The Ontario Volleyball Association is excited to announce the hiring of Holly Pitters in the role of Sport Science Lead.

The Sport Science Lead is a new position within the OVA’s athlete development department. It will support the creation of an integrated sport science plan for all OVA athlete development programs. This new position will also allow the OVA to directly support Ontario athletes targeted by the National Team while creating new resources and services for the OVA clubs at large. The highly technical role is unique in the Ontario provincial sport system and will help the OVA achieve many of its strategic objectives.

Holly Pitters was selected for this important role. Holly is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the NSCA and she will be finishing her Masters of Health Science in Nutrition Communication at the Toronto Metropolitan University this December. She has a passion for holistic athlete development and has over 10 years of experience impacting positive organizational outcomes at various levels of the sport system. One of her great assets for the role will be her experience as a National level athlete in gymnastics, trampoline and track & field. Before joining the OVA, Holly was a lead Strength & Conditioning coach within the athletic department of the University of Guelph. She will share her excellent knowledge of varsity athletics with OVA athletes aspiring to that level of performance.

OVA Athlete Development Director, LP Mainville, had this to say about the new position: “As far as I know, OVA is the first Ontario Provincial Sport Organization to hire a sport science expert for service delivery directly on staff. I’m proud of the OVA for its vision and for supporting this new initiative.

I’m excited for the Team Ontario athletes who will learn from Holly and acquire the tools they need to achieve their high performance goals. I’m also eager for the OVA to build sport science expertise that will be shared with the whole membership through resources and new service offerings. I can’t wait for our staff to meet Holly and get to work.”

Holly will start in her new role in January 2023. The OVA looks forward to having her on the team.