Ranked among the major competitive sports on the island, the game of volleyball continues to grow in popularity. The latest edition of the sport – Beach Volleyball – is increasingly in the spotlight on the global circuit. Julian Biscette, one of the island’s top players, has proven he has the ability to excel at the sport and he certainly has star appeal.
Julian, a formidable member of the dynamic ‘Salt & Pepper’ duo, wants to take his sport to the next level. In so doing, he has established himself as a virtual high-flyer in the game while representing his country and has received high praise.
Despite coming up against a tough challenge at this year’s NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit, which was held here in October, the sturdy six-footer was still able to impress in the matches and is now more determined than ever to gain better rankings in future tournaments.
Julian cites as his ‘defining moment,’ his ability to qualify for the Under-23 World Championships in Poland, this year. He said, “It was like an eye-opener for me and I realised that I am at the level of world champs, and to play against good teams and push them to the limit was something outstanding.”
Julian hails from the Babonneau community, which has produced such gifted athletes as Levern Spencer, the region’s ace high-jumper. He is currently employed as a junior coach in the Ministry of Youth and Sports through its ‘Elite Athlete’ program, which has nurtured athletes such as Levern, Dalton Polius, Keddy Lesporis and others.
Julian, 23, is a St. Mary’s College (SMC) graduate. He sat down with Dazzle during a break in this year’s NORCECA Beach Volleyball tournament at the picturesque Pigeon Island to share his and his teammates’ fondest dreams and their desire to make it big in the sports world.
Dazzle: How long have you been playing volleyball as a competitive sport?
Julian: I have been playing volleyball for the past four years. I began playing at SMC and intensified my game during my final two years at the school. A friend encouraged me to play the game and I fell in love with it. I have devoted my time to playing with one club in Saint Lucia, the Jet Setters Volleyball Club.
Dazzle: How do you rate your current status in the game?
Julian: I feel that right now there are prospects for me to become a professional player. That’s because now the country, the St Lucia Volleyball Association and the St Lucia Olympic Committee sponsor us in such a way that we get to travel to places like Cuba, Mexico, Canada and Puerto Rico to get the exposure we need. We spent two months training in California and we are getting places. We just need the financial assistance and support to continue. Our goal is to compete at the Olympics, and to make it to the Olympics you have to be rated at a professional level.
Making it to the Olympics is my goal right now and, step by step, to qualify for next year’s CAC and Pan American games, and then hopefully to make it to the Olympic Games in the qualification rounds.
Dazzle: Tell us briefly about the various techniques employed in the game?
Julian: Every volleyball game starts off with a serve and that is one aspect of the game. Serving has different aspects, such as; the jump-float, float serve and jump serve. Then you have the reception with the opposing team receiving that serve, then the setting and also the spike. You then have the block, and the dig. So you have five skills and each skill is well defined, with different body motions for each one and this, in itself, can be quite challenging at times.
Dazzle: Why do you think Saint Lucia has produced so many good volleyball players, and what motivates players to do well in the sport?
Julian: Most people get involved with basketball or cricket, and more so popular events like the IPL T20. But, truthfully, we have the better chance of being the first sports team to represent Saint Lucia and win a medal at the Olympics. For us, we know that our training and our hard work, and our coaching sessions assisted by some foreign coaches, as well as the support from the Ministry of Sport and other volleyball administrative bodies, help us a lot. They understand that we have been getting better every year; and we have started to defeat teams like Puerto Rico and Canada, countries that are much bigger than us … and for a small island team to be able to compete against teams from the USA, Canada and put up a challenge, is quite revealing. At the end of the day, I feel really proud about all of this and I know that maybe within the next two years we will be unbeatable.
Dazzle: How fascinating is the beach volleyball contest and what new experiences have you gained from it?
Julian: Well, I know for some guys the attraction is in the two-piece bikini outfits and all that … but for people who really love the sport, they know that beach volleyball is really attractive when you have two guys or two ladies throwing themselves around and hustling to not give away anything. Hustling on the sand is more difficult and poses a challenge, since while playing on the beach you have to use all your assets and skills to play the game.
My favourite team at the Beach Volleyball contest was the US team. They played well together and we are trying to look up to them and get some of their movement patterns, and work on that. I see us getting better at the sport and I am proud of that. Hopefully, our goal – our dream – is to win Saint Lucia’s first Olympic Gold Medal and we feel that we can achieve this within the next ten years.
