Kelowna’s Riley Brinnen back on the court and repping Canada

A little more than 18 months after Riley Brinnen was involved in a car crash that killed one of his Thompson Rivers University volleyball teammates, the Kelowna Secondary School grad is back on the court and representing Canada.

Brinnen has earned a spot on the Canadian men's sitting volleyball team and is set to represent his country at an upcoming international competition in the Netherlands.

"It's pretty incredible, just thinking back to after the accident to where I am now," said Brinnen.

"I feel really good about myself. I did struggle a lot with confidence throughout this process, so this feels almost like a rebirth moment. It's sort of like I'm shedding my old skin and moving into this one."

Brinnen played four seasons with TRU and spent this past campaign as an assistant coach with the team.

The Kelowna athlete’s journey in the sport of sitting volleyball began this past September when his former coach, Pat Hennelly, brought up the idea of him playing.

"I was in this lost state, I didn't really know what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to compete," said Brinnen.

"I liked being around the guys on the TRU men's volleyball team, but I was watching them compete and I was really just craving that opportunity myself."

Brinnen attended a training camp in Calgary this past April and quickly got the hang of it, eventually receiving an invitation to join the squad permanently. The Kelowna athlete already has his sights set on the World Championships next summer and the 2028 Paralympics.

"It was a really interesting process and as a kid, your dream is always to represent your country through playing a sport, so I knew that as soon as the head coach offered me a spot on the team, that I was in 100%," said Brinnen.

"It's such a cool experience and I'm looking forward to the future years and growing with this team."