Setting a good idea in motion

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This article was published 04/04/2023 (1255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AVERIE Allard was terrified.

She had no idea how people were going to react, but she wasn’t going to let the unknown stop her from raising awareness for a cause near and dear to her heart.

Allard, who’s from Winnipeg and turns 24 this month, was in her second season with the University of Saskatchewan’s women’s volleyball team when she walked into head coach Mark Dodds’ office with a plan.

She wanted to start playing with a four-letter acronym written on her leg in marker: MMIW.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

“Especially as an athlete, our profiles are so out there to the public and we’re viewed so often that I don’t think we realize how the things we do impact people. So, I wanted to use my platform as an athlete, in a small town, with quite the following, to do something I was passionate about and raise awareness about something that meant a lot to me,” said Allard, who is Métis, in a recent phone interview.

Dodds fully supported the idea. Allard, a setter who recently started playing professionally for Vero Volley Milano in Italy’s top league, stepped onto the court with the letters for the first time in a road game in Langley, B.C., against Trinity Western.

“I must have gotten upwards of 50 DMs on Instagram that day of people just saying, ‘What does this mean?’ And that right there made me feel so accomplished because the whole point was to start the conversation, get that acronym out there and question the system,” said Allard.

Allard wrapped up her U Sports career with Saskatoon this year before joining the Italian club last month midway through their season. There’s more rules and regulations about what players can do in the pro ranks, but she hopes she can still find a way to recognize MMIW with her gameday attire next season.

The No. 12 she wore on her uniform at the U of S is the number her late brother Adrian used to wear for 204 Volleyball Club. Adrian was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer and passed away in December 2016, shortly after graduating from Sisler High School. A GoFundMe raised nearly $22,000 to help Allard’s family with medical costs and to allow their mother Shelley to take time off work to be with her son.

The volleyball community showed its support by wearing and selling T-shirts that read, ‘Adrian’s Army.’ At club nationals, all the teams from Manitoba and a large portion of those from B.C., Alberta, and Ontario were wearing them during their warmups. The proceeds went to the Allards, which they used a part of to start a memorial scholarship through 204 Volleyball in Adrian’s name.

“It was insane how much support the volleyball community gave my family. Looking back on it, I still cannot believe the things that happened,” Allard said.

Growing up, Allard wasn’t a fan of the sport. Ringette, football and basketball — games that involve more physicality — were more up her alley.

“Volleyball was at the bottom of the list,” she said.

Her brother’s illness was one of the main reasons she ended up pursuing volleyball.

“It brought my brother and I really close together. And while he was sick and after he passed away, it’s a good way of feeling close to him and feel like I’m honouring the things he wanted to do with his life. Like, he would’ve loved to have gone on to play university volleyball,” she said.

“He’s one of the big reasons why I do everything that I do. I’ve gotten a lot better at handling my emotions, acknowledging them, and working with them. In my first pro game, a big thought in my mind was ‘If only he was here to see this.’”

Allard has solidified herself as one of the most talented young setters in the country. She spent last summer in Vancouver as a member of Volleyball Canada’s Next Gen National Team.

“She meant as much as a player could to a program,” said Dodds. “Behind the scenes, on the court, in the weight room, she did it all. She put her heart and soul into being a Husky. The leadership she showed, and the work and effort she put in was literally as much as you could ask out of a player as a coach.”

“It’s inspiring, and I don’t know if that says enough. It was a tough journey, for sure, with her brother passing when she was in Grade 12. There was some uncertainty there and lots of hard times. We had lots of conversations and lots of difficulty throughout those first couple years, but she persevered and continued on.”

Allard is hopeful she can enjoy a long, successful volleyball career overseas, but she eventually wants to put her schooling to good use. She went through the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teachers Education Program and recently earned the Canada West Community Service Award for her work in urban Indigenous education settings.

She remains committed to using her voice and influence to be an advocate for the Indigenous community.

“I think it’s super important for other kids to know that they can do it. There’s all these barriers and at the end of the day, it makes it a lot harder, I’m not going to deny that, but it’s so worth it and so possible,” said Allard.

“If I can inspire at least one kid every season, then I’m doing exactly what I need to be doing by continuing and excelling as far as I can in my athletic and academic career.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31