Manitoba’s Megan Cyr has announced her retirement from the women’s national volleyball team.
“I knew it was special to represent Canada while I was doing it, but I believe it’s become much more meaningful now that I am done,” Cyr reflected. “I recognize the gift it was to have a body that was able to practice, travel, and compete at a high level. I see how blessed I was to be able to represent our country summer after summer with some of my best friends.
“I feel extremely grateful for the parents, coaches, and constant support that I had from the beginning to the end. It’s been an absolute privilege and an experience that I will never forget.”
Cyr was on the youth and junior teams, and joint the senior women’s national team in 2011, playing in 86 international competitions in that time – the fifth-most among active players. In her time with Team Canada, she helped the team to a gold medal in the 2019 Challenger Cup and two bronze medals in the 2018 Pan-American Cup and the 2019 NORCECA Champions Cup.
For Cyr, the highlight of her career is that third-place finish in the Champions Cup, where she was named the tournament’s best server, on top of the overall experience of being at the top of volleyball in Canada with her teams.
“As awesome and important the big wins and painful losses were, the moments that stick out the most were the bus rides, the hotel room hang-outs, and the time spent with teammates outside the court,” Cyr said. “If I had to pick the most memorable moment it would have to be my final game representing Team Canada. We were playing Puerto Rico for third place in the 2019 NORCECA Champions Cup in Colorado Springs and my parents drove down to watch.
“We ended up winning the bronze and it was one of the most joy-filled games I had ever played. I looked in the stands to see my mom, my dad, and my former teammates from the University of Colorado. This is the most memorable moment for me as I lost my dad to a heart attack on January 3, 2021. Knowing that he got to see my very last game representing Canada will forever be a memory I treasure.
”While playing on the national team, Cyr spent time overseas playing volleyball professionally in Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy and Switzerland. She won a championship in the 2019-20 Swiss League with Sm’Aesch Pfeffingen and helped her teams to second place finishes in the 2013-14 Austrian League, 2018-19 Greek Cup, and 2019-20 Swiss Supercup.
Looking toward playing retirement, the 31-year-old is currently enrolled at Ambrose University where she’s completing her education degree and is part of the coaching staff for the women’s volleyball team.
“I would like to thank my parents,” Cyr said. “Obviously, there are so many coaches, teammates, mentors, and people who made my career possible but the two people who sacrificed the most were definitely my mom and dad. I know they wouldn’t consider it a sacrifice, but I recognize what a blessing it was to have two parents who supported me in pursuing my dreams until the very end.
“Their support never wavered and there is not a chance I would have accomplished what I did without them.”
