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Back Row: Val Rapson (Asst.
Coach), Dawn Mrdy, Jolene Bull, Candice Vic, Connie Yee,
Jolene Florman, Karyn Robinson (Manager), Larry Ethier
(Coach)
Front Row: Brook Rapson (Mascot), Joelle McClaren, Yvette
Deschamps, Silvia Lomascolo, Natalie Reimer, Kendra Enarson,
Melanie Ethier
For the
Wetaskiwin High School Senior Girls Volleyball team, 1990
was a magical year. Nine of the eleven team members had
been Provincial Champions the preceding year at the ‘3A’
level. After their success in 1989, the girls and their
coach felt it would be more challenging to compete at the
‘4A’ higher level.....and just maybe, achieve their dream of
being the very best high school volleyball players in
Alberta.
Very Best High
School Volleyball Players in Alberta
 The ‘3A’
and ‘4A’ designation is based on school population with ‘3A’
being schools with 300-799 students and ‘4A’ those with over
800 students. Wetaskiwin Composite High School’s
population in 1990 was just under 800. Very few
schools “opt up” to a higher division, especially from ‘3A’
to ‘4A’ as this means competing with Edmonton and Calgary
High Schools many of which have
over 2000 students and thus more athletes to choose from.
As the 1990
season unfolded the girls seemed to play better and better
and the momentum grew. The Sabres won the North Battleford,
Lacombe and Leduc tournaments. As well, they placed second
at two
of the most well known and prestigious Edmonton
tournaments, the Jasper Place Rebel tournament and the Harry Ainlay Triprov Tournament, both of which attract high
caliber ‘4A’ level teams from Alberta and other western
provinces. Their achievements at these two tournaments
gave the girls confidence that they could be competitive at
the ‘4A’ level. In tournament play team members from the
Sabres were regularly named tournament all stars or MVP’s.
Regularly Named Tournament All Stars
or MVP’s.
 Taking the
dream one step at a time the girls won their league and then
journeyed down to Medicine Hat to the Zone Championships and
then won there too. The last hurdle was the Provincials.
Wetaskiwin was lucky enough to host the Provincial
Championships and on November 23rd and 24th, eight teams
from across Alberta migrated to Wetaskiwin Composite High
School in hopes of going home as the ‘4A’ Girls’ Provincial
Volleyball Champions for 1990.
After
a rousing opening ceremony including a Piper for the
march-on and a visit from the Captain of Team Canada, the
combatants took to the court in pursuit of a new
championship.
 The play was excellent and resulted in some
very intense and exciting volleyball. The second day
brought even more intense competition with Wetaskiwin,
McNally (Edmonton),
Sir Winston Churchill (Calgary) and Grande Prairie surviving
and advancing to the semifinals. Leduc, Lindsay
Thurber (Red Deer), Western Canada (Calgary) and Salisbury
(Sherwood Park) had to watch and cheer on the other teams.
The
semifinals provided great action with McNally finally bowing
out to Sir Winston Churchill and Grande Prairie succumbing
to Wetaskiwin. With great support from the school and the
community the Sabres were able to make the dream a reality.
The girls edged out Sir Winston Churchill for the gold medal
and achieved success at the highest level available to them
by winning the
Provincial ‘4A’ Volleyball Championship. Wetaskiwin became the ‘FIRST’ 3A school to win the ‘4A’
Girls’ Volleyball Provincials, an amazing feat.
To Win a Provincial Championship,
the “Stars Have to Align”
 For
any team to win a Provincial Championship, the “stars have
to align”. It requires belief in and commitment to your
system, team-mates and
coach; goal setting; focused
practice; hard work; high level physical conditioning; good
coaching; being able to play your best under extreme
pressure; exceptional comradeship, teamwork and
co-operation, and of course outstanding ability. This Sabre
team of 1990 was special, they “had it all” and proved that
anything is possible. The championships they shared will
last a lifetime.
Six of the
team members from 1990 went on to win the 1991 ‘3A’
Provincial Championship capping off three incredible high
school years. They certainly set a record for Sabre teams
in the future to aspire to and their accomplishments make
them a deserving team to be inducted
into the Wetaskiwin and
County Sports Hall of Fame. Some teams members went on to
play for Alberta Volleyball Association elite midget and
juvenile teams and one player also continued playing after
high school at the University level and was named “the most
outstanding female university volleyball player in Canada”.
Members of
the 1990 Sabres Senior Girls Volleyball team are: Joleen
Bull, Yvette Deschamps, Kendra Enarson, Melanie Ethier,
Jolene Flormann, Silvia Lomascolo, Dawn Mardy, Joelle
McClaren, Natalie Reimer, Candice Vic, Connie Yee, Karyn
Robinson, Manager, Val Rapson, Assistant Coach and Larry
Ethier, Coach
Information
about an inductee is collected from published sources,
sports archives, scrapbooks, anecdotal
information from family, friends and fans, and the athletes,
coaches and managers.
However,
sometimes the best stories and personal insights are gleaned
at
the induction dinner from the
introductory comments or acceptance speech of the inductee
or their representative.
Where
possible we have included this type of information for your
enjoyment.
Read
the
acceptance speech made by one of the players Kendra Limneos
(Enarson).
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