DOME DIGEST
September 1st, 2020
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The summer always seems to come and pass so quickly. One day we're tentatively reopening due to Covid-19, then before you know it, all our beach programs have concluded and our last summer campers have choreographed their final team cheer.
If you came to visit during the month of August, you would have seen a lot of cohort action on the courts. Behind the scenes there's been a flurry of activity and newfound excitement as well, particularly where it concerns the future of the original Volleydome location.
This issue we'll let you know a little bit about the New Old Dome, give our summer camps a send off, and let you know what's to come with our Fall programs.
Enjoy! |
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It's official! The Dome will remain standing for the time being, and likely the next 5 years. I'm picturing all our readers roaring with applause and rejoicing to hear this news, but to be clear, it won't be exactly the same Volleydome that everyone remembers.
From the outside, nothing will seem at odds, but walking through the doors will reveal a whole new world. Gone are the days of the Dome being a volleyball exclusive building, as the main hardcourt space is being taken over by Varsity Gymnastics.
Those looking to whack a ball back and forth over a net won't be out of place, however, as the outdoor beach courts will stay in place, and 2 indoor beach courts will be opening for year round beach volleyball starting October 1st.
With all the craziness that has happened this year, and with our two resident beach experts (Ben and Camille Saxton) on staff to administer programs, we decided that bringing the sand back was our best option. We've always been advocates for the growth of all forms of volleyball, and now that it's suggested to limit human interaction, beach volleyball's 2 person teams make it one of the more Covid friendly sports you can currently play.
The intention is to create a truly high performance beach volleyball atmosphere to the space. We'll be keeping all 4 outdoor courts, bringing back the 2 indoor beach courts, and as another addition, we'll also be adding a fully loaded weight training area so that athletes can get everything they need to train their beach game, all in one place.
Here's a look at what programs we'll be working to get started at the New Old Dome over the next couple of months:
- Canuck and Jr. Canuck programs will be practicing once per week on sand, starting this Fall
- Dome Club and Mini Dome Club are getting new players started on the beach (below)
- Court bookings will be available for $50/hr starting in October (email bookings)
- Adult Beach Leagues will get started in October/Nevember
- The National Beach Volleyball League will play part of the 2021 Calgary season at the Dome (NBVL.ca) |
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School will be coming back after a long hiatus, and kids will be sent back to classrooms to get back to work before too long. But for kids the Summer is meant for play, and that's exactly what they did at the Volleydome GYM summer camps these past 2 months.
A big shout out to all of our team of camp coaches this summer who made the most of the Covid-19 limited numbers and kept kids entertained, engaged, and out of their parents' hair for one week after another from mid July until the end of August. There were all manner of ages and skill levels, from very young beginner camps to high school aged Team/Game camps, to specialty skill camps for the more advanced. Suffice it to say there was a heck of a lot of running, jumping, flailing limbs and flying volleyballs over the last few months, but most of all, there was a Dome-load of fun.
Without further ado we'd like to take this moment to recognize all of our camp coaches, many of whom are home grown former Canuck Club athletes, for sharing their wisdom with some of Calgary's future bumpers and spikers. Thank you so much to Brian, Andrew, Allie, Ana, Karli, Cam, JP, Matt, Dominika, Ella, Stefan, Jon, Jason, Steve and Julie, for making the most of the Summer in one of the strangest years we've ever had to deal with. |
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Obviously this won't be a normal Fall for volleyball, and our club programs are no exception. Below is some information on how Canuck and Jr Canuck Club programs will be run this coming Fall season.
JR CANUCK
Typically in the Fall, we would be advising our former athletes to join the Canuck Fall Skills clinics to work with the experienced Canuck and Jr Canuck coaches, or else suggesting Dome Club twice a week because in general many of our former athletes would be trying out and competing for their school teams so the club scene isn’t quite so busy this time of year. This year is a bit different, as the school boards have announced that there will be no competitions, and in some cases have delayed their sports programs altogether. For this reason we wanted to provide our former Jr Canuck athletes the opportunity to continue with their cohort groups into the fall.
Fall Jr Canuck programs will run 3 times a week from September 12th to November 15th.
If you played for Jr Canuck during the 2019/2020 club season but have not received an e-mail to register through Team Snap please contact Camille Saxton at jrcanucks@volleydome.net
For those hoping to make the Jr Canuck club for the 2020/2021 club season, club tryouts don’t typically begin until the end of November. We are still waiting to hear from Volleyball Alberta what the new guidelines will be for club volleyball in the coming season. You can fill out the application form at the bottom of the “Canuck" update and send it to Camille Saxton at the email address provided above. She will begin a database of athletes who are interested in joining the club who will have the potential to be invited to a closed tryout with other Jr Canuck hopefuls closer to the club season.
CANUCK
Normally by the middle of August we are opening up registration for our very popular Fall Skills Clinics. We have always enjoyed being able to open these clinics up to everyone, providing a tremendous opportunity to fine tune skills with our coaches and seek out potential opportunities with Canuck.
In the past we have tried to give as many athletes the chance to participate as possible, but the result was often large groups with long waiting lists. With the launch of organized sports in Stage 2 back in June we were hoping that Stage 3 would become a reality by sometime in August or September allowing more mixing and interaction among larger groups like before. Unfortunately, such is not the case, and we are still having to manage the number of athletes in our facility and restrict interactions to small cohort groups for the foreseeable future. As a result, we will be only running the fall skills clinics for returning Canuck Athletes at this point.
For Canuck athletes we will be sending out details and registration information via your team snap accounts. In cases where we need new athletes to fill available roster spots, the only way we can currently go forward will be to "invite" a few potential candidates to attend a skills clinic in order to stay within the current restrictions for cohort numbers. We will post and update the status of our Canuck teams on the "Teams and Coaches" page of our website.
Athletes interested in trying out for an available roster spot will need to fill out an application form and submit it to the club via email. Coaches for each age group will pre-screen the applications and decide which athletes to invite to a skills clinic based upon their specific requirements. If you are interested in being considered for a Canuck clinic/team, please print off the application form below and email it to: canuckstuff@volleydome.net
While not an ideal situation, it is the best we can do and still be responsible in looking out for the health and well being of all athletes and their families.
APPLICATION FORM |
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In last month's issue we gave a little bit of info on our Dome Club and Mini Dome Club programs for the fall. Over the past month, the limited numbers we're allowing for Dome Club have promptly filled up in all age groups, and the wait lists have started to get out of control. Mini Dome Club still has some space, but is also getting close to hitting the ceiling ( Mini DC Information).
Thankfully now that we can confirm the permanent indoor beach courts at the Dome location (2825 24th ave), we are now able to offer Dome Club Beach and Mini Dome Club Beach! These programs are exactly what you'd expect, with the same principles and teaching values as the hardcourt versions, with a lot more sand.
Mini Dome Club Beach will put the emphasis on having fun and learning volleyball basics with a few play days along the way to introduce young athletes to the game. Kids will play in modified gameplay to encourage rallies and good plays, to help their volleyball confidence and reinforce how fun it is to play the game.
Dome Club Beach is for those athletes with some prior experience playing (beach or indoor) volleyball who want a more competitive environmnent. We'll be looking to keep things fun while getting a little deeper into the team aspects of the game, and work towards playing in the 2 person beach format that's so good for developing a fully rounded volleyball skillset.
There are only 24 spots available per group, so we're expecting them to fill quickly. Don't miss out on letting your kids get sandy this fall.
For more info check out our DOME CLUB BEACH page
To register click here: REGISTRATION |
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Hi Domers, Dustin here!
After a hiatus long enough that you probably forgot it existed, ActiVR is finally emerging from the Covid cave. We’ve been trying to make the most of the time away by searching far and wide for new shared space virtual reality experiences. We haven’t found a ‘Virtual Volleyball’ experience (yet), but I’m pretty excited to announce that we’re adding not 1, but 6 Virtual Reality Escape Rooms to our list of experiences.
These are honestly unlike anything else. They deliver puzzles, atmosphere, action and adventure in a way that just can’t be simulated in the real world. For now all the rooms are exclusively 2 to 4 player. However, in the long run we’re considering running Escape Room Races and Tournaments, where groups of 4 compete to see who can complete escape rooms the fastest.
Some more exciting news on the horizon: this is just the first of many new experiences to come. We’ve been reaching out to developers from Canada, the US, France, Germany, Russia, the Netherlands and the Ukraine. We have at least 12 more experiences coming soon, including some Horror themed experiences just in time for Halloween...but I’ll share more about that in the October newsletter.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a look at our 7 new games:
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Hi to all the Volleydome coaches, athletes and parents! This is Emily Louise, with a little info on the benefits of Team Yoga.
As all of the fall programs get underway, athletes and teams will be hard at work developing their technical and physical skills. For those that are are looking to add a little recovery, breathing and mental skills to their regime I am pleased to offer Yoga for Teams at the Volleydome GYM and Volleydome.
I was first introduced to yoga as a member of different teams. First my basketball team, canoe club and then later on the Canadian National Team for sprint kayak. I trained on average 10 times per week on the water, in the gym and running. As an elite athlete, recovery and injury prevention played an important part of our training program so yoga was integrated in.
Through the years as an athlete, coach and yoga teacher I discovered yoga to be so much more than a form of stretching. It is an opportunity to change the way you perceive yourself and the world. Through my collective experiences I found this applies directly to sport by improving concentration through mindfulness, building body awareness, coordination, mental focus, and responsiveness. I found it particularly helpful for building skills to help responsiveness when things are out of your control.
My mission as a teacher is to help athletes move mindfully, recover effectively, nurture their bodies, and improve performance by connecting with their bodies, minds and breath. Team yoga is for you if you or your team are interested in:
* Team building in a fun way
* Learning mental focus and mindfulness strategies for performance
* Building mobility, flexibility and balance with alignment-based instruction
* Preventing injuries and imbalances common with athletes
Athlete, Team and Group yoga sessions can be organized via email at emilylouiseraymond@gmail.com or in person at the Volleydome GYM or Volleydome locations.
Please let us know if you or your team are interested in:
- Single Session
- Series - weekly classes: 4-8 weeks
For more information, check out Emily Louise Yoga |
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So concludes another issue of the Dome Digest. There's really no telling whether we'll se another big Covid surge in Canada, especially with kids in the process of heading back to school. Our doors will remain open as long as it's deemed safe to do so, whether your looking to play beach or indoor volleyball, basketball, or trying (and succeeding) to win a $200,000 bet that you can make 90 free throws out of 100 consecutive shots. You may have seen pro poker player, Mike McDonald, in the GYM over the last few months as he got closer and closer, but he finally earned his payday in August. You can check out the full performance, inside our very own Volleydome GYM, on his Twitch channel HERE.
We're still looking for more of your Dome memories. It doesn't have to be as high stakes as Mike's, but if you've got a story to share please send an email to info@volleydome.net with the subject lin "Dome Story" . Likewise you can also send any suggestions for future issues to the same address.
There's no place like Dome!
The Volleydome |
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