Annie Van Leads Squad to Record Season

by Ellen Wyatt – Burnaby Mountain Secondary, Burnaby BC Jan 3, 2009

Annie Van, a grade 11 student at Gladstone Secondary, has managed to excel as a power hitter on Gladstone senior girls volleyball team.

Annie's love of volleyball and success in the sport is reflected by her unwavering dedication to the team and her skillful play. "When I'm on the court, I'm totally concentrating. The only thing going through my mind is volleyball." The focus that she plays with allows her to be the consistent and talented player that she is.

Annie's teammates would describe her as an agile player who has an impressive ability to reach and bend to get the ball, which explains why they call her "the elastic band." But Annie's game is more than just athleticism. "I would describe myself as a selfish player. Selfish in the way that I'm constantly telling myself that I want the ball to come to me. The worst thing you can do is to be afraid of the ball." Annie's aptitude for playing volleyball contributed to her team's successful season.

The squad went on to win the City Championships, be ranked 10th in the province, third in the Lower Mainland Tournament and also made it to the volleyball Provincial Tournament for the first time in the school's history.

Annie Van's future in volleyball is promising as she looks forward to another triumphant season. "The only goal I have for next year is to play even harder in the provincials and finish with an even higher ranking."

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