Former Western Heights High School student chases volleyball dream in Canada

Former Western Heights High School student Billy Johnstone is going to Canada on a five-year volleyball scholarship. Photo / Ben Fraser

Since he started playing volleyball in Year Nine, Rotorua's Billy Johnstone has been a standout. While at Western Heights High School he won national titles and was selected for New Zealand age-group teams. When he finished school in 2017, taking a scholarship overseas was an option but he chose to do a year of study at the University of Auckland. If nothing else, that year taught him that volleyball is his true passion and now he has taken up a five-year scholarship at the University of Alberta in Canada.

Next month, former Western Heights High School student Billy Johnstone flies to Canada for the opportunity of a lifetime.

For the next five years, he will be a student and volleyball player at the University of Alberta.

"I'm really excited. I was contemplating going on a scholarship last year but ended up going to Auckland to complete pre-med and to see if that's what I wanted to pursue. That was good for me and now I know I want to go overseas, for sure, I want to carry on with my volleyball," Johnstone says.

He knew playing in Canada would be a big step up from the club volleyball he has been playing in Auckland.

"It's going to be another level of competition. Volleyball in New Zealand isn't huge, it's getting a lot better and it's good to see players going overseas but it will be great to go somewhere that volleyball is a big sport, it's really popular and the sporting culture is a lot different, it's celebrated a lot.

"Five years is a big commitment but I'm taking the risk and I'm going to go and make the most of it."

Johnstone said his main goal was to gain as much experience as possible playing at a high level.

"Going to the University of Alberta is putting me in that situation where I can improve and play against the best. The end goal would be to go professional with volleyball eventually.

"If you play in the United States or Canada you have a better chance of being recruited by professional teams in Europe and Asia. That's definitely a goal if I can get there."

The coaching staff brought me in, all of my mates played. I had the best years of my life at this school.

Billy Johnstone

He said his time at Western Heights High School had prepared him well for his upcoming adventure.

"[His time at the school] was everything to me. The coaching staff brought me in, all of my mates played. I had the best years of my life at this school.

"There was so much support, they still support me and give me advice all the time. When we're back home we still come down to the school for a hit, it's good fun. Volleyball is a huge part of the culture here at Western Heights - all my friends played so it was more encouraging to play and get better.

"It's awesome seeing all the young guys coming through too, they're crazy. My little brother is here as well, Kiwa, he's in the States right now playing for New Zealand Junior Men's. It's cool to see him going overseas."

While in Canada he will start off studying towards a Bachelor of Kinesiology (the study of human movement).

"Over there you have to complete a bachelor degree before you go into med school, so I'm doing Kinesiology because if I do medicine I want it to be more sports medicine focused.

"I'm setting myself up for if I want to take the medicine route eventually, I could do both, I guess, if that works out."