I have been an aspiring Olympian since I was 6 years old and sport continues to stoke my life to this day. Coming from athletic parents I have been involved in almost every sport since birth but gravitated towards the swimming pool when I was 5. With a competitive spirit rich in my veins, I set provincial, regional and local records with a few of them still standing strong. Short course freestyle was my forte and I dreamed of representing my country at the Olympics, unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. At 10 my body suddenly rejected the heavy chlorine causing vicious onset exercise induced asthma and with one swipe my Olympic dream was shattered. Forced to exit the pool immediately I had energy, athleticism and a passion for sport I could barely satisfy. Then a special beach volleyball demonstration took place in a local ice rink featuring the top athletes of 1994. This tour was to promote beach volleyball, a new official Olympic event to be featured in Atlanta. Already a beach boy at heart, I was mystified by this entertaining sport with neon colors and outrageous sporting characters; I was hooked. In grade 5 I wrote in a journal that I wanted to play professional beach volleyball and in grade 8 I promised a female friend that I would buy her a hummer truck when I made it pro! Luckily for me Adrianne never held me accountable to that deal, but that was the beginning of my pursuit of Olympic Gold in the sport of Beach Volleyball.

Since beach volleyball isn’t a mainstream sport, I began playing indoors with the beach in the back of my mind. I was a late bloomer and was that skinny kid who had all the shots but it wasn’t until I played and captained at Camosun College and then UBC that I started to mature physically and distinguish myself. With the Olympic torch burning bright in my dreams, I moved to Toronto to play with the top guys at the time and train for the U21 World Championships. The following summer I was invited to play on the world circuit with a top Canadian player and I have never looked back. Seeing I had the talent to win games internationally I pursued my passion and took an opportunity to train with good friend and great athlete Jessi Lelliott in Brazil before the 2007 season. Without a national team program we forged a path and trained with some of the best coaches and athletes in the world. With 3 training camps under my belt in Brazil, I can confidently say that their rigorous physical and skill preparation has greatly contributed to the success of my career and also identified the improvement required for me to attain my goals.

Now as the recently crowned 2010 Canadian men’s champion, I am in the final stages of fine tuning myself to qualify and challenge for a position on top of Olympic podium. I have committed my life to this sport and have been living out of two suitcases for the past four years while playing in over 35 countries. Being able to travel the world playing in sand boxes and on exotic beaches has been the best lifestyle I could have ever dreamed of. My travels have challenged, educated and humbled me and I know choosing to live my passion on a daily basis makes me stronger in my quest for excellence.