Ron Greene said it isn鈥檛 surprising the first three induction classes into the sa国际传媒 Volleyball Hall of Fame have had an Island tinge.
Greene, one of this province鈥檚 notable builders in the sport, will add to it when he is enshrined with the Class of 2017 on Saturday night in Burnaby. The sa国际传媒 Volleyball Hall was established in 2015 with Islanders Vic Lindal and Charles Parkinson previously inducted in the first two classes.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had good coaches on the Island who have produced good players who move on,鈥� said Greene.
That鈥檚 all the way to the top level with Island players representing sa国际传媒 in the Olympics from Montreal in 1976 to Rio in 2016.
Greene contributed to that Island volleyball success at the grassroots level. He turned the Victoria Y girls鈥� program into a dynasty that won the U-18 sa国际传媒 championship eight times in nine years and the sa国际传媒 U-16 championship seven consecutive years in the 1970s and 1980s.
His teams won gold, silver and two bronze at nationals and produced several players who went on to star in varsity volleyball at UVic and UBC.
鈥淲e worked harder in the practices than we did in the games,鈥� said Greene, about his teams鈥� successes. 鈥淚 pushed my players reasonably hard, but not impossibly so. It had to be fun, too. The players made a commitment to the sport and the team.鈥�
Greene was also an FIVB-level referee. He had strong international connections in the sport, especially to Japan, and was responsible for many tours between Japanese and Island teams. He was also head of delegation for a Canadian men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 national teams tour of Japan, South Korea and China.
Despite his accomplishments in officiating and administration, including as president of the sa国际传媒 Volleyball Association, it always came back to the bench for Greene.
鈥淚 enjoyed coaching the most because volleyball is the ultimate team sport,鈥� said the 78-year-old, who in his other life, was the owner of Capital Iron.
鈥淥ne player can鈥檛 do it for you. There are no LeBrons in volleyball. You need all six players executing well on the court.鈥�
Greene always got his players to do exactly that.
