I play volleyball and study engineering at the University of British Columbia. The UBC Thunderbirds are in the Canada West Division of the CIS - playing against universities from across western Canada.
Over 2 months ago I flew out of Melbourne airport, both nervous and excited. Since being accepted I had spent about a year looking forward to this move to Canada and was so glad when the time finally came. The long flight (delayed over 2 hours) and getting lost in LAX airport took its toll, but when I finally cleared immigration to meet my new coach Kerry MacDonald, and Canadian Libero Blair Bann who was on his way home from Rio (and happened to need a lift from the airport) my mood shot back up.
24 hours later I would be back on a plane to Korea, where we would complete a 10 day preseason camp there hosted by our partners SKK University, where we played against university teams, and professional teams the Samsung Bluefangs and Korean Airline Jumbos. The camp was a fantastic team builder as we bonded over long luxury bus rides, daily Korean spa baths, and of course, karaoke.
Since arriving back in Vancouver I was finally able to settle in to university life at UBC. We have on-court practice every day for 2/2.5 hours, plus lifting three times a week, as well as optional morning practices.
We are currently with 1 win and 1 loss, our first games were on the road against the Saskatchewan Huskies where we lost on the Friday but bounced back to win on Saturday. This weekend is our home opener against Winnipeg. It looks to be a very strong year for us. The squad is a great bunch of guys, having 15 new and welcoming mates right off the bat definitely helped making settling in easier.
The campus, and Vancouver in general is incredible. Definitely one of the coolest places in the world that I urge everyone to visit.
To anyone wanting to take their volleyball further and go overseas for college, I highly recommend it. To think that 3 years ago I was picking up a volleyball for the first time; to be where I am today is awesome and I'd like to think this is still the beginning of my journey.
I encourage anyone that wants to know more about the recruiting process, university life in general or wants to hear some stories from my time here so far to email me ([email protected]) or message me on Facebook. While I was starting this process I talked to quite a few other Australians who were already overseas and I can't stress enough how reassuring it is to compare notes with someone who has gone through the process before you. So I'd be happy to offer any knowledge that might help you in achieving your volleyball dreams in the coming years.
I look forward to seeing all of the GMVA athletes working hard when I return home in April, all the best!
For updates follow the team on Instagram @ubcmensvolleyball or Facebook!
Over 2 months ago I flew out of Melbourne airport, both nervous and excited. Since being accepted I had spent about a year looking forward to this move to Canada and was so glad when the time finally came. The long flight (delayed over 2 hours) and getting lost in LAX airport took its toll, but when I finally cleared immigration to meet my new coach Kerry MacDonald, and Canadian Libero Blair Bann who was on his way home from Rio (and happened to need a lift from the airport) my mood shot back up.
24 hours later I would be back on a plane to Korea, where we would complete a 10 day preseason camp there hosted by our partners SKK University, where we played against university teams, and professional teams the Samsung Bluefangs and Korean Airline Jumbos. The camp was a fantastic team builder as we bonded over long luxury bus rides, daily Korean spa baths, and of course, karaoke.
Since arriving back in Vancouver I was finally able to settle in to university life at UBC. We have on-court practice every day for 2/2.5 hours, plus lifting three times a week, as well as optional morning practices.
We are currently with 1 win and 1 loss, our first games were on the road against the Saskatchewan Huskies where we lost on the Friday but bounced back to win on Saturday. This weekend is our home opener against Winnipeg. It looks to be a very strong year for us. The squad is a great bunch of guys, having 15 new and welcoming mates right off the bat definitely helped making settling in easier.
The campus, and Vancouver in general is incredible. Definitely one of the coolest places in the world that I urge everyone to visit.
To anyone wanting to take their volleyball further and go overseas for college, I highly recommend it. To think that 3 years ago I was picking up a volleyball for the first time; to be where I am today is awesome and I'd like to think this is still the beginning of my journey.
I encourage anyone that wants to know more about the recruiting process, university life in general or wants to hear some stories from my time here so far to email me ([email protected]) or message me on Facebook. While I was starting this process I talked to quite a few other Australians who were already overseas and I can't stress enough how reassuring it is to compare notes with someone who has gone through the process before you. So I'd be happy to offer any knowledge that might help you in achieving your volleyball dreams in the coming years.
I look forward to seeing all of the GMVA athletes working hard when I return home in April, all the best!
For updates follow the team on Instagram @ubcmensvolleyball or Facebook!
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