Dan Jansen VanDoorn landed in Langley Monday morning, jet lagged and exhausted.
But you won’t hear the 26-year-old complain.
“Just going on coffee and adrenalin,” he said.
“But it is a good kind of tired, when your body is just destroyed.
“It means you left it all out there.”
Jansen VanDoorn was home in Langley for just a few days of rest, and they were well earned days off as he helped the Canadian men’s national volleyball team qualify for the Olympic Summer Games in August.
It is the first time Canada has qualified since 1992.
Canada qualified on Sunday as they won the final berth at a world qualification tournament in Tokyo, Japan.
Canada had knocked China out of contention for the berth after a five-set 3-2 (25-16,20-25,24-26,25-20,15-9) victory earlier in the day. The team then had to wait and watch as Poland — already qualified as the top team — beat Australia in three sets.
Canada finished in fourth place.
Canada had lost their first couple of matches, but those came against Poland and Iran, two of the top teams at the competition. Canada then won four of their final five games.
“We let the France game get away from us but overall, we clutched up when it had to happen,” said Jansen VanDoorn, a six-foot-eight middle blocker.
Coming off the bench, he finished with 24 kills, 10 blocks and three aces as Canada went 4-3.
Olympics a ‘bucket list’ item
Canada is going to the Rio Games in August for the first time since competing in the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
“Just to be a part of it is probably the most meaningful thing that has happened in my life,” said
Jansen VanDoorn.
“For me personally, it has been a bucket list item.
“I feel it has made all the sacrifice worth it,” he said.
“Over the past couple of years, going into the gym when I didn’t want to and missing birthdays and Christmases because I am training over there. It is hard to describe right now, it is still so fresh.”
Jansen VanDoorn played his high school volleyball at Langley Christian before heading to Trinity Western University, where he helped the Spartans win the national championship in 2012.
After graduating in 2013, he turned pro and has played in Europe these past few years, first in France and most recently in Greece.
‘Special’ to play for your country
Jansen vanDoorn has also played for Canada since 2013.
“It is really special.
“This has been a work in progress for 24 years now,” he said.
“Luckily I am just on the finishing end of a whole lot of hard work off the backs of other guys.”
Jansen VanDoorn is one of three former Spartans on the Canadian side, along with Steven Marshall and Rudy Verhoeff.
Verhoeff is the team’s captain.
“We battled today, it was a lot of pressure. We’ve been in this situation before when we had a shot to get to Rio, and last time we were in that position we crumbled pretty hard,” Verhoeff said on the Volleyball Canada website.
He was referring to the NORCECA qualifier in January in Edmonton when Canada lost to Cuba.
“Today I’m happy with our resiliency. I’m proud of how we fought today,” he said.
Langley visit a short one
Jansen VanDoorn’s visit to Langley was a short one as he was here for just four days and now heads to Gatineau, Que. for a brief two-day training session this weekend.
Following that, the team hits the road with events in Prague, Saskatoon, Helsinki and Portugal.
The players will then have a week off before two weeks of training prior to the Olympics.
Canada is in a group alongside Brazil, Italy, the United States, France and Mexico. The top four teams from the pool move on to the elimination round.
Jansen VanDoorn motivated to make final roster
But while Canada currently has 14 players on their roster, only 12 will be chosen for the Olympics.
“We are going to have to leave two guys behind.
“It will be motivation for me to train even harder to make sure that I am on the travelling roster,” Jansen VanDoorn said.
“Everyone will do the same thing and it will help us as a group.”
“I will just trust that if I keep working hard and hopefully it will pay off.
“Honestly I would be heartbroken if I didn’t travel, but I just want the team to send the best 12 guys and if that doesn’t happen to be me, well then there will be another Olympics down the road.”
