Christian Christie has played volleyball his whole life. After his minor career he played five years with the STU Tommies, before moving to England to suit up for the University of Essex, with a short stint on England’s National Team.
So when the Executive Director position at Volleyball New Brunswick opened up, Christie took a chance at it.
“Staying in the sports world was something I’d always wanted to do,” he said. “It’s weird to think of not being involved with sport in some way.”
The month-and-a-half-long application and interview process finished in August, when Christie was announced as the new Executive Director of the non-profit sports organization.
Christie was captain for three of his four full seasons at STU, plus the 2020-21 season that was halted due to the pandemic. He said his captaincy relates to his new position in terms of accountability.
“In the context of sport, it’s showing up every day, to improve and help a teammate wherever you can,” he said.
In terms of work, Christie added that it’s figuring out the best way forward for the organization.
“Try and figure out what I can do to help add to the value that we’re able to provide members so they can get the best experience they can from playing volleyball here in New Brunswick.”
About two months into his multi-year contract, Christie is enjoying working in a sports environment day-to-day.
“There’s a lot of the conversations that we have about ‘how can we improve volleyball in New Brunswick?’ and a lot of those conversations don’t exactly feel too much like work,” he said.
Former teammate Adam McDougall played three seasons with Christie on the STU men’s volleyball team.
His surprise wore off quickly when he heard of Christie’s new appointment.
“If you look at his accomplishments and just what he’s done and the education that he has, it makes perfect sense and it seems like a perfect fit,” said McDougall.
In Christie’s last year playing for STU, the two were roommates and McDougall described him as always on the go.
“He was working multiple jobs and going to school and volunteering and on the volleyball team,” said McDougall.
He believes Christie’s ability to organize and lead will lend themselves well to the new position.
Despite his new appointment, Christie is still finding time for volunteering and is an assistant coach with the STU men’s volleyball team this season.
As a volleyball player, McDougall described him as “incredibly consistent, but always had the opportunity to go off and make a huge impact on a game.”
As a leader, he was someone that McDougall wanted to emulate once he became captain.
“He knew how to encourage people, but he also knew how and when to tell people that they need to pick up their act, which I think is like the mark of a really good leader,” said McDougall.
“I think he had a big influence on how I approached leadership.”
