Alaya Buller

Start in Racquetball – My Dad had always played racquetball and was the President of the Alberta Racquetball Association and even the Vice President of Canada Racquetball for a time. He brought me and my siblings to the courts on occasion and eventually took me to the Junior Nationals in Burlington. Which, to put it lightly, is where I learned I needed more practice if I wanted to compete at that level. Regardless of losing, my Dad told me I had talent, and that I could play really well if I wanted to. From there, I decided that I was all in, and took on the challenge to consistently practice and attend tournaments.

Reason for playing – The reason I play is mainly because of my Dad. He’s always played racquetball and I’ve watched him do it since I was young. He’s always put in the effort to get both me and my siblings to tournaments and he’s coached us the whole way through. I love the speed of the game. The way the ball bounces when it’s hit correctly and the power I can get in a single swing. While the lunging around the court makes it feel like you’re traveling so fast and so far even though you’re in a 20′ by 40′ foot box. Win or lose the game, the effort, the strategy, it’s all exhilarating.

Training habits – Often I train with my sister, Lahni Buller. We drill with each other a couple times a week during the racquetball season. I also train and drill with my Dad, Jeff Buller. Aside from that, the group of Grande Prairie Racquetball athletes collectively show up to the courts every Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours to play against each other and do drills as well.

Best racquetball memory – My favourite memories of racquetball are always from doubles. As much as I like playing by myself, winning or losing with a partner is significantly more enjoyable for me. This is mainly because the pressure is on two people instead of just one, and it’s easier to laugh-off losing or enjoy winning. Thus far, I’ve been privileged to be able to share the experience with both Ofelia Wilscam, and Noah McEwen. My favourite racquetball memory being winning the B/C doubles, with Noah at the Alberta Provincial Championships.

Non racquetball talents – Aside from racquetball and sports, I love art. I’ve taken art to the 30 level in school, painted with acrylic, watercolour, used charcoal, drawn dragons and manga, sculpted figures out of clay and papermache, done photography, digital art, and more. I’ve also participated in and won a logo contest as well as sold some of my art. I love the creativity of organizing, building, colour coordinating, and designing just about anything.

Free time away from racquetball – When I am not playing racquetball, I am likely working, hanging out with friends, or at home with my family. I work at a book store and as an aide for two individuals. I also appreciate participating in other sports recreationally, including soccer, volleyball, spike-ball, and badminton.

Advice for other athletes – Any athlete wanting to play at a higher level mainly needs to devote a large portion their time to the sport. Often that’s difficult to do with full lives, but a couple of days out of every week need to be devoted to practice at a bare minimum. And by practice, I mean drills. Drills with a partner are nice to get the feel of an actual game, but by ones-self works as well. It’s the repetition of drills and guidance of a coach that makes a better player.