Ukrainian woman hoping to make Calgary volleyball players great on and off the court

Nataliia Klimenova (middle) with some of the young volleyball players she trains at Natke Volleyball. (Glenn Campbell/CTV News)

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 you have to fight with your teammates for something that you were working on for five years.”

Fortunately, her parents survived, but the family home was destroyed. It was then that Klimenova decided to make Calgary her new home.

She was bound and determined to give back and make a difference in the community, so in 2022, she started Natke Volleyball. She says her philosophy is different from what others may teach.

“I don’t tell anyone here, ‘Oh, come train with us and you’ll go to the Olympics,” she said.

“Train with us and see if you like it, and if you need me to be with you to achieve a higher goal then I will be there for you.”

Better people

The goal at Natke Volleyball isn’t only to make them better players it’s also to make them better people.

Sixteen-year-old Hadley Filipchuk goes to All Saints High School and she feels it's working.

“I 100 per cent agree with that,” she said.

“Nat has taught me the lessons she brings into volleyball and it also helps in personal life and so it’s just great.”

Seventeen-year-old Evan Lindor is in his final year at William Aberhart High School, and next year he’s heading to the University of Alberta to play for the varsity team.

He says that Natke Volleyball has definitely made him a better player.

“I think it’s a great spot,” he said.

“I really enjoy all of their coaching, and honestly I think it’s a really supportive environment with some high-level volleyball that they can provide. It’s really high-level training.”

Klimenova says starting this business and training these athletes has been super rewarding.

“When you train them and they do little things that you train them and they work and they look at you and are like, have you seen it,” she laughed.

“You know, like yes, because I knew it would help. I don’t know, it’s just amazing.”