This week Roncalli participated in the 2020 South Island Volleyball Championship, held in Invercargill. This was a great experience and opportunity for the two teams involved: the B-Squad girls and C-Squad boys.

A long trip down (six and a half hours) was made bearable with lots of good music and great company. Stopping in Waihola both ways held some great playground memories and attempts at gymnastics.

Roncalli couldn’t have asked for anything better in terms of accommodation. The Invercargill Beach Road Holiday Park was the place to be. Great open spaces, communal kitchen where Sally served up delicious dinners and comfy beds to rest in when the day was done. The final night’s dinner couldn’t have happened without a generous donation of pizza and fries from McCain’s Timaru, well deserved after finishing games at 9.00pm! Lots of team bonding was also done here including the likes of: yoga, team pranks and staying up far too late talking about the days ahead.

The actual tournament and playing of games was a blast. Hustling for the ball in every set, both teams made a great impact on the surrounding competition often being noted as the most positive teams. The girls ended with three wins and many close calls, cheering loudly from the start to the end. Positive energy and communication was key to their success. The boys were one of the youngest teams in the tournament, but by the end they were pushing all opponents deep into each set. The girls made use of the amazing tournament venue with ten team bonding tasks. A few to mention were completing duty with shoes on opposite feet, ordering coffee without talking and making secret handshakes with players from other teams.

It was fair to say this tournament was an ace (Volleyball lingo) Thanks to everyone involved who made this happen. On behalf of all our volleyball teams, we cannot thank you enough for giving us such an opportunity to do something we love!

Coaches: Dallas Redhead and Olive Faamanu Kitara

Managers: Sally Betts and Tim Mackle

Teacher in Charge: David Hines

Written by Anya O’Connor, Captain B-Squad Girls 2020