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Barrie Elites volleyball alum Kyla Paavola signs with the Georgian Grizzlies
(Credit: Laurie Paavola)

Barrie Elites volleyball alum Kyla Paavola signs with the Georgian Grizzlies

BARRIE, Ontario — A former Barrie Elites volleyball player has taken her game to the collegiate level.

Libero Kyla Paavola has signed on with the Georgian Grizzlies women’s volleyball team. She said the chance to represent her community is something she is really looking forward to.

“It makes me feel really proud and honoured to be part of such an amazing team made up of some great women and coaches,” Paavola said. “It’s such a good feeling to know that all my hard work has paid off.”

Paavola began her career with the Elites in 2017, spending four years with the club.

Her final season with the Elites ended shortly, due to COVID-19, after she and the team returned from playing some games in Cuba in January 2020.  Paavola rejoined the Elites for a short period in the fall of that year, but the team was only allowed to practice, as there were no games played league wide.

Despite the challenges of 2020, Paavola looks back at her time with the Elites as a great period of her life especially being fairly new to the sport when she joined in 2017.

“I had a great experience with my coaches and definitely progressed a lot more than I ever thought I would,” Paavola said. “Progress isn’t linear, and I feel a lot of my coaches taught me that. That definitely made me into the player I am today. I’m very thankful for playing with that club.”

Paavola said she played with a lot of great teammates and formed a long list of relationships.

“I made a lot of great friends and have a lot of great memories with all the girls while I was playing,” Paavola said. “I’m very much a team player and in volleyball teamwork is very essential. Our [relationships] allowed us to set high goals as a team which was really fulfilling when we would win.”

Paavola credits a lot of her self-growth to her time spent playing with the Elites, saying she was a much different person when she left the program from when she started.

“When I first started, I found I was really timid and very nervous,” Paavola said. “Now, I’m a lot more of a confident player who is able to communicate and knows my position on the court.”

Paavola is enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) collaborative program.

Currently in her first semester, she was able to practice with the team for the past couple of months before signing with the Grizzlies at the end of September. She said she is definitely noticing a higher level of play than what she is used to but is enjoying the challenge.

“College ball is a lot more of a quicker pace, a lot more technical and your positioning on the court is more important,” Paavola said. “You’re making sure you’re watching the plays and reading them before you execute them. The nerves are there, but I think I am just more excited to be part of this team.”

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) women’s volleyball season begins in January.

The Grizzlies play their first game of the season on the road against the Centennial Colts on Jan. 7.

This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.