KAMLOOPS – Sam Elgert will get the opportunity to spend plenty of time at the beach this Summer after the 6-2 setter with the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's volleyball team was named to the Volleyball Canada Beach Next Gen program.
 
"It's pretty big for me, it's tough to break through into this group because it's always out in Toronto so it's tough to get recognized out West," said Elgert. "I think it's a big step as far as getting recognized and getting some more high-quality coaching and training. You play a lot of beach volleyball over the Summer so it will be huge in that sense."
 
For Elgert, who tallied 759 assists in 88 sets this past season for TRU, making the program has been a long time coming. The product of Athabasca, AB initially impressed coaches at a beach tournament in 2019 but was unable to commit to the three-month program until this year.
 
Earning his place in the program after an intense three-day tryout, Elgert is one of 12 Canadians that have been tabbed as the future standouts of beach volleyball in the country.
 
"The Next Gen is not the 'A' team for Canada but it's more of the younger guys that they are starting to work through the system," said Elgert. "It's kind of the first step in the direction of the 'A' team."
 
Versatility is key to the beach version of volleyball and Elgert brings that in spades. In the past two seasons he has racked up 221 digs, 143 kills and 40 service aces to go along with his assist production.
 
"You have to be able to do everything – pass, set and hit – you have to be able to do all the skills," said Elgert on the difference between beach and court volleyball. "You definitely need to be a little more well-versed in everything, it's more important to have every skill in your bag."
 
Playing with the 'Pack since 2019, Elgert credits the environment at TRU with helping prepare him for this opportunity.
 
"My time with the WolfPack has taught me how to work well with other people, you get tossed into drills at training camp with new people you've never met before so to be able to quickly figure out how I could work well with someone new was very beneficial," said Elgert. "Being pushed by my teammates and Pat all the time has definitely helped because you're always trying to better yourself on the court and in the classroom as well."
 
Elgert will now head Volleyball Canada's indoor beach training centre in Toronto, ON for a three-month long training program from May 24 to August 23 that will serve to evaluate and select a group of athletes who have the potential to represent Canada internationally for the 2023 season and beyond.
 
"It could be a long way away," said Elgert on potentially playing for Canada. "You have to play a long time and it's a long road but I think in the long run my hope is to one day represent Canada. It's something I've always wanted to do since I was a kid so I think this is a good step on the road there. There's still a long ways to go but that's the end goal."
 
This isn't the first time Elgert has found success on the beach. He and teammate Sam Flowerday finished fourth at the Canadian University Beach Volleyball Championship last year and plan on attending the tournament again this Summer.
 
"Really happy for Sam making the Next Gen team," said WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly. "Proud of the way Sam prepared himself physically and handled a competitive tryout."