London, ON - International competitions come with a certain level of allure and intrigue. The chance to go toe-to-toe with some of the best athletes in the world, to test yourself and your skills against the best of the best, is an opportunity many athletes dream about.

Not only do these events provide a chance to make your mark on the world stage, but they also offer a unique atmosphere that can only be experienced, not explained.

Recently, Cameron McGregor of the Mustangs Men's Volleyball team had the opportunity to experience this firsthand as he represented Canada as part of the Men's Beach Volleyball team at the Junior Pan Am Games in Paraguay.



The Junior Pan Am Games featured more than 30 different sports, all taking place at the massive venue set up in Asuncion, Paraguay. The event also featured a wide range of countries and cultures, as athletes from all across the Pan American region gathered to compete.

It's an environment that McGregor couldn't help but be enamoured with.

"It was awesome to compete at," McGregor said. "It was kind of an incredible experience in the sense that the venue was massive, and you got to see athletes from all around the Pan American countries, not only in beach volleyball, but in every other sport. It was really cool to see and meet athletes from Canada as well who play different sports at our Canadian Pan Am Game Village at the hotel."



"The venue for beach volleyball was really cool, and the entire city really bought into it. The crowd was amazing, the games were intense, and competing at that level was pretty exhilarating, especially coming away with some big wins on the international stage was a great takeaway from competing at this event."

The event also challenged McGregor and the rest of his team in ways they weren't used to. While the competition was fierce, the event's schedule and setting also brought about different challenges.

"This style of competition was pretty different," McGregor said. "Most of the summer I spent representing the national team, I was competing domestically or kind of across the country, like in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and it was sort of different having to fly for almost 20 hours and playing in a country that doesn't speak any English, or very little English, was kind of a pretty different experience."


 
"Domestically, usually you'll play three or four, sometimes five matches in one day, which can be kind of exhausting. It was pretty different only having to play one or two max matches in one day."

While the competition was fierce and the challenges were many, McGregor also experienced his fair share of memorable and humorous moments.

"The announcer at our games got pretty funnier as the tournament was going on," explained McGregor. "At one point, he just started calling me Cameron 'The Notorious' McGregor or something like that, like Conor McGregor, the UFC fighter's name, and he started playing the walkout song whenever I'd do something or yelling 'The Notorious' whenever I'd score a point. I thought that was pretty funny."

McGregor and the Canadian men's beach volleyball team finished sixth in the event. While they didn't leave with a medal, McGregor is excited to bring the experience and composure he gained back to his role with the Western Mustangs men's volleyball team.

"I brought back the experience of competing at such a high level internationally against some of the best players in the world in my age group," he said. "I brought back the experience of figuring it out when it gets pretty tough in high-pressure moments and being able to find some success in really tight matches."



"I feel like I can bring that back and just keep a cool, calm demeanour on the court and be able to come through on top."

McGregor and the Mustangs Men's team finished 6&4 in the opening half of the season. He has 59 kills and 204 total attacks this season.