For the athletes representing two of the 22 Northern Chill Volleyball Club teams which gathered Sunday evening at the Caruso Club for the annual Evening of Excellence year-end banquet, the event marked the end of this particular journey.

The roads those teenagers travelled darted to and fro, often times commencing at vastly different stages, with many a former teammate no longer part of the mix. And as they prepare for the next stage of their lives, the vast majority moving on to post-secondary studies with a large swath continuing their volleyball careers at the U Sports and OCAA level, the reality is that their individual journeys will continue to be unique, with a whole variety of tangential pathways still lying ahead.

The recipient of the OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) Award of Excellence for the 18U Black Vortex crew, Lilah Selby has opted to shelve her competitive career as she pursues the daunting workload of a degree in Bio-Medical Engineering from Guelph University, beginning in the fall.

“Volleyball will always be a big part of my life,” noted the Lockerby Composite graduate who celebrated her 18th birthday on the day of the banquet and fully expects to continue to track future teams, both Chill and Vikings (Lockerby), as well as to check out the progress of friend and teammate Mya Balfe who heads to Western University to compete with the Mustangs.

The tightness of these friendships seems virtually unavoidable suggested Selby, a four year club veteran who began as a left-side in the sport before making the shift to middle. “I just feel that volleyball is different than any sports,” noted the eloquent interviewee. “There is no contact and you really have to play as a team.”

“That’s just how it has to be,” Selby continued. “That just makes the bond between the girls so much better.”

It’s a bond that, in the case of the Black Vortex, assembles athletes from a network of different high-schools, adversaries within the SDSSAA ranks but united as they don the Chill colours to take on the very best in the province. What began as the 12U Artic Blast in the fall of 2019 had just one remaining member: Maili Jutila.

Ironically, there was a definite connection to that centerpiece of this unit that was instrumental in bringing Selby aboard. “I played for her mom (Tammy) in grade eight (at Marymount) and she thought I had some potential, told me to tryout and now we’re here,” said Selby with a smile.

There were highs and lows along the way, but in so many ways, it is the developmental process that defines these young men and women willing to devote so much of their time to this pursuit of excellence.

“A lot of middles are focused, to start, on just being a good hitter and blocker,” explained Selby. “But I think what makes a really good middle is being able to serve, being able to pass, to be able to do the things that maybe other middles can’t do. When I started to focus on my all-around game, it really helped me – and I was really proud of that.”

After finishing her freshman year of high-school at Marymount Academy, Selby opted to transfer over to Lockerby, a shift that also saw her move, for a short while, at least, from middle to left side.

“I was put into serve receive and had to figure everything out or let my team down,” she said. “That was definitely a moment – but Mister (Stephen) Beausoleil is a great coach, everyone knows that.”

Like Selby, 18U Glaciers boys three year veteran Riley Payzant also experienced his secondary schooling from two different perspectives, kicking things off in grade nine at Ecole secondaire catholique Champlain before heading over to Ecole secondaire Macdonald-Cartier the following year.

“All of my friends (at ESMC) were super into volleyball so I hung up the skates and have played volleyball ever since,” said Payzant, an 18 year old who competed in A/AA and houseleague hockey and whose older brother Kalan is now just wrapping up his OCAA career as a member of the Collège Boréal Vipères.

Riley in following in his brother’s footsteps, to some degree, committed to attending Centennial College and studying Business. Payzant has split his time between right-side and middle during his years with the Chill and the Panthères, but will make the move to left-side with his varsity team in Toronto – a testament to the depth of talent on the local club team.

“The two left-sides on our team this year (Olivier Tremblay and Jeremy Rhéaume) are pretty extreme,” he said. Thankfully, his summer plans should allow him Payzant to move forward parts of his game that will need to be top-notch as he takes to the court with the Colts in September.

“I am playing a lot of beach volleyball this summer to prepare,” he noted. “Just playing a lot of beach will get my jumping ability up there. And in beach, running around plays a big part. As defender, I am running, digging, passing – and all of that definitely helps.”

As for the remainder of the award winners, Mya Balfe and Olivier Tremblay were named as Players of the Year, with Brett Rienguette and Caelyn Mahoney receiving the Frost and Chill Award respectively. The Ones to Watch included the quartet of Breeze Osawamick, Grayson Taylor, Rayen Cabezas and Cameron Desrochers while the countless hours of work put in by Patrick Gervais were acknowledged via the Presidents Award.

Finally, the 16U Heatwave girls were presented with the McNair Cup, awarded annually to the team which enjoyed the best season (most successful representation in tournament) over the course of the OVA campaign.

Following are the remainder of the team awards that were doled out on Sunday:

OVA Award of Excellence
4 v 4G - Drift - Myah Laflèche
4 v 4G - Snow Caps - Ellie Roy
6 v 6G - Black Freeze - Mikaelle Beites
6 v 6G - Blue Freeze - Emma Hicks
6 v 6G - Icecaps - Gabby Timbers
6 v 6B - Icequakes - Logan Dickie
TLSG - Black Squall - Isabelle Seguin
TLSG - Blue Squall - Laken Lemieux
TLSG - White Squall - Abigail Richer
TLSB - Frost - Caleb Zakamarko
15UG - Black Ice - Ivana Coluzzi
15UG - Blue Ice - Kylan Batchelor
15UB - Blizzards - Jace Seguin<,rb> 16UG - Heatwave - Brinley Evans
16UG - Icebergs - Macy Velcich
16UG - Blackout - Selena Chiblow-Carpenter
16UG - Polar - Nora Hoy-Riehl
16UB - Norsemen - Miguel Gauthier
17UG - Black Cyclones - Rebecca George
17UG - Blue Cyclones - Emma Firman
17UB - Ice Box - Maksim Rybiak
18UG - Black Vortex - Lilah Selby
18UB - Glaciers - Ethan Leblanc

Chill Maimum Impact
4 v 4G - Drift - Courtney Melanson
4 v 4G - Snow Caps - Evelyn Trudeau
6 v 6G - Black Freeze - Mariia Lapshykova
6 v 6G - Blue Freeze - Lola Fuchs
6 v 6G - Icecaps - Alina Sloss
6 v 6B - Icequakes - Grayson Taylor
TLSG - Black Squall - Adèle Gervais
TLSG - Blue Squall - Payton Smalley
TLSG - White Squall - Grace Ornella
TLSB - Frost - Antonio Sonntag
15UG - Black Ice - Eliza Rybiak
15UG - Blue Ice - Dylan McGee
15UB - Blizzards - Skylar Trottier
16UG - Heatwave - Kylie Breau
16UG - Icebergs - Willow Baillargeon
16UG - Blackout - Arabella Otosuaiob
16UG - Polar - Cora Robitaille
16UB - Norsemen - Joshua Wadrobert
17UG - Black Cyclones - Marissa McLean
17UG - Blue Cyclones - Isabelle Bonish
17UB - Ice Box - Mykael Gagné
18UG - Black Vortex - Nyah Robinson
18UB - Glaciers - Maxim Gilroy