Brodie Hofer remembers growing up watching the Olympics.
“My favourite thing to do during the Olympics is to sit on the couch with my dad and my family and enjoy any sport that's on at that moment and support Canada,” the former Trinity Western Spartans volleyball player recalls.
TWU at the Olympics
Five Trinity Western Spartans alumni will be representing Canada in the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Eric Loeppky, Brodie Hofer, and Lucas Van Berkel will be competing on the men's volleyball team, Regan Yee in the steeplechase, and Alison Jackson in the road race and time trial cycling events. The Olympic Games in Paris will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
Stay tuned this summer on TWU's website and social media channels to see their stories.
"I knew I just wanted to play in the Olympics.”
Early influences
Brodie comes from a family of athletes, including his father Ryan Hofer, who is the head coach of TWU's women's volleyball team, and his mother Carol Hofer, who is a former head coach of TWU's women's volleyball team and currently a staff member at TWU.
Brodie thinks of how watching the Olympics with his family inspired him. “When I was young, I knew I just wanted to play in the Olympics.”
Now Hofer’s dream is coming true. Currently a professional volleyball player, Hofer has been named to the Canadian men’s volleyball team competing at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
". . .it was filled with strong friendships and many amazing adventures with people that I love.”
Challenged to develop athletically and personally
Just last year, Hofer graduated from TWU with a degree in business administration.
“My experience as a Spartan was extremely positive,” says the 2023 graduate.
“There were many instances where I had to grow. I was challenged to grow by my friends, teammates, coaches, and parents,” he says, adding, “I made some of the greatest friendships in my whole life at Trinity Western.”
“There were hard times, good times, and great times,” Hofer shares as he summarizes his TWU journey, “but I would say that it was filled with strong friendships and many amazing adventures with people that I love.”
". . .everyone is there to help see you become more than just an athlete—they want you to be
successful in life.”
Strengthening team bonds
Among his valued friendships are the bonds that he built with his volleyball teammates.
“One of the biggest things that brings this team together is how much time we spend developing our relationships off the court,” he says of the Spartans. It was those bonds that helped them win the U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship during Hofer’s senior year.
Beyond winning a national title, Hofer gained much more from his TWU education.
“Trinity Western did a lot more for me than just create an awesome athletic experience,” he remarks, “The professors that work there, and all the staff in the athletic department, everyone is there to help see you become more than just an athlete—they want you to be successful in life.”
Hofer highlights TWU’s positive campus community, and notes, “You always feel supported while you're at Trinity Western.”
“Having those role models in front of you is always really helpful.”
Mentorship support
This support provided an environment that fostered personal growth and development. Hofer explains, “Having that kind of network around you helps you grow into a better human. It allows you to feel safe enough to take some risks and also learn lessons from those mistakes that you make along the way.”
Throughout his journey, Hofer is grateful for mentors and older peers he met at TWU.
“At Trinity Western, they do a very good job of keeping older players around, and just students as well, for younger players to look up to and younger students to look up to,” he shares. “Having those role models in front of you is always really helpful.”
Hofer’s mentors helped him to better envision the path before him.
“I give credit to the role models I had ahead of me,” he emphasizes. “I think that's something that has always been important to me—being able to look at the people who were there before me and follow in their footsteps.”
See also: Love of running takes alumna Regan Yee to her second Olympic Games
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
The Complete Champion Approach™ (CCA) helps Trinity Western Spartan student-athletes become champions in all areas of their lives by focusing on whole person development.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn. For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca.
Photo credit: Volleyball Nations League.