A long 5 month season ended with some hardware for the U15 Airborne team at the Western Canadian Open in Calgary over the May long weekend.

With a diluted roster that featured only 9 of the team’s 14 members, players were forced to take on new roles and new positions. Tenzin Ozaki, a rightside, and Charvet Truong, a leftside, starred in the middle, where they had barely played prior to this tournament.

Day 1 started at a very early 8:45, where the team used their morning strategy to defeat the Lancers from Manitoba 2-0. That was followed by another 2-0 victory over FOG from Alberta (one of three FOG teams), leading to a showdown with the provincial champions from Ontario, the Predators. However, the size and skill of the Predators proved too great, and AIrborne ended day 1 with a 2-1 record (the Predators wound up losing in the gold medal final).

Day 2 power pools started at an even earlier 7:30, and with most of the team still half asleep, Airborne dropped a closely contested first set against Park, before winning the 2nd and forcing a 3rd and final set. Some untimely errors and an injury to our already depleted roster made things difficult, and Airborne fell 2-1. The rest of the day did not go so well either, as Airborne dropped 2-0 decisions to 204 from Winnipeg, and CAKVC from Red Deer. This left us 4th in the power pool, and a tough draw in the Tier 3 playoffs.

The third and final day had Airborne up early again with a 7:30 start. The team’s experience playing early morning games had them prepared against the Jaguars from Alberta, and the boys emerged victorious, setting up a very good scenario: a top 4 finish in the tier, with a 75% chance at a medal. Unfortunately, the semi-final match had them pitted against a very strong FOG team. FOG’s size and fan support helped them to a consistently played match, something Apex could not counter with. A 2-0 loss set Airborne up with a bronze medal matchup against the Olympiens from Manitoba.

Knowing that they had worked so hard throughout the season and this being the last match of the year, the boys put together a very smart game plan and forced the Olympiens into a bunch of errors. Combined with a strong serving and digging game, good shot making from Richard Bui and Kashtin De Souza, a power game from Matty Hall-Stevenson, and precision setting from Brandon Nguyen, the team came together at the most important of times. Fueled by winning a spectacular rally that had fans cheering from the bleachers with “ooohs” and “aaahs,” and Hafeez Noormohamed’s presence at the net, Airborne shut the door on the Olympiens, taking home a bronze medal.

The team would like to thank Coach Derek Lai, who unfortunately could not make the trip, for his hard work during the season, whipping the boys into tip-top shape. As first year Apex members, the 9 athletes on this trip, as well as the 5 resting at home, acquitted themselves very well and we are looking forward to next season as they compete as U16s.