Ben Lypka
Abbotsford News
A Mission volleyballer has caught the attention of Volleyball Canada.
Kristen McBride, who is entering Grade 11 at Mission Secondary in the fall, was one of 36 athletes from across Canada invited to the Youth National Team training program at the National Team Challenge Cup in Richmond late last month.
McBride was selected to attend the Baden Cup in Kamloops at Thompson Rivers University from June 30 to July 4, and on July 4 she was selected as one of 30 athletes to train with Team B.C.
She trained with Team B.C. until July 12, when they travelled to Richmond to compete at the Olympic Oval for the National Team Challenge Cup. The NTTC was help from July 14 to 17. From that event, McBride was picked as one of 36 athletes to train from July 18 to 23 as part of the Volleyball Canada Youth National Development Program.
She was one of only three B.C. players to attend the program, which selects and identifies athletes who have the potential to represent Canada at a young age.
The Selects and Youth (18U) Team Canada program provides an environment of excellence in Canada to expose identified athletes to international level of education, training and competition early in their career.
McBride and the 35 other female players trained in Richmond at the Olympic Oval and at the University of British Columbia from July 18 to 23. The camps included practices, training tips and games to close off the week.
The Mission resident is a left-side hitter, and plays club volleyball for Fraser Valley Volleyball Club. She’s played club volleyball for the past five years, and started playing at the high school level in Grade 9 at Hatzic Secondary School, where she led the team to a fifth-place overall finish in AA provincials that year.
Last summer, she was selected to the Volleyball B.C. High Performance Program, and her team placed fourth in the zone championships provincial tournament.
McBride is heavily involved in the local volleyball community, as she helps coach and officiate the sport as part of a local volleyball leadership program.
She aims to continue her passion for the sport at the post-secondary level, as she eyes opportunities and scholarships when she graduates high school in 2018.
