Vanuatu’s Toko looking strong for Pacific Games

At just 21 years of age, Sherysyn Toko is already making her mark on the international beach Volleyball stage.

Representing Vanuatu since the age of 18, she has been collaborating with veteran player and mentor

Miller Pata for the past nine months. Tinny – as she is affectionately known – has competed across

Asia and Australia this year, finishing in the top five in four out of last six FIVB tournaments, one of

which saw the pair win a silver medal in Satun, Thailand.

Toko, who comes from Ambae, one of the northern islands of Vanuatu, initially played indoor volleyball

but then moved on to join beach volleyball when close family friend and qualified Oceania volleyball

referee Serah Toto took her to the courts at Stade and introduced her to the sport she now calls her

own.

Now, Toko mostly prefers the dynamics of the two-player beach format.

“I think for me it’s hard playing Indoor with that many players, but the more you train and get use to co-operating with players in either Beach or Indoor, you can cope with each of your matches,” she said.

While on Ambae they only play Indoor volleyball according to Toko, her community has come to know about beach as a new sport, through her involvement.

“My families and the people living in my islands are very happy and proud to see that I am playing beach volleyball and not only representing Vanuatu, but also my province which has been recently affected by volcano eruptions resulting in my people being removed to other nearby islands,” she said.

“On the island, there is a place or an area where we can go and play volleyball. We usually play every afternoon just for fun and sometimes we train when we are competing in activities or in bigger celebrations held in the country, especially when we train to play during the celebration of Independence each 30th of July.”

Toko’s preparation towards next month’s Pacific Games in Samoa has mainly been through her 2019 FIVB World Tour event participation competing in Cambodia, India, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam and China with a stop at the recent Arafura Games in Darwin.

There, the Vanuatu women put on a show as Toko won the silver medal with young developing player Maybel Ravo against the veteran pairing of Henriette Iatika and her usual partner Miller Pata.

“On returning to Port Vila, we continue our training and also attend gym sessions, training everyday under the supervision of our FIVB-funded coach Michel Bargmann from Germany,” said Toko.

“It is my first time competing in the Pacific Games because I have not yet participated in either the Mini Games or the Pacific Games, so this one (in Samoa) will be my first and I am very glad to be able to play and represent my country. “

Toko admits that while every participating Pacific team is also training towards the games aiming to achieve the best, she is very confident of bringing home a Gold Medal.  

In addition to all her training, Toko is a student at the University of Emalus Campus in Port Vila, where she is studying physics and geography, hoping to become an engineer. 

“I spend any free time with my friends, but most of the time I just stay at home helping my family do chores around the house,” she said.

“Then after all of that work is done, I can relax and watch a movie with my family and friends.”

Toko’s parents, family and friends are her biggest fans, supporting her through each of her tournaments and when she travels out of the country for the FIVB World tour. But she names her grandmother, who she is very close to, as her number one supporter and who continues to encourage and pray for her whenever she’s playing.

“The person I look up to as a role model is Miller Pata, my partner, because she is a very experienced and I am so glad to play and train alongside her so that I too can learn more from her.”

Toko is keen to encourage all junior beach volleyball players and other athletes to be positive and never think they cannot do it – just commit to the training and work hard.

“You don’t have to think low of yourselves, just start thinking of how you can overcome the challenges and make a difference in achieving your goal.”