Wheelan Staying Connected
If it’s not on the beach, it’s on the court.
And when Cam Wheelan isn’t playing volleyball?
“My social network is pretty much all volleyball,” the 20-year-old Barrie native said.
When Wheelan’s not starring with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s volleyball team — he’s been collecting Ontario University Athletics accolades for two seasons with the Waterloo university — he’s hanging out with his roommates, who play for the women’s varsity team.
“Volleyball’s a pretty social sport,” said Wheelan, who was named most valuable player multiple seasons at his former high school, Barrie North Collegiate. “It’s helped me make friends.”
His volleyball buddies aren’t just in Waterloo. They’re all over the place. Three years with the provincial indoor team and two years with Ontario’s top sand players will expand that inner circle quickly.
“I’ve made a lot of friends across the province,” the six-foot-six, 190-pound right side said. “Hopefully, with this national team, I can meet some new friends and keep some connections.”
It’s all about the connections for Wheelan these days. After all, he made Volleyball Canada’s national beach volleyball team as an alternate earlier this year, and the organization didn’t forget about Wheelan earlier this month.
“Two players who were originally on the team made the FISU (International University Sports Federation) team,” Wheelan said. “So I got bumped up.”
Wheelan was originally planning to try out for the Canada Games provincial indoor team. But when the opportunity to go national presented itself, he decided it was the perfect time for a new challenge. He’d pretty much maximized his experience playing provincially.
“I couldn’t do both (provincial and national),” said Wheelan, who signed a national ‘D’ card, assigned to athletes who are at the development stage. “And with the national team, half your tuition is paid for, and you make $900 a month for four months.”
The former Barrie Elites club player has been living at a University of Toronto residence and training daily with the national beach team all month. Next month, the training intensifies. The young team, made up 10 athletes who are age 24 or younger, is considered to be Canada’s next wave of talent.
The 16-member team trains for three hours, twice a day, throughout July, competing locally on Saturdays and resting on Sundays.
It’s a full-time job that Wheelan has no problem showing up for. ” The past four summers, I haven’t really had much of a summer. It’s always been volleyball,” said Wheelan, who was named Wilfrid Laurier’s rookie of the year two seasons ago and made the OUA first all-star team this past season, while being named his team’s most valuable player.
Wheelan won’t travel abroad to compete this summer. Instead, the emphasis is being put on training. That’s something Wheelan is trying to make the most of, as he knows he’ll have his work cut out for him in the years to come, as he hopes to make the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“All the contacts and reps that you’re getting in (here), it’s all with top players,” Wheelan said. “Every contact, I have to be perfect.”
Ultimately, Wheelan said he’d like to turn his abilities on the beach court into a profession, with the chance to turn pro on the indoor surface being a secondary option.
Ian Shantz, Barrie Examiner
