The Elm Creek School Cobras boys’ volleyball team was recently victorious with an undefeated run to capture the 2024 Manitoba High School Provincial Volleyball “A” Boys Championship in Glenboro from Nov. 28-30.
The man who helped make the first-ever boys volleyball championship possible for Elm Creek was long-time coach Rick Scott.
Scott was born in Souris and it was clear from an early age that sports would become a big part of his life. His father was Gladwyn Scott, a Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame inductee.
Scott started coaching and teaching at Glenboro and Lord Selkirk High School. After 15 years of high school coaching, Scott moved on to Dalhousie University in Halifax, where he coached the women’s volleyball team for 15 years.
Scott has coached both Nova Scotia and Manitoba teams at various volleyball nationals and has also represented Canada on two occasions.
Scott was inducted into the Manitoba Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2021 for his illustrious coaching career, which has now spanned over 30 years.
It’s safe to say that when Elm Creek School hired Scott on a term contract at the beginning of the school year, they instantly became favourites to win the volleyball provincials.
Scott started working with this group of athletes in September and quickly credited their previous coaches, who coached them in junior high and high school, as winning a provincial title doesn’t just happen in just one year.
“I saw some potential in this team when I first saw them and felt if they worked at it and stayed healthy that some good things can happen,” said Rick Scott. “We took it one day at a time and went from there.”
Scott noted how the young players worked hard, were focused, and really improved, as three months in a high school year isn’t much time at all.
“They got better at their skills and some of our systems, and they all worked really hard and were coachable and played for each other,” said Scott. “They all kind of accepted their roles and all contributed in their own way which was really special to see how they played as a team.”
At provincials, the Elm Creek Cobras went a perfect 4-0 in the round-robin after convincing victories over Ste. Rose, Glenboro, MCI and Mel Johnson. Elm Creek defeated Alonsa/McCreary, Miami and Hamiota in the playoffs to win the title.
“The boys had a great weekend of volleyball and should be very proud of themselves as this is the first-ever provincial volleyball banner won for the Cobras. It was very exciting for those group of guys for the school and for the community. They worked as a team to knock out each and every opponent.”
After coaching for 15 years at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Scott was glad to get the chance to coach again in Manitoba.
“It was just nice to be back and be close to home as my mom is still alive in Carberry. So just to be closer to friends and family is amazing and it’s great to be home and finish up the latter years of my coaching career here. I also used to teach in Glenboro, where the provincials were, so I have a lot of friends there, and it was pretty cool to play them on Friday night in the feature match of our pool. There were a lot of familiar faces of parents that I coached watching their kids play against us.”
Scott thinks a couple of his Elm Creek players have the potential to play at the university level if they pursue the sport after high school.
Scott’s term is now up with Elm Creek, and his future is up in the air in terms of where he’s off to next.
“Elm Creek was a nice and enjoyable school, and I really enjoyed my time there,” said Scott. “I don’t know what’s next, whether it’s teaching or coaching, so we’ll see what happens in the future. It was a special group of guys and very rewarding to accomplish something special in Elm Creek.”
