Amplifying Voices: Queen’s Gaels Chris Zimmerman
The OUA Amplifying Voices Series will share the stories, the efforts, and the impacts of the OUA's champions of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), from those who have earned conference awards within their respective sport to those who continue to make a difference within their team, their campus, and their community.
Burlington, Ont. (David DiCenzo) - Chris Zimmerman learned to push his limits early in life. Zimmerman, a fourth-year setter and captain on the two-time defending OUA champion on the Queen’s Gaels men’s volleyball team, always remembered his childhood lessons throughout his journey from Prince George, BC to life as a student-athlete in Kingston. His parents Allison and Grant Zimmerman would tell Chris and his two older siblings Izzy and Dan that they could indeed do difficult things, though they always provided the support each child needed.
It was a household full of intense athletes, and always competitive, be it playing each other a sport or a cutthroat game of Trivial Pursuit.
“My parents pushed us all the time to be the best we could be, in anything we did,” Zimmerman says of his sports-centric family. “That’s something that really resonated with me, that I could keep pushing, keep getting better. That was emphasized in our home.
“Growing up in Prince George, that’s something you have to embrace, because it’s hard to make it athletically when you come from such a smaller community. PG is a place with ‘can-do’ people, a hard-working vibe. That was a driving force for me.”
Zimmerman appreciated his parents’ sacrifice, including nine-hour trips to Vancouver every second weekend for tournaments. Those experiences gave him a foundation for his latest chapter in Queen’s, which has come with challenges and triumphs. Zimmerman was ecstatic his Gaels completed their OUA championship banner repeat this past March. Volleyball, which he grew to love by attending Izzy’s matches, has been both demanding and rewarding.
Away from the court, Zimmerman has also pushed himself – in his studies, his tireless efforts on committees and EDI work, and certainly in his personal life. The summer following Zimmerman’s first year at Queen’s, he told his immediate family he was gay. Shortly after that, he had the talk with teammates and friends.
“It was kind of a slow process,” says Zimmerman. “Coming to Queen’s was a big part of me feeling comfortable in deciding to talk with everybody. Moving across the country and being in a new environment was a bit of a catalyst for that to happen.
“It was an interesting experience. It was super challenging at times, but there was a huge weight off my shoulders when I was fully out and comfortable. It allowed me to become so much closer to my teammates, my coaches, and the people around me, which was a really nice feeling. My teammates were so supportive.”
Zimmerman was actively involved in advocacy work in high school, and he knew Queen’s would give him more opportunities, on an even bigger scale. It began near the end of first year, when a veteran teammate invited him to attend the final Varsity Leadership Council meeting of the school year. Zimmerman became a team rep for the VLC, kickstarting his work on campus.
By the start of second year, he realized how little representation there was for gay student-athletes. Zimmerman’s teammate Lhexen Rabit was an openly gay grad student on the team, who had transferred to Queen’s from Toronto Metropolitan University. Rabit had worked on several initiatives at TMU, and his presence inspired Zimmerman to get in the trenches do more work, beginning with taking over as lead of the Queer and Gender Diverse Student-Athlete Association.
“Lhexen showed me how important it was for me to be that person for other student athletes,” he says. “It was a great way to start getting involved in that part of our community. Another athlete and I on the women’s volleyball team ran it and we wanted to make sure that people felt comfortable speaking about their experiences.”
From that point, Zimmerman hasn’t stopped advocating. Already the recipient of last year’s OUA EDI Award, he repeated this season, just like he and his Gaels teammates did on the volleyball court. Zimmerman is now co-president of the Varsity Leadership Council, where he led initiatives like the Movember campaign and lunch-and-learn events focused on Truth and Reconciliation, mental health, and life after sport. He is still with the Queer and Gender Diverse Student-Athlete Association, a member of the Culture Day committee, works with 2SLGBTQ+ in the Kingston community, and is involved in the university’s SHIFT Project, as well as the AMS Social Issues Commission.
Arguably his biggest undertaking was a key role in the creation of the inaugural Queen’s Volleyball Pride Games. The team partnered with Trellis HIV Community Care and the Yellow House Student Centre for Equity Inclusion for a unique match with the Guelph Gryphons in early January.
“That was a full circle moment for me,” Zimmerman says of a memorable day where the Gaels donned rainbow headbands in a show of support, while raising funds for Trellis. “Three years ago, I couldn’t have imagined something like that. To have my team rallying around me and helping organize the event was very special. It was a cool moment for the program to be able to do that for the first time, especially at a university like Queen’s where we’re so visible as student-athletes.
“It was the highlight of my year. I remember in the room after game, I just told them how much I loved them and how grateful I was.”
Zimmerman hopes there are more memories like that ahead. He’s set to return to Queen’s this summer for a fifth year, continuing to strike that balance between academics, sports, and the meaningful work that’s become such a key part of his life. Beyond this upcoming year, Zimmerman plans on seeking opportunities to play professional volleyball in Europe, while also considering urban planning grad work.
But that’s down the road. The immediate priority is one final year at Queen’s. And continuing to push forward, like his parents taught him.
“There is such a stigma in men’s sports specifically where locker-room talk can supress your feelings,” says Zimmerman. “I’ve been so lucky to have teammates that weren’t like that. They are supportive and loving. It shows how tight-knit our team is.
“I’m passionate about the student-athlete experience, not only at Queen’s, but in the OUA as a whole. It’s one of the most amazing things we get to do, and I want to improve that experience for the next generation of athletes.”
