Sometimes, sports require a greater sacrifice than just training. Moving out of your home country to start playing in a different one becomes the toughest challenge. Under these new circumstances, it is the perfect opportunity to explore beyond, gain some benefits, and learn from new challenges.

An athlete on the men's volleyball team, Josh Watson, shares how he lived this whole process when he moved from New Zealand to  Canada in 2021: " I was playing back at home when I was in Uni, and I got offered a spot to play in Grand Prairie because the coach was originally from New Zealand, after my first year there i moved here to NAIT and i have beeen here ever since."

After being introduced to the sport by his best friend's brother, he instantly fell in love with it. The idea that the team celebrates every point they score, and he can share his time with a "brotherhood," is what he considers more meaningful and invaluable.

It can be intimidating when you are unfamiliar with the culture of the sport, but once you settle into a routine and adapt to it, the transition will become smooth.

When taking such a huge decision, it entails obstacles. Josh expresses that one of the biggest obstacles that he faced while making this decision was not being able to see his family and close ones, but at the same time, that is also part of the reason why he chose Grand Prairie; with the coach also being from New Zealand, he felt part of "home" near him. The weather was another aspect he was not expecting to be so drastic." Back home, we might get minus five on a really cold day, but otherwise it will be zero degrees plus. I'm not used to minus 30 or 40 degrees."

After gaining experience at Northwestern Polytechnic, moving to Edmonton was a less complex decision, with NAIT having such an impressive athletic program.

Challenges were not limited to being out of the court. Communication was a working aspect with the team at the beginning because of the difference between Canadians and New Zealanders. "New Zealanders are very straightforward; we are nice, but we are quite blunt, so I had to change my approach and tone when talking to others here."

Being used to training twice and playing once a week, his routine was drastically changed to four to five times a week and playing two games a week, while travelling on game days was much more difficult than expected. At the same time, Josh recognizes that the change was what impelled him to advance more in volleyball.

His family's support and advice on the decision were an immense source of motivation, and knowing two other New Zealanders in Canada gave him the impetus to overcome his doubts. After living this experience, Josh learnt that he likes to get out of his comfort zone, travel, and meet new people. It made him grow as a person and as a volleyball player, setting his mind to playing some pro volleyball over in Europe in the future.