Page 17 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 112

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Jordan Canham: V-Ball Champion and
Tournament MVP
By Molly Kett
ordan Canham, from
JAvonmore, Ontario, is in his
fourth year at the University of
Alberta, studying BKin/BEd.
When not playing volleyball or
studying, Canham enjoys reading,
being outdoors, and spending
time with family and friends.
Growing up, Canham played
soccer and hockey before he
started playing volleyball.
Throughout his 14U, 15U,
and 16U years, he played both
competitive volleyball and
hockey. Canham played hockey
for the Seaway Valley Rapids out
of Cornwall, and volleyball for
the Cornwall Vikings. In 16U,
he decided to play for the Ottawa
Mavericks Volleyball Club and
stuck with them until his post-
secondary education.
“I am very grateful for all my
previous teammates and coaches,
like Allison and Dave Haley,
Kerry Maclean, and Frank St-
Denis,” said Canham.
Canham truly found his passion
for volleyball in 16U.
“Before that year, I played
volleyball just for fun and
I prioritized hockey. When
playing 16U, I shifted my focus
to volleyball, especially after
watching the Queens Men’s
Volleyball team and that is when
I realized I wanted to pursue this
sport more,” said Canham.
Leading up to the
USport National Volleyball
Championship, Canham said
there had been ups and downs.
“I got injured for part of it and
our starting left side went down
with a knee injury late in the
season that took him out for the
rest of the season,” said Canham.
“We had players step up into
new roles and after losing the
Canada West Finals, our coach
reminded us daily to ‘play like
us,’ to focus on ourselves, and
to stay aggressive with our play.
That definitely contributed to our
success.”
To prepare, Canham said the
team had to remind themselves
of all the work they had put in
throughout the year and the trust
they built with each other; and it
seemed to work! The team took
home the win, and Canham was
named MVP.
“It was difficult to believe
that we won. It took a couple of
days to let it sink in. Two years
ago, we were at the National
Championship in Winnipeg, and
we were training at the venue,
and then COVID shut everything
down the day before our quarter-
final match,” said Canham. “Our
goal was to win nationals in the
2019-2020 season, and COVID
took that opportunity from us.
The graduating players that year
didn’t get to compete for the
national title, so winning this
national title felt like there were
so many more people than just the
immediate team who helped us
win. The team was unbelievable
throughout this year, and the team
culture was so tight that when
we were faced with adversity, we
battled through it together. I am
very grateful to be awarded MVP
Issue #112 May 2022 17
of the tournament. However, it is
not as big of an accomplishment
as winning the championship.
Volleyball is a team sport, and I
would not have been awarded
MVP without my coaches and
teammates performing to their
best ability.”
Wondering what’s next for
Canham?
“I’ll be training with the
national team over the summer.
I’ll be going back for another year
in Alberta to finish off my degree
and hopefully get another shot at
Photo Submitted winning the title,” said Canham.
“After university, I plan on
playing volleyball professionally
in Europe somewhere.”
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