New beach volleyball courts open at Canadore and Nipissing University campus

New Olympic-grade beach volleyball courts opened Thursday at Nipissing University and Canadore College. Eric Taschner reports.

A new set of beach volleyball courts officially opened at Nipissing University and Canadore College on Thursday, giving young athletes in the region a high-quality facility to hone their skills.

The Education Centre Beach Courts were unveiled with a ceremonial serve, and players wasted no time putting them to use. Among them were Katelyn Smart and Emma Underwood, teammates who expressed excitement about the new addition to their volleyball community.

“I’ve been playing since I was about 12 years old. I started with the U12. I’m already in two different leagues and I’ve been having a great time,” Smart told CTV News.

“I play on Mondays and Wednesdays. I play a U18 women’s league and I play a coed division.”

Underwood, 16, highlighted the growth of the sport in the area.

“Our team, we only have four players on my team, Katelyn being one of them, and it really makes us like really close together. A few years ago, we would not have had this many players,” she said.

“It’s great to see the sport grow. In U14, me and my partner brought home a silver, and that was in 2019. I’ve been playing for three years.”

The courts meet Fédération Internationale de Volleyball standards, featuring Olympic-grade sand. Club president Sylvie Laperriere, who began working on the project three years ago, emphasized the facility’s amenities.

“We also have foot washing and water filling stations,” she said. “We have lights that we can have on to play later in the evening.”

With approximately 150 players in the North Bay Jr. Lakers Volleyball Club, the facility is expected to bolster both local play and regional tournaments. There are also ongoing discussions about Ontario University Athletics potentially adding varsity beach volleyball – a move that would position Nipissing and Canadore as ready hosts.

“To me, it appears like a national-level facility where we might consider hosting events,” said Nipissing University President Kevin Wamsley.

“Certainly, we’ve got the residence rooms, we’ve got the food capacity, and we’ve got this beautiful facility.”

Laperriere added that the club is collaborating with Tourism North Bay and Volleyball Canada to explore hosting higher-level competitions in the future.

“We’re just trying to open up and see through with baby steps so far,” she said.

“But we are trying to see if we can look into those things for next summer.”

For now, young players like Smart are simply thrilled to have a top-tier venue to enjoy the sport.

“I love it and can’t get enough of it,” she said.