You may know them as the Great Lakes

By Krista Pitcher
for The Shoreline

In Newfoundland volleyball circles, one name has carried like an echo through the decades: Lake. For more than 30 years, the family has lifted the provincial flag onto the national stage, each generation writing its own story while adding to a shared legacy of grit, passion, and pride.
It began in 1993, when mom Jennifer Lake (nee Earle), before she was married and still a teenager herself, pulled on the provincial jersey for the Canada Games in Kamloops, British Columbia. A determined competitor, she went on to play for Memorial University in St. John’s through the 1990s. At the time, it was simply her own athletic dream. In hindsight, it became the first chapter of a family tradition that she would come to shape and share over the next three decades with husband Chris, himself now a veteran volleyball coach.
The eldest son, Nathan, was the first to follow mom onto the court. In 2017, he stepped onto the national stage at the Canada Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where his leadership and court presence earned wide recognition. Soon after, he was recruited by York University in Ontario. Although his university career was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Nathan’s accomplishments signaled that the Lake story was more than a single success — it was becoming a dynasty.
The middle child, Jenna, returned the family name to the Games in 2022, competing in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Her standout performance led her to Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where she quickly became a cornerstone of the program. With Acadia, Jenna helped capture an AUS Championship and earned Tournament MVP honours, establishing herself as one of the top players in Atlantic university volleyball.
The youngest, Carter, has just written the next chapter. Last month, he represented Newfoundland at the Canada Games in St. John’s, giving the family the chance to compete on home soil for the very first time.
Even more poignant is his next step. Carter is heading west to begin his university career in Kamloops, British Columbia — the same city where his mother first played in the 1993 Canada Games, exactly 32 years earlier. The circle of legacy comes back to where it all began.
The Lake family has become inseparable from the story of Newfoundland volleyball. In gyms across the province, young players recognize the name, coaches share their story, and the volleyball community takes pride in what the family represents.
It is no surprise that the Lakes have earned a nickname that reflects both their family bond and their greatness: “The Great Lakes.”