Ava Dubois-Wood

• Loyal
• Honest
• Empathic
• Courageous
• Determined

I enjoy being that teammate that my team feels comfortable talking to about anything (whether it would be inside or outside of volleyball). I love helping in any way I can. I strive to better myself and the people around me. I have always appreciated any new input or opinions to grow in every aspect of my life. I prioritize communication and understand that even at times if it feels uncomfortable to speak on something, It should be discussed. I continue to enjoy going into new environments and meeting new people, and always focus on having a positive attitude and never judge a book by its cover.

Since I can remember I have always found a love for sports. I have always felt so proud and put together if I knew I had a practice or game that day. My first goal I had ever set for myself and fully strive for it was receiving Athlete of the Year award in Grade 8. I had stepped out of my comfort zone and tried out for teams I was not the strongest in but knew I could grow. I had tried out for the volleyball team even though I had never played or was more in favour of basketball. I became a starting middle for the team and our team placed second for our tournament. I had felt a lot of doubt and second thoughts about doing it since I made the decision to try out for the team, mostly out of fear of not making the team or embarrassing myself. After being cut from the team in Grade 7, I felt worried for my 8th grade volleyball tryouts, but I still came with a vengeance with being armed with one goal; Female Athlete of the year come graduation! After I made the team I fell immediately in love and fell head over heels. I continued to ask my mom over and over again that I had to play on an OVA team. I have to play on an OVA team!
I just don’t want to stop playing, ever! Even though after the volleyball season was over and I continued to play many other sports (soccer, baseball, track and field), nothing compared to my vigor and irrefutable need to play volleyball. At the end of it all, for my grade 8 graduation I was announced Female Athlete of the Year in 2019 at my elementary school (St. Nicholas). Nothing made me happier than achieving that goal I had worked so hard for, so I continued to strive on making more goals for myself to only add it into my day to day life right now.

However, after I discovered anything and everything volleyball I suffered a lot of anxiety and depression along with trifecta of unimaginable losses; I had lost my grandmother, who was as well as the breakdown of both my maternal & paternal nuclear families (and their respective homes). I had persevered through loss but also with moving and maintaining excellent grades. My family had suffered a lot of disagreements leading to a lot of splits in the family, along with lots of moving households. I continued to push through even though I had felt very alone and overwhelmed. Through it all I had still reached my first goal of female athlete and noticed my goals kept aiming higher.

By Grade 9, I had set out to have both the grades and athleticism to move towards her goal; Playing volleyball as long as I can-takin it to university & beyond to one day become a teacher and subsequently a coach. I got through her first set of tryouts and secured herself a position on her first OVA with the Black (A) Barrie Elites Team in 15U. I was able to grow as an athlete and improve day by day. Fast forward to 2020. My resilience would once again be tested, not simply at the chaos of the pandemic but the tragic loss of my uncle on my maternal family, just at the beginning of the pandemic in April. Even though I had stopped for a little while training for volleyball once I had heard the news, I would soon get back on my feet a couple of weeks later and spend hours and hours until it was dark practicing. I continued to practice my hitting to the point where I wore out the grass in the backyard into a perfect demonstration of my exact footwork. Even through all the doubts and confusion, I was still set on my goal to continue to grow and play volleyball.

Coming up to the summer of 2020, I was able to challenge myself yet again by signing myself up for a beach volleyball camp in order to get noticed by a new team I had hoped to get on, the Pioneer Flames. They were a newer team in my area but had major success in their first 2 years. I had noticed them at one of my tournaments when I was with Elites, and fell in love with their passion and drive. I had decided to train as much as I can and communicate with the coach the best way I could to get noticed. After 2 months of playing beach volleyball with Jeff Cryderman (the coach of the Flames) I was offered to come to one of their practices to see if they were interested in keeping me. One thing led to another, I received an offer to be a part of their team in U16. This had helped my confidence immensely knowing I had made a new team through the first stage of COVID, which almost felt impossible to do.

Outside of sports my interests mostly include improving my skills for volleyball but to also tune in with myself mentally. I have always loved ways to better my mental health whether that would be painting, writing, or simply just meditation. All of those allow me to feel what I am feeling in the moment and better my mental strength in and outside of the court. Growing up, I have struggled a lot mentally and had gone through many difficult challenges, but I pushed myself through knowing I had a dream with volleyball. I believe as long as I show up and just do the best I can do and not focus on being better than the whole world, then I am on the right track.

My role models mostly include Kobe Bryant and Victoria Garrick. Growing up, my dad and I had a close bond over basketball, especially with watching the NBA. I have always heard so many incredible stories about who Kobe Bryant was and all the accomplishments he had done. But I focused more on how he got to wear it behind the scenes. I appreciated how he was always the first and last person to leave the gym and how he valued his time and efforts into the sport he loved most. It inspired me to hear every story about him but more importantly how he never gave up. I myself have had my own struggles and felt like my dreams could not be a reality, but that was far from the truth. Once I had taken the time to really understand the type of person Kobe was and the message he had been constantly sharing about just showing up everyday and understanding you have to try with everything. I had noticed an immense amount of change in my playing.

Victoria Garrick is a former D1 and semi-pro volleyball player who continues to spread awareness on body positivity and mental health awareness. As an athlete I had always felt this stress and worry about my image, as I believed due to me being a volleyball player I had to look a certain way or else it defines what player I am. I was always so worried about my image and speaking up about mental health, but once I was introduced to her after watching one of the Stanford volleyball games against USC, I was moved. I continued to spread awareness myself by openly talking about how athletes are all different when it comes down to their image; but it does not define who they are or how strong they are. Once I had taken the time to appreciate what Victoria was trying to spread awareness about, I thought she was by far one of the strongest athletes I’ve known.

I’ve always loved remaining athletic throughout elementary school and still today in high school. I would always be involved in as many sports as possible such as soccer and basketball. I felt it was important to me as it was always an outlet for me to let go of any tension I had been feeling, along with remaining active. I believe it boosted my confidence knowing that I was fortunate enough to be able to move around and socialize with others. I continue to love and enjoy trying new things especially with athletics. Even if it is a sport I have never played, I still want to try it. I am similar in that way with volleyball and I do not mind at all trying new and different positions as I can only grow from them.

Outside of sports my interests mostly include improving my skills for volleyball but to also tune in with myself mentally. I have always loved ways to better my mental health whether that would be painting, writing, or simply just meditation. All of those allow me to feel what I am feeling in the moment and better my mental strength in and outside of the court. Growing up, I have struggled a lot mentally and had gone through many difficult challenges, but I pushed myself through knowing I had a dream with volleyball. I believe as long as I show up and just do the best I can do and not focus on being better than the whole world, then I am on the right track.

Another interest I have outside my sport is interior designing. My mom and I have moved a lot since I’ve been growing up, so I have found a love in doing any organization and cleaning to make the house look as beautiful as possible. I love to decorate for any of the holidays but also all year around as my house typically could use it due to my 3 brothers.

The program I would like to attend is for Psychology (Bachelor of Arts degree), to help with me becoming a High School Teacher.

I envision my school life in college/university to be as memorable as It can be. I believe that the idea of waking up and going to school to further educate myself and bring me closer to my dreams of being a teacher, is so rewarding and a dream come true. I would appreciate every day this opportunity I have been given and how fortunate I am. Even if times get difficult with the change of high school to University, I believe I will continue to strive for my goals and communicate in the best way possible to better my work.