It was a journey that saw him travel nearly 8,000 kilometres round-trip and it was a journey that has since provided him with memories that will last a lifetime.
Gabriel Beaudin is back in Dauphin after playing with the U-16 Manitoba men's volleyball team at the North American Indigenous Games which wrapped up over the weekend in Halifax. Beaudin got the nod just a few years after he started playing the game.
"It was an incredible experience," said Beaudin. "I'm always going to remember my amazing teammates. We were very busy with different activities, it was a week that I will never forget."
When it came down to business on the court, it was a near-perfect week for the Manitoba men. They won all six of their round-robin games, losing just one set in the process. The team would then go on to hammer Ontario in straight sets in their semi-final.
"We all connected really well, we were a very athletic team heading into the event," said Beaudin. "We had a lot of success offensively and we improved defensively as the week went on. No one was able to stop us, it was really cool to be a part of."
Then on Saturday, July 22 at 11:30 a.m. on court 4 at the Canada Games Centre, a national title was on the line. Manitoba had already beaten Saskatchewan twice and if they could do it once more, they would win a national gold.
Saskatchewan pushed Manitoba in the first set, but Team 'Toba earned a 26-24 first-set win and they never looked back. Manitoba gave up just 34 points in the next two sets as they cruised to another victory and with it, the Manitoba U-16 men's volleyball team won a gold medal.
"It was pretty amazing when we won, everyone stormed the court," said Beaudin. "The U-19 team gave us a broom so we swept the court. I was really excited that we won, it was a great feeling."
With the high school season now just more than a month away, Gabriel will return to the DRCSS where he excelled last year as a rookie playing varsity.
