Isaiah Mamer wrapped up an incredible summer with with Canada Games gold in Ontario. (Michael Scraper/Team Sask.)

By Josh Ryan

Isaiah Mamer

McLurg’s Mamer wins gold at Summer Games, Huskies bound

Aug 25, 2022 | 5:00 AM

This month, Isaiah Mamer accomplished one dream while starting on another.

The standout outside hitter from Wilkie played a key role in Team Saskatchewan winning gold at the Canad Summer Games in Niagara. Playing with a core group of athletes that had competed together for years with the provincial program, and recently won the Canada Cup tournament leading into the Games, Mamer delivered the winning point to defeat Team Alberta in four sets.

He spoke with battlefordsNOW shortly after arriving in Saskatoon from Niagara. While exhausted, the McLurg High School graduate said he was still taking in the emotion of the weekend.

“It was a late night celebrating with the guys, signing jerseys, having fun afterwards,” Mamer said. “It’s still surreal to get a grasp on what we just did.

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“I’m super excited, happy and relieved that we did it. That was our main goal for the last few years of training,”

The victory was Saskatchewan’s first gold medal in men’s volleyball at the Games since 1985. Between the men finishing first and the women in fourth, it was the first time the two teams had made the final four since 1989. North Battleford’s Taryn Hannah was a member of the women’s squad.

Mamer said the group had built up confidence heading into the tournament, having already beaten Alberta in three sets at the Canada Cup earlier this summer. While they dropped their pool match against the neighboring province, the group responded with a five-set win over Manitoba in the quarterfinals and a straight sets victory in the semis against Ontario on the way to the gold medal match.

‘We had come out a little shaky and lost in four, but it was our third time playing [Alberta],” Mamer said. “We knew we had all the right tools to beat them, it was just trying to figure out what we had to do to beat them on the biggest stage you could ask for.”

Mamer’s parents, Greg and Paula, also noted the unique thrill of being in the gym to watch the final. The pair coached him during the high school season and have followed his progression as a player more closely than anyone.

“We’re both unbelievably proud of him, for sure,” Greg said.

This wraps up a whirlwind year for the prospective student athlete, which started with a Sask 2A high school championship in November. He added three provincial track and field gold medals in the spring with McLurg.

During the club volleyball season, he competed for HHVC Block Busters in Saskatoon, which had formed during the pandemic. They went undefeated in Saskatchewan, losing just a single set against the Battlefords 18U boys in the provincial final, before earning Tier 2 silver at the 2022 Volleyball Canada Championships, good for 10^th in the country.

In spite of all this success, Mamer said this past weekend ranks as the best sporting experience of his life so far, thanks to the atmosphere. Family and friends have continued to reach out with congratulations since the win on Sunday.

“It was unreal, the stands were packed,” he said. “You could barely hear teammates that were two feet away from you on the court when the stands were roaring with bells, horns and drums.”

Next for Mamer is the upcoming university season where he’ll attend the University of Saskatchewan to suit up for the Huskies, a team he’s grown up watching. Joining him are a number of familiar faces amongst the players and coaching staff that were a part of the Summer Games squad.

“It’s a week off and then we start with training camp on Monday,” he said. “It’s a very similar scene and we actually played a lot over the summer just to get more games in. It will be good.”

For his parents, it’s an opportunity for more special memories, as they and their older kids also attend the U of S, while knowing their son is ideally set up for the year.

“My family has a place in town, so I’ve already moved in since training in Saskatoon for the last few months,” Isaiah said. “It’s going to be an easy transition I think.”

“It’s a very similar scene and we actually played a lot over the summer just to get more games in. It will be good.”

“We’ve gone to volleyball and basketball for years, so we’re excited to have him close to home,” Greg said. “We told him it was up to him where he goes, but we can’t say we’re not happy that it’s close to home and we got a place to stay and watch to.”

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josh.ryan@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports