A pov from a boy, in a girl’s sport.
Yeah, you heard that right, I was a part of a girl’s sport. No, I didn’t play, but I was the manager. During my high school career from 2022 to 2024, I was a volleyball manager for the Benton Lady Panther High School Volleyball Team. I did have a lot of fun, but there were definitely some struggles that came along with it as well. So let’s just go in timeline order to give you some back story.
2022
FRESHMAN YEAR
During my last semester of my freshman year, I was asked by the Volleyball Head Coach, Michelle Shoppach, who was also my PE/Health teacher at the time, to be a part of the volleyball team as a manager. I pretty much made up my decision within a day. I felt comfortable accepting this offer because of how close Coach Shoop had been with our family for many years. Also, the assistant head coach, Heidi Cox, was someone I was very close with, so I just knew that I would have an amazing time.
2022
SOPHOMORE YEAR
Okay, so things have now ramped up in a good way. Instantly after I accepted the offer, I was instantly put to work. I helped with my first Future Lady Panther Volleyball Camp, which was odd, but I did have fun. Then we started summer practices. And let me just tell you, waking up at 4:30 am every morning to get to a 5:30 am practice does humble you. Sophomore year was mostly fun. There were some difficulties like: the senior manager wasn’t the nicest person to be around, having to balance sports with school was a little bit of an adjustment, and trying to make sure I stayed out of trouble, but still trying to make bonds with the girls was a rocky road. But although I pretty much knew nothing about the sport, it was like home. I made new friends, got to go to new places and experience new things. This was also the year that Benton Volleyball won the state championship, ever since 2009. So it was pretty neat to be a part of that experience.
SIGHTS FROM 2022
2023
JUNIOR YEAR
Junior year is where I took on more responsibilities. But this is also a rough part of my life. The last semester of sophomore year is when my grandfather passed away, it hit me hard. Although I had the full support of the volleyball team by my side, I still had a job to do, and so I did it. I took on social media and redeveloped it completely. We were doing better than the previous year by triple. I ended up sitting in the office a lot doing paper work, stats, and pretty much anything the coaches needed. And to many that sounds annoying, but to me, I loved it! I grew my bond with the coaches even more, they were my mothers away from home, and I will always feel grateful for them. We had an okay managing staff, we had a manager who was very hard to work with again, but another one who was pretty much good when you got her focused. And by the end of the year, we won our SECOND state championship in a row.
SIGHTS FROM 2023
2024
SENIOR YEAR
A lot changed within the Volleyball program at Benton in 2024. Coach Cox decided that she needed more time with family so she went to a different sport that helped to not be so time-consuming. And our Head Junior High Volleyball Coach, Brooke White, moved up to fill in the spot of Assistant High School Volleyball Coach. I had already formed a bond with Coach White, but it wasn’t like the other coaches because I didn’t see her every day. But oh let me just tell you, by the end of the year, we were closer than ever. And she is a mother figure in my heart for sure, and I will always cherish my time with her. We worked together throughout the year, and she acclimated to her new role very smoothly. I got to work with a new manager, and loved her. Volleyball was pretty good this year, we did have some rocky beginnings but the girls learned how to work together to be a team. It did come to an abrupt ending at the State Semi-Finals where we lost to Greenbrier, but looking back, that night was not our night at all. I poured (not shed) a lot of tears that night knowing that that would be my last time on the court. Within this year I also got to talk with the college volleyball coaches at The University of Arkansas at Little Rock, thanks to Coach Shoop, to be a part of their team. But as of right now I have not taken it. I also got to talk to the athletics communication team there, thanks to Amber Flynn, to help out with the marketing since that is something that I love so much. But I have turned it down as of right now.
SIGHTS FROM 2024
I had an amazing time being with the team, but that doesn’t mean that there were some bad parts. It was a struggle trying to be friends with some of the girls. I learned that there are people out there who are two-faced. I had to learn that not everyone is going to like you in life, and some people just don’t know how to be kind. I was able to learn a lot about volleyball, doesn’t mean that I can play, but it is a sport that I have grown to love thanks to the experiences that I had on the team. I was able to learn valuable skills to help me work with people, even if I had some not so good people to work with. I absolutely loved the coaches and will always keep in touch and come back to support my lady panthers.
But being in a girls’ sport did give me insight on how the sports industry worked, just at the high school level. Women do not get the same amount of attention as the guys do. They don’t get treated equally. And it’s all politics in the athletic department. I don’t know how many times we had to give up our gym time just because the boys’ sports needed it for something small. There was a lot of “monitor and adjusting” (something Coach Shoop) lived by. And even though that’s just how this society is today, I do think we need to shine a light on this issue and get it resolved. For the past couple of years, in Benton, girls’ sports have been on top with bringing home trophies and sports championships, the boys, not so much. But girls’ sports still get treated as less.
I do see that changing in the future though, as girls’ sports are getting more competitive and something everyone wants to watch and be a part of. And volleyball has grown in the natural state, and is something that fills the stands when there is an event near.
I will always cherish the moments I got to spend with Benton Volleyball Team, and will always help to shine a light on their talents and make sure that they get the attention that they deserve.
