It must be something in the water.
In recent weeks the Barrhead Leader has featured a number of athletes who have risen to prominence on a larger stage.
Whether it be the Steelers and the Pirates hockey teams, or the Barrhead Composite High School Boys Gryphons team, who qualified for the provincial championships, to Melissa Lotholz, Canadian National Bobsleigher or professional hockey player Allan Measures who went on to compete internationally.
One of the latest Barrhead athletes to shine on a larger stage is volleyball player Cameron Gelderman.
Gelderman, who grew up in Neerlandia and graduated from Barrhead Composite High School in 2012, is currently attending King’s University in Edmonton studying to get his Bachelor of Commerce degree specializing in Human Resources and Management.
At the same time he has been working towards his degree, he has also been playing with the school’s Eagles Volleyball team where he has earned a reputation of being a strong defensive player.
This year Gelderman led the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) in digs with 337 (the old mark was 247). He also holds the league’s all time record of 713.
A dig is a defensive technique in volleyball where a player stops the ball from hitting the floor on your side of the court after it is spiked or served.
Eagles head coach Phil Dixon said the fact that Gelderman was able to accomplish both in such a short period of time is amazing.
“Cameron is a fierce competitor. To be able to smash the single season digs record in 24 games and hold the all-time record after just three seasons is a testament to the type of player he is,” he said, adding the previous all-time dig record holder took five seasons to accumulate a similar number of digs.
Besides being the all-time dig leader, Dixon credits, Gelderman’s play as a reason why the team was able to return to the provincial championships after a one year absence.
“Cameron was definitely our team MVP this year and even though he has achieved a number of personal accolades he is the consummate team player,” Dixon said.
As for Gelderman, he credits a lot of his success to growing up in Barrhead.
“I started playing volleyball seriously when I was in junior high school and I was lucky to be on some strong teams and get very good coaching early on,” he said.
However, he said if it hadn’t been for his older brothers he might not even played volleyball.
“Both of my older brothers were very good volleyball players and I just followed their examples,” Gelderman said, adding that if it hadn’t been for his older brother William he might not have decided to attend King’s University.
Although Gelderman received a partial scholarship to play volleyball, he said the real reason he chose to attend King’s University is to play with his brother.
William Gelderman is a strong volleyball player in his own right. He played three seasons for the Eagles and in 2013 he was named to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian team.
“I really wanted to play with William before he ended his college career. My first year on the team was William’s last,” Gelderman said, adding that his older brother retired as an active player to concentrate on his studies. Although he said his brother still keeps his hand in volleyball, helping coach the Eagles periodically.
Gelderman is also quick to acknowledge how much his teammates have contributed to his development as a player.
“I have had some amazing teammates right from the start,” he said. “Making the transition from high school to starting in my first year was difficult, but with their help they made me a better player. I can’t get a lot of digs if my teammates aren’t playing and blocking well.”
However, Gelderman says the thing he credits the most for his success both on the volleyball court and in life is his faith.
“All my skills and talents that I am blessed with come from God.”
