A teacher’s project helped the Foothills Falcons spike the Strathmore Spartans in senior boys' high school volleyball action last week.
The lanky arms of Matt Armstrong, a Grade 12 student at Foothills Composite High School, hovered over the Spartans on Oct. 10 like the albatross over the Ancient Mariner.
He likely wouldn’t have been playing the game if Falcons coach Corey Cowper wasn’t his homeroom teacher when he walked into Foothills Composite High School as a Grade 10 student.
“I guess it’s pretty accurate that I’m a project, but I like to think I’m more of a prospect,” Armstrong said with a laugh. “I was in Mr. Cowper’s class and he recognized I was pretty tall. He talked to me and asked if I was interested in volleyball.”
Cowper was willing to take Armstrong under his wing, but there was one rule — the then Grade 10 student had to put in the work.
Armstrong went to the Falcons’ spring camp in his Grade 10 year in 2010-2011.
“I told him that if he is willing to work hard I am willing to work with you,” Cowper said. “He has the heart of a competitor and he will work three times harder than anybody just because he wants to. He also had to because he had a lot of ground to make up.”
Armstrong’s athletic ability jumped out at Cowper immediately.
“We ran a spring camp in his Grade 10 year and skill wise, he was literally zero — as raw as raw can be,” Cowper said. “Then I saw him jump. His armpit was at the top of the net. Then I asked him to do it again.”
Armstrong has the highest leap on the team; his fingers can reach 11 feet, an approximately 31-inch vertical.
However, if jumping were all it took to play volleyball, the Australians would send kangaroos to the Summer Olympics.
Armstrong had to become a volleyball player, not just a guy who can jump.
“Last year in zones, I thought I felt it all come together,” Armstrong said. He helped the Falcons win the Foothills Athletic Council (FAC) title last year as well as the South Central Zone championship.
However, he wasn’t happy how he scored on an endurance-speed test at the end of the school year.
“I scored a 7.3 and I was really disappointed with that so during the summer I was getting up early to workout,” Armstrong said. “I was swimming a lot and playing rec basketball.”
When he re-tested a few weeks ago he scored a 10.3, indicating he was in good shape.
“I was really proud of that because it showed all my work had paid off,” Armstrong said.
He shares middle duties on the Falcons with Austin Latta and Allen Crier. Armstrong said the strongest part of his game is blocking by jumping high and forcing the opposition to spike over or around his long arms.
The 16-year-old Armstrong plans to attend UBC-Okanagan next year. He admitted his young age and the fact he has only played two years of competitive ball means it will be difficult to play at the university level, but he has no regrets.
alcons win another FAC title and maybe earn a trip to provincials this year.
That will mean he will continue to work hard including getting to practices and games 30 minutes early.
“I get ready and get in the right mindset,” Armstrong said. of his early arrival.
The Falcons have been in the right mindset for the 2012 season.
The two-time defending FAC champions continue to fly as they are in first-place with a 3-0 record. The Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) Spartans are second at 3-1.
The Falcons play County Central Hawks from Vulcan at Highwood High in High River tonight (Oct. 17).
The 2-1 Holy Trinity Academy Knights take on the STS Spartans at 7 p.m. at STS. The Oilfields Drillers host the Strathmore Spartans at 7 p.m. in Black Diamond.
All matches will start at 7 p.m.
For more information got to www.foothillsathletics.ca.
