BANFF – The next eight months for Pearce Eshenko will be crucial as the talented middle blocker from Banff aims to be a first-time Olympian.
Canada’s indoor men’s volleyball national team earned a berth to the Paris 2024 at a Summer Olympic Games qualifier in October following a decisive 3-0 dispatch of Mexico in a tournament of emotional ups and downs.
Among teammates, Eshenko jumped in celebration on court when the difficult task of booking a ticket to Paris was accomplished, but it simultaneously marked the beginning of a new competition for the Canucks who are now gunning for a spot on the final Olympic roster.
“The work doesn’t really stop now,” said Eshenko, 26. “I’m grinding to be a part of the team to hopefully help Canada get a medal, and then, I’m also grinding to be a part of that 12-man roster, in general.”
Standing at a towering six-foot-nine, Eshenko is one of the tallest players on the national team and when he’s not competing with his fellow Canucks, Eshenko plays professionally and is on the S.L. Benfica in Lisbon, Portugal. From now until the end of Benfica’s season in May, the skilled athlete will work on key areas he knows can bring value to the national team.
Particularly at the net, Eshenko needs to be a Banff-sized mountain, standing strong on defence with his genetic gifts and leveraging his ability to block offensive attacks.
“I think every year you progress is typically the biggest year of your career, but yeah, it’s fair to say this is a very important year for me,” said Eshenko. “There are a lot of shorter, very offensive middles right now [on Canada’s roster] and that gives me a massive advantage because I’m six-foot-nine and I can still move pretty well.”
At the Olympic qualifier in Xi’an, China, the Canadians had two massive victories at the start against the higher-ranked Netherlands and the 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Argentina. The “hype started to build” after defeating Argentina, said Eshenko.
Canada would then lose to Poland, but they beat both China and Bulgaria 3-0 in critical games to set up a big matchup against Belgium, another team on the rise that was having a stellar tournament. However, the Canucks couldn’t get the job done, losing 3-1.
“That day that we lost to them … they were the better team that day,” said Eshenko. “We didn’t play to our potential. That’s sports, right? There was lots of disappointment.”
But the very next day, sports did what sports does and flipped everything on its head once again when Bulgaria pulled off the upset and knocked off Belgium 3-2. It opened up the stage for Canada to charge through Mexico, which hadn’t won a set at the tourney to that point.
With Paris 2024 on the line, Canada made no mistake and cruised past Mexico 3-0.
Seven teams have qualified for Paris 2024 so far: 2020 gold medallist France, Canada, USA, Japan, Germany, Brazil and Poland.
“It’s unbelievable,” said head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo in a media release. "I’m just so happy for volleyball in Canada, and the history of what people have done for many years with this program to now consistently be in the Olympics (third consecutive appearance). … It’s an unbelievable moment and being in the Olympics is huge, as it represents the country."
Following the indoor men’s team qualification, Eshenko returned to Banff to visit friends and family before the professional season started.
While in town, the national team athlete got invited to his old stomping grounds at Banff Community High School to practice with the boys volleyball team.
An ace on the Banff Bears volleyball team from Grade 8-11, the 26-year-old Eshenko jumped on the opportunity to help out with blocking and other drills and reminisced about his teenage years on the court.
“It was fun to be back; a lot of good memories,” said Eshenko. “That Grade 11 team we had that year was quite good, but we choked at Zones. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that big of a deal in my career, but I wish I kind of had that one back.
“I know Banff has always been a rugby school, primarily, but hopefully there can be a couple more volleyball banners on the wall in the next couple of years.”
Looking back, Banff volleyball coach Michael Geertsema remembers Eshenko’s time with the Bears in 2011.
“He’s a big guy now. He was under six foot when I was coaching him,” said Geertsema of the now six-foot-nine athlete.
“He’s just such a committed and determined person and it’s amazing to see where he’s gone in volleyball. It’s so nice he was able to come back here right between national play and team play in Portugal to join us for a practice.”
Eshenko's season with S.L. Benfica starts Saturday (Nov. 4).
