November Sessions Don't lose your spot!

 

Happy Halloween! A Happy Halloween greeting to all of you academy people.  We have an excellent treat for all you volleyball people in November.

November  This month will bring a batch of new sessions  NexGen Setter Development - November 1,3,8,10,15,17,22,24, and 29 6-7pm Basic Spiking - November 1, 7-8 pm Advanced Spiking - November 1, 8-9 pm NexGen Hitters Development - November 2,7,9,16,21,23,28,30, 6-7 pm Basic November Serve Training November 2,7,9,16,21,23,28,30 7-8 pm NextGen Libero Development November 2,7,9,16,21,23,28,30, 8-9 pm November Jump Training November 2,7,9,16,21,23,28,30 8-9 pm Advanced Serving Training November 2,7,9,16,21,23,28,30, 9-10 pm Basic Serve Reception November 3, 7-8 pm Advanced Serve Reception November 3, 8-9 pm Private Lesson November 6, 10-11 am NexGen Fundamentals Development Grade 4-8 November 6,20,27 11-1 pm Register A Quick Note From Dr. Darren Cannell Darren Cannell, the sole director and member of the corporation, elected the Directors of the Non-Profit Corporation on October 25, 2022. After that, Darren Cannell renounced his Directorship and Membership in the Academy to be hired as the CEO. Board Positions Co-Chairs Crystal Torgunrud and Jessica Leith  Vice Chair Robert Dziadyk  Secretary Tamara Larre  Treasurer The board is seeking a Treasurer Members at Large   Krista Klimosko   Tamille Schuler    Chie Imamura    Kendra Megaffin  Katie Young Sandy Scissons Leanne McGettigan   The past phone number for the Academy is no longer in service, so if you wish to speak to the CEO of the Academy, please email him, and he will call you as soon as possible. The best way to get a response to a question is via email, as Darren and his wife will be travelling and, at times, might be hard to reach. Email

Canadian Elite Academy Stats

 

 

21 hours of Volleyball this week!

The Academy will be offering 21 hours this week! The offerings of sessions this week are 21 hours of instruction; currently, there are 99 registered spots filled by athletes and 11 coaches involved.   Now that is a full week of training. Serving sessions This upcoming week we have a Basic Serving Session 7-8 pm and Advanced Serving Session 8-9 pm on Tuesday, October 25th.    Register Hitters Sessions Then on Thursday October, we have Outside and Opposite Hitters session pn October 27 from 7-8 pm and then Middle hitters session from 8-9 Register Open Gym GamePlay The Open gym time; play the game. These sessions are tonight, October 21, and October 28, from 7-9 pm. Register Private Lessons Therer are two private lessons still open this week but all the others are sold out. Register Team Private Lessons The academy approaches team lessons under the pricing and the approach used for athlete private lesson format. The price is 149 dollars for an hour per team. The maximum number of athletes is determined by the registered players on the school or club team. The team coaches assess the choice of session topic before the day of the session. Many past team sessions happened during the team's already scheduled practice times. This allows the academy to keep the cost down, and the price is the same if the academy is expected to find gym time for the team. The academy coach for the session is done in conjunction with the team coaches but often is determined by the availability of academy coaches. The academy often tries to assign the best coach for the topic or skill taught.    If you schedule it outside of your regular practice time, then we will book the gym wherever we can find the gym time. Most teams have a gym already booked and a normal time for practice, and we have found that more athletes will have set up their other activities around this time. Fewer athletes can make it when a team books it as extra practice time. So most of the time, we just come to a regular practice time, and then we charge the 149 dollars. When the academy has to find and book gym time, we add the gym rental cost on top of the 149, and if it ends up in Warman at the Legend Center, then we also charge mileage. We appreciate your interest in allowing the academy coaches the opportunity to work with teams and hope we can together build better players in our province.  Register

Important information about the future of the Academy!

 

Important Information about the Academy!

The next phase of the Academy The Canadian Elite Academy is entering a new phase.  Since 2017, the Canadian Elite Academy has been a corporation owned and run by myself (Dr. Darren Cannell).  In March 2022, I decided to change the corporation to a non-profit corporation.  The reason for restructuring the Academy is that my personal life has changed.  In June, my wife retired as an Assistant Principal for the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School system. We will be doing a lot of travelling starting in November, which will hinder my ability to be the head coach for the Academy. The change to a non-profit will allow us to create a board of directors coming together to help with decisions making, oversight, strategic planning and financial planning, creating the next stage of the Canadian Elite Academy.  I will still be running the administration and day-to-day operation of coordinating sessions and coach placement from a distance as we travel.  I will miss the opportunity to coach sessions, but I will be back in the gym when we are back in the province.   As we travel, I will be coaching and visiting Academies in other countries to learn how they do things and bring the best practices back to our Canadian Elite Academy. I invite anyone interested in being on the board for the Canadian Elite Academy and helping us build the next phase of our non-profit.  We seek parents of athletes, lawyers, coaches, people with experience in non-profit, bookkeepers, accountants, people with expertise in sports governance and anyone with a vision.   All my Successful ventures in the past were done by surrounding myself with groups of talented people.  Since 2017, the Canadian Elite Academy has been built the same way.  I surrounded myself with the best coaches in the province, and we have created something ready to move into its next stage.  If you want to be part of the future growth of the Academy, drop me an email.  Email Please take two minutes to complete the survey below to help us move into the next phase of the academy. Short survey!

A session not to be missed

 

Don't miss these Sessions

Check out these exciting sessions. We have all the NexGen sessions happening this week, as expected. It is so exciting to see the growth in these young athletes as they put in the time to develop the skill foundation. We have started the build-up towards club volleyball, so we are getting into some skill sessions for all ages, gender and skill level, which will get them ready for their Club play. Want to know more? Blocking Sessions  The first two sessions, which will be awesome and not one you want to miss, is the Basic and Advanced Blocking Session. The head coach for these sessions is J.P. Barker, who I was lucky enough to have as a beach partner for a period. He was a blocking madman who never let anyone hit and was so easy to play defence around. He has been an indoor coach in the high school system for years and was a University of Saskatchewan Player from 1982- 1985. He was a member of Canada's Junior National Team. If you want to learn to block, this is the guy you want to learn it from, as his sense of humour and knowledge of the game will make it a session I will attend so that I can learn from him. Want to know more? Open Serving Session J.P. Barker and I will also be at the open serving session. This is a half-price session for two hours where athletes can just put in some time to work on their serving. Coaches will be around to lend assistance, but most of the time, the session will be just a chance to serve. Work on whatever serve you are trying to perfect. Put in the time.. Want to know more? Private Lessons The other opportunity this week is the Private lessons that have just been added. Private sessions allow one to four athletes the chance to attend for the same price for all. The main athlete chooses the topic and coach (if available). There have been many requests for me to set up Private lessons, and I have done so. Hope to see you on the court Want to know more? Open Gym GamePlay The week will end with Open gym gameplay. Last week was full, and if this week ends up the same, we will look at maybe running two different times, so everyone gets a chance. This two-hour session is just an opportunity for all to gain some touches in a flexible non-structured chance to play. The level of the registered athletes determines the status of the game. Bring your friends if you want to set the level of play. Want to know more? All of these posters have the academy athletes in them.  If you would like to see more, go to the photo gallery at the academy.  If you know one of the players in these, send them an email letting them know they are famous.  Share the posters around, as the academy is built on word of mouth.  Thank you all for your interest in the academy.  It is so fun to be part of the athlete's development. Want to see more photos The academy also has a blog where we share volleyball hints and tips and our newsletters. Check it out some time.  If you are looking for some information on a volleyball topic let me know and maybe I will write a blog entry pertaining to the topic. Check out our Blog

Why should you take sessions from the Academy?

 

Actual Athlete Comments

I really learned a lot! It was a great class.

Peter loved learning the technical aspects of how to adjust his body to improve his hitting!

Very impressed with the high level of coaching

Peter says “great coach! Gave great feedback, hard workouts!”

Private lesson - $149.00 Confidence - PRICELESS Thank you, Darren!

My daughter always enjoys these camps. She’s been to 4 or 5 different Academy camps and everyone has been great for her. She really appreciates the coaches and the experience they bring to the camps.

I really felt like my jump serves improved. I now know what I can work on to improve it. Thank you, Darren!

My daughter loved the camp. She said she learned a lot from the sessions and was really glad to have the breaks in between sessions. Thank you.

It was really fun! I liked how we specialized in something different in each session.

My daughter learned so much and enjoyed the coaches.

I loved making the cut camp- it was really fun to work on my skills before tryouts, and I feel much more ready to go to tryouts. Thank you, coaches!

Our daughter really enjoyed this, and it was very well organized. Having the participants need leave and come back every 2 hours was challenging, however.

I loved the making the cut camp this year!!! It was so much fun, and the energy was great. The coaches really made sure that people were comfortable coming up to them with questions and getting help, but also making sure that everyone was comfortable playing with each other. I loved the variety of coaches that were there. There was always a different outlook or approach from the coaches so that if one way of doing something didn’t work, you could ask another coach, and try a different way. I really felt like all the drills that we did challenge me in a good way and made me push myself. The gameplay was great. Being able to play with other athletes was amazing and being able to come together with them as a team and not as individuals were very fun! Thank you to all the coaches for a great week, and I can’t wait for next year.

My son Peter said “It’s the most I’ve improved in a short period of time. The coaches are amazing, and give very good feedback. Darren is the best coach I’ve ever had….don’t show this to Keegan! He sets a very good example of what a good volleyball player should be like. He tells us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear.” Thanks for everything! EDIT Darren is ONE OF the best coaches….He and Keegan!!!

I just want to say that the level of coaching during these sessions was amazing. A coach was always able to find the problem and help me fix it if I was struggling with a certain skill. Great work. Thank you Darren!!

Great environment to play volleyball in! Everyone was extremely supportive and helpful!

Best camp I’ve attended all because of all the help I got and feedback to make me a better player and person

It was fun to learn new skills and beach volleyball rules with the help of the awesome coaches. It makes you wish that the season lasts longer! Thank you and see you soon!

It was a great way to spend the summer learning new skills from amazing coaches, get to meet many great players and have a lot of fun outside. Thanks to all, and a special thanks to coaching Leanne for her commitment to working with us. See you next year!

Our girls had so much fun playing in the beach volleyball sessions ….they were coached and guided on their skills in a positive and energetic environment.

My daughter learned so much! The coach was excellent, and it was great to have the junior coaches demonstrate the skills and model the play. Thanks so much!

Really great coaching. Very positive environment to be around and would definitely register for beach training next season.

It was a great beach season, and I’m really glad I had Darren to help me improve.

It’s very fun and helped me get back into the beach very good coaching I would recommend coaching to anyone who wants to improve their beach game or to train.

Peyton had an amazing time! So fun and has a great atmosphere!!

This session was incredible! Amazing coaching and constant movement in the drills. Maximum use of time and tons of ball touches. It was so great to see the improvement in all of the participants throughout the sessions. Well done!!!

This was an absolutely amazing session. The girls were always having fun, working hard and learning! Chie is an outstanding coach. Jordan was very lucky to have had this opportunity. Thank you!!!

The SMLW camp was such a rewarding experience. It was amazing to be surrounded by other young volleyball players who desire to improve and encourage others. Every coach gave helpful feedback while simultaneously making the past three days as fun and gratifying as possible.

I loved the camp! It was so fun to get to learn from all of the different coaches and get different perspectives on skills. Everyone was so positive and supportive during all of the drills and games played. It was also fun playing outside. Thank you to all the coaches I loved learning from all of you. Getting your insight on all of the different positions was amazing!

This jump training session was fantastic! The instructor was interactive, enthusiastic and super-prepared for every class. In the 4 wks, I definitely saw gains and results. Would highly recommend this session!

It was tiring, but it was all worth it because I really enjoyed learning at the same time. I started the training with very little knowledge of playing volleyball. After the training, I’ve learned the importance of proper positioning and different skills to be a better player. The other kids were really encouraging by giving compliments and high fives. I had so much fun, and I’m hoping to come back.❤️ Thank you very much to all the coaches! ❤️❤️❤️

Ava really enjoyed how many coaches were on site and loved their perspectives and insights very much.

She has taken away some incredible drills, warm-ups and stretching routines that we will be able to carry us through. This camp has emphasized Ava’s dedication to pursuing volleyball and her hope to play more. Thank you!! Awesome camp :)

Darren is friendly, knowledgeable and very positive with the athletes. Always very happy with Elite Academy!!

Darren is patient and a great teacher.

The serving and spiking were really helpful. I got to the apron on my jump serve which has already improved from the lay night and previous sessions. I was also able to work on my hitting. It was also really fun, to see so many people with the same, hardworking, mindset as me.

Thank you so much!! My daughter loved it and found it to be very helpful!

Excellent coaching. Helping to big solid improvements in our game!

It was fun, and Darren explained well when the girls didn’t understand. They learned A LOT in that hour - Thank you!!

Always a great time, and learns so much from you. Thank you for being so supportive of her:)

Always a great camp. My daughter felt she learned something and always has fun with Darren.

This helped me understand how to serve better with a beautiful swing.

“It was really good, I loved it!” - said my 11-year-old without much Vball experience… she was hesitant to go and left every session with lots to say and how much she loved the coaches. Thx so much Elite Academy 🏐

Great program would recommend it again

Learned so much, and had so much fun.

My daughter loves all the sessions she has done! Darren is very knowledgeable, and she always comes out learning something more.

Great instruction, very trained instructors who knew how to help players be better at what they were doing and were very encouraging. The daughter loved the two hours of hitting instruction!

Fantastic program! I am so grateful Grace finally has a chance to improve and enjoy a sport she likes more than just once a week. She came out of each class happy and excited to tell me all the cool games and drills she got to do. She learned a lot, worked hard and really liked the coach! I hope to continue with Elite academy volleyball every month. Thank you for allowing her to join!

My daughter really enjoyed this camp, and is looking forward to additional camps! She was disappointed that she did not receive a shirt as part of this camp. Having entered her size, she was expecting this (small issue but first world). She indicated the coach was skilled and assisted in developing her confidence and ability in volleyball.

My daughter learned so much in this session and found her serving improved significantly over the course of the two hours. Thanks for the expert coaching! Highly recommend!

I have been doing jump training for a few months now, and I can definitely see an improvement in my jump. Darren is a great coach and will help you take your jump to the next level.

This program is well-designed with technical instruction and added elements that keep it fun & challenging. My daughter has seen impressive improvements with her standing vertical. We are both excited about what she can achieve with further participation.

Awesome training! Kaitlyn has loved all sessions she has taken to date! Thank you!

I have done jump training from September to the end of November, and I have seen an increase in my spike approach and in my block jump. I highly recommend that you want to continue playing volleyball, basketball or any other sports that include jumping high. Darren is always positive and is always encouraging you to continue to work hard, even when your mind says you can’t. There is an encouraging and positive feeling in these sessions.

For beginners, this is a great camp. More actual gameplay would have been nice, but it is understandable if the skill level is still developing. Darren’s suggestions and comments made it clear he had a lot of valuable information to share with the kids. An enjoyable 7 hours!

A great atmosphere to grow our athletes !!!

My daughter loved it.

Jump training was fun, and it helped me improve my jump from where it was at the beginning of the month.

A quick note of new sessions added!

 

A quick note about the added new sessions!

Added some private lessons I have added seven new private lessons into the month of October.  This is in response to the number of requests I have gotten in the last few days. Check them out. Added a whole month of serving sessions November is the month to get your serving done and ready for the upcoming club season.  This month-long serving training session is a first for the academy, and it should turn you into a serving weapon for your team. Check it out. This week is all about defence We are offering basic and advanced defence training tonight, and then all my favourite defence drills will happen on Thursday for 2 hours.  Do you want to be unforgettable?  Check them out. Come Play on Fridays... Register to come

 

What am I thankful for...

Thankful for having the opportunity to be part of the academy. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with the many talented athletes who decide to attend sessions at the academy. The numerous coaches are willing to share their expertise to make the sessions great. To be able to observe sessions run by these coaches is the best coaching professional development. I sit and watch our coaches coach and find I am learning more than the athletes. I have learnt so much from each of them. I am thankful that my wife is supportive of the academy and that my son can contribute his talents to its growth.   This short week will offer the NexGen sessions, which athletes can still join if they are not already full. The price has been discounted to account for sessions from last week. I am thankful to have Sandi Nieth coaching the Fundamental Development Sessions. You can register for this session below. Register I am thankful to have Leanne McGettigan and Jaime Waskowic coaching the Hitter Development Sessions. These two coaches have a full session so you cannot register.  But you might want to save your spot for next month's session. Register I am thankful to have Tamille Schuler coaching the Jump training for this month. These sessions offer so much to the athletes and everyone should take at least one month of Jump Training.  Register today. Register I am thankful to have the opportunity to coach the Libero Development Sessions. Come learn to pass and play LIbero,  Register now. Register I am thankful to have Toako Chie Imamura and Denise Chapman coaching the Setter Development Sessions.. Such an awesome team of coaches to help you learning the setting position. Register On Tuesday, October 11th, we have the Basic and Advanced Defense sessions. I am thankful that Toako Chie Imamura and David  Chuong are coaching these sessions. A couple of sessions are not to be missed.  Register now! Register On Thursday, October 13th I am coaching the defensive two-hour session called Kijima and other Defensive Drills. This is one of the most fun sessions that I coach. I look forward to seeing the athletes develop skills through these challenging advanced drills. This is not a session you want to miss. Register