The new 100 Mile House U16 Girls Club Volleyball team hope to see a full house for their first fundraiser dinner and silent auction being held at the 108 Mile Community Hall on Jan. 27.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to help pay for the three tournaments the team is required to attend. They travel to Burnaby in February, Vancouver Island in March and to the Okanagan in April.
Head coach and organizer Shaun Ells said the support the newly minted team has received from the public has been great.
“We’ve got some sponsors that have come forward which has been great and the community is supporting us pretty good. Word is getting out there,” he said.
Posts on the team’s Facebook page show this appreciation. In response to a donation from Northwind Electric to go towards the purchase of new volleyballs, the team said it is donations like these that are making this new Club venture a success and they are loving the local community support.
Another post said: “It’s sponsors like these that have helped to make this club a starting success and will continue to become a great program for the youth in the 100 Mile House area! Thanks B&B Tree Topping and RMS Roofing!”
The 15 member team got its start last month when Ells was inspired to organize the club after his family moved from Alberta where his daughter Brooklyn played competitive club volleyball.
“So when she came out here, one of the biggest things was there wasn’t a club volleyball program for her,” he said. “So we discussed last winter starting up a club team and I kind of looked into it and it was a lot of work and I haul logs during the winter. I have a really kind of crazy schedule, right?”
Ells did not think the idea would work and wound up volunteering as an assistant coach for the school volleyball program instead. He was surprised to see that over 30 girls wanted to play on the team. With so many girls interested there was not enough playtime for all of them, plus it was non-competitive.
“So I just started looking into it further and just said, ‘Well, whatever’ - I just started that application and went through the whole process.”
Lindsay Crites’ daughter, Emma Theuring, plays for the team. She agreed the support has been great.
“There’s lots of people that have helped out, that is amazing, especially in 100 Mile, our little town, I’d like to think supports everything,” she said. “They want to bring people to town, they want people to come and everything to succeed.”
Crites has not seen the team play a game yet but said that “even in practices you can see them bonding a little more. They’re a good group of girls, they want to be competitive athletes and they understand what teamwork is about.”
She is hopeful the dinner and auction will be a success. There are many people in the community who have had their kids grow and move on and who love to support events like this.
Fifty dollars is a little more than a dinner, but it is supporting a great cause. Crites thinks fundraising helps teach young people good work ethic and community involvement, all good things they need to be good people.
“I don’t just be like ‘ok kids, I’ll do it for you’, I make them go hand out letters and sell your tickets.”
The dinner and auction get underway at 5 p.m. with the kick-off of the silent auction. There are a variety of silent auction items up for grabs. Eagan Lake Resort donated a three night stay in a lake front cabin and a $1,500 package with a tackle box packed full of gear and a rod. Another company donated a high-end bicycle complete with a helmet and lock, while Fawn Lake Resort is giving three nights of camping to the auction.
They have around 10-12 items in the auction so far and hope to pick up a few more before the night of the event.
Dinner will be served at 6 p.m and consists of a pasta bar and dessert as well as a full-service bar for refreshments. Tickets for the evening are $50 each.
A part of the evening will involve the girls being presented with their official team jersey designed by Priceless Wear out of Lac La Hache. Along with receiving their jersey there will be a player profile offered for each of the athletes.
Also on the agenda is a bake sale to be held at the Feb. 2 100 Mile House Wranglers home game.
In the meantime, they have been scheduling exhibition games with other clubs. The first game was against Prince George about a week and a half ago.
Ells said the Panthers got beat pretty good but added that the Prince George team they played is a top-tier team in the province.
Lake Country will be coming up on Saturday, Jan. 13 and the two teams will be at Peter Skene Ogden from 1-5 p.m. The teams will be merged together for the first part of the afternoon for some interclub drills so both clubs can take advantage of different coaching and experience.
“Then we’re going to separate our teams apart and play some games,” said Ells.
One thing Ells is grateful for is the tremendous support he has received from parents like Crites and Stacey Ounpuu who have taken hold of the admin side of things and lifted a huge weight from his shoulders.
Ells said if other coaches are interested in creating a boys’ team or other ages, they can contact him and see about getting registered under the Panther’s Club.
Going forward Ells is tentatively organizing the Panthers first home tournament for around March 16 with around 6-8 teams invited to attend. The two day event will offer concessions, 50/50 and bring money into the community as well.