Piche sets sights on Olympic play

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Alwyn Piche didn't have much time to recover from his team's loss in a playoff match against Alberta at the 2005 Canada Games in Regina on Aug. 19 before turning his attention to his next game, played five days later and 5,000 miles away.

His skills on the court earned the 18-year-old volleyball player from La Loche a place on the Canadian national team for the Under 19 World Championships held in Algiers, Algeria from Aug. 24 to Sept. 1. The Canadian team faced tough competition at the event and was eliminated in the preliminary round after losses to Italy, India and Poland.

Travelling half-way around the world to play volleyball is a new experience for Piche, a member of the Clearwater River Dene Nation. But when you play school sports in northern Saskatchewan, long travel times come with the territory.

"We had some long trips to play some games back home," he said.

Piche's love affair with volleyball started in Grade 1 when his father taught him how to play the sport. Piche's father was the principal of the school Piche attended, as well as the volleyball coach.

"He would be teaching it and coaching older players, and I would be standing around, and then I would listen to him," said Piche. "And then I would try to do the things he was teaching the other players to do."

By the time he was in Grade 8, Piche was attracting the attention of volleyball coaches and organizers from far and wide. That was the year he was selected to play on his first provincial volleyball team.

"That was when I knew that I might as well work hard in the sport and make a name for myself," he said.

Today, the Grade 12 student is recognized as one of the best amateur athletes in Saskatchewan, and one of the best amateur Aboriginal athletes in Canada. In March of this year, he received two top sports awards. Sask Sport proclaimed him Saskatchewan's Youth Athlete of the Year for 2004. He was also selected as one of Saskatchewan's 2004 Tom Longboat Award recipients, handed out annually by the Aboriginal Sport Circle.

Piche has a simple but strong message for Aboriginal youth hoping to follow in his footsteps-stay strong and stay positive.

"I want Aboriginal athletes to be a success, in sports and in academics," he said. "Never give up, follow your dreams and dreams can come true."

Piche plans to attend the University of Saskatchewan and hopes to be a member of the Canadian men's volleyball team during an upcoming Olympics, either in Beijing in 2008 or in London in 2012.