Nunavut volleyball players excited, and nervous, to start Summer Games

Two days after touching down in St. John’s, N.L., the Nunavut men’s and women’s volleyball teams got their first turns on the court Tuesday at the Canada Summer Games.

“I love it [here]. Everybody is so kind here,” Piita Arreak, 17, of Iqaluit, a member of the men’s team, said in an interview. “The participants are awesome.”

Since graduating high school, Arreak said he’s spent much of his time with his grandfather out on the land or with friends boating. He hasn’t decided what to do next, but is considering working in outfitting with his grandfather.

Gianna Kaludjak, 17, from Rankin Inlet and still in high school, said it’s been a good experience for her as well.

“I’m enjoying it a lot. Meeting new people,” said Kaludjak, who plays for the women’s volleyball team.

Kortni McKay of Team Nunavut spikes the ball during a training session on Monday in preparation for the women’s indoor volleyball team’s women’s first match at the Canada Summer Games. (Photo courtesy of Team Nunavut)

This is both players’ first exposure to the Canada Summer Games, which brings together the best young amateur athletes from across the country.

Both players said they were excited for the first games Tuesday morning.

“I wasn’t really that nervous. I was just very excited to play,” Arreak said. “I couldn’t wait.”

Same for Kaludjak: “I was starting to feel nervous when we were warming up and excited mostly. There was a lot of people [watching], surprisingly.”

Facing the Prince Edward Island squad, the Nunavut men started strong but lost the first set 25-19. In the second set, Nunavut took an early lead and at one point the teams were tied 12-12.

It was a nailbiter, with Nunavut snapping at P.E.I.’s heels and rarely trailing by more than two points before they ultimately lost 25-23.

Team Nunavut couldn’t regain its momentum, losing the third set 25-15 and losing the game in straight sets 3-0

The Nunavut women’s volleyball team, meanwhile, faced the home team of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Like the men’s squad, they kept it close but were unable to come out on top, losing in straight sets 25-14, 25-17 and 25-21.

While both teams didn’t win their games on the court, the two players said other than winning they were focused on having fun and meeting new people.

Despite the losses, men’s volleyball team assistant coach Ian McDonald said the Summer Games experience is about having fun, meeting people from other places and in his case, reconnecting with old friends.

This is his ninth Canada Summer Games and fourth as a coach. The reason he coaches, he said, is because he wants to give back.

“I started playing sports when I was four years old,” McDonald said. “Seeing people taking time out of their day to coach little kids like me when I was a kid up until my adulthood — pretty much, I just wanted to give back once I was done as a youth athlete.”

On Wednesday, the Nunavut women’s volleyball team faces the Northwest Territories at 7:30 a.m. ET, then Prince Edward Island at 5:30 p.m. ET.

The men will battle the Northwest Territories at 10 a.m. ET, then play again at 5:30 p.m. ET p.m. against Nova Scotia.

Also Wednesday, Nunavut’s wrestling team will see its first action.

All competitions can be watched live online on the Canada Summer Games website.