Some times a person ends up in a place where he didn’t see himself going and he realizes it was exactly what he was looking for in the first place.
That appears to be the case for Corner Brook volleyball player Nick Taylor.
Taylor was a standout on the provincial high school volleyball scene before graduating from Corner Brook High.
He had hoped to continue playing volleyball at the competitive level when he pursued post-secondary studies so he thought the best fit for him would be the Memorial Sea-Hawks.
Life with the Sea-Hawks didn’t fly, however, as the varsity men’s volleyball program got the axe before the season could even get underway and Taylor was left in limbo.
But, he had considered Trent University of the Ontario University Association (OAU) when looking at his options so he reached out to the coaching staff and ended up getting an invite to join the team. He jumped at the opportunity.
He’s already played in a few exhibition games with Trent and likes his new teammates. He’s excited about the season opener against Royal Military College in Kingston on Oct. 27 on home court.
He’s really enjoying being immersed in a program that sees him hit the gym six times a week while trying to adjust to the transition of taking on an academic schedule that is tougher than what’s thrown at somebody in high school.
“The experience has definitely been great. I like it up here,” Taylor said Tuesday.
He’s liking the chemistry within the group and really appreciates how everybody has been so welcoming to him since he joined the team.
“I enjoy going to practice. I get to see the guys six out of seven times a week and they’re like family now,” he said. “They welcomed me in right away, like I’ve been there all along, so that felt really good and I enjoyed that, and we continue to get closer as a team as we practice more and the season goes on.”
The 18-year-old, who is an agile six-foot-three, is busy at the books this week with two mid-terms on the agenda, but next week he has a break from classes because it’s Reading Week and it will be all business on the hardwood as the team will be training throughout the break to prepare for the season opener.
He’s a long ways away from the comforts of home, but he’s settling in nicely so he has no regrets about heading to Trent to continue playing a game that brings out the passion in him every time he hits the floor.
“It was kind of a different decision than I was looking to do, but I’m really glad that I decided to come up here and continue playing ball,” he said.
