A Ukrainian woman launched a volleyball training business in Calgary with the hopes of helping young players reach their full potential on and off the court.
Nataliia Klimenova has plenty of experience when it comes to volleyball, having played on the Ukraine National Team and for Mount Royal University.
Klimenova and the Cougars won a silver medal at the national championships in 2022, but while she was playing for the gold, her life was being turned upside down.
Klimenova says her family felt the full effects of Russia invading her home country.
“My parents’ house was bombed so we were actually playing in the finals with me not knowing if my parents are alive or not,” she said.
“It was a very hard mental battle where in the morning you wake up and you don’t know if you have your home or if your parents are alive. Then at night …