Allison Lang and Kaleo Maclay on finding community through sitting volleyball

Allison Lang has always loved playing sports. She took up swimming, football, skiing, and snowboarding as a child, but it was sitting volleyball that truly gave her a sense of belonging and a community that welcomed her.

Nearly a decade after finding the sport, she made history with her teammates—whom she calls her friends—at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Lang helped Canada win their first Paralympic sitting volleyball medal, as well as the country’s first team sport medal since London 2012.

“It feels amazing to say that we accomplished that, especially alongside so many of my friends,” Lang said during a TikTok live on @Paralympics.

“It feels like a sisterhood I never had growing up because I never had role models or knew people that were living with disability in such a positive light.”

Business on court and good friends off the court

At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Canada defeated Tokyo 2020 medallists Brazil in straight sets in the women’s bronze medal match at the North Paris Arena. After securing the match point, players and team staff rushed to the net, embracing in celebration.

The USA won their third straight gold medal in the women’s tournament after beating China 3–1. Heather Nicole Erickson was named Most Valuable Player of the Games, while Kaleo Kanahele Maclay was selected Best Setter.

Standing on her first Paralympic podium, Lang had a surge of emotions, and memories of her hard work and dedication flashed before her.

“It was a play by play of all the work, the hours, the effort and the training that we’ve all put in,” Lang said. “Seeing the video back of them putting the medal on me, it was that sigh of relief.”

For Maclay, it was also a dream come true, winning her third straight gold medal in front of her family, including her two sons.

“For them to be there, seeing that moment and getting to experience it was like, we did it, I can breathe,” Maclay shared during the same TikTok live, adding that she thinks “it's for her kids to see the sacrifice but to also see what it’s all for.”

Maclay also reflected on how special it was to compete against sitting volleyball players from around the world on the biggest stage.

“In elite sports, it’s such a specific experience that allows, the ability to have people who understand disability and are on the same page as you in life, experiencing this very unique thing alongside you is so special,” she said.

“We are competitors but also, we can be friends. We can try to push the movement together, ultimately leaving the sport better than I found it.”

Finding a community

Lang and Maclay discovered a sense of empowerment from being surrounded by athletes with similar experiences—a feeling that deeply influenced them at a young age and helped them truly “own the space” they were in.

Lang found out about Para sports when she was invited to play sitting volleyball at a charity event at the age of 16.

“I finally met women with disabilities that were great role models for me and made me feel a lot more secure (about) living with a disability,” said Lang, who was born missing half her leg.

“For so long I thought my disability was the obstacle that held me back but in fact it has given me more opportunity in life.”

Full-time content creator, model, motivational speaker, and a Paralympic medallist, Lang looks to be the same call for the coming generations.

“If you would have asked 13-year-old Ally if she ever thought that would be a possibility, I would have said no because I was so insecure,” Lang said. “It’s really special to give that message to kids and I wish I had heard that when I was younger.”

For Maclay, her two sons Duke and Kai are her greatest legacy—bringing them along on her journey, including at Paris 2024, and helping them grow up with a broader, more inclusive view of the world.

“Duke has grown up watching sitting volleyball, so when he saw standing volleyball, he said, ‘What is that?’ And I just love that for him,” Maclay said with a smile.

Lang and Maclay want to grow and strengthen this community, whether it is by hosting talks to inspire the youth, advocating for women in sports, or engaging in the "recruiting phase" by calling out young female athletes during a TikTok live session with @Paralympics in May.

“My team along with Team USA, we try to showcase sitting volleyball in such a positive light and are hoping to find more athletes in Canada. So, if anyone is watching, yes, we are recruiting right now,” Lang said.

Gearing up for LA28

This year, both Lang and Maclay have already started gearing up for the next Paralympic Games, now just three years away.

Sitting volleyball will be one of the 23 sports featured on the LA28 Paralympic Games programme. Eight of the world’s best teams will compete for gold in the women's tournament at the Arena in Long Beach, California, as part of the Games taking place from 15–27 August 2028.

“We’re getting amped up and already training for LA28, like I’m sure Kaleo’s team is,” Lang said.

With four gold medals on the line and the energy of a home crowd behind them, the pressure is real for Maclay and Team USA.

When asked about the weight of chasing a fourth consecutive gold medal, Maclay smiled and quoted tennis legend Billie Jean King:

“Pressure is a privilege.”