Barrhead may be a small town, but when it comes to volleyball talent, the Barrhead region area punches above its weight class.
And it looks like Alberta colleges and universities are beginning to take note. In recent years a number of Barrhead area residents successfully made the jump from high school and club volleyball to university/college and national team level.
In the spring the Barrhead Leader published a story about Cameron Gelderman, a Barrhead-Neerlandia resident who went on to break the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) record in digs with 337 (the old mark was 247). In September we brought you the story of Heidi Peters, another Barrhead player, who has qualified as a member of the Canadian Women’s National Sitting Volleyball team to go to the 2016 Summer Parlympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Now you can add Max Vriend to the list of Barrhead residents who are making a name for themselves in volleyball on the larger stage.
Vriend is in his rookie year playing for the MacEwan Griffins Volleyball team as a middle blocker, where he has started the majority of the team’s games.
Something of a rarity when it comes to university sports.
He first came to the attention of the Griffin’s head coach Brad Polawski two years ago when Vriend, who just completed Grade 11 at Barrhead Composite High School, was trying out to make Alberta’s U17 (17-years-old and under) team.
At the time Polawski was one of Team Alberta’s assistant coaches.
“He coached me during one of the sessions and I think he got a good sense of not only what I could do, but who I was as a person,” he said.
Unfortunately, Vriend didn’t make the U17 team, however Polawski contacted him later in the summer asking him if he would consider joining him at MacEwan University.
Polawski’s offer was just one of the offers Vriend received that summer. He also received formal offers from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. and the University of Waterloo, in Ontario. He also received a few informal offers from other schools, which were trying to gauge his interest.
“One of the reasons why I picked MacEwan over the other schools is that I really liked how the coach approaches the game,” Vriend said. “He came across to me as a coach and an individual I could really work with and he is a guy who really works hard and really cares about what he does.”
Another reason why Vriend chose MacEwan over the other schools courting him was because of the school’s reputation for having a good commerce program.
“I was looking into business as a possible career,” he said, adding he has always been a good student. “Coming out of high school I thought it would be a good fit for me and an education in business can open a lot of opportunities.”
When asked about what drew him to volleyball in the first place, he isn’t entirely sure, but said he believes growing up surrounded by the sport, probably played a roll.
“Volleyball is big in my family. My sister played volleyball in junior and I grew up watching my cousins play,” Vriend said, adding his cousin, Dennis Wierrenga, played for BCHS before moving on to the Red Deer College Kings.
He said the fact he also went to Neerlandia Public Christian School from Kindergarten to Grade 9, probably influenced his choice of sports. The school is known for its volleyball program, as is BCHS.
When asked about how he is enjoying his first year as both a student and an athlete at MacEwan University, Vriend said so far he is enjoying his time, although he admits at times his schedule can be quite hectic.
The Griffins practice every afternoon throughout the week. The weekend is usually reserved for games, which can mean travelling as far as Quebec or the Maritimes, depending on whether it is a regular season or playoff matchup.
On game days, Vriend says the team usually practices for an hour in the morning for an afternoon game.
When Vriend isn’t at practice he is busy attending class. Most days he starts his classes about 9:30 a.m. and goes to about 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Of course, he said that doesn’t include the time spent preparing for class, studying, or working on course projects.
“Sometimes it can be difficult fitting everything in, but so far in my first year, I haven’t had too much problem scheduling my classes to fit in with my practice and game schedule,” he said, adding in subsequent years it may prove to be a challenge.
As for what his athletic future will bring, Vriend said he wants to continue playing for the Griffins as long as he attends MacEwan University.
In addition to his university career, Vriend has aspirations of making a national team.
“I would really like to make the Junior National Team one day,” he said. “I know it won’t come easy and I will have to push myself to get there, but that is definitely one of my goals and I think it is achievable.”
To help him improve his volleyball skills, in the college off season, Vriend will join a team being headed by former U17 Alberta team assistant coach and current Lethbridge University assistant coach, Ken McLaughlin, as part of a team that will be competing in a prestigious open volleyball tournament in Orlando, Florida at the end of May.
“I will be going down as player and my brother Eric will be one of the assistant coaches,” he said, adding he is confident the experience will improve his abilities as a volleyball player.
Vriend also wanted to credit his family for helping him achieve what he has on and off the court.
“My brother Eric is my biggest fan and supporter,” he said, adding his entire family has always been supportive. “And not in a pressure type of way. I know whenever I hit a bit of a setback, like when I didn’t make the Alberta Winter games team, my dad and my family would say just keep working, it will come.”
