EDMONTON - There’s a whole lot of Green and Gold on the Red and White these days. With 19 current or former Golden Bears or Pandas playing on Canada’s national volleyball squads, the influence of the U of A on the international stage has never been more clear.

For Bears head coach Terry Danyluk his program’s connection to both the junior and senior national teams is one that long precedes 2011. Danyluk himself spent a decade in the national program, including when the Tofield, Alberta native had the privilege of wearing the maple leaf at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“That experience allowed me to get this job which allowed me to pass on whatever knowledge I did have to other people. I’ve made a career out of volleyball,” Danyluk said.

That career has stretched 18 seasons as head coach of the Golden Bears, and 15 years as an assistant coach with the senior men’s national team between 1992 and 2006.

With seven former Bears currently on the national senior men’s team Danyluk’s impact at the international level remains strong.

One of those athletes on the national senior team, Nicholas Cundy, came to the U of A with the goal of moving onto elite international volleyball, and thanks to the tutelage of Danyluk over three seasons at the U of A, Cundy successfully made the jump to the highest level of international play.

“When I came here it was a goal of mine, but I wouldn’t say it was an expectation because that would’ve put undue pressure on [Danyluk]. If I had expected him to develop me to the next level it would’ve been setting him up for failure,” Cundy explained.

For Cundy the fact that Danyluk had reached volleyball’s highest level by playing at the Olympics, and professionally, meant that when his head coach talked the talk about international volleyball, Cundy knew he had also walked the walk.

“He had already done the things we had wanted to do, so he could show us some of the little things on the court that are needed to continue on – we learned from that. You have to learn from someone who’s been there.”

Danyluk’s is not the only program able to produce volleyball players ready to wear the maple leaf. Pandas head coach Laurie Eisler has also seen her players excel for Team Canada.

Today, with five current or former U of A Pandas a part of Canada’s senior team or developmental ‘B’ team, Eisler has shown she can produce athletes ready for international play.

A large reason for the continued stream of U of A athletes could be due to the efforts of both Danyluk and Eisler, who have worked tirelessly to provide their players with the tools to succeed.

“Both [Eisler] and I are very committed to our jobs - you have to work hard. Some of the coaches I respect most in the world have always told me that good coaches work hard and it’s not a job you put away at 4 o’clock – it’s with you almost all the time,” Danyluk said.

For Pandas assistant coach Mike Ling who has spent more than a decade with the program, seeing players move onto Volleyball Canada has shown that Eisler’s philosophy is paying off.

“Our philosophy with the Pandas is to breed a culture of excellence and of family. What we do is we try and instill the work ethic, the motivation to compete, the motivation to win as much as possible,” Ling said.

“We look for the athletes who are skilled, but with some character and some edge to them. We try and develop them as much as possible around their skill sets and what we can offer them. With players moving onto the national teams, it speaks to not only their ability to grow and develop, but speaks to [Eisler’s] ability to guide them.”

With the expertise both Eisler and Danyluk bring to their respective programs, it appears that the Green and Gold legacy with the Red and White will continue for a long time.

Below is a list of current, or former, Golden Bears and Pandas volleyball athletes that are on Canadian teams as of July 2011.

Canadian men’s Senior team (will attempt to qualify for 2012 Olympics):
Joel Schmuland (former)
Adam Kaminski (former)
Dallas Soonias (former)
Jason DeRocco (former)
Brock Davidiuk (former)
Alexandre Gaumont-Casias (former)
Nicholas Cundy (former)

Canadian women’s senior team (will attempt to qualify for 2012 Olympics):
Jaki Ellis (current)
Tiffany Dodds (former)
Tasha Holness (former)

Canadian men’s Junior team:
Tristan Aubry (current)
Jay Olmstead (current)
Jarron Mueller (current)
Coach Brad Poplawski (former assistant coach)

Canadian women’s indoor Universiade team (developmental ‘B’ team):
Kelci French (former)
Krista Zubick (current)
 
Canadian men’s indoor Universiade team (developmental ‘B’ team):
Spencer Leiske (former)

Canadian men’s Beach Universiade team:
Mike Plantinga (current)

Canadian Senior men’s Beach team (will attempt to qualify for 2012 Olympics):
Ben Saxton (former)

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