Summary:
Jordan Dalrymple is looking forward to the 2013/14 Super 8s season
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THERE might be a whole host of London 2012 faces returning for domestic volleyball duties this season but Tooting’s Jordan Dalrymple has no interest in getting lost in the crowd.
Dalrymple might have missed out on the London Olympics but made the most of his international chance when it came along, making his first senior England appearance in January.
The 20-year-old has since travelled to Cyprus for June’s European Universities Volleyball Championships with Sheffield Hallam, but he is now fully focussed on matters back home with the 2013/14 Super 8s season set to kick into action next year.
With the dust having very much settled on London 2012 this campaign sees a number of Team GB’s volleyball stars returning to the fold, with Sheffield Hallam boasting Dami Bakare and Joel Miller in their ranks.
But while Dalrymple is excited to test himself against these Olympic stars, he is not about to let them hog the limelight.
“The 2013/14 Super 8s season is looking really interesting, particularly on the men’s side as in the Super 8s all the teams are stepping it up,” he said.
“There are some new players coming into the programme and some of the guys coming are Olympians, so in Sheffield’s case we have Dami Bakare and Joel Miller.
“It will raise the standard greatly and pre-season training has been stepped up a level already and it is great to have that inspiration to feed off in our daily training group.
“This season is the big focus and having it step up is brilliant. It will be a good challenge and the level of the league is not what it was and it is raising and it is great to be a part of that.
“My main focus is to perform well in the league. Last year I was borderline and not really starting and this year I am coming in from a different angle and I want to make as much impact on the squad as possible.”
In order to make his mark for Sheffield Hallam this season, Dalrymple wasn’t about to sit idle in the summer and let others steal a march on him.
Instead he chose to train at Crystal Palace Beach Volleyball Club with Great Britain pairing Jake Sheaf and Chris Gregory – something he believes will see him hit new heights this campaign.
“I have been involved over the summer at the Crystal Palace Beach Volleyball Club and have been working with two guys there Jake Sheath and Chris Gregory who are GB beach pairing,” he added.
“So I have been training on the beach and keeping my touch in for the indoor season which is just about to start so I am feeling good.
“We’ve just got back into pre-season so it is nice to get everything going again and I am so excited about the new season starting, I can’t wait to get going.
“You can always learn things and Jake and Chris really gave me some good advice and things to think about that I might not have done before so it was great to work with them and they were absolutely brilliant.”
Lloyds Bank Local Heroes, in partnership with Sports Aid, has supported 1,000 of Britain’s most talented developing athletes. As part of Lloyds Bank’s commitment to helping future sports starts prosper, the programme will continue in 2013. Follow future stars at facebook.com/lloydsbanklocalheroes
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