Dakota Wilson can't explain why she chose Olds College, but she's glad to be here.
The third-year middle on the women's volleyball team initially came for the fashion program after taking a year off from high school. That's when she discovered she could continue with the game she's now played for eight years.
ìSo I actually came here for school and then found out there's a volleyball team, so joined that and we just played ACAL (Alberta Colleges Athletic League),î she said. ìThe school worked out great with everything.î
She finished her two-year program but stuck around to study agricultural management, hoping to work on a farm after graduation and possibly starting her own clothing line.
This year, Wilson led the Alberta College Athletics Conference (ACAC), the league in which the Broncos women's volleyball squad now plays, in total blocks for the regular season with 80.
From February 21 to 23, Wilson and her fellow Broncos competed at the Grande Prairie Regional College for the 2013-14 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Women's Volleyball Championship where they failed to medal.
Wilson hails from Bashaw, Alta., where she's lived on a farm her whole life. She started playing volleyball in middle school and found the skills required of the game appealing.
ìI like the technicality of it,î she said. ìYou can't take random people on the street and play a game of volleyball. So I like that part and how competitive it is that way.î
The 23-year-old never played on a club team, like other athletes have but says head coach Chris Wandler helped polish her skills to play at the college level.
ì(I) had pretty decent basic skills coming in and then Wandler's unreal,î Wilson said. ìHe's a lot more technical so he really broke it down. Everything from just your hand angles up at the net when you're blocking, which you never even thought about before.î
The Broncos finished 11-9 this year, in sixth place out of 14 teams. According to Wilson, Wandler was a major factor in the team's success. She says he watches tons of game tape, studying opponents and gathering information that allows his team to anticipate plays.
ìOur coach is pretty unreal at breaking teams down so we know if the ball's off a little bit, generally who they're going to set so it really helps to get you there,î she said.
In addition to good coaching, Wilson says farm life has contributed to her individual success, with the many chores instilling a good attitude.
ìIt's great, I love it. You get so much more respect for animals and land and stuff. You learn responsibility from a young age so I think that helped me develop into more of a mature player.î
