Amplifying Voices: Algoma Thunderbirds Yvonne Barnes
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) - It would’ve been easy for Yvonne Barnes to be a student-athlete who focused solely on her own well-being. Barnes, a second-year midfielder on the Algoma Thunderbirds women’s soccer team, has already dealt with a lot in her athletic journey. The Sault Ste Marie native endured two serious injuries to the same foot in both elementary school and high school, setbacks that limited her physically and sapped her confidence on the pitch.
Athletes can go one of two ways when the adversity arises – hide and let the opportunities fade or stay strong and move forward. Barnes took the latter path. And with her ascension back to prominence on the pitch, she chose to be the kind of teammate who lifts others.
“When people get down on themselves, it’s easy to take it out on someone else,” says Barnes, the OUA West recipient of the Champion of EDI Award. “But it’s always been important to me to respect other players, especially the captains and coaches, and to acknowledge others when they do something good, or if they happen to be struggling.”
That attitude has made Barnes, 19, a natural fit in the Algoma soccer team’s leadership group, an impressive accomplishment for such a young player. Leading by example may seem like a cliché, but it’s precisely what Barnes does. She’s a key figure in the Thunderbirds midfield, assigned to press from the left side of the pitch and utilize her physicality and intensity to claim as many 50/50 balls as possible.
But her greatest impact comes from the compassion she shows for teammates and staff. Whether supporting a struggling player or offering to take a recruit out for lunch, Barnes continually puts other first. She had sometimes had the opposite experience as a youth player, being on teams where veterans didn’t prioritize the younger members.
“Yvonne is a truly unique student-athlete, who possesses all the right traits associated with commitment perseverance and an exceptional work ethic,” says Algoma’s head coach Steve Mazzuca. “She demonstrates a genuine passion for the sport and consistently strives for both individual excellence and team success. Yvonne is very well-liked and respected among her teammates, which speaks to her character in the way she carries herself within the group.”
Barnes was born into a soccer family. Her father Wayne has roots in Birmingham, England, which is where the household’s love of Premiership side Aston Villa comes from. Barnes followed the example of her dad and brother Carson, both players themselves. But at the age of 10, just as she was about to try out for the only travelling soccer team in her area, Barnes broke her ankle and had to step away from the game. The injury eventually healed, but she turned her focus to her other athletic passion, figure skating.
“The coaches had seen me play my whole life on previous teams, so they still put me on the roster,” says Barnes. “But I had no confidence. I felt like I couldn’t keep up with everyone. I wasn’t putting myself out there and I felt like I was letting my team down.
“I started to devote more time to figure skating, though I always played for my elementary and high school soccer teams to just keep it up. The biggest thing figure skating taught me was to have a strong work ethic. Coming from Sault Ste Marie, especially during COVID, all the skaters I was competing against trained at private rinks that were still open. I didn't have that opportunity because the public rinks in town had closed. It taught me to make the most of what I have. It's an individual sport, different from a team sport so you have to be able to do it for yourself and really work because you want it.”
That lesson still proved useful in a team setting. Despite another injury to the same ankle in high school that put her in a walking boot, Barnes caught the eye of Algoma’s coaching staff. They understood her talents and potential, even with the injury history.
Being a Thunderbird was an easy choice for the local kid. Barnes had applied to six different academic programs at six different schools, including business at Algoma. In the back of her mind, she still wanted to play soccer. Her hometown university was the only one to offer a varsity opportunity.
“Because I had been focused on figure skating, I didn’t think it would become a reality,” she says. “I didn’t have the experience or the exposure of other players at that level. When I was offered the chance to play at Algoma, I didn’t think twice about it.
“My first year, almost every player was from the Sault. It almost made it harder because everyone knew I was the figure skater, so it made me feel like I had to prove myself.
“I love the team,” Barnes adds. “There’s great support from the staff and despite a tough couple seasons, the bond that we have as a group is what keeps us persevering. It’s super important we have that bond because the road trips are long.”
Because Barnes was welcomed with open arms, she feels a responsibility to pay that kindness forward. Her experiences, both good and bad, have led her to this moment and she embraces the role of being a key player and team ambassador.
Coach Mazzuca sees it every day, whether in training or an OUA match. He always comes back to the final game of the season against York University. Barnes injured an ankle again and needed to be taped up by the team’s physiotherapist.
“She demanded to re-enter the game for the final moments,” says Mazzuca. “The decision wasn’t about personal recognition, but about competing for her team. That moment exemplified her resilience, competitive spirit, and unwavering willingness to put the team first.
“They are qualities that define her as both a leader and a teammate.”
