Quebecer Marie-Alex Bélanger has traveled around the world thanks to volleyball, but her presence at the Beach Pro Tour tournament this week in Montreal represents a unique experience for her.
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“Of all the trips I have made, to be here in Montreal and to play in front of my family, my friends, several former coaches and former teammates, it is an incomparable feeling,” said Bélanger.
The presence of her mother, Martine Rent, makes her particularly emotional.
“Without her, I would probably not play in volleyball,” said the 32-year-old athlete, from Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, noting his financial support and all these years spent doing carpooling for his training.
Marie-Alex Bélanger, in action Thursday, on the central court of Jean-Drapeau Park.
Photo Ben Pelosse
“There is Yvon Turgeon, my former coach of Thérèse-Martin high school, in Joliette, who must also come and it is really special because I started playing volleyball with him,” she also mentioned.
“To be able to play in front of all these people who have accompanied me in my journey and to show them where I am returned after four years in beach volleyball, it beats everything,” summed up Bélanger.
An entry defeat
The Quebecer, who first evolved in interior volleyball for more than 15 years, had the main objective of crossing the group phase in the company of her Ontario teammate, Lea Monkhouse, for this tournament of the series “Elite 16” in Montreal.
The Canadian pair, however, underwent a first defeat against Austrian sisters Dorina and Ronja Klinger, Thursday afternoon, in two rounds of 21-12 and 21-14 on the central court.
Despite their defeat against the Austrians on Thursday afternoon, Marie-Alex Bélanger and Lea Monkhouse were applauded by the crowd.
Photo Ben Pelosse
Bélanger and his partner will have to recover if they want to extend their pleasure in Montreal during the weekend. The idea is not to do against bad fortune good heart, as was the case during previous trips around the world.
“We already had a tournament in the Philippines which ended a little faster than we thought,” she said about her life on the circuit. Instead of being sad at the hotel, we took the opportunity to visit the country a little and it was really pleasant. ”
For Montreal, where she also studied at university while defending the colors of the carabins, she does not necessarily feel the need to visit the city more. The best way to enjoy the weekend is to win matches. Friday evening, Bélanger and Monkhouse have an appointment with a Spanish pair, from 7 p.m., again on the central court.
In short:
Canadian women Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes, winners of the previous edition of Montreal Beach Pro Tour, started the preliminary phase with a victory on Thursday evening. They won in two rounds of 21-12 and 23-21 against the Dutch Mila Konink and Raïsa Schoon. Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes will play two games on Friday with the aim of qualifying for the qualifying rounds.
Canadian women Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes won the tournament in 2023 at Park Jean-Drapeau in Montreal during the “Elite 16” series of the Beach Pro Tour.
Photo Montréal Beach Pro Tour
This Ontario preferred the Penguins to the Maple Leafs
If Montrealers needed an additional reason to encourage Quebecer Marie-Alex Bélanger and her partner Lea Monkhouse this week at Jean-Drapeau Park, know that Ontario preferred Pittsburgh’s Penguins to the Toronto Maple Leafs during her youth.
“I really liked the Penguins very much, with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, to entrust Monkhouse. Obviously, I got attached to this team at the time when she won the Stanley Cup, but I have less time now to watch hockey. ”
Lea Monkhouse, in action Thursday, on the central court of Jean-Drapeau Park.
Photo Ben Pelosse
Monkhouse, 25 years old and from Mississauga, almost comes to formulate national apology. However, she earns valuable points here in Montreal, declaring that she never really liked the Leafs.
A precious friend
Ontario is also much larger when talking about her relationship with her friend Marie-Alex, whom she simply nicknamed “Max”. The two girls got to know each other by joining the national beach volleyball team two years ago.
Marie-Alex Bélanger and Lea Monkhouse.
Photo Ben Pelosse
“What I admire the most of her is her emotional intelligence,” said Monkhouse. It’s easy for me to tell him about different things, whether good or bad. We also laugh so much together. ”
If they hope to make as long as possible this week in Montreal, Bélanger and Monkhouse share an even bigger common dream, that of representing Canada at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.