School celebrates ‘Justin Duff Day’

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This article was published 12/05/2017 (3310 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Justin Duff returned Friday to the gymnasium where he first learned to bump a volleyball.

His skills pay the bills now, but back then the kid from The Maples wasn’t exactly a natural on the hardwood floor at O.V. Jewitt Community School.

“It wasn’t love at first sight,” Duff recalled, referring to volleyball. “We would do one month of volleyball in gym class and we were just trying to keep the ball going and make three contacts. That was kind of the end goal. I wasn’t very good.

“I liked to play sports. I played everything I could, like hockey and baseball, and volleyball was just another one to try out.”

Fast forward about 18 years and see just how far Duff has come. He’s been on the national men’s volleyball team for the better part of a decade and was front and centre as Team Canada participated at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

As he walked into the gym of the old alma mater, it was clear the 6-7, 212-pound Winnipegger had, indeed, been bumped up to celebrity status. Cheerleaders led him in, while kids waved Canadian flags wildly and chanted his name.

Heck, they named the day after him.

The 29-year-old former University of Winnipeg Wesmen star admitted he was moved by “Justin Duff Day” and the show of support from students and teachers, many of whom taught him at the kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school on Neville Street from 1993 to 2002.

“It’s a very special place,” he said. “I’ve come back a couple of times. Everything’s so small. When you’re a kid, everything looks so big. You forget you were ever that age. It nice to see some of the same teachers again.”

Duff spoke at a pair of afternoon assemblies, while former teachers and friends also reminisced about time spent with the Olympian.

“It wasn’t so long ago that I was sitting there in the gym in the same situation listening to some guy go on about himself,” Duff said.

“I hope what I say is relevant. I want them to know it’s OK to fail at things. It’s OK if you’re not good at something, you don’t need to quit. I had many opportunities to quit volleyball and many obstacles to push through and I’m so glad I didn’t.”

Music teacher Lori Wiebe, who helped organize the assemblies for the famous grad, said Duff wasn’t just into sports as a youngster but also participated in choir, band and musicals.

“He was one of those all-around kids,” she said. “He’s just a really sweet, sweet guy, and we were really happy to do this.”

The oldest of three boys, Duff was raised by a single mother just a few streets from the school and playground.

“It’s your first taste of the world, the world outside of your home,” he said. “You have these people that don’t know you at the start, but they instantly give you that love and community, and help you grow and connect with other people.”

He didn’t exactly hone his volleyball skills there. When he moved on to Grade 9 at Maples Collegiate and tried out for the junior varsity squad, he was given the axe.

“I was just awful. I didn’t know how to do anything,” he said with a laugh. “Then the summer after when I was going into Grade 10, I grew a bunch and coach saw me and I played (JV) that year.”

Duff then had two splendid seasons with the Marauders varsity boys squad and spent four years as a big hitter with the Wesmen. In 2010, he was named the university’s male athlete of the year. At 20, he was on the national team and has since travelled extensively, proudly wearing the red-and-white shirt emblazoned with the maple leaf.

He’s also played several seasons of pro volleyball, with stops in Austria, Turkey, Russia, Indonesia, Poland and Portugal.

He just finished up the season in Greece with Olympiacos Piraeus, and will soon rejoin the national squad in Gatineau, Que., to prepare for a world tournament in Poland.

“Some of the best moments of my life are playing volleyball. I never thought I’d get to see the world like this on someone else’s dime. I’ve been so lucky,” he said. “Representing Canada all over the world, it was not a thing I ever considered. So, it’s just strange when you come into your body for a second and think, ‘Whoa, this is my life.’ ”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPJasonBell