Keegan Joe

Keegan is a 17 year old student of Spotswood College in New Plymouth that will represent New Zealand at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

How did you get into your sport? I played many sports at a representative level at a very young age; swimming, surf club, rugby, tennis, gymnastics and basketball. When I was introduced to volleyball by my father at a young age, I instantly took a liking to it. The people I was playing with were all older than me, which encouraged me to play harder and be like them.

What do you love about the sport? As a sport, beach volleyball is energetic and requires a combination of many skills and attributes, and it is a constant challenge to make myself better. Through volleyball I have made good friendships, and the beach volleyball vibes are a big reason as to why I love the sport.

What inspires you? I am not inspired by others, but more driven by self-motivation to be the best player I can be. I train hard and play hard as I want to try my best to win and play to my potential. I am very excited for the opportunity I have been given to represent New Zealand at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games for Beach Volleyball.

Career highlight:  My current career highlight would have to be representing New Zealand in Beach Volleyball at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games. The whole experience was incredible where we finished fifth overall in the tournament. I learned a lot as a player and it helped me to move forward and become better.