Pakmen Are ‘Leeders’ of the Pack

By DAVID WINER

The Pakmen Volleyball Club delivered another stellar performance at the OVA Provincial Championships last month.

Taking on the best competition the province could muster up, Pakmen responded with great relish to finish atop the standings for the 15th straight indoor season.

Pakmen teams earned 10, top-three finishes highlighted by the gold medal winning “leeders” of the pack, the U15, U16, U17 boys and U16 girls.

All four winning coaches happened to be former David Leeder Middle School students, “that I had the privilege to coach,” said Pakmen founder and retired teacher Kelly Smith.

Arjun Selhi, Saad Shaikh, Kadeem Clarke and Jessy Satti all started their volleyball experiences under the tutelage of Smith before graduating to Mississauga Secondary School, and are now working for the club as professional full-time coaches.

Asked where the passion came from for all four coaches to continue in the sport for so many years, Smith said he could see it in their desire to learn and play right from the beginning.

“I’m not sure where the passion came from, but when we introduced the kids to the game they were all in. We practiced every day after school because they wanted to.

“We built beach courts at the school and the kids would play every day on their own during lunch. Then, we started Pakmen and they were playing at lunch, after school, then back in the evening three times a week for Pakmen practices. Then, after indoor season, it was OVA beach season.”

There never seemed to be an end in sight for Selhi, Shaikh, Clarke and Satti, who graduated to Mississauga SS where they were perennial champions.

“They enjoyed going to school each day where they could play even more volleyball,” marvelled Smith.

And throughout much of their playing careers, the four “started volunteer coaching in Grade 8, helping coach the Grade 6 school teams. By the time they were in their senior grades, they had part time coaching jobs on weekends.

“Volleyball is an incredible sport because it teaches teamwork, communication, dealing with pressure, goal setting, perseverance, and sportsmanship,” said Smith. “You cannot succeed in this sport without these traits. And when you develop these traits, you become a special person. We now have dozens of quality people working in our club who have gone through our programs over the past 23 years. And, each year more of our graduates are joining our coaching staff and we are getting stronger because of it.”

Stronger? After dominating the province for one and a half decades? These past few weeks support Smith’s lofty claims.

Selhi’s 16U girls had one of the toughest hills to climb being stretched to three sets on three separate occasions, including a loss to FCVC Sequoia in an earlier round.

“Adversity is essential for growth,” explained Selhi. “Growing up playing for Pakmen, I learned that success never comes without challenges — it’s not always a smooth journey. You need determination and purpose, and that’s exactly what the tournament taught our team. I firmly believe in the idea of improving throughout a tournament, where the team not only elevates its level of play, but also strengthens their bond, deepening their emotional awareness, and developing a stronger sense of unity.”

Team captain Milena Gortnar echoed Selhi’s sentiments.

“As a team, those tough matches and our loss to FCVC were valuable learning moments, and showed us that you don’t always have to lose to learn,” said the team’s outside hitter. “They forced us to perform under pressure, really helping us to prepare for the final day of playoffs. Overcoming these challenges really highlighted our team’s mental toughness, and the trust and support we have for one another.

“Ultimately, I believe these battles were crucial for us and showcased how much love and dedication this team has. This huge milestone is something I’m so unbelievably proud of everyone for.”

While the No. 1 seeds Venom Vipers were Pakmen’s greatest hurdle, Selhi made sure the players gave equal attention to all their matches.

“The first and most important lesson our team embraced was to respect every competitor,” said Selhi. “It was essential not to focus too much on any one opponent. This age group is full of talented, hard working athletes and coaches.

“By the time we reached the final, maintaining our composure became absolutely crucial,” continued Selhi, whose team had a 1-4 record against Venom Vipers entering the gold medal match. “There was a clear sense of familiarity, but also a rising intensity with every encounter. Both sides knew each other’s strengths and tendencies, which made mental focus and emotional control even more important. We understood that staying calm under pressure could be the difference between winning and falling short.

“We came to understand that our emotions ultimately shape our performance. While we can’t control every outcome on the court, we can control our mindset — our emotions, effort, and attitude. They developed the maturity to lead with focus and composure.

“I’m incredibly proud of this team,” praised Selhi. “They showed true resilience and stood by each other like a family through thick and thin. It’s been inspiring to watch the next generation of champions grow, learning to support one another and carry themselves with poise while striving to reach their full potential. I can’t wait to see how they continue to evolve, and I’m already looking forward to what the next season brings.”

Other members of the championship team, include assistants Danny La, Rachel Eden and Jessy Satti, as well as players Alexis Spehr, Sarah Condoyannis, Louise Laustsen, Evelynka Mikina, Naomi Chima, Ellie Moua, Lily Arseneault, Anna Kasprzak, Sydney Rocca, Peyton Ocampo and Celisha Ebihara.

As for being a part of the triumphant quartet from David Leeder, Selhi gave Smith all the credit.

“Our success is deeply rooted in the family that Kelly built,” explained Selhi. “Kelly wasn’t just one of my grade school teachers, he introduced me to volleyball and forever changed the trajectory of my life. Through Kelly, I met Jessy, who became my head coach throughout my youth career and someone I now proudly consider an older brother. Both Jessy and Kadeem were role models as I came up through the club, and I feel incredibly lucky to now be learning and growing alongside them.

“Then there’s Saad — a true legend. We grew up together, learning side by side both in the classroom and on the court. Shaikh was my setter throughout my youth career, and together we won three National Championships, one Provincial Championship, and two OFSAA titles. Last season, he stood by my side as my assistant coach. Today, he’s the head coach of the 16U Pakmen Boys, who are fresh off winning the Ontario Championship. I couldn’t be prouder of my brother, or the club. There’s no one I trust more to lead that team to even greater heights.

“Working and winning with these coaches has shown me what Pakmen is truly about; a sense of belonging, a championship mindset, and the beauty of a full-circle journey.”

Shaikh’s 16U boys team entered championship action as the No. 2 seeds. Like Selhi’s girls’ squad, the boys had to scratch and fight their way through a tough playoff, defeating No. 6 seed FCVC Icarus 25-20, 20-25, 15-12 in the quarters; No. 1 seed REACH Flow 25-20, 25-20 in the semis; and No. 4 seed Venom Black Mambas 16-25, 32-30, 15-10 in the marathon gold medal match.

“We knew it would be a tough three days playing against the best teams in Ontario,” explained Shaikh. “I was very confident in my team because they worked very hard and dedicated their lives to winning.

“My team has a bunch of guys who play with a chip on their shoulder,” added Shaikh. “They work extremely hard and are very disciplined in their everyday lives.They are also the most coachable group of young men I have ever seen.

“We also have the best assistant coaches in the league. Saqib, Karman and Pranshu are a crucial part of this team. Their dedication to winning, their love for the athletes and championship pedigree was key to us winning.

“I am extremely proud of my players, but I remind them every day, there are teams out there working hard to take our throne. Winning nationals has been our ultimate goal and there is a lot of work to be done to get there.”

Members of the team, coached by Shaikh and assistants Saqib Shaikh, Karman Nahal and Pranshu Patel, are Wylan Yee, Daniel Marukhnyak, Cole Heynen, Chima Charles, Kian Dezfulian, Mateo Rodriguez, Pavraj Nijjar, Zachary McGrath, Michael Wittemund, Alex Hum, Joaquin Lopez, Joshua Bégin and Devan Tarrant.

Like his brother in arms Selhi, Shaikh quickly laid much of the praise for the club’s success with Smith.

“Arjun and I are the same age. We grew up playing on the same team. Jessy and Kadeem are 10 years older and they were our coaches when we played for Pakmen. Arjun and I won multiple National Championships playing for Jessy. Winning is in our blood. It all started with the legend, Kelly Smith. It was passed down to Jessy and Kadeem. They passed it down to Arjun and me. Now our job is to create more winners.”

And speaking of winners, Satti has done nothing but in recent history. Other than the down COVID years, Satti’s teams have won five of the past six years while placing third in the other.

This year it was his 17U team positioning themselves on the top podium.

“It’s definitely stressful, (being expected to always win), but our coaching staff sticks to our plan from the beginning of the year to make sure that the team is peaking at the right time. We had a lot of ups and downs throughout the season, but played our best at Provincials. And we still have some room to improve for Nationals.”

And how does Satti explain his teams’ perennial success stories.

“I think our athletes have great training opportunities. Everyone trains three days a week and also does specialized training on the fourth day. We also have a lot of support within the club, such as training and scrimmaging against our own teams to help us prepare for big tournaments. The week before Provincials we practiced with the 16U Team in a very competitive scrimmage I would argue was a big contributor to the win.”

That’s not to say this year’s championship didn’t come without hiccups.

“We experienced a pretty bad loss on the second day. We had a big lead and we coughed it up.

“That was a big eye opener for us,” said Satti. “We had a good meeting after, and the boys were more disciplined and determined for the remainder of the tournament.”

After sweeping Maverick Marshalls 25-15, 25-19 in the quarters, Pakmen experienced a bit of pushback in the next two matches before prevailing 23-25, 25-23, 15-9 over Durham Attack Blast and 25-15, 22-25, 20-18 over Maverick Rangers.

“We were down in both the semis and final before making big comebacks. It helped that we had a huge fan-base supporting us throughout. Since 15U/16/17U were competing the same weekend, everyone supported each other.”

Members of the championship team coached by Satti and assistants Dave McAllister, Chris Adams, Andre Smith and Harmeet Sangha, include Julius Greenstein, Reed Fulsom, Davis Hinshelwood, Aleksa Rakic, Ryan Whiting, Spencer Ham, Matthew Felker, Luke Armstrong, Will Clarmo, Cooper Spehr, Connor Gunn, Jordan Low-Ring and Cristiano Sangiuliano.

As both the 17U coach and head coach of the club, Satti had many reasons to be proud of the entire club’s strong performance during Provincials.

“Our (overall) success this year has been amazing,” said Satti. “We have such a great team of coaches that dedicate themselves tirelessly to helping the athletes.

“Winning 15U, 16U and 17U on the same day was very special, something I haven’t experienced before. To be in the medal ceremony and have the three teams take a group picture together, was very special.”

The Pakmen 15U boys’ team closed out the list of gold medalists.

Coached by Kadeem Clarke and assistants John Pham, Shiv Bath and Tea Vukovic, the Pakmen defeated No. 3 seed Venom Hydra 25-15, 25-21 in the quarters; No. 1 seed Durham Attack Chaos 25-23, 23-25, 15-12 in the semis; and No. 9 MAC Steel 25-17, 25-21 in the gold medal match.

However, there was nothing easy about the team’s quest for a medal in the preliminary rounds.

“We won all our matches on Day 1, finishing the day strong without dropping a set,” explained Clarke. “Day 2 was filled with strong competition and we won two out of the three games. Both of those wins went to three sets and were close calls. We beat Maverick Chargers in the third, 15-10, and against KW Preds Legacy Ice, we won 15-13.”

Those results were only good for a three-way tie for first place.

Such a result forced the players to improve their focus entering the playoff rounds, enabling Pakmen to prevail over Venom Hydra, Durham Attack Chaos, whom they lost to the previous day, and MAC Steel.

“We had two turning points this season. The first was when we won the Chicago Winter Classic in January. This was an important step in building confidence and executing what we had been working on. It was a great bonding experience and allowed our team to connect on and off the court. Our second turning point actually came during Provincials. With a tough Day 2 power pool and a three-way tie, we were at risk of dropping to Tier 2. Thankfully things worked in our favor, but this was an important lesson that helped us re-focus and prepare to compete with everything we’ve got during playoffs.”

The trip to Chicago was especially important considering five new players were added to the core of seven returning from the previous season.

“The players that came back this season knew our expectations and team culture,” said Clarke. “They welcomed the new members openly and, together, we were able to create a new and improved dynamic that helped carry us to the win.

“It was the patience and trust that we developed that made us successful,” said Clarke. “By trusting the process and learning from setbacks to reach a greater goal, we were able to perform when it mattered most.

“I’m extremely proud of my players and the resilience they displayed as individuals and as a team.”

Like his brethren from David Leeder Middle School, Clarke said Kelly Smith’s fingerprints are behind the successes Pakmen achieve each and every year.

“We all fall from the line of Kelly. He built the foundation that Pakmen was based on and, without him, we wouldn’t share the same mindset that we pass on to the next generation.”

Members of the team include Arjun Nat, Christopher Kupsta, Cooper Schofield, Daniel Pathan, Gabriel Lisikh, Graydon Wallace, Jacob Plechowski, Luc Erclik, Oscar Row, Spencer Gies, Teo Barbulovich-Nad and Warren Rees.