On behalf of the OVA, I (Kelvin Yee, Beach Referee Chair) would like to extend congratulations to two Ontario Referees for their promotion! Both Melanie Dussiaume and Nivethan Nadarajah were recently successful in earning their National Badge at the Senior & Youth Beach National Championships at Ashbridge’s Bay in Toronto from August 16 to 18, 2024.

Melanie (Mel), who resides in Sudbury, definitely got the km’s added onto her vehicle’s odometer this past season as she made several trips to Toronto to ensure she received the reps and match experience at the adult elite level (NORCECA Trials, Grand Slam and Ontario Championships) to be prepared for the practical and theory exam at Beach Nationals in August.

Melanie achieved her Beach Level 1 (Local) certification in 2015 and Beach Level 2 (Provincial) in 2017. Elite level assignments are the 2016 World Tour Finals in Toronto (Scorer), the 2017 Canada Games in Winnipeg (Referee) and 2022 Canada Games in Niagara (Referee). At our Ontario Beach Championships on August 2nd & 3rd, Melanie was R1 for the Women’s Gold Medal match and R2 for the Men’s Gold Medal match. At Beach Nationals in August, Melanie was R2 for the Men’s Bronze Medal match.

Nivethan (Niv), fell in love with beach volleyball when he was a volunteer at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto and knew he wanted to pursue officiating in that discipline. In 2016, Niv was certified Beach Level 1 (Local), got the attention of senior referees, and was nominated to be a line judge at the 2016 World Tour Finals in Toronto. In 2018, Niv upgraded to Beach Level 2 (Provincial).

Niv, who lives in Pickering, worked almost every weekend this summer doing Adult Elite matches to ensure he would be ready for the practical evaluation at Nationals, including NORCECA Trials, Grand Slam and Ontario Championships. At our Ontario Beach Championships on August 2nd & 3rd , Niv was R1 for the Men’s Gold Medal match and R2 for the Women’s Gold Medal match. At Beach Nationals, Niv was R2 for the Men’s Gold Medal match. Niv was also nominated to be a line judge/referee assistant at the FIVB World Beach Tour – Futures Event in Halifax at the end of August. (Niv was also in Halifax in 2023 as a scorer.)

Away from the beach, Melanie and Niv are also Level 3 (Regional) indoor referees. Both Niv and Mel will be assisting me in mentoring and providing leadership to our Ontario Beach referees to grow the sport even more!

Congratulations again to Mel and Niv!!

Kelvin Yee

Beach Referee Chair (BRC)

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A short note from Mel and Niv:

Mel and Niv would like to thank all the mentors for the time and discussions in preparing us with feedback, video replays and quizzes. We would also like to thank Kelvin Yee (BRC) for the confidence and support during this time.