Gabriel Beaudin started playing volleyball in grade six and despite missing his grade seven year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has continued to fall in love with the game more and more since he first stepped on the court.
Come grade nine which he played this past school year, Beaudin already made the jump up to the varsity ranks and he helped the Clippers nearly make the provincial championships. Now, Beaudin is nearly 4,000 kilometres away from home as he competes for a national title.
Gabriel found out earlier this year that he was selected to play on the U-16 Manitoba men's volleyball team, a team that is playing this week in the North American Indigenous Games. While Gabriel has played against some of his teammates on this year's roster in the past, this is his first time representing his home province.
"I was very excited when I found out that I made the team, I have never really gotten this opportunity before," said Beaudin. "It's a really high level and the athletes here are top-notch, it's great to be part of."
With great representation in several sports for athletes from the Parkland, Beaudin is enjoying every second out east.
"It's been really fun, I have really enjoyed my time on the court," said the Dauphinite that is the team's starting middle blocker. "It has also been great to bond with my teammates, we have a great group of guys."
The team is also off to a red-hot start. After only allowing 20 points combined in a two-set sweep against Ontario in their first game, Manitoba downed Saskatchewan in straight sets. That was then followed up with another straight-set victory as they beat Alberta on Tuesday morning. Manitoba is outscoring their opponents, 150-106, as they sit atop the four-team event.
Beaudin has been a big reason why the Manitoban squad is off to a 3-0 start with some timely blocks paired with his attack efficiency which is near the top among middle hitters.
"We're really strong offensively and we're starting to pick up our play defensively," said Beaudin. "Not many teams have been able to stick with us, we're a very strong group."
Gabriel and the rest of the team will now take in the full experience of being at a North American Indigenous Games before hitting the court on Wednesday morning for a match against Ontario. Manitoba will then play Saskatchewan on Wednesday afternoon before they wrap up their round-robin with another game against Alberta on Thursday afternoon. The semi-finals go on Friday afternoon with the national final set for Saturday morning.
Manitoba knows they have a strong chance of making a deep run, but Beaudin knows it won't be easy.
"We have to stay prepared and we can't be too confident," ended Beaudin. "Anything can happen, we just have to keep playing how we know we can, it's still a long tournament."
NAIG Daily Recap:
- Gabriel is joined by her sister, Bianca who is playing on the U-19 women's volleyball team. After opening their tournament with a tough three-set loss against Alberta, Manitoba rebounded in a straight-set win over British Columbia;
- Norman Lacquette and Conner Weber-McKay highlight the Manitoba U-16 softball team. They beat British Columbia and Nova Scotia;
- Tyrell Leaske of Swan River is playing with the U-16 soccer team and they beat Nova Scotia in their first game, 2-1;
- Skyla Burns is on the U-19 soccer team and they opened their tournament with a 1-0 win over Eastern Door & North;
- Maddie Amyotte is playing with the U-19 women's basketball team and what a start they are off to. After downing Northwest Territories, 61-9, Manitoba cruised to a 14-point win over British Columbia and they will finish first in their pool; and
- Mason Chartrand, Rylan Chartrand, and Leland Malcolm are playing on the U-19 men's basketball team. They pummelled Colorado, 93-40. They will now play Minnesota and British Columbia and they are favourites to win their pool.
