Olivia and Lucas Yang on what it means to be a Rams volleyball family

When TC Yang, Vancouver-based medical doctor and father of Rams siblings Olivia and Lucas, landed in Canada 50 years ago as a child immigrant, he had no idea that his children would one day be attending university just one subway stop away from where he spent years growing up.

Today, British Columbia natives Olivia Yang and Lucas Yang play for the Rams women’s and men’s volleyball teams in Toronto, studying only 10 minutes away from their father’s childhood home in Kensington Market.

“When I first moved to Toronto, our dad wanted to show us his elementary school growing up and he couldn’t remember its name,” Olivia says, as she and her brother settle into chairs at the court viewing gallery at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

“We got to his old school and it turns out it’s called Ryerson Community School,” Lucas chimes in, “It was such a full circle moment.”

The siblings say that the family often goes back to the Kensington-Chinatown area whenever their parents come to visit, as well as attending at least one Toronto team’s sporting event.

“Our dad likes it here because it’s the first city he came to when he arrived in Canada, so it’s pretty special,” Lucas says.

The Yangs each have team practices today, but between schoolwork and volleyball, they’ve made time to be interviewed together.

Olivia, 22, is in her fifth year studying Creative Industries, while Lucas, 19, is studying RTA Sport Media in his first year. Having been playing volleyball since elementary school, the sport has played a huge part in both their lives and who they’ve grown to become, socially as well as athletically. 

“Moving here for school in the middle of a pandemic was really lonely, and the team definitely helped me feel more at home,” Lucas says, recalling how he was living alone in a four-bedroom dorm in Pitman Hall with hardly any social interaction.

“You have 16-17 guys and, no matter what the situation is, they have your back. I think that comradery is something that I really love about volleyball,” he says.

Olivia adds that although she had started her varsity athlete career before the pandemic, the adjustment of growing up in Vancouver to move to the other side of the country for school was jarring for her, but that she soon found her bearing among her teammates and the sport itself.

“The sport has always provided a purpose for me,” she says, “I feel like I’m bettering myself and contributing to something when I’m playing.”

On the court, the two say they’re similar in their game mindsets. 

“I put value in being calm in high stress situations,” Lucas says, “I’m not super rowdy on the court or anything like that, I try to block out everything except for what’s happening on either side of the net.”

Olivia nods, adding that she tries to focus on her breathing.

“When there’s a lot happening on the court and in the stands, it can be very easy to forget about your breath,” she says, “I’ll use it to stay calm and slow things down in my head, so I can really see the game and anticipate what’s going to happen next.”

The siblings’ calm and quieter demeanor on the court resembles that of their father, whose silent support from the corner of the gym never goes unappreciated.

“My dad is my hero,” Lucas says, “He was a first generation immigrant and it wasn’t easy with what his family had, but he put himself through medical school and worked nonstop to give us the life we have today. He’s the smartest and hardest working person I know.”

“Yeah, he made everything for us out of absolutely nothing,” Olivia adds, “he’s done so much for Lucas and I, and so has our mom. She drove us to practices everyday and she’d be at every game, just as involved in the sport as we are.”

Selfless is the word the Yangs agree on to describe their mother, who always cheers harder than anybody else in the stands whenever they’re playing.

And while the siblings joke about the fact that they’ve only ever peppered with one another a maximum of ten times ever and don’t involve themselves too much in one another’s game, Olivia has a few words of advice for her little brother as she nears the end of her university and volleyball career to begin a new stage of her life.

“It actually goes by so fast. It feels like yesterday that I was in first year,” she says, “Just enjoy it and don’t take yourself too seriously. Appreciate it all as it happens, because we’ve all experienced how daily life can be taken away so suddenly.”

Lucas grins. 

“It’s like that quote at the end of The Office when Andy’s like, I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve left them,” he says. 

And when asked whether he has plans after graduation, Lucas pauses for a moment. 

“Our dad’s retiring soon, so I’ll definitely want to do some traveling with him after school before jumping into a career, but there are so many options,” he says, before smiling sheepishly.

“I don’t have it all figured out yet, I’m 19. I’m still in the good old days.”