Medals for Maidment

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This article was published 31/08/2016 (3552 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Local teen Anna Maidment is on the ball with a growing list of accomplishments in the world of beach volleyball.

Maidment and her partner Erika Vermette of Morris earned silver in the U15 female division at the Canadian Youth Beach Volleyball championship held in Toronto from Aug. 18 to 21. The pair went undefeated until the final match of the tournament, when they lost a close game to a team from Ontario.

A few weeks prior, the duo had proven unstoppable at Manitoba’s Beach Volleyball championships in the U15 girls’ category.

“It feels great. It’s awesome,” said Maidment, an Island Lakes resident who is going into Grade 10 at St. Mary’s Academy. “My partner and I had gone undefeated all year until the finals.”

Volleyball is in her blood, since her dad played in university and is currently an assistant coach at the University of Manitoba.

“I’ve always had volleyball in my family. This is my fifth year playing volleyball but my third year playing beach. They’re definitely two different games,” she said.

“I love playing outside. My partner and I love playing in the elements, like the hot and the cold. Plus, when you win beach, I feel like you have more of an impact on your team. With indoor, you might not have even played at all because there’s more players.”

After her provincial and national achievements, Maidment continued her training at volleyball camp for her indoor club team. Throughout the year, Maidment plays volleyball four or five times per week and commits a similar amount of time to working out at Elite Performance.

When she has a moment to spare, she also does kung fu and loves going to the beach.
As a standout player, Maidment caught the attention of John Blacher, executive director of Volleyball Manitoba.

“Anna is definitely one of the top provincial-level players for both indoor and the beach,” he said. “She’s showing some true talent, for sure, along with her partner Erika Vermette.”

And for coach Wanda Guenette, Maidment’s abilities exceed her young years.

“She’s a hard worker and she’s a smart player. Beach volleyball is a sport where you really have to self-manage and self-coach a lot because, like tennis, there’s no coaching allowed. She’s very mature in that aspect,” said Guenette, who coaches the provincial beach volleyball team as well as the Canada Summer Games team.

“Beach volleyball is a growing sport. The Olympics has just shown that. It’s one of the most popular sports to attend and watch.”

The sport will continue to be on the public radar when the Canada Summer Games come to Manitoba next year. The Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex is now home to the Sargent Park Beach Volleyball Centre, which features two new beach volleyball courts.

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