Merritt put on its 19th annual mixed adult volleyball tournament on the weekend, hosting 28 teams from the Nicola Valley and from as far away as Alberta and the Lower Mainland.
“With 28 teams coming into town, I think it is a great way to showcase Merritt,” says one of the main organizers, David Finch. “Many of the people and teams come back year after year because we put on such a great product.”
The main organizers have resisted turning the volleyball tournament into a cash event and feel this has added to its overall success.
“We have been asked to change but we don’t,” says Finch. “We keep it for the prizes and for the fun, and people keep coming back.”
The winning team in the top Competitive 1 division was formed in Vancouver just weeks before the tournament was slated to start. It was made up of veterans even though they hadn’t played in their winning configuration prior to this weekend.
“We are just a rag tag bunch of people that have played together before,” says Peter Low of the winning Thunder Cats team. “We all get to know each other over the weekend, and we have a whole lot of fun.”
“They wouldn’t come back if they didn’t have fun,” adds Finch.
