Meet Lady'Back Karla Crose

A week in the life of Karla Crose Being a Division 1 volleyball player is probably the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me. I dreamed of it as a kid, and watched that dream come true in high school when I signed my letter of intent. I couldn’t wait to get to the "big leagues" so I could play in front of a big crowd, travel to different places, and enjoy all of the wonderful things that D1 volleyball is all about. Now, in my fourth year of college, I have found all of these things to be true and just as great as I imagined. Anyone who comes to our matches knows that we travel all over the country, have a great home crowd filled with awesome supporters, and that we play on the court as hard as we can for every game that we’re out there. What most people don’t see, however, is the "behind the scenes" view of our lives. Coming into college, I knew that it would be hard work, but you never really understand until you’re right there in the thick of it. For example, here is a typical week for me: Monday through Thursday I go to class every morning. On certain days I am on campus from 8:30am to 1:20pm for classes. Then directly after class I grab a bite to eat and head to practice. We normally practice from about 2:30-5:30pm, and lift weights either before or after on some days. After practice I am sometimes done for the day, but I have a chemistry lab on Wednesday nights which lasts until 10:00pm, and other nights I am usually studying or doing homework for a class. These are full days which don’t allow much time for one of my favorite free-time activities: a nap. This is a normal week so far for me, but then on Fridays it gets a little different. If we have an away game that weekend we’ll leave on Thursday nights or Friday morning which means I have to miss class. This also means that I have to contact my professor and make up any homework or tests before I leave. Road trips are fun, but I have to constantly remind myself to study on the plane or in the hotel room so I can stay caught up with my studies. After a weekend of playing on the road, we normally get back on Sunday nights and then my week begins again on Monday morning when I go to class again at 8:30am. Although my schedule is busy, and I have to balance my classes and volleyball, I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything. This is a once in a lifetime chance to do something that I love at a level that I always dreamed of playing at, and it’s been worth every sacrifice and long day that I’ve had.