Red River College’s Rebels athletes played mentor to junior high school students from across the province over the weekend, at a volleyball tournament and skills camp aimed at further strengthening our teams’ ties to the community.

At the second annual Rebels Boys Classic, held Nov. 5th and 6th at the College’s Notre Dame Campus, teams from 11 junior high schools throughout Manitoba took part in a combined tourney and skills clinic led by athletes on RRC’s Rebels Men’s Volleyball team.

A similar event — the Rebels Girls Classic — was held two weekends prior, drawing players from 14 junior high girls teams throughout the province.

“These are great opportunities for us to showcase our college athletics, as well as play a role in the development of the sport starting at the grassroots level,” says Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Dan Gilbert. “Interest in the event has also grown as we went from 20 teams last year to 25 teams this year”.

Gilbert was especially proud of the Rebels’ role in the skills camp portion of the weekend, which allowed players to share their considerable expertise with their younger counterparts, while helping them cultivate a lifelong love of the sport.

“Based on feedback from parents and coaches, as well as witnessing the smiles on the kids’ faces, these events have proven to be very memorable experiences,” says Gilbert. “From my observations, it is just as meaningful to our college athletes as they realize the type of positive influence they can have on future of their sport.”

Over the same weekend, the Rebels’ Men’s Team also found time to twice defeat the University of Winnipeg’s Wesmen team, besting them 3-1 in both their Friday and Saturday matches.

For more information about Rebels Athletics, check www.rrc.mb.ca/athletics