Alex Krykewich is a third year Kinesiology Student at the University of Winnipeg. He has been a setter for the Wesmen Men’s Volleyball Team for the past two seasons, competing in the Canada West Conference of USPORTS.
The Beginning
I got into volleyball quite young because my dad coached the volleyball team at the high school he worked at. I would be at his practices when I was five or six just hitting the ball around. I officially got into volleyball in grade seven and eight playing for the Dakota Lancers club team. I was fortunate enough to be able to continue playing throughout high school and be given the opportunity to play on a USPORTS Volleyball team. This would not have been possible without the support of my dad and some of the coaches I had along the way.
High School
Playing for the Dakota club team I had a couple of good coaches in Phil and Ryan Hudson, they got me into the sport and saw the potential I had. I built a great relationship with them and when it came time to go to high school, they encouraged me to transfer to Dakota Collegiate. At Dakota we had a good team every year and came away with a provincial tittle in grade 11 and repeated in grade 12. We had a group of very talented players that were fun to play with and made high school volleyball a great experience. I still play with some of them today on the Wesmen and a few others are on other USPORTS teams.
I would say I saw my biggest improvement in skill in grade 11 with Phil as my coach. He has an excellent ability to spot talent and know how best to coach it. That year he really pushed me to be the best I could be and taught me the finer details of setting. What I learned that year helped to set me apart from other players and led to me being awarded provincial player of the year in grade 12. Phil is now the women’s coach for the Wesmen and I will bump into him every once in a while and we talk about when he coached me.
“I found [High School] so much more fun, you get to play with your friends and there is so much less politics in it.”
Alex talking about playing high school volleyball
I played for various club teams throughout high school because playing club is almost a prerequisite for playing university volleyball, but I never felt as close with my teammates as I did at Dakota.
University Connections
I built a relationship with Larry McKay, the Men’s Volleyball coach for the Wesmen, he was a good family friend, and I would talk to him at tournaments we attended. When it came time to go to university I never really looked out of province, I was set on playing for the U of W. Part of that desire to play for the U of W came from my dad, Mike Krykewich. He had been the coach of the Wesmen Baseball team. While he was coaching, I would spend time hanging around the athletic facilities at the U of W. The time I spent at the U of W growing up even helped me when I got on campus for the first time.
“My first day of school when we were in person, I was shocked, I knew where I was going. I haven’t been on a tour of this school ever, but I know exactly where I am going.”
Alex on his familiarity with the University of Winnipeg Campus
My Inspiration
My dad was always a major factor in my life. I lost my mother at a young age, so he had to take on additional responsibilities and was essentially doing the job of two parents while teaching full time and coaching both high school volleyball and university baseball on the side. Sometimes he would put in 13- or 14-hour days and he would still have stuff ready for me at home. Seeing all the work he did and still having time to make sure everything was done at home was inspiring to me. I thought that I had a lot on my plate, and I would look at him and realize there is so much more that I could me doing. I don’t think that I would be where I am today if it weren’t for the dedication my dad put into raising me and being a great role model to look up to.
“It blows my mind; I don’t know how he managed to do it.”
Alex talking about all the things his dad did when he was growing up
For the Team
This season has been a little up and down for our team. Larry took some time off at the start of the year, so we had an interim coach come in for the fall semester. I think our team handled the situation quite well, we performed well in the fall getting six wins. We struggled coming out of the gate this winter going on a long losing streak that saw our team change the system we used. We were able to sweep our rivalry with the University of Manitoba and get back in the right direction. My role currently is coming off the bench, which no athlete really wants, but I am focused on us trying to make the playoffs and I will do whatever is asked of me to make that happen.
“I’m completely satisfied cheering all game.”
Alex discussing his current role on the team
Throughout my life I have learned that you can’t take anything for granted, it you want to do well at something you have to put in hard work and persevere through the challenges that life throws at you.
SPAD Players Tribune 