Megan Bieraugle

I grew up in Spruce Grove Alberta, coming from a multi-sport household. When I was very young, I played a menagerie of sports, which included taking dance lessons, skating lessons, swimming lessons, among others. I never really found my niche until I reached junior high, when I started playing volleyball and soccer. Soccer immediately took the backseat as a hobby rather than a true passion, and I put all of my efforts into volleyball and school. Though soccer became my secondary sport, I continued playing throughout my years of high school, university, and even today. Even as school and volleyball became more demanding, I still managed to find time to “just do something fun” a few nights a week. Managing this work-life balance that I was building became very important to me, and it remains so today.

 

From Grades 7-12 I played club volleyball both in Spruce Grove and Edmonton. In my U18 season of volleyball, I was scouted to play volleyball at the post-secondary level for Concordia University of Edmonton (ACAC). I played for Concordia for four years and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. This point was what I thought was the end of my volleyball career. I had my last home game “graduation” and that was the end. 

 

However, in 2019 I was presented with an additional opportunity to play volleyball. I had moved to Sheffield, England to pursue a Master of Science in Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy at the University of Sheffield, where I was able to play volleyball for the University as well. We competed in Division 1 of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) league, where we finished 7th in the UK. 

 

As I now work to complete my PhD in Zooarchaeology, my volleyball ‘career’ lives on, but in the form of coaching. I have coached with the St. Albert and Sturgeon (SAS) volleyball club for four years now, and I plan on continuing to do so for the foreseeable future. 

 

Though mentorship, I hope to extend as many opportunities and as much wisdom as I can to girls around Alberta. Having goals and dreams is one thing but pursuing them is another thing entirely. I hope that all girls may be able to pursue and exceed their goals, both in sport and in life.