Dakin grateful for Bobcat experience

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/11/2020 (1743 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Victoria Dakin couldn’t help but reflect on how much her five years in Brandon means to her life today when Kallie Ball called with news of an offer to join the Bobcats.

As a Dinos Volleyball Club coach with players on the cusp of joining post-secondary programs, Dakin knows how important her voice is in the futures of her players.

“I really stress with them that it’s more than just volleyball. Volleyball is what gets you to university but you’re getting an education with it. You are getting to travel and live in a different place, you’re getting to meet new people in a new community,” Dakin told the Sun via phone interview.

“There’s so much more that goes along with it and I try to put that perspective on it because I think in their moment of looking at these places and options, all they’re looking at is volleyball.”

When Dakin joined the Bobcats in 2010, she had no idea it would lead to five years in the Wheat City or two professional seasons overseas. What she found was that smaller class sizes and better connections with professors and classmates were massive for student-athletes who regularly miss classes to travel.

While classes were important, Dakin believes her learning and growth from simply living away from home plays a key role in her work as an English teacher now.

“When I went to Brandon I was 100 per cent inside my shell. I didn’t like change. But moving there forced me to be on my own, away from my family, make my own decisions, grow as a person and figure out who I was,” Dakin said.

“That has completely changed my life coming back here.”

Dakin left Brandon second in career aces as a Bobcat with 99, also sitting third in kills at 804 and fourth with 696 digs. She spent the 2016-17 season playing professionally in Slovenia, then made her way to Sweden in 2018-19.

She recommends chasing a pro deal to anyone.

“It’s exciting at first. You really have no idea what you’re getting into until you get there,” Dakin said.

“You’re experiencing things on your own, figuring out things on your own but at the same time you’re getting paid to play a sport that you love and experiencing the culture and travel. It’s a blast and if anybody can do it I’d say go for it.”

Dakin admits her advice to athletes comes across like “do as I say, not as I did,” as she stresses that volleyball isn’t the only thing to focus on. But because of the way she approached her decision to move to the Wheat City and focus on her education, it was able to become so much more than a game.

“(Volleyball) has been and still continues to be everything for me. It got me my university career, got me my university education, allowed me to travel and play. My closest friendships in Manitoba and Alberta come from volleyball,” Dakin said.

“The perspective I take on it when I’m talking to athletes because it’s so important to see beyond that and you don’t until later is that it’s not everything. But in my experience, the things it has given me, I would describe it as everything.

“… I will always say moving to Brandon and choosing to go there was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life so far.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @thomasmfriesen