Former Jasperite joins Bermuda’s National Volleyball Team

Never in Lianne Leonardi’s wildest dreams did she imagine she’d play for the Bermuda National Volleyball Team. 

“Definitely not the Bermuda National Team,” Leonardi said with a laugh during a long distance phone interview. “From a young child I hoped to play on Canada’s National Team.”

Now she’s not only on the team, but she’s also the captain. Competitors on the national team must have lived in Bermuda for one year, so for the first year living there Leonardi practiced with the team, until she could officially join, last October. 

Just two weeks ago, her team competed in the first qualifying round of the 2010 FIVB (Federation Internationale de Volleyball, the world governing body for volleyball) Women’s World Championship in St. Martin. 

This is the first time a team from Bermuda has competed in a FIVB event, and Leonardi’s team went undefeated versus teams from Dominica (which is ranked 53rd in the world), British Virgin Islands (63rd), St. Kitts and Nevis (64th), and Anguilla (73rd). 

The team also captured several player-specific awards, including Leonardi’s award for Best Spiker.

By winning the first qualifying round, the team is now moving to the second phase taking place in Trinidad and Tobago from May 31 to June 7. Though many of her friends from back home in Jasper won’t be able to make it, it would be a more feasible trip if Leonardi’s team plays the US or Cuban team.

The 30-year-old said her friends and family here are supportive –?whether they get to see her play or not. “They were mad at me for not telling them I’m the captain of the Bermuda team,” she said. “I think they were joking a little bit, because I can be very shy. I think they’re just very proud.”

Leonardi, who was born and raised in Jasper and graduated from the Jr./Sr. High School in 1996, got started with volleyball playing here in Grade 8. 

After finishing university, she returned to Jasper and coached the high school girls’ volleyball team while working for the Jasper Park Lodge, before transferring to the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda, where she’s now director of revenue management.