Lifted, The Podcast

We recap the Shamash Memorial Tournament in Minnesota. Talk about the road that United Stars had to take to win their coveted championship and victory against the defending champions Orlando Union. We discuss the new evolution in the game, and the come up of a few superstars in the making. We welcome in both the New Era of Superstars and the New Era of United Stars.

We preview what’s to come in October. With Minnesota hosting a tournament in Memory of Shamash Velji. We discuss the top 8 contenders, and the storylines surrounding each one of those teams.

We sit down with Sammy Hirji of Allentown Challengers. We talk about the ups and downs of his career, his takeover of Allentown Challengers, his friendly yet competitive rivalry with Mohamed Bhanji, his bravado on and off the court, and his triumphant championship victory against Jafferys in 2002.

We sit down with Freddy Virani; We talk about his career path thus far, the obstacles he had to overcome, his ability to play multiple positions at a high level, and finally getting his calling in the back right and winning the coveted first championship.

We sit down with Ahmed Sumar of Allentown Union; talking about his early days with Dar Union, to his time starting off with Allentown Challengers and his eventual jump to Allentown Union. We touch on his time playing with the likes of Najaf, Kausar, Bhanji, and Sammy. We also speak about his role in resurrecting the Mid-Center position and playing the V with Bhanji. We then speak about his MVP performance as a Backcenter in Orlando and the team of youth that was built around him.

We sit down with Imran Nasser to discuss his rise in the game of volleyball. From his start with 786ers, to his come up as the leader and backcenter. We talk about the formation of Toronto Elite with Shanu and his multiple finals runs. We talk about the ups and downs of volleyball and how losing can play a toll on a persons hunger. We then touch on his return to the game with United Stars and what to expect in the upcoming MN Tournament.

We sit down with Maythum & Monti and discuss their rise in the game of volleyball. From their early stages of their rebuild coming off of MN’s first win in 2011, to their highs and lows while trying to become a contender again. We talk about their back to back finals appearances in 2022, and what’s to expect in the upcoming Minnesota Volleyball Tournament.

We go over the results of The Tournament of Champions, Dissect the performances of each of the 10 teams that qualified, and hand out the coveted Lifted Medallions.

We sit down with two of the pioneers of the last decade of volleyball. "The Golden Boy" J.J. Bhojani takes us through his journey from Allentown to Orlando, almost starting from scratch in the late 2000's to building a dynasty in the last decade. Arifali Chatoo tells us about his come up in the game, what made him special as a lefty, and the Dynastic Run of Orlando Union from 2012 to Present Day. We talk about the "V" and how it changed the game, and how it impacts the game until today. We also sit down with Muhsin Kermalli of the Naseeha Organization to go over their mission, future goals, and how to combat mental health issues in our sport.

Mehdi Khaku talks to us about the landscape of West Coast Volleyball, the Ups and Downs, the aspect of community, and the inception of Van City Sports Club.

The G.O.A.T, The Brotherhood, and Bad Intentions. Fayez Thawer takes us through the journey of Toronto North Volleyball Club. The fame of them once being unstoppable and how far they've come along after all these years.

A Sit Down with Faz & Elegance We talk about the future of Stanmore Jafferys, What to expect after their win in Al-Wilaya, Faz's Potions, and the inception of the greatest name in volleyball "Elegance".

A sit down interview with Turab Kermally of United Stars. We talk about his come up in the volleyball world, him becoming one of the best centers to ever play the game, the rivalry, and what the future of this sport and United Stars will hold.

The Inception of LIFTED & Setting the stage for the Tournament of Champions.