Team Ontario Elite

This program aims to provide a support system to identified 17U-18U athletes who have demonstrated a potential to play at the international level within a Junior National Team in 1-2 years. The integrated support services offered to these athlete’s include mental performance training from Marble Labs Inc., Sport Nutrition & Athletic Therapy provided by the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario (CSIO), and Strength & Conditioning provided by Mettle Sports Training. Club coaches of identified athletes are also supported through development opportunities. In 2018, this program is made possible by the support of the Ontario High Performance Sport Initiative program.

ONTARIO HIGH PERFORMANCE SPORT INITIATIVE (OHPSI)

In 2017, Boys Indoor Volleyball was successfully accepted into the OHPSI program, which is designed to support provincial high performance programs. OHPSI funding is to be used towards creating a sustainable support system for current and future provincial high performance athletes and coaches. The OHPSI program is offered by the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario (CSIO) and was created with the goal of increasing the number of Ontario athletes performing at the international stage.

For a Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) to be eligible for OHPSI funding, the National Sport Organization (NSO), Volleyball Canada, must be receiving Own the Podium (OTP) funding. For Indoor Volleyball, only the Men’s National Team program receives OTP, therefore only our Boys Provincial High Performance Program could apply for the OHPSI program.

The OVA being an organization dedicated to the development of all athletes, we are going to invest in similar development opportunities for our high performance indoor female athletes through the Team Ontario Elite program.

2018-19 TEAM ONTARIO ELITE PROGRAM

Objectives

• Provide athletes with sport science and sport medicine support throughout the indoor season
• Provide training opportunities to athletes to work on the skills identified as priorities by the National Team coaches
• Expose athletes to international volleyball to give them some perspective on what the top level of volleyball is at their age
• Develop club coaches through participation in the program's training camps

Schedule of Activities

• Sport Science workshop: September 7-8, 2018 at Pan Am Centre in Toronto
• Training Camp: October 12-14, 2018 in Gatineau/Ottawa (Men's national team training centre for boys)
• Winter Training Camp: December 7-9, 2018 in Burlington
• ONE Volleyball Tournament: January 5-6, 2019 (TBD)
• March Break Training Camp in France: March 8-16, 2019

Eligibility

• Male and Female athletes born in January 2001 or later
• Club coaches of selected athletes for the 2018-19 season (Coaches will be notified and invited once club tryouts are over)

Coach Development

• Club coaches will be invited to participate in the October and the December training camps and will be financially supported to do so
• Club coaches who want to be part of the March Break trip to France will have to cover their own expenses
• Development opportunities through webinars and online workshops will be offered to the coaches

ATHLETE SELECTION

Athletes will be selected from the Junior/Youth national team programs as well as through the 2018 Team Ontario Black selection camp. All 2018 Team Ontario Black players will automatically be part of the program. The following number of athletes will participate in the program: 

• 24-36 athletes will be selected and invited to participate in the first three (3) camps (Sept-Oct-Dec)
• Following the December 7-9 camp, a team of 12 athletes and 2 alternates will be selected for the 2019 portion of the program which includes the January tournament and the March Break trip to France
• The selection of the athletes for the March Break Trip to France will be based on the participation of the athletes in the different activities and on the compliance with the sport science & sport medicine components of the program 

COST FOR ATHLETES

Programs are subsidized by OHPSI and the OVA. There will be a minimal cost for services, camps and trip to France between $1000-$2000 (exact cost to be confirmed by the end of the 2018 Team Ontario programs)

2017-18 TEAM ONTARIO ELITE ROSTERS

See below to find out who was part of the first ever edition of the Team Ontario Elite program

WOMEN’S ROSTER

MEN’S ROSTER