Refs, coaches recognized this sitting volleyball player's potential. Now she's playing in the Paralympic Games
Posted September 1, 2021 3:24 p.m. EDT
Updated September 1, 2021 5:17 p.m. EDT
Emma Schieck, always an athlete, took a long road to sitting volleyball, Team USA and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. Because of an injury at birth, Schieck can’t straighten or rotate her left arm to its full capacity, causing it to be weaker than her right arm.
Her journey to Tokyo started when she was 7. Schieck played on a youth soccer team. Dissatisfied with the sport, Schieck attended her new elementary school’s “try it sports day” and decided to sit in the volleyball information session.
It sparked her interest immediately.
“I had a cheerleading session after my volleyball session at the trial day,” Schieck said. “I remember getting up and kind of sneaking out the back of the cheer session to go back to volleyball because I just loved it so much immediately.”
Although her parents suggested sports that didn’t directly involve her arm, Schieck was determined to play volleyball.
Since then, Schieck’s love for the sport blossomed. She played for South Iredell High School and Precision Athletics Volleyball Club. When Schieck and her club team traveled to Atlanta for the 2016 Big South National Qualifiers, she was approached by a referee about sitting volleyball. Schieck didn’t think much of it, but then was approached by a different referee at the same tournament the following year about her passing ability. The referee, Elliot Blake, was also the USA sitting volleyball manager, and encouraged Schieck to attend an informal tryout session in Virginia.
After showing off her talent in Virginia, Schieck and her family drove 21 hours to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic training site in Oklahoma for a training camp.
“I hated it,” Schieck said. “I didn't think the sport was for me, I just kind of felt like I was a standing volleyball player.”
Schieck wanted to use her legs to run and jump and get to the ball. In sitting volleyball, the player’s arms move them across the court; because her left arm doesn’t straighten all the way, Schieck has trouble getting it to even touch the ground.
Two months later, Schieck decided to give the sport one more shot and attended another training camp, where she met Team USA Head Coach Bill Hamiter. Hamiter recognized Schieck’s talent and grit and invited her to try out for the national team.
And at that camp in November 2017, Schieck finally found what she was destined to do.
Since making the national team, Schieck has been one of the youngest on the court. While she’s a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, balancing her classes and career, some of her teammates are in their 40s and attending to their kids. However, Schieck says that their “stage of life difference” connects them in a way that is unique to the sport.
“We've really been working on checking in on each other and making sure we're not just keeping up with each other in a volleyball sense, but like life as well,” Schieck said. “Even though I can't necessarily relate to my teammates who have kids, I can ask about their kids. That relationship and that trust off the court really translates to trust on the court as well.”
Now in the Tokyo competition, Schieck and her team defeated Rwanda 3-0 on Aug. 28, but lost to China 0-3 on Aug. 30. To round out pool play, Team USA defeated the Russian Paralympic Committee team 3-0 to secure their spot in the semifinals.
The team will now take on Brazil on Sept. 3, and the winner of that match will determine who will play for gold.
In Rio, Team USA won gold in women’s sitting volleyball as the underdog. Now, they are ranked No. 1 in the world and looking to defend that title.
Even though Schieck was not a part of the 2016 campaign, wants to help her teammates win that medal for the second time in a row and expects to lead the team for years to come.
“My sitting volleyball career is definitely just getting started,” Schieck said. “I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'm definitely still a rookie, so I really want to just absorb as much as I can so that I can keep the legacy of this team going.”
Kaitlyn Schmidt is a junior in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
