SCAS News

_{Tim Ebbs (second from left) and Jarvis Page (second from right) will be heading to the Australian Volleyball Academy in 2022.}

We are proud to announce that Tim Ebbs and Jarvis Page, both Year 12 2021 students, have been accepted into the Australian Volleyball Academy (AVA) at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. The AVA identifies and develops Olympic potential athletes for volleyball and beach volleyball with a holistic training and development focus for athletes who wish to reach the elite level of their sport.

Tim and Jarvis were part of the Iona Talented Achievers Athlete Development Program (ITAP), mentored by dual Olympian volleyballer, Secondary teacher and ITAP coordinator, David Beard. ITAP focuses on developing areas that are crucial for sporting success—professionalism, responsibility, resilience and integrity—with the overall goal of inspiring young athletes to pursue excellence in their sport.

“Tim and Jarvis have been a part of the inaugural group of volleyballers here at SCAS since I first started running training five years ago. It has been a privilege to coach them, and all who have come through the program, seeing them all develop and grow as athletes and people,” shared David Beard.

Tim’s journey with volleyball began as something he enjoyed doing with friends and quickly developed into an enduring passion. “After hearing about the Australian Volleyball Academy and how far volleyball can take you, I was really motivated to pursue it as far as I could. David Beard was such a good mentor and role model for us all, and I knew I was lucky to have such an experienced coach at school,” explained Tim. “Now I am super excited to move to Canberra next year to train and study. Everyone in my family and at school have always been really supportive of me, and I am truly grateful for that.”

Jarvis was thrilled to find out that he had been accepted into the AVA for 2022. “I would never have had this opportunity without the guidance and support of our amazing coach David Beard. I am extremely grateful to him and SCAS for encouraging me to pursue my chosen sport further. Hopefully, this is the start of my journey as a volleyball player,” said Jarvis.

David Beard reflected on Tim and Jarvis’ time in the Athlete Development Program, sharing that “for Tim and Jarvis to have been selected into the AVA for 2022, it really is the icing on the cake. They haven’t arrived there alone, and all of us in the SCAS and Iona volleyball community wish them all the best!”