Valuable volleyball for Air Force rookie

Volume 48, No. 23, December 14, 2006

GOOD SHOT: An ADF player takes a shot during the the Australian Defence Volleyball Association’s national tournament in Townsville.

GOOD things certainly came in threes for AC Byron Helfrich at the Australian Defence Volleyball Association’s national tournament in Townsville from November 4-11.

AC Helfrich was named Rookie of the Year, shared in a three-way tie for the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and was selected for the ADF team for the Arafura Games in Darwin in May 2007.

For the first time in the 20-year history of the association, a rookie was awarded the MVP award.

AC Helfrich has just joined the Air Force as a GSE Fitter, so the tournament turned out to be a great introduction to the ADF and the importance that sport plays in developing the sustainable personal values that can be taken back to the workplace.

AC Helfrich was heard to say during the tournament “I can’t believe we get paid for this”. All going well for AC Helfrich, he will graduate from his GSE training at Wodonga and be available for the Arafura Games.

There was more good news for Air Force when its men’s team beat Navy 3-1 as this year’s combined Services tournament included a play-off for the title of national single-Service champion.

After a week of competition where state was pitted against state, with 135 players involved in more than 100 games over five days, Queensland made off with both the men’s and women’s titles.

The final day of competition required single-Service men’s and women’s teams to be formed to play off for the titles of ADF Champions.

Winning Air Force coach FLTLT Les Young said his team had attacked and defended extremely well, considering they had never played together. “By the second set I couldn’t believe how confident the players were in running combination attacks at the net and backing up during defence,” FLTLT Young said.

ADVA president WGCDR Tony Wennerbom initiated the national single-Service event as a way of promoting volleyball across the Services and within the APS. While no APS team was present, those APS players representing their states in the combined Services tournament were keen to be ready for the 2007 national tournament in Albury.

CPL James Campbell and CPL Peter Booth were members of the successful men’s team, coached by LAC Lee Murray, which beat the ACT men in the final. SQNLDR Vicki Campbell, FLTLT Julie Hackett, and LACW Hayley Tessmer were members of the winning Queensland women’s team.

Air Force players selected to represent Defence at the Arafura Games were SQNLDR Vicki Campbell, FLTLT Julie Hackett, FLTLT James Rogers, CPL James Campbell, AC Byron Helfrich, LAC Brendon Denholm, CPL Dan Johnson, CPL Peter Booth and OFFCDT Nick Fairweather.

For more information on Air Force volleyball, contact CPL Peter Booth at RAAF Base Amberley on (07) 5461 1345.

.