Women's National Volleyball Team head coach, Dr Lorne
Sawula to conduct player camps in Newfoundland.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Association is pleased to announce that Dr. Lorne Sawula, the head coach of Canada's Senior National Women's Team will be conducting female player camps and a coaching clinic in Corner Brook, April 5 and in St. John's, April 6 - 7. The purposes for the visit according to Sawula are: to see about setting up a talent identification procedure for Atlantic athletes; to talk to coaches and explain the National Women's Programs and their content; to see if there are any athletes that should be invited directly to our youth or junior national team camps.

Deon Goulding, elite development chair for the Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Association says: " Volleyball is extremely fortunate to have a coach and educator of Lorne's experience visit the province to work with our young athletes. It is an opportunity for the young players to experience one of the best coaches in Canada as well as the world. It is through this effort by Canada's National Women's Team coach that elite talent is noticed at a very young age and encouraged to be involved with the national team programs. Sawula has a wealth of knowledge and experience to offer for the coaches and the athletes."

The NLVA will be distributing information out to the schools and its membership on the times and locations of the camps however it is stressed that all player camps are open to any coaches who would like to observe the sessions. Any coaches or players are encouraged to contact the NLVA for details on registering for the camps/clinics.

Sawula certainly has an impressive volleyball resume as can be see by the following information. Early in his career (1973-75), he was an assistant professor of physical education at Dalhousie University and later (1975-77) at the University of British Columbia. Canada continued to garner the benefits of his expertise, as he became the technical director of the Canadian Volleyball Association in 1977 (1977-82) and later became the high performance director (1988-90). Lorne Sawula is a Stage I, II and III course instructor for the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). He is currently working under a contract as director of the Women�s National Volleyball programs for the Swedish Volleyball Federation and was the co-head coach of the U of Alberta Panda�s volleyball team, which just won the 2000 CIAU National Championships.

Working for Volleyball Canada he was instrumental in starting the Volleyball Coaching certification programs and wrote many articles, books and manuals that were the foundation of today's programs. He assisted in the start of the Canadian Journal for the History of Sport and PE (U of Windsor) in 1970 and the Canadian Volleyball Association's International Volleyball Technical Journal in 1977. He was the first writer and editor of the CVA Technical Manuals (I, II, III and IV) and co-authored the Volleyball Development Manual with T. Valeriot and Soviet Gold with T. Maxwell. Furthermore, he was deeply involved in the FIVB's international coaching programs and their development.

In 1982 he continued to work for Volleyball Canada but, this time, it was as coach of the women's national team. Sawula took the team to the 1984 LA. Olympics, to two world championships, three FISU Games and three Norceca Games. Later as the high performance director he organized and directed both the men and women's national team program's goal of qualifying for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona; of which the men were successful.

He went on to coach internationally in Switzerland (1990-93) where he led the Swiss National Women's team to victories over the USA, Russia, France, Germany and a bronze medal at the 1993 FISU Games in Buffalo, USA. For a short period in 1994 he worked as coach of the Australian Women�s team. Working with volleyball in three countries, having a vision of the future and understanding realistic methods to bring volleyball programs to fruition have all been part of his expertise. Being a past member on various FIVB Commissions such as the Work and Management Commission, Technical Commission, and Coaches Commission for almost 18 years has allowed him much international recognition. During his involvement he has traveled extensively throughout the world teaching coaches and training athletes.

Currently certified as a full Level IV Coach with Volleyball Canada and the Coaching Association of Canada. He has also earned credentials from the FIVB as a Stage I, II, and III trainer. He was also given Australia and Switzerland's highest coaching equivalencies while working in both countries.

Sawula has a bachelor of physical education (1967), a master of arts in PE (1969) and a Ph.D. (1976) from the University of Alberta. Educationally he has taught sport activity, sport administration, theory of coaching, history of sport, and other various sport and physical education related courses.

2001 03 15                              11:00 a.m.