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24 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012 REASON FOR OPTIMISM: Oakville's Dan Lewis (in red) celebrates a point with his Canadian men's volleyball teammates during an international contest two years ago in Mississauga. Canada came within a win of qualifying for this year's Olympics in London, losing the final of the NORCECA qualifier Saturday to the United States, but Lewis likes the current direction of the program. OAKVILLE BEAVER FILE PHOTO Volleyballer confident Canada's on the right track No trip to London Games for national team, but Dan Lewis sees plenty of positives By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR I t would certainly seem easy to feel sorry for Dan Lewis and the Canadian men's volleyball team after they fell one win short of qualifying for this year's Olympic Summer Games in London. But Lewis says he and his teammates don't feel any need for sympathy. "For me, it's about closing the gap right now between the best teams in the world and where Canada is," the veteran libero said Tuesday, three days after Canada fell 28-26, 25-18, 22-20 to the defending Olympic champion United States in the final of the NORCECA competition in California. "We are doing that. We are closing this gap. It's been six years to try to get into this tournament final, and we got into the final. That was a six-year project with so many failures on the way. Sometimes that step has to come before the Olympic step. Four years from now, we'll see if that step was enough in 20 years, 18th-ranked Canada won its three round-robin contests without losing a set -- including a win over No. 5 to make the next step." Not that the chance to compete in the Olympics is the Cuba -- and then overcame a 2-1 deficit in the semifinals to biggest thing that drives Lewis, anyway. The 36-year-old T.A. defeat Puerto Rico in five sets. And Lewis wondered aloud Blakelock grad, who has played pro volleyball in Europe for that if the tightly-contested first set in the final against the U.S. had gone a little differently, Canada several seasons, said his priority is simply getmight have rode that momentum while the ting better every day. "It's a real hard balance Americans might have tightened under the "Everyone's like, Olympics, Olympics, to find between how pressure. Olympics, Olympics. For me, being able to In other words, Lewis said, the Canadian play volleyball professionally and for Canada, important (qualifying for men's volleyball program is as close to combeing able to compete every day when I go to the Olympics is) and peting with the world's elite as it has been the gym... that's what motivates me," Lewis how important it is that over the past two decades. said. "This is what gets me out of bed when we're very close. That's "I don't want to undermine the imporI'm in pain and everything hurts and it seems really hard to describe." tance of the Olympics, either. If there wasn't like we're not getting anywhere. the Olympics, maybe there wouldn't even be "This magic Olympic dream that comes by Canadian men's volleyball this team," Lewis said. "It's a real hard balonce every four years is not what motivates team veteran Dan Lewis ance to find between how important it is and me every day. It's an added motivation, it's an how important it is that we're very close. amazing thing and I want to take part in it," he added. "But if I was just waiting every four years for it, I That's really hard to describe. "It's the small victories from here to there that are going don't think I'd be able to do what I do. It doesn't mean everything to me. Getting better every day with this group, that to actually get us into the Olympics. We have to put some means something to me." importance in them, too. That's why I still feel good about And that group showed plenty of good signs in the what we accomplished as a group. Beating Cuba, and beating NORCECA tournament. Seeking its first Olympic appearance See Executing, page 25