People of Georgian: Varsity volleyball serves up joy for student athlete

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People of Georgian: Meet Chukwuma Okeke

Growing up in Nigeria, you go to school, home and then church. Or, you go to school, home and then go play sports.

Eventually I always did the sports part, but the sport wasn’t volleyball at first, it was soccer.

So that’s what I did there all the time until I got injured.

A person dressed in a grey suit stands outside in front of a black vehicle. — *Chukwuma has played two seasons with Georgian’s varsity men’s volleyball team.*

Volleyball is ‘a thing of joy for me’

While trying to recuperate from the injury, I didn’t want to just do nothing. One day, I saw some people playing volleyball and I thought, “OK, my injury doesn’t stop me from playing this right now.”

I started playing and quickly realized I had a good jump for the sport. Luckily, someone offered to teach me the drills and then I did my first tournament for my school, and ever since then I loved the game. It’s a thing of joy for me.

I had so much fun playing these last two seasons with Georgian’s varsity men’s volleyball team.

Plus, it’s indoors all the time, which is great. Growing up, I didn’t play indoors because you’re outside playing in the sun or the rain sometimes. Indoors, I could play all day.

I wasn’t always a great player. I had to put in my effort to improve, and in doing that I fell in love with the sport even more.

Now, I play at least three times a week. When you have something you’re good at, you tend to do it more often, especially when your team relies on you. I love that feeling of being a part of something.

Chukwuma learns about contributing to a team

Back home, I was a young player and everyone else was older, but here at Georgian, the college team are all young kids and I’m the oldest.

I’m a good role model for them. I hope I have done enough to show them some things.

Recently, I won four awards: Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association All Canadian, Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Scoring Champion, OCAA Men’s Volleyball East Division Player of the Year and an East Division First-Team All-Star.

I’m proud. It makes me realize how much I can contribute to a team, and it makes me just want to get better.

If you’re a student, try to join a sport. Maybe playing volleyball with your friends or trying beach volleyball in the summer, you’re going to have a better quality of life, and it gives you a chance to make a lot of friends.

Two people, one of whom is holding an award, stand next to each other in front of a backdrop reading "Georgian Grizzlies." — *Chukwuma, left, recently won four awards for his work on Georgian’s varsity men’s volleyball team.*

How trying your best can lead to greatness

Whatever you find yourself doing, do your best because you don’t know what’s going to pay off in the future. If I didn’t play volleyball, I might not have met someone who helped me to go to Dubai and then Canada. If I didn’t play volleyball, I wouldn’t be on the Georgian varsity team. If I wasn’t on the team, I wouldn’t get these awards.

Plus, it’s a whole different vibe here in Canada because everyone loves the game but they also look out for each other.

‘Georgian is a nice family to be around’

No one says bad things to other players or tries to intentionally hurt them, which is different from my experience in other countries, where you try to be the best at all costs.

It’s not my first time playing at a high level, but for sure it was the first time to be on a team that actually cares about the players.

Georgian is a nice family to be around.

Chukwuma Okeke, a student in Georgian’s Civil Engineering Technology program and a member of the men’s varsity volleyball team. He recently won four awards: Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association All Canadian, Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Scoring Champion, OCAA Men’s Volleyball East Division Player of the Year and an East Division First-Team All-Star.