Today marks the start of the FIVB Corrientes Grand Slam from Argentina.  We have seven Canadian teams down in South America for this tournament.  This marks the first tournament of the year for the men's duo of Ryan DeBruyn and Simon Fecteau-Boutin.  This will be DeBruyn's first time back in an international beach tournament since the 2006 FIVB U-21 World's in Poland.

This event also marks the first event of the new Canadian women's duo of Sarah Pavan and Heather Bansley.  Sarah recently made the switch to playing beach volleyball during the summer instead of playing with the Canadian Indoor National Team.  Sarah and Heather stopped by The Volleyball Source Podcast this past week.  If you haven't seen it already, check it out.  As always, live streams and match results will be posted here.

Canadian Men's Teams in Corrientes

	DeBruyn-Fecteau-Boutin
	Hatch-Schachter
	Binstock-Redmann
	Schalk-Saxton

Canadian Women's Teams in Corrientes

	Broder-Valjas
	Pavan-Bansley
	Whitaker-MacTavish

Live Streams

Laola1.tv Live Stream (Day 1)

Free Live Stream #2

Results

Results will be posted here upon match completion.

Canada's Indoor Men's Team playing in front of a mostly empty stadium.

In the lead up to this year’s World League, I’m starting to get more and more frustrated with the volleyball community.

If you’ve watched Podcast Episode 45, I finished the show with a nice little rant on this subject. To watch it, click here.

While working for Volleyball Canada these past few years, it always seemed like it was a chore getting those I know to come to any match featuring the National team. I’m not talking about random friends; I’m talking about the guys that I played club and college with, guys who would devote countless hours every week to our sport. I heard excuses like “I only like playing the game, I don’t enjoy watching it.” Or “I would go if it wasn’t on Friday or Saturday night.” Or my personal favourite “I don’t want to pay to go, can you get me free tickets?”

This last one is the one that irks me the most. If you play hockey, do you expect free tickets to go watch the Leafs? If you play soccer, are you expecting to waltz into BMO Field, take a pick of which seat you want, and watch TFC blunder through another match? Of course not, you’ll buy your ticket just like any other fan.

The sense of entitlement that some members of our community have is detrimental to our sport.

If only I had a nickel for every time someone complained to me about the lack of volleyball events in Canada, and the insufficient television and media coverage for our sport.

My question is: How do you expect volleyball to get bigger if its own athletes won’t go support their own National teams?

I’ve had conversations with people about attracting the casual sports fan to World League matches. Much like casual supporters of hockey, basketball, or even tennis will go to matches, why can’t the casual fans go to volleyball events? Because our own athletes and supporters don’t go to them.

You know what the hottest new professional sport is in Toronto this summer? Ultimate Frisbee. More people attend their home opener than "Like" their Facebook Page. (Don't believe me? Read this article by the Toronto Star)

Their crowd of over 2,300 was bigger than any of the crowds that supported the Men's National team in 2011, during the Pan Am Cup in Gatineau, and the first and second rounds of World League Qualifying in Ottawa and Kingston. 

It seems that the main reason for high attendance at Ultimate events is that the community supports them 100%. Everyone who plays, coaches, and likes Ultimate jumps at any chance they get to support their sport.

It’s time for those who play our sport to defend it, to support it, but most of all, to enjoy it. 

Our Canadian Men's National Team playing in the first World League Qualifier back in 2011.  Mostly empty seats in the stands.

If you find yourself reading this and thinking “This could be me…”, you’re in luck, the Canadian volleyball calendar is filled this year, with events in Quebec City, Halifax, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Langley. Not to mention free events in Toronto and Vancouver,

So if you run a club in any of these cities, encourage your members to go watch these events. If you coach a team, what could be a better team builder than getting everyone together to watch the sport that brings you together. If you're a player or a parent of a player, come out and get inspired.  Come out to create dreams of one day standing on that court, wearing the Maple Leaf. 

Without fans, this sport can't grow. Without fans, this sport will have an extremely hard time surviving. 

It's time to start showing our love for volleyball by supporting it in every way possible.

Defensa Volleyball Club from Burlington, Ontario and WinMan Legends from Winnipeg have been crowned the top 18 and under teams in the country after this weekends 17U/18U National Championships in Edmonton.

Defensa (read about their unlikely road to Nationals here) extends its medal streak to three years, after having won 18U silver last year, and 18U gold in 2011. They defeated provincial neighbor Diamonds Volleyball Club from Toronto, 25-13, 20-25, 15-12.

The bronze medal match was an all B.C. affair as FVVC Blitz from Langley defeated 27-25, 18-25, 15-13.

This is the first time in National Championships history that two teams from Ontario have faced off in the 18U women’s final.

WinMan Legends defeated last year’s 17U gold medalist, NAVC Gold Bears 25-21, 25-21. A team from Alberta has failed to win a National Championship since 2007, with Ontario winning four (Pakmen ’08, Mavericks ’09, Crush ’11, ’12) and Manitoba adding a third (Bisons ’07, Strike ’10). This is also the 10th time a team from Winnipeg, regardless of club, has taken the number one spot in the country, the most of any Canadian city.

Another Provincial battle went on in the boys bronze medal game, with the Ottawa Maverick Mustangs, last year’s silver medalists, overcoming Durham Attack Black, and probably the country’s best 18U players Lucas Coleman, 25-23, 18-24, 15-13.

For Coleman, he came just shy of being the first player in Canadian volleyball history to medal in three consecutive 18U National Championships, having been a key member of Crush that took it all home in 2011 and 2012. Although he didn't return home empty handed, leaving with his second straight 18U All-Star award.

To check out all standings and scores from this year's National Championships, please visit www.iset.net.

This week on the show we speak to Canadian beach volleyball national team members Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan.  We also discuss FIVB World League, and the Junior National B Team on their way to the FISU games.  Everett also goes on a little bit of a rant at the end.  Check it out.

To listen to this episode, click here.

Here’s a blog I wrote while sitting in the Shanghai airport while waiting for my flight: Well we finished 25th, 2 points away from securing a win in pool play against the 1-seed (only due to being the host country) and advancing to the single elimination playoff rounds. Definitely tough to swallow but throughout the [...]

Read more over at Maverick Hatch 's blog.