It’s not easy making a sports team at the university level, let alone staying for five years, but that’s exactly what fifth-year libero Cassidy King has done with the UFV Cascades. Now, the team moves towards Canada West, leaving behind the PACWEST conference. However, they get to close out their run with one of their most respected veteran teammates as she comes to the end of her own journey with the team.
After playing well in high school, a friend’s parent saw potential in King as a solid volleyball player and they helped King finance a season of club play. After playing club for one year, King went on to join the Cascades’ volleyball squad, kicking off her university athletic career.
According to King, the decision to play at the university level wasn’t based on the question of if she had the ability; she did. Instead, it came down to whether or not she wanted to play. The answer was a resounding yes. King couldn’t imagine ending her athletic career anytime soon.
“I think my decision to want to play really came down to [the fact that] I wasn’t done being an athlete,” King said.
Being an athlete has been a positive experience for King, who played softball at a high level for years before her transition to full-time volleyball. When she decided to choose a different sport, the transition allowed King to grow as she realized new things about herself.
“When I let go of that [softball], it was kind of like I lost a little bit of that athlete identity. Just kind of reclaiming it and wanting it back made me pursue and look out to other sports or other opportunities,” King said.
When the chance to play with the Cascades came up, King had a very simple response: “I’m going for it.”
Being a fifth-year means leadership for many athletes in Canada, due to it being the last year available to play. Playing for as long as she has, King definitely picked up new skills along the way, including the art of being a leader on a large team of skilled athletes.
“I think that as I’ve progressed through sports in general, I’ve just been a natural leader. There’s lots of different lenses to leadership, right? So I think my role as a leader has changed,” King said.
“I definitely love the opportunity of being a leader and for people to look up to me and just to kind of share what I’ve learned in any way that the team needs.”
When it comes to motivation, King offers a humble yet passionate response to what drives her as a person and an athlete.
“Connections, and building connections with people. That’s super motivating to me. I’m always looking to network and to build those relationships and to meet new people, as well as build on the old ones. Just being open-minded and letting all those opportunities come does motivate me because it opens up new doors.”
Come watch King and the Cascades in action this weekend as they take on the College of the Rockies for two home games here in Abbotsford, beginning on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
Image: UFV Athletics
