After 15 years of international competition Christian Redmann has decided to retire internationally from beach volleyball. I add in internationally because we will see him at the OVA Grand Slam June 24-25 in Toronto. We will hopefully see him at other Canadian events such as the Vancouver Open, Centre of Gravity or a Cliver in the near future. Christian’s FIVB career includes over 90 events played, a 9th place finish at the 2009 World Championships, Norceca Championships, and 2 Volleyball Canada National Championships.

Christian’s international career started in 2002 when he partnered with Chris Simek. The pair traveled to Italy for World Championships, finishing 5th. Simek and Redmann began playing in Chris’s back yard where they would battle for hours playing variations of short court. It’s really impressive that two athletes from Oro Station, Ontario started competing in the backyard and would go on to represent Canada at the highest level.

“I would say that Christian is an extremely inspiring individual. I will never forget our juvenile boys tryout for Georgian Cubs where the coach cut Christian from the team for not being tall enough or athletic enough. He has always been underestimated and overlooked. I feel that those experiences drove him to become the exceptional athlete he is. From the time I was fortunate enough to become friends with Christian he has been extremely determined to be the best volleyball player he could. His drive and determination has proven to me that anything is possible if you want it enough. He accomplished some amazing things because he refused to give up and always worked harder than those that were told had more potential. I am extremely proud to have seen him succeed at the highest level and accomplish his dreams of competing and achieving success at the highest level. I wish him the best in his future with Dominique and couldn't be prouder to see a close friend become an ultimate pro in a sport he has dedicated his life to.”
– Chris Simek

“I feel very fortunate and privileged that I've had the opportunity to play for as long as I have and to have so many incredible experiences and lessons. There are some people that I really need to thank for all the time and e for they have put in over the years.

First my wife for always supporting me and believing in me and for taking care of so many things alone while I was away for training and traveling for tournaments not to mention being my team Dr. 

Myparents and my brother who always allowed me to follow my dream and taught me so many lessons growing up that helped me be able to do what I loved to do.

Thomas Lam and the whole team at FITS. Thomas is really amazing at what he does, he is definitely the best, and always he working hard in the gym to make up for what I lacked in size.

Hernan Humana for all the coaching and wisdom he passed on over the last couple years.

Manny Frantzis for always making time to treat me and lots of nutrition and health advice. There is a reason they call him a magician.

Ryan Scott or also always making time for me and making sure my shoulder wasn't going to fall off. I'm not sure how he did it but I couldn'tbelieve the reliefI had when I left his place.  

JP Pawliw Fry for helping me on the mental game in sports and in life.

Chris Simek who I grew up and always looked up to as a player, still to this one of the best players I have ever seen. He always game ready to win and never took days off when he was on the court. Probably the most competitive guy I've ever seen play. I think in all the years we played 1 on 1 games in his backyard beach court I never beat him once.

All my previous partners Jessi Lelliott for looking after me like a big brother would. Josh Binstock it's like he's playing chess and poker on sand, he was the best I've seen at being able figure out what hitters wanted to do in any and every situation. He was so much fun to travel with and hang out with. Always cracking jokes and laughing together.  Rich Vanhuizen for helping me become a professional and taking a chance on me. We never recycled jokes because we were so original. Rich was one of the most fun people to be around and travel with. Playing with him was just a joy and never stressful. Ben Saxton has a tremendous work ethic. He's a player that knows what he wants and goes out and gets it. He is extremely focused on reaching his goals. Matty Z probably the biggest gamer around. Unbelievable how he was able to step up when it was game time and perform on command in tight situations.  Maverick Hatch biggest whip of an arm. He has all the skills of a 6 foot ball control player but he is 6'7 with long arms. It's super rare to see s guy of his size with that skill set.  Felipe Humana Paredes so athletic and so skilled it was a pleasure to play my last few years with him.

My sponsors RBC, Lululemon, Oakley, they have all been amazing to me and treated me like family over the years. I would especially like to thank Fred Koops and Overkill for all the help they have given me over the years. Overkill has always been a great homegrown Canadian brand and been a staple in the Canadian Volleyball scene. Freddy's commitment and support of not only myself but many amazing players over the years has been a huge boost to the Canadian beach volleyball scene. He is also a great landlord! haha

Thien Dang Tan at Omega for always making time to see me and treat me.

The last person I want to thank has had a huge impact on my life, I would argue almost as much as my parents have. John Child has taught me countless things not only in volleyball but in life, he has been a coach, a mentor, a friend and a brother to me. I certainly wouldn't have the life I have today if it wasn't for him so for that I owe him a lot. 

I got to do what I loved to do for a very long time and was super fortunate to be able to do it as a job, I feel extremely lucky. I missed one big goal of mine that was the Olympics, and a lot of the people I mentioned above put in a lot of time and effort into my career so I feel like I came up a little short and wish I could have achieved that for them.  Especially after being so close. I hope in time that will heal. I always had a great team around me (the people I mentioned above) and always felt supported especially when the politics of sports can be tough. I learned a lot through my career and am so thankful for the life it has provided for me and the people that I met over the years that have become my close friends and family.”

- Christian Redmann