Sharone Vernon-Evans Soars to New Heights

By DAVID WINER

We are constantly striving to reach new heights.

After all, the alternative is plateauing, or even worse, falling behind.
Mississauga Pakmen Volleyball Club graduate Sharone Vernon-Evans is in no danger of leveling off physically, mentally, emotionally, or in any other aspect of his life. He’s too busy discovering dizzying new heights.

Choosing to forego the post-secondary school route like all of his former U18 teammates, the Agincourt Secondary School graduate enlisted in Canada’s National Training Centre in Gatineau last summer.

And the results have been astounding. Not only has the 6-foot-9 right side been named to Canada’s Men’s Junior National Team along with former Pakmen teammates Jordan Pereira and Taryq Sani, the 18-year-old Scarborough native has also set new jumping heights on the court few people have seen anywhere, or at anytime.

Just two years ago, Vernon-Evans jumped 12 feet, 3 inches as a 16-year-old, setting an all-time OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) and OUA (Ontario University Athletics) record.

Last month, Vernon-Evans set a new Canadian mark with a spike touch of 12-feet, 6.5-inches (3.82 metres), eclipsing all Canadians who have come before him, including great leapers Gavin Schmitt (3.78) and Justin Duff (3.70). And, on a global scale, Vernon-Evans is only slightly back of 37-year-old Cuban legend and Italian professional, Leonel Marshall, who in 2015, measured 3.83 metres.

Listed on the website, inside.volleycountry.com, Marshall’s jumps have also been a smash hit with youtube viewers.

The top five spike-hit heights of all-time, include Marshall, Schmitt, Bulgaria’s Matey Kaziyski (3.78), Russia’s Dmitriy Muserskiy (3.75), Australia’s Daniel Howard (3.75), Germany’s György Grozer (3.74) and Cuba’s David Fiel (3.74).

Vernon-Evans salutes his previous Pakmen coaches and Isophit creator Brad Thorpe for lifting his global reputation to volleyball’s stratosphere.

Thorpe is a strength and conditioning coach, who patented the Isometric Strength Training System, ISOPHIT™.

He has worked with professional and high level amateur athletes, including the Toronto Blue Jays, Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, Volleyball Canada’s Centre of Excellence and a number of collegiate athletes. He has also worked closely with the Pakmen Volleyball Club.

Pakmen president and founder Kelly Smith sought Thorpe’s advice and expertise one year when a talented team of his won a lot of tournaments, but sustained a plethora of injuries in the process.

“We had Brad work with the guys and we were injury-free the next season,” explained Smith of his team’s dramatic turnaround. “Sharone is tall, has long limbs and was still growing like a weed (a few years back). The last thing he needed was someone putting negative stress on his body. Brad was the perfect match for Sharone. We just had to convince Sharone that he won’t see big muscles, just a stronger, more efficient body.”

And, as they say, the rest is history. Vernon-Evans and Thorpe hooked up and the sky literally became the limit.

Thorpe says, while most ‘A Level’ athletes take what they learn at the training session, and report back only if they have difficulty with the exercises, Vernon-Evans took the initiative of attending personal sessions at Thorpe’s Striation 6 Exercise and Performance Centre in Toronto.
Visiting the studio 2-3 times a week, Vernon-Evans’ learning curve proved higher than most because of his “commitment to making himself a stronger athlete, focusing on tendon and ligament strength, which has no aesthetic appeal, but gets results in terms of strength, stability and injury prevention.”

“When my coaches first introduced me to Isophit I didn’t believe that isometric strength training could help my volleyball performance,” admitted Vernon-Evans. “But, wow was I wrong! In two years of Isophit use I have avoided injury, eliminated my shoulder and knee pain, and added 7 inches to my Spike Height measurement.”

“The isometric training helps my tendons get stronger,” he explained. “It also breaks down my arm swing mechanics so I can have optimum range in each position. It’s also the safest way to work out because he starts off by strengthening your tendons before he gets into lifting.”

While Vernon-Evans has since moved to Gatineau, Quebec, the two remain in regular contact.

“Sharone and I make an attempt to see each other every time he is back in town,” says Thorpe. “He was just in a couple of weeks before the jump. We talk via facebook anytime he has a question about training.

“Sharone understands the importance of performing his isometrics, as it helps increase his joint stability and strength. From my understanding, he implements isometric into each of his workouts, and anytime his body is feeling a little beat up from training and competition.”
And the jumps aren’t just for show. Vernon-Evans says reaching such heights has a dramatic impact on his game.

“It helps being higher in the air allowing me to have more time to decide where I am going to hit,” said Vernon-Evans, who now weighs 226 pounds.

“It helps a lot because those (extra) inches can help you serve better, block better and hit more efficiently. It gives you many more options. And in the game of volleyball, every inch counts!”
Now, Vernon-Evans feels he’s in the right place and environment with the best coaching from Thorpe and the Canadian team.

“I am happy that I went to the full time training centre. I learned so much being here as well as having great experiences, such as going to France and playing pro teams.

“We practice two times a day for three hours. The guys that I trained with were university players that wanted to continue their careers and try to make it pro!”

Together with “listening to Brad’s advice about how I should go about working out, and developing core and tendon strength so I can stay healthy,” there’s every reason to believe Vernon-Evans will continue to grow in stature and as a talent.

And, in so doing, Vernon-Evans’ jumps, which are also now becoming popular on youtube, have, in turn, enhanced Thorpe’s presence.

“(The jump has) definitely given Isophit some credibility amongst the National volleyball circle,” agrees Thorpe. “I even have another former Pakmen stand out, Gavin Taylor, using it anytime he’s back from the University of Western Ontario. Gavin is so impressed by the results, he attended the Isophit Professional Certification Course, this past October.

“Since the jump I have (also) been in contact with a number of university programs throughout the USA to bring Isophit and the Isometric Training System to their programs.”

Along with the Pakmen, Thorpe also works closely with Team Canada Beach Volleyballer Sam Pedlow and Team Canada Physiotherapist Nicole Sullivan.

However, Thorpe will always have a soft spot for Vernon-Evans when it comes to seeing dramatic results.

“I want to go on record, like I did two years ago when I said Sharone would break 12-foot-6, and say that he will break 13 feet by the age of 21.

“Sharone is committed to the process, and so am I. As I say to everyone that comes in to use Isophit. ‘I am going to make you my billboard’.”

Vernon-Evans certainly seems to fit the bill.