn’t get to play on their regular circuit, but they did get to play and practice on the court in their yard
“We have been so fortunate to be able to grow up watching our dad play indoor and beach volleyball. We have had such a great experience at home because we have endless opportunities to play and we have our own personal coach, our Dad,” the Lahey sisters told CKSN, praising their father, who played for Team Ontario, and at Niagara College himself.
For Cory and Jen Lahey, maintaining their home court has been a no brainer.
“Beach has been a part of our lives for more than 30 years and became our passion,” they said. “Once we introduced our girls to the sport and they shared in that passion we knew it was going to continue to be a part of our lives. We wanted to give them the opportunity to pursue excellence in the game that they’ve grown to love.”
The cancellation of Kenzie and Lauryn’s indoor season with the Chatham Ballhawks was tough news for the duo who love volleyball, but luckily they had their own court to fall back on.
“When our indoor season got cut short we were disappointed but we were still hopeful for a beach season. Once we got the news of beach being cancelled we were heartbroken but having our own court was a great advantage to us and our teammates and gave us the opportunities to play and train with hopes of a season next year.”
Once COVID-19 restrictions lifted and bubbles were able to expand, the Lahey’s were able to invite a few friends to play on their court as well.
“Everyone who comes absolutely loves playing and are so happy to be there,” the sisters said. ” It’s a good, positive environment every time we get playing on the court. We always have so much fun.”
Their parents echoed that sentiment, enjoying the experience of seeing their daughters, and the other youth they’ve coached in recent years enjoying the game they’d temporarily lost.
“It’s always exciting when the kids get out on the court,” Jen and Cory said. ” Seeing their hard work pay off is almost an indescribable feeling. It gives us so much pride and joy to be able to see kids grow not just as athletes but as great human beings. We’ve formed a special volleyball family and it’s been a blessing to have had that happen. We could not be more proud of these kids.”
This September, the Lahey’s will be hosting a beach tournament on their home court as well.
Jen and Cory’s own love for the game of volleyball, and beach volleyball, seems to be infectious for the youth they’ve coached, including their own daughters. And their passion and commitment to keeping their home court open has been worthwhile to their family and friends this summer.
“We love the competitiveness of beach and it helps to improve our indoor game,” the Lahey sisters said, describing what they love about beach volleyball. “It gives the opportunity to play the sport we love all year round. We really enjoy being social and meeting new people at tournaments. And we just love being in the sand and sun.”