BARRHEAD - When speaking about sports dynasties, the Edmonton Oilers, the Montreal Canadiens and the Eskimos winning five consecutive championships come to mind. However, Barrhead sports fans do not have to go as far afield to find a dynasty of their own.
The quality of Barrhead Composite High School's (BCHS) boys' volleyball program is well-known across the province.
Late last month in Lethbridge, the BCHS boys senior Gryphons Squad captured the Alberta Schools' Athletic Association (ASAA) 3A Championship Banner. The 3A Division is reserved for schools with a student enrollment between 300 and 799 students.
It was the school's eighth provincial championship banner since 2006, which made this year’s tournament the school’s 16th straight appearance at provincials. In addition to the gold medals, over those 16 years, the program has also captured four silver and one bronze. Over that period, their worst finish was fourth. And in the last 30 years, the BCHS Senior Gryphons have qualified for the provincial championship tournament 25 times.
More than 35 players from the Senior Boy Gryphons moved on to play at the college, university or professional ranks.
But the question remains. How did BCHS develop such a strong senior high school boys' volleyball program?
The Barrhead Leader reached out to a few notable names connected with the program over the years for their thoughts.
Lou Rondeau
The Fort Assiniboine/Barrhead native took over the reins of the Gryphons as a head coach in 1982, succeeding coaches such as Hugh Lockhart, Dale Johns and Mo Richard in 1982. An interesting fact is that even though Rondeau had a long coaching resume before becoming head coach of the Gryphons, going back to the early 60s when he coached minor baseball, he had no experience in volleyball, having never played the sport.
He noted that in the early years of his tenure, schools with a history of strong volleyball programs, such as Sherwood Park, Leduc, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain, were in the same zone with Barrhead, but that they did not qualify for provincials nearly as often.
Barrhead's first provincial volleyball medal came in 1984, a bronze.
"Rod Callihoo (the current Gryphons coach) was one of the players on that team," Rondeau said.
Rondeau noted that although the school remained competitive for the next decade, it wasn’t until 2006 that the Gryphons' volleyball program became the powerhouse it is known as today.
However, he did note that they had a good string of successes starting in the mid-90s, taking provincial silver and bronze in ‘96 and ‘97.
One of the reasons, Rondeau said, that the school has been able to build such a strong program is through the strong feeder system they have developed. Not only internally, through the school's junior high school teams, but because of the quality of the Neerlandia Public Christian School (NPCS) program.
“We had great assistance from the coaches from Neerlandia, such as Howard Gelderman and Frank Rayment," he said. "They have a great program there and have sent us a steady stream of good kids."
Rondeau credited the strength and quality of the area's club volleyball system (which Gelderman and Callihoo have both coached at one time or another) as another factor for their success as well as having extremely talented and dedicated assistant coaches such as Pat Teran, Mike Moes and Tristan Hiemstra.
But if he were to point out just one reason for the Gryphons' success, he said people have to look no further than Callihoo.
“He is a very good technical coach," Rondeau said. "He is very knowledgeable, but it’s his methodology and how he deals with the boys and his calmness during timeouts. With Rod, it is always about making the next play. What happened has happened."
Rondeau points to this year's squad (relatively inexperienced compared to other years) as an example of Callihoo's coaching abilities.
"At times, in playoffs, we had three Grade 10s on the court 𠅄— and the improvement they made from September to the middle of November. They were making plays, that at the start of the season, they did not even know where to move to make," he said.
Howard Gelderman
Gelderman, a long-time teacher and volleyball coach at NPCS, agreed with Rondeau about Neerlandia's role in helping the BCHS Senior Boy Gryphons volleyball program achieve the success it has.
He said over the years, NPCS has been fortunate to have some very talented athletes that have moved on to play for the Gryphons.
"We have a strong sports culture at our school, and that, with the natural athletic abilities of some of our students, has helped us build some strong sports programs. Volleyball has been a popular outlet for that sports interest," he said. "We do try to prepare our students for the high school game. And it is fun to watch the success of the team and see the impact some of our former students are making on the larger stage."
However, Gelderman believes club volleyball helped push the Gryphons’ program over the top.
"(Volleyball Alberta) operates a club system that plays and practices in the winter, and they have a couple of big competitions before cumulating at the provincial and national level," he said, adding that he and Frank Rayment co-coached the first team from the area that went to provincials. Rayment would go on to serve as an assistant and head coach with the Senior Boy Gryphons.
"That certainly helped," Gelderman said. "In club, they compete against the best players in the province. Out of the 12 players on that team, 11 went on to play college or university ball. Not only play college or university but receive some pretty significant scholarships."
Eventually, Gelderman stepped back from coaching club ball and his presence was replaced by Callihoo and Mike Moes, a former Westlock R.F. Staples player who went on to be an assistant coach with the squad.
He added the tradition of winning that the Gryphons Senior Boys program has developed has helped them stay on top.
"When you have that tradition, that winning savvy, you win those games that perhaps on paper, you shouldn't, " Gelderman said.
Another factor in their success is the community itself.
Gelderman noted all the effort and commitment needed by the coaching staff of any youth program, but for it to be truly successful, it needs community support.
"And I know, there have been some very supportive parents and volunteers,' he said.
Frank Rayment
A long-time, now retired teacher and volleyball coach at NPCS, Rayment agrees with Gelderman in believing that access to club volleyball has played a large role in not only the success of building the Senior Boys Gryphons program, but other schools in the region as well.
Rayment would also get a chance to see the Gryphons Senior Boys program close-up when he joined the Rondeau staff as an assistant for the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
"I knew how valuable club volleyball could be in a player's development," he said, which is one of the reasons why he and his son made the regular trek to a club team in Sherwood.
Tired of the travel, Rayment and Gelderman would go on to form a club team of their own, the benefits of which he got to see first-hand, not only in Neerlandia but when he joined Gryphons as part of Rondeau's coaching staff.
Rayment said he feels that consistency is also important.
He noted that Rondeau and Callihoo are excellent coaches, and although they may be different in their approach, they bring the same philosophy and similar experience to the program.
Mike Moes
Moes too agreed with his colleagues that the creation of the club volleyball system was one of the keys to the success of the BCHS senior boys’ program.
He was an assistant coach from 2015-2021. He joined the Gryphons coaching staff and that of club volleyball when the first of his three boys Dylan joined the Gryphons. His brothers Nolan and Gavin joined in subsequent years. All three brothers were recruited and are currently playing for the Lethbridge College Kodiaks.
"By giving our local kids, especially at the younger age level, a chance to play volleyball all winter with a club team, by the time they hit high school and the Gryphons, they were ready and able to play at that high level," he said.
But Moes noted players of many programs can play club volleyball instead, he gives the bulk of the credit to Callihoo.
"Rod dedicates a lot of time and effort into the program, and the kids buy into that mindset in terms of their preparation," he said. "He also has the Gryphons play in the top tournaments, so they face the toughest competition and are in peak form at the end of the season."
But above all, he credits the atmosphere that Rondeau and Callihoo have created.
"When you go to the alumni (Labour Day weekend) tournament (which will be entering into its 40th year in 2023), you can see how much the program meant to the players. They love talking to Lou and Rod about volleyball. It is a cool experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives."
Rod Callihoo
Callihoo himself said much of the program's success is due to the commitment and talents of past coaches, starting with Pat Ternan, Howard Gelderman, Lou Rondeau, Mike Moes, along with himself.
"They all have had a great influence in player and program development," he said.
Callihoo agreed the addition of club volleyball was an important step in the evolution of the Gryphons’ program.
"The players strived for more. The skill set was competitive against the province. It allowed the boys to become even closer and developed as players."
From 2014-2019, Callihoo and co-coach Moes entered the Barrhead club team into Volleyball Alberta and played in several elite tournaments, collecting several medals and top-tier national placements.
He added that having a consistent coaching philosophy also plays a pivotal role.
"My philosophy has been very consistent," Callihoo said. "Commitment, work hard and trust. Commit to the program and your teammates. Work hard on your development; focus on the areas you need to be better. Trust yourself in tough situations. Believe that you can do the job as others will do their job on the court."
However, Callihoo noted the main component of the Gryphons' success is the athletes themselves, saying he is constantly amazed by the athletes he coaches.
"They all loved the game and pushed themselves to influence the team's growth. Their work ethic and commitment were something we could always count on," he said. "They knew if they committed and developed their skills they would be a starter and have a chance at a provincial title. In this competitive based environment, the human nature of the athletes was nurturing, the older players involving and supporting the younger players were always on display - they were committed to each other."
