Saying Goodbye To Our Lancers

If you asked Adam Strickland last year whether he would continue playing as aLancer, he would have probably said no. But an eagerness to study one more program changed all that. 

“It was a last minute decision to come back and play.I was always interested in the PR program here at Loyalist and I was not satisfied with how volleyball ended last year, so I came back,” Strickland says.

Now,he is currently ranked third in kills among the entire provincial league and is contending for a playoff spot with his team.

“We had so many close five-set matches, that sometimes we’d lose by two points.Those are tough losses, but at the end of the day, even though you lose, you just have so much fun on the court playing the sport I love with guys I’ve gotten to know so well over the season.”

Athletes playing in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Associations have a five-year eligibility and Strickland is currently on his fourth year.

He has one year left but this will be his last year playing for the Loyalist Lancers.

Josh Roberts, co-captain of Strickland says that his teammate was a good role model for all the young guys in the team.

“We’re definitely going to miss him not only on a playing perspective but also just as a friend and teammate where he kept a very positive atmosphere on the court,” Roberts says.

Strickland says that he wants his Lancers legacy not to be known as the most athletic guy on the court or the most skillful but rather the person who kept a smile on everybody’s face.

“I want to be known as the guy who kept a smile on everybody’s face and brought everyone together through the hard times on and off the court. Also, I’ve have developed good relationships with Amy Hoskin and Jim Buck. I consider them to be good friends of mine and I talk to them twice a week.”

“Adam has been a solid guy for us for the last few years. He’s by far having his best year yet. We’ll miss him,” says Hoskin, who is athletics co-ordinator for theLancers.

Strickland was also one of the 25 Lancers awarded by Loyalist earlier this semester for their academic achievements. He says that it’s tough being a student athlete.

“It’s tough especially when you have late night practices and then you have to wake up in the morning for classes. But you got to do what you got to do. I wouldn’t be able to play volleyball if I didn’t keep up with my academics,” Strickland says.

“I want for my teammates to keep doing what they are doing. Continue to develop their relationships and bring those relationships and that energy and the court. Focus in and try to get the job done,” Strickland says. 

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