Where the ball drops: What it’s like to be a manager for college athletics

From the backline, I can hear my teammate bounce the ball. I see the crowd for the opposing side cup their mouths and yell something to distract our server – to this day I couldn’t tell you what they said. My setter is telling me where to hit, her fingers signing a symbol we use for certain plays, though I can’t remember what I was supposed to do. She serves the ball and I see the blur of its outline fly over my head – a girl thrusts her arms out to pass.

She makes one step toward her setter, legs crouched, braced for impact, and the ball shanks off into the scorekeeping box. I collapse on the court, finally allowing myself to feel the aches of every muscle in my body. I am flooded by my team, all of us on our knees, bruised and some bloodied. I become aware of the other people in the arena again, incomparably deafening.

That was the last time I ever played high school volleyball. We finished as the third ranked team in the state of Iowa and went home at the end of the weekend with an engraved “semifinalist” trophy.

Most of my teammates went on to play in college and after I decided to attend Iowa State on an academic scholarship. To my great disappointment, this meant that volleyball was no longer in the picture. So when it came time to move into my new dorm, I decided to manage for the university’s women’s volleyball team to stay with the sport. Where I once was the athlete scoring the points, watching the ball roll off the court, I am now the girl dashing to the sidelines to pick up the ball and hand it to the next player.

College athletics, especially at Division I schools like Iowa State, are where you’ll find some of the most intense competitors in the nation. After a season of managing for my own college-sponsored team, I understand more deeply what this constitutes. A typical athlete’s schedule begins with class all morning, as many other student’s schedules do, but includes weights, practice, and an hour or two in the trainer’s office all afternoon. After having to be at most of these events as a manager, I can whole-heartedly state that college athletes have earned the respect they most often receive from others.

However, as a once player of the same sport, I also struggle. I struggle with watching team huddles and the celebration after each point. I miss my own team bus rides, where the first 30 minutes were spent scoping out the food and gossiping about the latest boyfriend issue. If it was any time after that, you’d find us on the floor or lying across the seats with our headphones in and cranked up to drown out the hum of the bus.

I miss having a coach, watching her pace the bench and knowing that if I mess up, that person right there will tell me how to get better. I miss having a team. I learned more from my years on the court than my time spent in class, at work, or anywhere else. My best teachers were in matching jerseys beside me and on the sideline coaching me through the next play.

It’s different being on the sideline. While I don’t regret my college decision, I long for the same experiences as the college athletes I watch play almost every day. If you’re one of these people dying to once again familiarize with a sport, get involved: attend games, play intramurals, join a club.

Managing is also a great opportunity to network – you meet coaches, players, and students from other schools. At the end of the day, at the heart of it all is still a group of people in love with the same game.