Mahon Retires After 10 Years with Canada Team

WINNIPEG, Canada, October 5, 2012 - Tammy Mahon's volleyball career comes to an end after playing in over two quadrennials for Team Canada. Tammy first wore a Team Canada jersey back in 1999 when she competed in the FIVB Junior Women's World Championship, held in Edmonton and Saskatoon.

Her first season on the senior women's national team was in 2002, and she made the team every season since that year until she retired in April of this year after the 2012 Olympic Qualification Tournament. She finished her career with a very notable 173 international matches under her belt.

Throughout Tammy's career, she played eight seasons of professional volleyball. Her first season was in Sweden, followed by: the Netherlands (2004-2007), Romania (2007-2009), Azerbaijan (2009-2010), Greece (2010-2011) and finally in Germany for her final professional season in 2012. One of her most memorable volleyball moments was winning the Greek Championship in 2011 with her team, Panathinaikos.

In 2008, she was given the responsibility and honour of wearing the captain bar. She held that responsibility for the entire quad, and was an amazing leader for all four squads that she led. Her teammates recognized her as being hard working, very dedicated to the program and sport, and being an inspiring leader who believed that the team could achieve their goals. She did so much work for the team off of the court as well, and her hard work never went unnoticed by her teammates, coaches and other Volleyball Canada staff.

"Tammy Mahon is the most selfless player I have ever played with, it was a privilege to step on the court with her and she brought the same intensity every day and demanded the same from us, it was truly inspiring and made me a better player. She took on duties past what a captain should and did not complain, her dedication and love for the sport is what made me come to practice every day. I am honored to be able to call her one of my best friends and am excited for her as she embarks on her next chapter of life," explains former teammate, Julie Young.

Tammy is currently enjoying her retirement in rural Manitoba, near her hometown of Holland, Manitoba. She will continue to be an inspiration for years to come within the volleyball community.

Here is what she has to say about her experiences playing on Team Canada: "Being a small town girl with big dreams, I was always thankful for the opportunity to be a part of something as special as Team Canada. As the years went on I fell more in love with my sport, my country, and what we were doing as a team to achieve our dreams together. The decision to retire was not easy. I miss being in the gym every day. I loved practices the most, competing with our countries best athletes and some of my closest friends every day towards a collective dream. That is not something you can find in every career, and not a day went by that I didn’t count myself blessed to be a part of it. Representing Canada at the international volleyball level will forever be one of the greatest and most enriching experiences of my life and I thank everyone who was a part of my journey."