Routine and focus keys to success Distractions of Paris can wait until events for Canadian athletes By: Danielle Da Silva Posted: 5:44 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 26, 2024

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This article was published 26/07/2024 (795 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PARIS, France – Sitting in one of the 3,200 seats of the Olympic Village restaurant — where athletes can choose to dine on some 500-different dishes over the course of the Summer Games — Winnipeg’s Luke Herr is sticking with what he knows.

For this lunch, it’s a meal of pasta, rice and beef patties, or the “classics,” says the starting setter of the Canadian men’s volleyball team. His choice is, partly, a strategic one.

Herr, 30, is one of eight players on the squad who will make their Olympic debut July 28, when Canada meets No. 5 ranked Slovenia at the Arena Paris Sud for its first match of group play. Canada enters the tournament ranked ninth in the world and will also face Serbia and the defending Olympic champions, France, in the preliminary round.

So, now isn’t the time to deviate from routine, the 6-4 Olympic rookie says.

Rather, maintaining a sense of normalcy — to the extent one can at the largest sporting event in the world — helps to keep the nerves in check and a healthy perspective on the competition.

“I’m just taking it as another tournament, not putting too much thought into it being… something out of the ordinary,” says Herr.

It’s an approach discussed and embraced by the national men’s squad, which is accustomed to high-level competition, but with a greater degree of control over their environments, the University of Manitoba alum says.

Compared to other international events, including the recent Volleyball Nations League tournament that saw Canada lose to Japan in the quarterfinal, the Olympics in Paris are brimming with distractions.

“We’re here to compete. After, whenever that may be, we can do our exploring,” Herr says. “But while we’re competing, it’s time to focus in, keep to our schedules, and not change anything.”

Still, there are moments that overwhelm, says Eric Loeppky, a first-time Olympian and rising professional volleyball star from Steinbach, currently playing in Italy.

To ease the pressure and emotional intensity of the Games, the 25-year-old, 6-5 attacker says he’s resolved to truly enjoy his Olympic experience to its fullest, accepting all its unexpected twists and turns.

“For myself, I’m trying to stay present,” Loeppky explains. “That’s my mindset and the volleyball stuff will take care of itself… it’s the same sized court, it’s the same ball, and we play in big arenas all the time.”

The Canadians are poised to begin the tournament in a well-established groove, having arrived in France earlier this month to fine tune their game at staging camp in Tours, about 250 km southwest of Paris.

A friendly, mid-July match against France in the western commune of Mouilleron-le-Captif was also a welcome warm up following the break after the VNL, Loeppky says – despite the 3-0 loss in front of a sold out crowd.

Team Canada will have a chance at redemption July 30 when they play No. 4-ranked France.

“If they were like that just for an exhibition — the fans — it’s going to be insane in there for the actual match. I’m excited for that,” Loeppky says.

The two are anticipating a tough preliminary round where sticking with what’s familiar will once again form part of the game plan.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time, and doing everything we can to prepare for our first game against Slovenia,” Herr says. “We’re not thinking about what we have to do in the whole tournament, or this and that. We’re just focused on our first game, and keeping it simple and how we know how to play volleyball.”

Meantime, in the northern Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, two-time Olympian and former Winnipegger Shae La Roche says the Canadian women’s water polo team is ready to flex its muscle at the brand new Olympic Aquatics Centre.

“We’re excited to get out there,” the 31-year-old attacker says. “We’ve solidified our tactics within these Games in the last few months, and so I’m feeling really good going in, and it’s nice to have that feeling of everything coming together.”

The Canadians will face Hungary in the opening preliminary match on July 29. The group round also includes China, Australia and the Netherlands.

“It’s a tournament of 10 very good teams,” La Roche says. “Each game, you have to treat it like it’s a final game, each game is very important and they’re all going to be very close games.”

The seasoned veteran who helped Team Canada to a seventh place finish at the Tokyo Olympics is planning to retire from the national squad after Paris. She says the goal is to leave her last international tournament without regret and having shown up for her team.

“It’s just going out there and feeling proud of what I gave in the pool,” La Roche says. “It’s really just giving what I can to the team, and playing as a team, because that’s how we’re going to beat the other teams.

“It’s doing whatever my team needs me to do, and that will be what makes me proud of how I play.”