By Rebecca Li
When playing volleyball, it is not about how good you are compared to everyone else. In volleyball, it is best that you know how to communicate with your teammates and improve your own skills over time.
Firstly, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Rebecca Li. You probably have heard many announcements circulating about Junior Boys’ Volleyball. On December 15th, 2021 the team played their first game at Central Technical School. They played three games total, losing the first two, but winning the last game by six points. Talk about perseverance!
I interviewed Michael Bostjancic and Samad Saeed, who are both on the Harbord Boys’ Junior Volleyball team and are passionate about the sport.
Firstly, I asked them questions to understand the team atmosphere and dynamic, as well as their experiences playing with the team.
“My experience has gone quite well so far. The team is very welcoming, and I think I’ve gotten better but I have no idea,” Michael Bostjancic stated. As for Samad Saeed, he said, “For the most part, everyone was helping each other on the team. Whenever we saw someone struggling, everyone made sure to give their advice and assist them.”
Here is a highlight with my conversation with Michael Bostjancic and Samad Saeed:
“How were practices?”
Michael: “Practices are good, we mainly do drills to strengthen our skills such as volley, set, spike.”
Samad: “Practices were very helpful. We used everything we had learned in the practices and they definitely helped us get better.”
“How did you feel before the game?”
Michael: “I felt that I would do good or at least better than I did in the past practices and I was right. I was nervous but confident.”
Samad: “We were all nervous but confident. As we were getting closer towards tournament day, we were all making sure everyone on the team was confident and ready to win.”
“How did you feel after the game?”
Michael: “I felt like I had helped quite a bit because we won the last game, but there’s always next time to win.”
Samad: “We lost, but none of us felt sad or angry in any way. Everyone played their part, and although we weren’t flawless, we showed a lot of determination.”
“Did you learn anything new?”
Michael: “Everything I can do now, I’ve learned from volleyball practices.”
Samad: “I really learned how to serve and set during the practices.”
“You both had great responses. Thanks for letting me interview you both!”
In this interview, you can see that having a positive atmosphere will benefit your team in the future; it will encourage your teammates to do their best. The Junior Boys’ Volleyball team showed that determination and perseverance is the key to success. Way to go Tigers!