Behind the Red: Brett Watson

  

The Varsity Reds men’s volleyball captain, Brett Watson, took time to sit down with the Brunswickan and talk about his experiences with the sport he loves.

Watson hails from Lethbridge, Alberta and is currently in his second year at the University of New Brunswick, studying in the faculty of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering. Watson has one year remaining in his program, but is in his last year of eligibility with the Reds.

Recent recipient of the Dirk Kiy Leadership Award, Watson discusses his venture to UNB and time spent with the Varsity Reds.

The Brunswickan: What brought you to UNB?

Brett Watson: I ended up here strictly for academic reasons. I took a geomatics technology two year diploma in Alberta and then I worked for a year before deciding to finish my degree. There are only two options in Canada for a geomatics engineering degree, UNB and Calgary and this was the best option.

B: How did you start your volleyball career?
BW: I played volleyball all through high school years, played three years of post-secondary in Alberta at a college out there and was not even going to play volleyball here, but ended up playing and here I am.

B: What do you do to balance engineering, volleyball, and other social activities?
BW: It’s time management. I mean I think it is easy to do poorly and make excuses, but it’s also very possible to work hard. I go to every class and when something needs to be done, I do it. I am not some kind of a genius, I just see myself as someone who uses their time wisely and gets done what needs to get done.

B: Being the team captain, do you believe your high level of academics plays a major role on such a talented team?
BW: Something our team really emphasizes is excellence in every avenue of your life. If you can see a guy that is working hard in school and on the court, that is something that I believe our team holds up as a good standard and a good goal to strive for, and I try to do that.

B: What did winning the leadership award mean to you?
BW: It meant a lot. Dirk Kiy was a great player, and a great leader at UNB. To have my name held to such a high standard like his just means more than I can describe. It meant even more especially after not being sure whether I would come back after a tough season from an injury standpoint last year.

B: So coming into the season you were not 100 per cent. Are you 100 per cent now, and do you think you made the right decision coming back?
BW: Physically right now, no I am not. But we have players who can do just as good a job on the court as me if not better. Coming back it was more about feeling good about the relationships I had with Dan [the coach] and my teammates, because volleyball takes up a lot of time. I’m also a married man, so this is a huge time commitment for me to take time away from school, my wife, and to spend time with all these guys. But I’m glad I came back for sure.

Before ending the interview, Watson acknowledged his teammates and Head Coach as the main reasons for his return to Varsity sports.

BW: Dislocating my ankle last year was brutal and I am still struggling with that this year. It was an extremely tough decision for me to come back and play this year. I had to look and say is this a group of guys I want to spend a lot of time with for the next six months and is this a coach I want to spend the time with. The answer to both questions was absolutely yes. We have a fantastic group of guys and a great coach. Those reasons more than anything are what kept me playing this year.