Welland student athlete carries Canada Games torch for hometown

When Niagara College student athlete Natasha Desjardins was passed the Canada Games torch yesterday (July 10) in Welland, she was hardly running on unfamiliar turf.

In fact, the gifted Knights volleyball and soccer athlete was born and raised right around the corner from Niagara College’s Welland Campus.

So she likely recognized a landmark or two… or pretty much everything.

“These games will bring the community together. It’s a big deal,” said Desjardins, team captain and reigning OCAA Women’s Volleyball Athlete of the Year/All Canadian, among other accolades.

“I would have never imagined doing something like this in my life. With how much Niagara College means to me, it’s extremely cool to do this for the College.”

Desjardins accepted the torch from City of Welland Councillors Bonnie Fokkens and Claudette Richard, and passed the torch onto Susan Kitchen, former Executive Director of the Coaches Association of Ontario and a 2018 Welland Sports Wall of Fame inductee.

Don’t get the idea this was a big solo journey for Desjardins, either – she had plenty of company. Running alongside of her were fellow Knights volleyball and soccer teammates – Rachel Looby, Maddie O’Brien, Rylan Greatrix, Jessica Hric, Abbey Gooder and Dakota Barisan – whom of jumped in for the one kilometer stretch along Niagara College Boulevard.

There was also a sense of nostalgia for Desjardins, as well. “I would come to campus to watch volleyball games with my mom and dad for fun. Coming full circle and becoming a Niagara College athlete, I never would have expected to have the success I had, academically or athletically.”

Desjardins is a two-time CCAA Academic All Canadian and a four-time CCAA Scholar Athlete/OCAA Scholar Athlete, an award granted to athletes who maintain an average of 80 per cent or above.

She has also completed the college’s Educational Assistant (2022) and Fitness and Health Promotion (2020) programs and is about to embark on graduate studies in Autism and Behavioural Sciences in the college’s School of Community Services.

Natasha Desjardins, carrying the Canada Games torch, and fellow Niagara College Knights athletes – Rachel Looby, Maddie O’Brien, Rylan Greatrix, Jessica Hric, Abbey Gooder and Dakota Barisan – stand outside the Welland Campus. (Photo by Paul Sampara)