Former national volleyball player Shawn Sutherland passes on

By Avenash Ramzan

The local volleyball fraternity has been plunged into mourning, following the passing of former national player Shawn Sutherland.

Sutherland, who represented Guyana in the late 90s and early 2000s, passed away this week after a period of illness. He was living in Queens, New York.

Sutherland started his career with Falcons of Canje, Berbice, before moving to Vikings of Blairmont and eventually Vipers of Georgetown.

President of the Guyana Volleyball Federation, Levi Nedd, reflecting on the life of Sutherland, said “he was a no-nonsense guy and he was very persistent.”

Nedd, who played briefly with Sutherland, said the late national player was renowned for blocking and emerged as one of the best in that aspect of the game during his time.

“He was a very, very good blocker; most of the times he would be selected for that in particular,” Nedd told News Room Sport on Wednesday.

“What was admirable about him was his persistence and enthusiasm in participating in the game. I played a bit with him, not much, I was phasing out actually, but I can say he was a very good player.”

Nedd extended condolences to the family, friends and associates of Sutherland, noting that the entire volleyball fraternity mourns the loss.

Ian Wills, a former president of the Demerara Volleyball Federation, said Sutherland was a team player who “fought for every point.” Wills and Sutherland played together on the national team.

“Shawn was an amazing teammate and competitor; one of the few people that left it all on the court. I recall playing with him as a teammate on the national team and he was one of those guys who fought for every point like it meant the world to him and that was all the motivation a teammate could ask for.

He was also the most genuine and caring friend a person could ask for,” Wills reflected.