Charlotte Sider is a fourth-year kinesiology student and a volleyball aficionado. An integral member of the Varsity Blues women’s volleyball program that earned the OUA bronze medal last season, Sider lead the squad in kills with 170 kills per set, averaging to 2.88, and in serving aces with 30.
With her second consecutive OUA all-star nod, Sider has undoubtedly become a veteran force in Ontario volleyball. “It’s hard to judge success as a whole … and its difficult to get past the idea that success equals wining,” she says, reflecting on the season just past. “Although the ultimate goal wasn’t achieved for our team, I think that huge lessons were learned, and if understood and accepted, they will make us much stronger for the upcoming seasons.”
During the intercollegiate off-season, Sider competes in beach volleyball internationally. From July 6–17, she and her partner, Rachel Cockrell from Winnipeg will be one of three Canadian beach volleyball teams in Kazan, Russia, at the FISU Summer Universiade. The tournament is a multi-sport event that is second only to the Olympics in terms of number of countries and athletes participating, and will see Sider and Cockrell face against top teams from across the globe.
Having competed at numerous international events, Sider joined fellow Varsity Blues teammate Denise Wooding at the Under 23 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Poland this June. “The U23 Beach Volleyball World Championship was a small taste of what FISU games will entail,” said Sider. “A large factor in feeling more prepared for the games [is] playing in other international tournaments, and being exposed to the larger beach volleyball world.”
Sider explains that the key to success at this level of play is largely determined by mental toughness, something that must be trained dail.y. Qualities like these are essential on both the beach and the indoor court, and using beach volleyball as a cross-training technique in the off-season may be effective in improving not only mental skills like strategic play, but also agility, speed, and the “soft touch.”
“Beach training in general gives me way more touches on the volleyball then indoor, and for that alone it is a huge advantage for my indoor game,” Sider explains. These endeavors are just a glimpse of the work that the women’s volleyball team must put in during the off-season to be optimally prepared for another grueling Varsity campaign.
With the new Goldring Athletic Centre under construction set to be finished for the PanAm Games and women’s CIS National Volleyball Tournament in 2015, the Blues volleyball program is preparing its squad to compete at the Oscars of Canadian post-secondary volleyball tournaments. “With the Goldring Centre being finished, and being able to play with the girls I have been training with for years makes the experience that much more anticipated and exciting,” told Sider.
Going into next season, Sider explains that “one thing that I always need to keep in mind is that my volleyball career is a long process, and I still have a lot to learn, yet the point is to love the journey and embrace the good and bad times.”
After what will surely be an unforgettable athletic experience at the FISU games, Sider will join 11 returning players, along with five recruits, who will look to improve on the OUA bronze the Blues earned last season. “I’m very excited for next season,” she says. “Heading into my fourth year on the team, it feels like I’m nearing the end of my U of T career, but also beginning to play at a higher level more consistently.”
Check out the rest of our FISU coverage, featuring Varsity Blues athletes Zach Chetrat, Karla Telidetzki, and Mario Kovacevic.
