Their court of preference is nine by nine metres in dimension, and their desire is to dominate.
Like every athlete representing their country, these volleyball players are dedicated to being the best they can be, united for a cause, and an opportunity to wear the Canadian jersey with pride.
That most won’t hear the cheers and vocal support – at least in the standard means – is beside the point.
The members of the Canadian women’s deaf volleyball team were ramping up their preparation for the Deaflympics with a rare training camp held at Burnaby’s Byrne Creek Secondary earlier this month, bringing the players together from as far away as Ontario to test their skills against Lower Mainland clubs and women’s teams and add another level of bonding prior to their journey to Samsun, Turkey.
The Deaflympics begin in just over a month’s time, but for these 10 players, two coaches and support staff, the journey began some time ago.
“It’s really exciting, I’m so looking forward to it,” Canadian team captain Mari Klassen said through sign language interpreter Vicki Yee. “It’s my second Deaflympics, and I’m looking forward to learning from my first experience. ... I was part of the team when I was 15 or 16, 11 years ago. l'm 26 now so when I look back, when they picked me I was really quite shocked. It was an honour.”
The passion in her eyes when signing about the sport and her teammates was crystal clear.
A White Rock native who attended Burnaby’s South Slope School for the Deaf growing up, Klassen’s dream of representing Canada evolved with some encouragement from others. It’s a similar trajectory with most of her teammates.
Any roadblocks she encountered along the way in pursuing this opportunity were met with the sureness of a deliberate spike. A lack of funding, disinterest from major media hasn’t dissuaded her or the team, which includes coaches Derek Usman and Steve Ivan, manager Mary Dyck and interpreter Vicki Yee. Although everyone involved is making tremendous sacrifices and bearing a lot of the costs involved, the joy of building a team and representing their country supersedes it all.
Of the many things these women have accomplished on and off the court, getting to Turkey and representing Canada has been a driving force.
Last year, they won a berth for Canada at the Deaflympics by placing third at the Deaf Pan American Games in Washington, D.C. They followed that by finishing seventh at the World Deaf volleyball championships a week later.
With a handful of returnees who carry memories of the last Deaflympics results, where Canada finished last in women’s volleyball in Bulgaria, the motivation comes from within.
“I was with the team five years ago (as assistant coach) in Bulgaria, and it was a big struggle,” recalled Usman, the head coach. “We didn’t make the playoffs and finished dead last, so we want to try to avoid that scenario again. ... We still have players who know the struggles we had. It’s a very different team from what we had going to Bulgaria, a more closer-knit group and a much younger team.”
What makes this group so special is the enormous buy-in the players make to take it to the next level, with no guarantees of success or support.
“On the team is a mom who’s been with the program for 16 or so years, and we have a 17-year-old,” he said. “It’s a very large gap but we are probably one of the youngest countries in the world (in the sport). Most of the players for other countries are in their 30s, or even 40s.
“It’s tough. When these girls commit to this team not only are they committing to the program but the financial aspect of this program means they have to pay their way to training camps.”
They receive some funding from the Canadian Deaf Sports Association and other generous sponsors, but the a large part of the costs for playing for Canada are paid by the players.
With most of the players coming from Alberta, past camps have been held in Edmonton, where they play university and club teams to stay sharp. A camp like the one at Byrne Creek gave them a chance to swap serves with more experienced teams, hosting a tournament and a chance to meet Alissa Coulter, a member of Canada’s women’s volleyball team who came to provide encouragement.
But most of all it gave them more time together, to sweat and toil and laugh as they neared the finish line. The sport of volleyball is based on unity and communication. What challenges they face having just a handful of meetings each year for on-court chemistry is dwarfed by how they master on-court communication during a game. Some players are completely deaf and use sign language to converse. Others are partially deaf and depend upon verbal communication.
It’s a challenge that will be levelled in Samsun – where no hearing aid devices are permitted on the court – but Klassen feels the team is finding its way through a lot of hard work and building trust.
“A lot of people ask us, when we’re playing how do we know who’s ball it is? Well, we are very visual,” said Klassen. “We use our eyes to move around on the court and we have hearing loss but no other (limitations). We can do and play like everyone else, we’re very visual and love the game.”
Having 10 years experience with the national deaf program as well as four years playing at Gaulladet University, a college for the deaf and hard-of-hearing that competes in the NCAA Div. 3, Klassen carries the mantle of leadership comfortably, and with a great degree of respect for those around her.
“It’s quite an honour. The previous captain is Kimberly Summers, who delegated the captainship to me. She’s still on the team and I got a lot of support from her, her experience and she has helped me develop as a captain,” said Klassen. “It has been really nice to have her support. Being team captain I have to lead the team and bring us together. We are one unit and I am not the one above everyone else. We are all together.”
While veteran leadership is crucial, a major addition to this roster is the youth element, said Usman. The squad has three players 20 and under who bring vitality and new energy that will come in handy against their worldly rivals.
“It’s a team sport and we’ve tried to keep them as close together as possible,” said Usman. “Whenever we are together there’s a lot of team bonding things that we do to try and get them as one unit. It’s been really good, I’ve had a lot of fun and I think they’ve had a lot of fun.”
The team’s youngest player, Madeline Brinkmann, is still amazed at the opportunity she finds herself in after establishing herself in Alberta and her hometown of Edmonton as a strong player at the club and provincial level. Brinkmann has played nearly all her volleyball with players outside the deaf community. Her hearing impairment is 55 decibels in her best ear -- the barrier that sets the standard for players at the Deaflympics -- which means she can talk and hear her non-signing coach, and conduct an interview without a signing interpreter.
She’s thrilled at the experience before her, but also left her feeling the pressure of how to contribute and fit in with her new teammates.
“It was really difficult at first because it wasn’t the playing volleyball that threw me off -- I don’t sign, I have never been exposed to the deaf community so being exposed to the first time was a little bit for me (as a) culture shock,” said Brinkmann, adding her teammates have been extremely patient and encouraging. “At the time I didn’t know any sign (language) and interacting with the girls for the first time was different – and the volleyball was completely different too from how I had played."
Helping bridge the gap was the game itself, plus the enthusiasm that comes when everyone shares the same goal.
“The volleyball (at my club) for me is all verbal. In the middle of the game things will change because you’ll say this or you’ll work to help someone. (Here) it’s very individual, so it’s very hard to play as a team.”
Understanding through looks and gestures, while not being able to call for the ball, is a totally different game when you’ve grown up in a hearing environment. Without that element, the game becomes more about trust and confidence.
Through camps like the one in Burnaby, it is getting easier. The team bonding experience, and the commitment each has taken to get this far, has brought them together.
“We are here to represent our country which is very important to us,” said Klassen. “We want to bring that experience back with us, be proud of our team and what we can achieve together. That’s really our goal, to represent Canada.”
The Deaflympics begin July 18 and run until the 30th.
