Anyone visiting Keith Hansen’s house when Canadian Olympic volleyball is on be warned — it gets loud.
“Let’s put it this way, my kids say ‘Dad, they can’t hear you,’” says the Red Deer College instructor and director of athletics.
“For sure, when the guys (men’s indoor volleyball team) won against the USA I let out a scream and scared the crap out of my kids, I think,” said the former volleyball coach with a chuckle.
“I’ve been trying to get them to watch with me as much as possible too. It’s obviously a great thing for them to see and that Red Deer athletes can do that.”
Hansen has coached players on both Canada’s indoor and beach volleyball teams. Former King Gavin Schmitt is a 6-foot-10 star with the indoor squad and Red Deer’s Chaim Schalk is teamed with Calgary’s Ben Saxton on the beach volleyball team, which had a huge win over Brazil on Monday night.
It’s mostly encouragement that he hollers out, but Hansen admits there are times when he mutters something a little less encouraging under his breath.
“Th coach in me is sometimes coming out so I have a hard time watching volleyball from just an entertainment perspective rather than a coaching perspective.
“But I’ve done a pretty good job of just sitting back and enjoying it.”
Hansen coached Schalk, who was raised in Red Deer, from 2004 to 2006, during what would become a string of eight straight national volleyball titles from 1999 to 2007. Schalk has been playing beach volleyball since 2009.
He has been texting his congratulations to Schalk but said he is trying to keep it to a minimum so the athlete can concentrate on his next match.
Schalk and Saxton have been peaking at just the right time. They almost beat Number One-ranked Latvia in their first match.
“I think they can honestly medal,” he said.
Schmitt, who was born in Grande Prairie, played for Hansen in 2006-07 and hit the last ball to win the college’s final title of that eight-year run. He’s been with the national team since 2007.