Oct. 15, 2024 By Tracey Khan
For over a decade, the Morant and Berbice volleyball teams have been uniting players of all ages and backgrounds from various Caribbean nations, fostering community and camaraderie at Valley Stream State Park.
Since 2010, these teams, led by 32-year-old Arwin Bridgelal of Guyana, have offered a space for competitive and recreational play. Formed by members of the local Queens community and beyond, the teams are open to anyone with a passion for the sport.
The Morant team, named after the Port Morant area in Berbice, Guyana, started with a group of local kids playing together. “It began with a guy named Joe, and as the younger players moved on to school, the older community members stepped in,” Bridgelal explained. Over the years, the team has grown to include players between 15 and 68, with participants joining from countries such as India and the Dominican Republic.