Victory's Turning 3!

On Friday, December 2^nd, 2011, Victory Volleyball will be celebrating its 3^rd Anniversary! Everyone is welcome to join the party from 6:00pm – 9:00pm to help us celebrate and participate in all the fun! There will be pizza and cake for the first 100 people. We’ll also be offering 3 hours of drop-in play for only $3 (members are free), plus:

Serving Competition

Hitting Competition

League Sign-up specials

$30 Court Rentals (book in advance, while quantities last!)

Tons of Prizes!

•          Esso Gift Cards
•          T-shirts
•          Knee pads
•          Touques
•          Holiday Memberships

See you there!

SALSA

My mom started making salsa a few years ago and since she started, it has been something that our entire family looks forward to every September (for our yearly supply of course). I started making it with her last year. A few days after making it, I brought a jar over to a friend's one day and, after consuming the entire thing, we had convinced ourselves that we were capable enough of making some of our own. A few days later, we had purchased the jars, all the ingredients and we were ready to go. It started off pretty well- There were a few little glitches like how we would chop the veggies because we didn’t have a food processor* so we tried the magic bullet but it wasn’t quite strong enough so we just ended up chopping them all. Everything else seemed to go pretty smoothly and we thought we had pulled it off. So we sealed the bottles and split them up between each other. I never actually tried the batch (BIG mistake- ALWAYS sample) until a few weeks later when I brought a jar to a friend's place. We decided to make a big batch of nachos and pour the salsa I brought all over it. One of my friends was sampling as the nachos were cooking in the oven and she had said it was good and had a "smoky" taste to it. This threw me off because there weren’t any ingredients in it that would make it smoky. So I tried it and it turns out we had burned it. I talked to the other girls I made it with to see if maybe it was just mine but theirs was burnt as well. If it starts to stick (and burn) at the bottom of the pot (with big batches this is pretty common because it needs to cook for so long), it’s important to not scrape the bottom of the pot and mix it with everything else so that your entire batch isn’t ruined (like ours was). Had we of known that going in, maybe we wouldn’t have ruined 24 jars of salsa J.
So anyway, this year I decided to document the process to share with you all because it really is pretty easy. We use the Bernardin mix every year and the recipe listed below is for Pearadise Salsa. They have all sorts of recipes that come in the mix including regular salsa. Pearadise is pretty delicious though. It’s a nice change from regular salsa but still has the spice with a hint of sweetness from the pears. We added in some (chopped) jalapeños as well for some added spice as well. The recipe listed below is pretty easy to follow- you can find it online but also like I said before it comes in the packages with the mix. You can find the mix pretty much anywhere- most grocery stores carry it. I found it at Canadian Tire this year and they had the jars and lids there as well.



The mix

9 cups (2250 ml) chopped, seeded tomatoes, about 5 lb (2.3 kg), 20 medium

7 cups (1750 ml) chopped, peeled pears, 5 - 7 medium

2 cups (500 ml) chopped celery

1 cup (250 ml) cider vinegar

1 pkg (115 g) BERNARDIN® Salsa Mix

4 tbsp (60 ml) brown sugar

*My mom uses a food processor for the veggies after chopping them a bit- it’s faster and more consistent. Also, when chopping cut the veggies the same size so they cook evenly and if you end up food processing them they’ll process at the same rate and you won’t have random chunks of veggies in your delicious salsa.

• Place 6 clean 500 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat SNAP LID® sealing discs in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.

• Combine tomatoes, pears, celery, vinegar, BERNARDIN® salsa mix and brown sugar in a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer stirring constantly, just until mixture is heated through.

The first batch cooking.

• REFRIGERATED: Ladle hot salsa into six hot 500 ml jars or two 1.5 L mason jars; apply closures. Cool 30 minutes and refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze in straight-sided jars or containers up to 1 year.

• SHELF-STABLE: Ladle hot salsa into a hot 500 ml mason jar to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more salsa. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining salsa.

• When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars –15 minutes.

• When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.

• After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

Some of the finished products!

We usually make a few batches since we want it to last the whole year (and need to supply our extended family with it as well). One batch typically makes about 6 big (500ml) jars or 12 small (250ml) ones. Also, it's a great thing to bring when you are invited over to a friend's house and would be great to bring to any holiday party's you may have coming up.

Here's a link to a bunch of salsa recipes: http://www.bernardin.ca/pages/salsas/23.php.

Happy Salsa’ing!

-Meghan

“I want to be a part of it, New York, New York”

When I woke up last Friday, the first thing I did was read an article about how amazing the New York City Marathon is.  The event is apparently a HUGE citywide party, and I immediately wanted to experience it.  So after calling and messaging a ton of people, I was finally able to convince a friend to head down to NYC with me for the day. =)

We got on a bus at 10pm Saturday night, arrived in New York at 8am Sunday morning, partied for 15 hours straight (thank you daylight savings for the extra hour), before boarding our Toronto bound bus at 10pm that night.  Now I know this sounds completely insane (especially since I was at work by 10am Monday morning), but it was honestly one of the funnest, craziest days of my life!!

For hours my friend and I cheered, danced and partied in the streets of New York City with 2 million other people!  We followed the marathon route from Brooklyn to Queens, to Manhattan, to the Bronx, then back to Manhattan in Central Park where runners crossed the finish line.  (Unfortunately they don’t allow spectators at the starting line which is on Staten Island.)  This legendary course passes through all five boroughs and provides an incredible view of New York.  It was absolutely amazing getting to see all the diverse neighbourhoods and cultures of the city!

Unlike other marathons, the majority of runners aren’t super serious.  They realize how big of a party it is, and aren’t concerned with times or personal bests.  I was actually really surprised to see hardly anyone wearing watches or listening to music.  Instead, the runners were smiling…yes smiling!!  They were holding video cameras, they were dressed up in costumes, they were dancing, they stopped frequently to take pictures with the crowd, and some were even drinking beers that spectators were handing out! 

There was a live band at every mile, all of the stores were handing out free stuff, and everyone had some sort of noisemaker.  The bars along the route were packed, signs of encouragement could be seen for miles, and I must have high-fived at least a thousand people.  The vibe was just incredible!!

As you can see the NYC marathon isn’t just another race, it’s huge event!  It attracts runners of all ages and skill levels from all over the world, and to race through it without soaking it all in would do it a huge injustice.

So I got back in town Monday morning absolutely exhausted; feet killing, head pounding, but with a huge smile on my face. I met a ton of cool people, got to see parts of New York City that I had never seen before, and experienced what many call the greatest marathon in the world! 

Honestly, if you want to be a part of something big and crazy, then you definitely have to go to NYC on “Marathon Sunday”. 

=)

Rachelle

At the NYC Marathon finish line.  We made it!!

It’s MOVEMBER!

Nose Mullet. Mustachio. Trash-Stache. Lady Tickler. Duster. Soup-Strainer…

Call it what you will.  Either way, it’s that time of the year for guys all over the world to grow out their moustaches (or at least attempt to).

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces.  With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically for prostate cancer.

On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face. For the rest of the month, these generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

The staff here at Victory Volleyball is participating in Movember this year.  We have 5 guys supporting this cause by growing out their moustaches;

Ian “Grown Man Mo” Cater
 Will “The ‘Stache Thrill” Liambas

Jimmy “Thick Whiskers” Ly
Bernard “Black ‘Stache” Cooper

 Mark “7 hairs” Valente  

If you are interested in donating for this great cause, visit:

mobro.co/bigmarkus

You can donate to us individually or to the group “Victory’s Finest Mo’s”

We appreciate your support!

Mark Valente

Top 10 Tips For Getting Into Shape

Hi everyone, my name is Bernard. I'm one of the interns here at Victory. This week's blog is 10 tips for getting into shape!!

This article provides great exercise advice for losing weight and getting into shape! The exercise advice included in the articles below will target all the important aspects in truly achieving the body you want. We discuss the role nutrition plays in your overall fitness plan, along with strength training and cardio work. In order to really get the results you're looking for, you really need to hit it from all angles! Work on all three areas and your results will not only be amazing, but they will be permanent.

Exercise Advice #1 - Keep A Training Journal For Real Results!
Always make sure to keep a detailed training journal. By keeping a journal of your training sessions, you will have a detailed log of your every exercise you perform along with reps, sets and how much weight you lifted. It's also great to document how you felt before, during and after your training session along with any food/supplements you took before and after you trained. By keeping an exercise journal, you will have access to a wealth of information and be able to detect specific areas in your current training routine which can be changed or improved upon.

One of the biggest mistakes most people make is to continue on with a training routine that simply does not work well for them. As the old saying goes, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results". Don't let exercise insanity set in. Make sure to always switch up your training routines and document each one of them into your exercise journal. When you look back on your training journal, you will see specific patterns where you are succeeding and also where you're falling short. One of the most important pieces of exercise advice is to figure not only "what to do", but more importantly "what not to do". When you know the areas to avoid, your progress will skyrocket!

 Exercise Advice #2 - Stay Mentally Focused When Training!

When you decide to exercise, try to really stick to your training routine and don't get sidetracked by too much socializing. When you socialize with friends, your mind usually starts to wander off and you really start to lose focus on your main objective, which is to train hard and get out of there. You can always meet up with your friends after your workout and catch up on old times. A great way to focus and keep your training session upbeat and exciting, is to invest in a mp3 player and load your favorite music on it. Jam out with some cool upbeat techno, hip-hop or some hard rock to get your energy levels up and get you excited during your workout. You will also notice when having your headphones on, you will limit the amount of people who tend to come up and want to chat. If you see friends in the gym, say a quick hello and get to work.

If you notice your friends nagging on you every couple of minutes during your workout, just simply tell them you need to finish your workout and ask them if you can meet up after training for a post workout meal at your favorite local restaurant. You will feel so much better knowing you focused 100% of your energy into your training. You will be energized and ready to recuperate from a great training session.

Exercise Advice #3 - Have a Detailed Exercise Plan Before Training!

You would never build a house without a site plan, would you? You would never just pick up a hammer, some nails and start pounding away hoping your dream home will be built perfectly. Just like building a house, when you build your body up, you need a plan to adhere to and follow.

Don't just wander in and pick out the first five exercises you see. Have a detailed plan of action and know which body part you will be training, which exercises you will be using and a specific repetition and set range you will be using. When you have a good exercise plan, you will know exactly what you need to do and your training session will have a smooth flow with no wasted time looking for exercises to perform. You can choose specific exercises from our extensive database here:

Workout Routines Database

 Exercise Advice #4 - Maximize The Windows Of Opportunity!

You have two main windows of opportunity when your training. One is 30 minutes before you train (pre-workout meal) and another comes about 30-60 minutes after your workout is over (post-workout meal). The pre-workout meal should consist of a starchy carb and lean protein. The starchy carb will supply the energy you need to get through an intense workout. The protein provides the much needed fuel for your muscles, so they keep a positive nitrogen balance. A great pre-workout meal would be consumed 30 minutes before your workout and would consist of 1 cup of natural oatmeal with one scoop of protein powder. Try to stick with whey protein. Mix it with some water and microwave the dish for about 2 minutes. Stir it up and eat it with a big glass of water.

Your post-workout meal should be consumed as quickly after your workout as possible. This should consist of a simple sugar to spike your insulin levels and rush glycogen back into your muscles which are screaming for fuel by now. Try to stick with either dextrose or maltodextrin as your main source of simple sugar. These can be found in your MRP (meal replacement powder). Also, add another supply of protein to the mix. If you are using a post-workout dextrose based drink, add another scoop of whey protein to it and shake it up. If your drinking an MRP, you should be perfectly fine. Shoot for around 20-30 grams of protein before your workout and 30-50 grams of protein after your workout.

Exercise Advice #5 - Make Sure To Rest For Growth!

One of the best pieces of exercise advice is to make sure you know that your muscles grow when your resting not training. That's right, you don't actually get bigger and stronger when you're in the gym. Its what you do after your workout that's the real key to muscle growth. If you don't let your muscles recover correctly, you're body will become over trained and it will be in a state of constent "catch up". This is far from the ideal state that you want your body in. What you want is to truly prime your body for your next workout and give it enough rest and recuperation to fully optimize your training.

The worst thing you can do is over train your body. This will lead to muscle atrophy (breaking down muscle) and you may experience the flu because of this. When you train, make sure to limit your resistance training sessions to 45 minutes max. Your body's testosterone levels start decreasing after about 45 minutes, so anytime after this length and you're really just wasting your time. Focus on hitting it with a high level of intensity for 45 minutes and get out of there. Take care of business and start your recuperation. When you get back from your workout, you might also try sitting in a jacuzzi or sauna to really relax and let your muscles recover. Rest is extremely important when training hard, so make sure to take the time to recover and grow from your training sessions.

Exercise Advice #6 - Always Shock Your Muscles!

Try to always "trick" your muscles. You never want to do the same exercises, reps and sets for each and every workout. You always want to shock your muscles into growing and adapting to new stimuli, so make sure to always switch up your training routines, number of sets and reps for each training session. Also, make sure to train at a high level if intensity and really push each set to positive failure (barely getting the last rep up). You should always focus on increasing the weight lifted. If your muscles get used to lifting a specific amount of weight, then they will never want to get stronger or grow. Always try to trick your muscles with different reps/sets and keep your intensity levels up high enough so they always are forced to make changes and grow!

A great way to really shock your muscles is to train with different routines. We have included a huge database of workout routines for you to choose from. Whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced individual, we have the workout routines that's just right for you! Choose from hundreds of different routines here:

Exercise Advice #7 - Try Different Forms Of Exercise!

If you have always used free weights, then switch it up and try training with machines like "Hammer Strength" or "Nautilus". These are excellent weight resistance machines and they will really work your muscles from different angles and different intensities. You always want to strive to find new and exciting ways to workout your body. Try doing all body-weight movements, which are a really great way to build quality strength. The military uses mainly body-weight movements during their training. These include pushups, situps and pullups. The three main body-weight movements will really give you a great overall body workout!

You can also choose from many different forms of training such as using workout bands. If you're just starting out, these are an excellent way to learn the basic movements and get the true "feel" to each exercise.

Exercise Advice #8 - Avoid Overtraining Your Body!

Always remember, "You grow outside the gym". This basically means to make sure and get enough rest between workouts so you can let your muscles recover and get ready for the next intense workout. You don't gain muscle when you're in the gym, you gain it when you leave and recover. The basic rule of thumb is to wait at least 48 hours in between workouts for the same muscle group. So, if you worked chest on Monday, then wait until Wednesday to work chest again. You also want to go by the "soreness" rule. If after 48 hours, your muscle group still feels sore, then make sure to let it rest another day! You want to fully recover from your last workout before hitting it again.

Exercise Advice #9 - Monitor Your Body Fat Levels For Results!

A very important aspect in really finding out if you're on the right track or not, is to monitor your body fat levels. Go to your local sports store and buy some body fat calipers to test your fat levels. Record these levels along with your body weight each week and start to monitor these changes. You want to make sure you're building quality muscle mass and burning that extra body fat.

By monitoring the changes of your lean body weight, you will be able to tell whether or not you are replacing adipose tissue (fat) with hard earned muscle. Lean body weight (muscle) can be found by subtracting your body weight with your body fat weight. You body fat weight is calculated by multiplying your weight with your body fat percentage.

Tips on measuring your body fat levels:

• Take all measurements on the right side of your body.
  
  
• Carefully identify and recall your measuring site for accuracy.
  
  
• Take the measurement when skin is dry and lotion-free.
  
  
• Do not measure immediately after exercise due to shifts in body fluid.

There are three main sites for measuring your body fat for males:

• Chest - Fold is taken 1/2 the distance between the anterior auxiliary line and nipple.
  
  
• Abdominal - Fold is taken vertical 2 cm lateral to the umbilicus.
  
  
• Thigh - Fold is lifted on anterior aspect of thigh midway between inguinal crease and proximal border of patella. Body weight is shifted to left foot.

There are three main sites for measuring your body fat for females:

• Triceps - Fold is taken midway between the shoulder and elbow joint, on the center of the back of the arm.
  
  
• Waist - Fold is taken diagonally above the iliac crest along the anterior auxiliary line.
  
  
• Thigh - Fold is lifted on anterior aspect of thigh midway between inguinal crease and proximal border of patella. Body weight is shifted to the left foot.

Exercise Advice #10 - Optimize Your Diet For Maximum Growth!

The best weight training and cardio workouts will do very little if your diet is off. Make sure you have your diet optimized to build quality lean muscle, have the energy to power you through those tough workouts and drop that excess body fat. Try to get at least 25-30 grams of protein at each meal and consume small meals every 3 hours throughout the day for maximum results!

Try to focus on lean protein sources (chicken breast, turkey breast, egg whites) and lean fibrous carbs (broccoli, mushrooms, squash, zucchini). A quick daily menu could consist of:

8am:
1 chicken breast (8 ounce), 1 cup of steamed brown rice, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

11am:
turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread (8 ounces of lean turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, mustard) (NO cheese or mayo).

2pm:
8 ounces of top round steak, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of non-fat cottage cheese

5pm:
egg white omelet (8 egg whites, mushrooms), 2 pieces of whole wheat toast (NO butter)

8pm:
8 ounces of fish (salmon, catfish, trout, halibut, etc.), 2 cups steamed zucchini, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Eat several, small and nutritious meals throughout the day. You will gain several benefits from eating several small meals throughout the day. Your body's metabolism will be revved up throughout the day. You will also have something in your stomach every few hours and be grazing all day long. This is important because you will not feel deprived like someone who eats 1 meal in the morning and then waits until dinner time to eat again, which usually tends to create a mini-binge since the person is extremely hungry. Try to eat a small and nutritious meal every 3 hours and you will reap the rewards!

 

I told you so!!

I’ve experienced first hand the tremendous benefits of running, and always try to convince my family and friends to take it up.  All of these years I feel like my message has been falling on deaf ears….until recently! =)

This past Sunday I ran the Scotiabank Toronto Marathon 5k race, like I do every year, but this time I did it with 3 new runners!!  I was able to somehow convince my brother Pj, my sister Jen (who by the way is the most inactive, out of shape person I know) and my friend Jenine to run it with me.

And just as I suspected, they absolutely LOVED it!!  

My sister said she got her second wind when she saw our family at the 4k mark.  My brother could not stop smiling and quickly asked me when our next race was.  And I actually just got a text message from Jenine saying that she is signed up for the Niagara Falls 5k run this weekend.

So to all of you reading this, put your shoes on and get moving.  Trust me, as crazy as it sounds, running is actually super fun…and addictive! =)

Rachelle



Running can't be that bad, look at how happy we are!





Bump, Set, Save a Life!

Being physically active is vital for good health and well-being; regular physical activity can lower your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.

With the introduction of the first annual Healthy Hearts Volleyball Tournament taking place Saturday February 18^th, we are looking to accomplish 4 primary objectives:

-       Promote the benefits of physical activity and healthy living;

-       Raise awareness of the risks of heart disease and stroke;

-       Generate funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s critical research, education, and community programs;

-       Bring everyone together for an awesome day of volleyball and fun, while supporting a great cause.

Be sure to follow the event on Facebook and Twitter (@HealthyHeartsVB) for regular updates, tips and other information related to healthy living and physical activity.

October Coach's Corner with Rick McArthur

A really great way to improve your volleyball IQ is to watch the best teams
in the world play the sport. Who knows, you may become a fan of one of the
top teams in the world. It is difficult to find games to watch as most of
the pro league teams and matches are in Europe and are not shown on
television here. Most countries have huge professional leagues with teams in
many cities.

The NCAA Women's Championships will be coming up in November so find out
which teams are in the top 10 this year, get on their websites and become a
follower of your favourite team.

YouTube is the best way to set pieces of games, great plays, great players.
Type in China vs Korea Women's Volleyball and see what comes up. While you
are watching, concentrate on what the players are doing to make plays. You
maybe able to improve your own skills. Remember that those players have had
tens of thousands more contacts than you have had to get where they are.

Finally, you might be able to find some on line games being played some
where and watch them live.

Keep working.

Rick 

The importance of H20

You’ve probably heard the advice a million times: Drink eight cups of water a day. But “one size fits all” doesn’t apply when it comes to hydration. If you eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, and dairy, and are in good shape, you probably don’t need that much water. On the other hand, if you’re overweight or tend to get most of your calories from salty, processed food, sticking to those 64 daily ounces could actually help to augment your weight loss. Here’s how:

1. IT COULD LOWER YOUR BMI: A 2010 study review in Nutrition Today linked H2O intake with lowered body mass index. Turns out most guys tend to drink the same amount of liquid each day, so if you make an effort to drink water, you will end up drinking fewer calorie-laden beverages.

2. YOU’LL BURN MORE FAT: The review also noted that you can burn up to 40% more fat after drinking water compared with a higher-calorie beverage. Drinking water with a meal also helps to bring insulin levels back to normal two hours earlier than if you drink something with calories.

3. IT’LL HELP YOU EAT LESS: Drinking 16 ounces of water before a meal can significantly cut the calories you wolf down. A 12-week study found that those who drank two glasses of water before very meal ate less and lost 44% more weight compared with the control group’s calorie-laden drinks.

4. WATER FIGHTS HANGOVERS: Staying hydrated is the best way not to feel lousy the day after a party. Drink at least a couple of glasses of water in the hours leading up to your event, then do a one-to-one match of water to alcohol once you start imbibing.

5. IT’LL IMPROVE YOUR GAME: Even a couple hours of touch football on the beach can put you at risk for dehydration and slow you down. A 2011 study found that sweating away just 2% of your body’s water content drastically affects athletic performance.

Cary Castagna

 

USA VOLLEYBALL- 10 New Commandments of Volleyball

John Kessel, USA Volleyball Director sent out the New 10 Commandments of Volleyball for Coaches. Here are the things that stuck out the most.

"The NET is GOLD, the BALL is SILVER and the COURT is BROZE"- We always want to make sure we are performing over the net.

"Begin with, and Focus on Teaching Good Errors, not Bad Errors"- For example serve over, not into the net, pass/dig up, not tight or over the net, set too high, not too low, set too far off the net, not too tight or over, hit over the net not into the net etc. Good misses over bad misses.

"Teach using BOTH hans to play a ball over the net" - No pokies, cobras, two hand up etc, this is NOT beach! If the ball is set too far out use your left hand to attack the ball instead of reaching with your right and save your knees.

"Make things GAMELIKE as possible"- If the players become the world's best at a certain drill will they be doing what is wanted from them in a game? Unfortunately NO! The best drill is Volleyball. (6 vs 6 This includes scrimmages)

By: Amanda Vigna

How to Deal With Stress

Being a College student, dealing with stress is definitely a problem I always encounter. Whether you're a College student like me, or it's your job, or being a parent, stress can get the best of you. But we all should learn how to deal with it, at least knowing how to reduce it. Being stress-free not only makes your life a whole lot easier, but you feel more confident, happy, and positive about your yourself. So, instead of naming the obvious and predictable ways people can reduce stress (ex. "making the right choice" or "set goals for yourself"), I decided to list more practical things you can do truly help reduce stress.

1) Listen to music. Whenever I plug in my iPod (commuting to and from school, or laying in bed before I sleep), it's a time when I get to be in my own world. A time when I can just enjoy the music and let loose. Sometimes I can actually connect to the meanings behind songs and that helps me deal with stress.

2) Take a hot bath or shower. This is something that definitely helps relieve stress. Taking a nice, long hot bath or shower deeply relaxes me. It can allow you to just put aside all your worries for a bit and enjoy the time to yourself.

3) Take a break from the computer. I think I spend 80% of my day on a daily basis on the computer. I am in a Graphics Design program at school, so that always involves a computer. When I go to work, I have work to be done (again, using a computer). And even when I am on my free time browsing Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter, etc - again, I am also on the computer! Sometimes I find it relaxing to just take a step back and get away from a computer. By watching TV, cleaning up my room, or cooking!

4) Bake something scrumptious. From time to time, I find that baking helps take my minds off things. For me, it's quite fun to bake, especially when you're doing it with your friend, your little sister, or your partner! Making cupcakes or cookies is fun work, and you definitely know you are getting a scrumptious reward at the end.

5) Get some fresh air. If you have a dog to walk, this is a perfect thing to do. Or why not go out for a quick run? Jogging around the block or just taking a nice walk will help you enjoy the atmosphere of nature, instead of being indoors at your job or school all the time.

6) Get active, play a sport! Whether it be basketball, volleyball or floor hockey, playing a sport is really fun with or without people, or whether you're good at or or not! It helps take your mind off stress and the time flies by! It's fun competition.

Remember that Victory offers drop-in Volleyball everyday, which is a perfect hobby and way to deal with stress. If you're a teenager dealing with high school stress, no worries we also offer free teen drop-in every Friday!

- Vanida Lim

*Nerd Alert!*

I was online the other day doing some research on how to run faster, when I came across the following website: www.sweatscience.com.  Sweat Science is a blog that examines the science of exercise, fitness and training.  The writer, Alex Hutchinson, looks at studies published in various journals, and breaks them down so you don’t have to read pages and pages of research procedures and material. 

When I found this site, I read almost every article, and have been reading his posts daily. It’s a really good resource if you like this kind of stuff, so I just thought I’d share with the other nerds out there.  Enjoy! 

Ps-If you know of any other cool running, sports, fitness, etc. sites, please send them over to Rach@victoryvolleyball.com

Thanks! <3

Victory Acquires New Talent!

Its time to serve up another edition of meet the interns!

I plan on “killing” this so hopefully you’ll “dig“ it!!!

To start off I want to ask a quick question.  (Answer at bottom)

What can you serve but not eat?

Anyways just wanted to introduce myself.  My names William Liambas and I’m
one of the new interns at Victory.  I look forward to meeting everyone.

I went to school for both Marketing and Sport & Events Marketing.  I
really enjoyed both and now hope this is the opportunity I was waiting
for.   I live for sports.  I will play every sport atleast once before I
decide if its for me or not.  Play hockey, golf and tennis regularly.


Now I wanted your opinion on what I name my fantasy football team.  With
the NFL season set to kick off this weekend I wanted to get your thoughts
on what I should name my Fantasy football team for the coming season. 
Here are the choices:

The conVICKs
Show Me Ya TD’s 

The answer to the question I asked at the beginning is: A volleyball

Coach's Corner with Rick- September Edition

It's that time of year when the school will hold tryouts looking for the volleyball players in the school. They will look at the quality of your current skills, your athleticism and your coachability meaning can you follow instructions and make changes to improve your skills. Getting some extra instruction may make the difference in making the team this fall. If you really want to make the team get instruction from qualified coaches then find the fun that comes with working hard.

-Rick

Coach's Corner with Rick

High School and club coaches have the tough job of getting a team ready to compete in a short period of time in many cases using just a few hours of practice each week. The key to getting the technical and tactical elements in place so they are competitive in their games is to have good progressions for each skill and progressions to train the player well in the tactical elements that repeat with high frequency during the game. This takes a good understanding of what skills matter most and what movement patterns will improve the team's performance fastest. You don't need hundreds of drills to improve the players but the ones that you choose to use need to work meaning, they get the most improvement from the most players in the shortest period of time. You can do research on the internet, buy some of the better books and DVD's on the sport or go to clinics. When I started I went and watched dozens of practices run by the local university coaches and copied them. Eventually, I learned to create my own drills using some good drill structure fundamentals and improved my error recognition protocol and instructional response to those errors. It might be a good idea for interested coaches to attend the Victory High School Camp and Coaches clinic the week before school starts. A few full day or half day sessions will likely make a big difference for you in the gym with your players next season.

- Rick McArthur

THE JOY OF SPORTS

Whether you watch it, play it, or bet on it sports is always a joy to be a part of.

It has been around since the beginning of time, and will continue to go on way past our time.

Sports are something that can bring a group of men together to cheer on their favourite football team. It can make you one of the richest persons in the world, it makes you work hard to achieve a goal, but most of all sports build friendships, trust, love and if you’re really good at the sport you’re playing success.

Its funny how watching and playing sports brings the same level of excitement.

A game winning shot or touchdown can send everybody in frenzy, the players that just executed the play to achieve the win is celebrating and the fans that have done nothing but sit down for two hours are screaming and cheering as well. That’s where loves comes in, there are people that will paint their faces, wear no shirts in the -20C weather, and will be the happiest person in the world if their team wins. Sports have that affect on people.

“I hate sports,” some people usually say. Why do you hate sports? “Well, every Sunday all my husband does is watch football” or “my girlfriend is a cheerleader and I don’t like it” or “sports is just stupid, waste of time, those guys are getting overly paid to do a hobby, that’s not a real job.”

My answer, sports is a family thing; there is something for the whole family to partake in at a sports event. Sports can bring a country closer, look at the affect the Olympics had on Canada.

After all of that if you still don’t believe me bring your family down to Victory Sports Academy where there is something for everyone. You and your spouse can play in one of our many volleyball leagues, your kids can be trained the fundaments of basketball and volleyball.

So if you want to build friendship, trust, love and success come to Victory and I can assure you sports will be your life.

Bernard Cooper

Bernard@victoryadultsports.com

Victory's Beefy Intern

Hey everyone,

My name is Nathan Pollice and I’m one of Victory’s newest interns (the best one they will ever have).

I was born and raised in Mississauga, but attended Trent University and obtained an Honours Business Administration degree.

I am 5’9”, 190 lbs and love extreme sports such as badminton, lawn bowling and ping pong. People call me “Beef” (given my height and weight), and I am looking for that special someone who can be my “beefette”. Growing up, I played hockey and soccer, but in those sports I had no luck finding that special woman to complete me.

When I came across the opportunity to be an intern at Victory, I made sure to tell them I was looking for a soul-mate, and they ensured me that I would be able to find that special someone right here, as many female volleyball players match the description that I presented them with.[ 6’1”, athletic, smart (but not smarter than me), , long hair that she whips back and forth (like Willow Smith), but most of all, one that can carry me when I don’t feel like walking ].

All in all, I look forward to meeting everyone, and look forward to finding my special “beefette” (I know you’re out there somewhere).