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Nimrit Bath passes the ball for the Amrak Vikings on Friday. (COLIN CORNEAU/BRANDON SUN)
Vincent Massey standout Nimrit Bath has proven to be more than just humble by name this season for the Amrak Vikings 15U girls’ volleyball team.
Nimrit, which translates to ‘humble’ in Punjabi, has grown into a leadership role on and off the court for the Vincent Massey-based club volleyball team. While her athletic ability has shined on the court, Bath’s modesty has carried her off of it.
"Our team is all really close," Bath said when asked to identify the reasons for her success. "We encourage and talk to each other a lot about what we need to improve on and what we are good at."
The 5-foot-6 left side hasn’t been given anything, either. This season, when a flaw was identified in her approach, the 15-year-old spent four hours per day with her father in the gym over the Christmas holidays working to correct the technical error. The hard work and dedication paid off, as she managed to condition the flaw out of her approach and now generates more vertical and hitting power as a result.
"It took a lot of time and effort to get it out of my routine," she said after Amrak’s first match in the Brandon Storm 15U club volleyball tournament on Friday.
A straight-A student, Bath said she competes and practises with the goal of playing volleyball at the university level some day. She credits her relationship with her coach, Courtney Forsyth, as a big reason for her drive to succeed.
"I can talk to her about anything — sports wise or personal life," said Bath, who helped lead Vincent Massey’s freshmen girls volleyball team to the city championship earlier this season. "She’s so helpful and she’s been a great coach."
That drive wasn’t lost on her coaches either, as they have promoted Bath to the U16 team that will compete at provincials and nationals this spring.
"I’m excited to play with a different group of girls," Bath said. "It’s going to be a good experience and I feel I’ll have to push myself more to play at that level."
A multi-sport athlete who also plays goalkeeper for the Westman Football Club’s U16 Blizzard girls soccer team, Bath isn’t worried about getting lost on the court playing with girls a year older than she is.
"I’m not a very quiet person," Bath said with a smile. "I know a lot of those girls and I’m just really looking forward to playing with them."
While her talent it undeniable, it might have been Bath’s demeanor that made the decision for Forsyth to promote her that much easier.
"If you give her advice she really takes it to heart and listens and changes it," Forsyth said. "She’s not going to be sheepish calling for balls and she’s strong enough that she’ll do well. We want to continue to develop her skills against higher competition. She’ll have to learn to block stronger, hit harder and we think she’s ready for that."
The promotion aside, it’s intrinsic in Bath to want to get better.
"I want to be the best that I can be," she said.
» ctweed@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition March 16, 2013
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