Beach volleyball player from Dartmouth chases dream to make national team

Tynan Gannett is on his way to becoming a volleyball titan.

At just 20 years old, Gannett is believed to be the first Nova Scotian man to make a national beach volleyball team. 

Gannett grew up in Dartmouth, N.S., and competed for Team Nova Scotia at the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara, Ont. That's where he was scouted for Volleyball Canada's Beach Next Gen National Team.

He said he tried out, was selected and by January, he had moved to Toronto to begin training for international competitions.

"It feels pretty good," Gannett said. "Quite a few years have gone into this. So yes, it's very satisfying." 

Gannett played volleyball for Dartmouth High School and the Dartmouth Volleyball Club as a teen. He said he spent a lot of time at the beach training facility in Burnside.

"I was there three or four times a week for three summers in a row before [the] Canada Games." 

In Toronto, he now trains Monday to Friday twice a day with his team. 

Gannett is competing in multiple domestic events across the country this summer, including in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, before a world tour event in Edmonton in July.

He said travelling is all part of the job, but it is the biggest expense as the athletes are required to pay for their travel.

"I'm going mostly off of savings from a job I had back in Dartmouth. I worked at a Tennis Club for five summers, St. George's, and I can do a little coaching up here in Toronto and I referee a little bit," he said. 

But, Gannett said, he couldn't have achieved his dream without help from back home. Earlier this month, he was encouraged to start a GoFundMe page to help cover costs.

"Everyone from back home especially has been super supportive," he said.

"I mean outside of money, I get words of