Elphinstone grad Michelle Jakszuk has her sights set on preparing for exams and completing her degree after her last games with the UBC Okanagan women’s volleyball squad.
This year the Heat made it to the U-Sports National Tournament for the second time in the past three seasons, and Jakszuk knew heading into the tournament earlier this month that at some point she’d be playing her final varsity game.
“There was no time to be sad about my final games because I knew I had to perform when the time came around. I wasn’t really thinking about the sad part of it too much until it was all over,” she told Coast Reporter in an interview after returning to UBCO’s Kelowna campus from the tournament in Laval, Que.
“It was pretty surreal… When I first came here, five years felt like such a long time. To have it all finish so quickly wasn’t what I expected. In that moment, I couldn’t fathom it all.”
Jakszuk has gone from rookie to an acknowledged team leader in her five years at UBCO.
“Through the years, with the help of the older players on the team and the coaches, you learn what you’re good at and how you can bring new things to the team,” she said. “I learned the most this year, out of all of my years, because I was the oldest and a lot of things were in my hands to control. And I think given the pressure and the times I had to make choices, I made the right choice and went for what was best for the team.”
The Heat faced some tough competition at the Nationals, suffering losses against Ryerson in the quarterfinals and the host University of Laval in the consolation round.
Jakszuk was named player of the game in the loss to Ryerson, where UBCO pushed the undefeated Rams to five sets and Jakszuk finished with 16 kills, a solo block and an assist.
The end of her final season at UBCO won’t necessarily mean an end to her volleyball career. Jakszuk plans to try out for the Canadian national team, a decision she made only recently after being named a conference all star.
“It made me realize it would be a shame if I didn’t try to try out,” she said. “All that hard work and travelling to Vancouver for practices and missing school wouldn’t all fully be worth it if I didn’t at least give it a shot.”
Jakszuk is one of several Sunshine Coast high school players who’ve gone on to successful varsity runs and beyond. She credits that success in large part to the quality of coaching by the likes of former national team players Jan Richey and John Brisebois, and also the unique environment of living and competing in a small community.
“I feel like some players in bigger cities don’t have coaches who push them to do the best they can because there’s just so many players and so many variables that go into it. But coming from a small town, it’s kind of do-or-die,” Jakszuk said.
“You have a lot more obstacles and the success you get from being pushed is a lot greater.”
Jakszuk has been working toward a degree in human geography and hopes to pursue a career in urban planning. She said competing as a varsity athlete has taught her several skills that will translate to work life, but one stands out.
“It helped a lot with time management… Being a student athlete you have to balance school, practices, everything. You get very good a prioritizing what you need to get done,” she said.
Her advice to the other young players working their way up through the high school ranks on the Coast: “The best way to be great at what you do is to be outside your comfort zone… That’s when you get better and that’s when you grow.”
