BARRHEAD - The Lou Rondeau Alumni tournament means different things to different people.
For those who attended Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) and played for the Gryphons volleyball program, it's a chance to catch up with each other, reminisce and swap tales of their youth. For those players on the current Gryphons rosters, it allows them to hone their skills and get an early leg up on their competition before the start of the official high school volleyball schedule.
About 100 players participated in the Labour Day weekend Aug. 30 and 31 tournament this year, which entered its 42nd year.
"It is pretty low-key now. At least for the alumnus," said long-time BCHS Senior Boys Gryphons coach and tournament organizer Rod Callihoo. "The tournament is a tradition. It is easy to find alumni wanting to play. They usually reach out to me."
In addition, Callihoo is a former BCHS Gryphon player and has occasionally played for one of the alumni teams, as has three boys.
The 2024 version of the tournament featured seven current BCHS teams, with rosters consisting of Grade 10, 11, and 12 players and 11 alumni squads, with players dating back to 2006.
Lou Rondeau and Gayle Lamonthe created the initial tournament in 1983.
At the time, the pair had just recently joined the BCHS staff as physical education teachers. It was also Rondeau's first year coaching volleyball.
In 2023, Rondeau told the Barrhead Leader that the quality of play at the tournament has always been high.
He noted that in the initial years, the number of alumni teams was relatively low as organizers could only draw from a relatively small group, saying they could only find grads going back about 10 years as BCHS' volleyball program only took root in the mid to late 1970s.
As a result, Rondeau said the oldest alumni players were 27 and 28 years old, and the Gryphons squads faced some spirited competition.
However, since then, the competition has only improved, as BCHS' volleyball program has become one of the most well-known in the province. Teams regularly go to the provincial championships, and many of its players go on to play in the college and professional ranks.
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