Harrison Girard, a Brunswick School sophomore and Greenwich resident, is currently in Anaheim, California playing volleyball with some of the best young players in the nation.

Girard, 16, was recently selected by USA Volleyball’s National Development Program as one of 21 players to compete on the 2022 Boys Under-19 National Training Team. The talented group of 21 players is practicing at the national team training center until May 20 in Anaheim, Calif. The Boys Under-19 National Training Team began practicing in Anaheim, Calif., on May 11.

Twelve players from the group will then be chosen to compete at the 2022 Boys U19 Pan Am Cup on May 21-29 in Guatemala, City, Guatemala.

Charlie Sullivan, head coach of the Springfield College men’s volleyball team, will serve as the U19 team’s head coach. Sullivan’s assistant coaches will be Lindsay Brown (Assistant Coach, Purdue Fort Wayne) and Theo Edwards (Associate Head Coach, CSUN). The roster includes 13 players from the Southern California Region, three from the Florida Region, two from the Southern Region and one each from Arizona, Great Lakes and Old Dominion. Girard is the only player from Connecticut chosen for the national training team.

Girard, is a 6-foot-4 outside hitter.

“I’m a little nervous but really excited,” Girard said of playing with the national training team in Anaheim. “I know some of the kids there and I excited to get to play with the best kids in the country. When I found out I was chosen to be part of the National Training Team it was an awesome feeling.”

The Brunswick sophomore comes from a volleyball family. His mother, Christy Girard has served as the varsity volleyball coach at Greenwich Academy for well more than a decade. Christy Girard played volleyball at the University of New Haven, the same school where her daughter and Harrison’s sister, Evie Kay Girard, will compete in the fall. Evie Kay Girard was a star player on Greenwich Academy’s varsity team for five seasons.

“The first time I was on the volleyball court was when I was a week old,” Harrison Girard said. “My mom said the volleyball cart was her sitter.”

He began playing volleyball as an 8-year-old, training with his mother and quickly connected with the sport. As a 9-year-old, Girard joined East Volleyball Club in Bridgeport and became a key contributor on the club’s Under-16 team.

“My fundamentals were there when I was a kid, but my body had to catch up,” Girard said.

After competing for East Volleyball Club, Girard tried out for and made C2 Attack Volleyball Club, which is based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is currently in his third season with C2 Attack Volleyball Club, which plays in tournaments and competitions throughout the year. An outside hitter, Girard has traveled to Florida, California and Texas to name just a few of the states he’s gone to with his C2 Attack Volleyball Club teammates.

“It is a lot of fun,” Girard said. “We have a really big tournament in Southern California, called the SoCal Cup that we compete in. Right now, we are ranked first in the country for U-16. Our coaching staff is awesome.”

Girard enjoys numerous facets of volleyball.

“I enjoy the team aspect – having five kids on your side in close proximity,” he said. “Being in sync with your team is great. If one person gets a kill, the whole team contributes to that kill.”

“When my setters set me up with a great set and you pound the ball and everyone screams – that’s a great feeling,” he continued.

Harry grew up watching his sister Evie Kay play for Greenwich Academy and was eager to begin playing at a competitive level.

“My sister was my first practice partner,” said Girard, who plans on playing collegiate volleyball at the Division I level. “With my mom coaching, it is easier to get into it with that family aspect existing. The three of us connect through volleyball, even my dad comes out to practice. It’s just a good time for us to connect.”