Sports
Non-traditional students bumping it up on the court
The Pointer
jwitt447@uwsp.edu
Nate Pollesch, University Wisconsin-Stevens Point student and intramural volleyball player, had some problems with his hip replacement, but he stuck with it at his intramural volleyball game one Sunday.
“Towards the end of the game you could see the pain on his face, though he wouldn’t admit it. With just a few points to go, he leapt up and spiked the ball to the other team, giving us the ball,” said Glenn Wills, team member and student at UW-SP. “Then he yelled ‘Oh, God, my sciatica!’ He fell instantly and hit the ground like jello. We were so impressed with his discipline that both teams cheered him on as it was so inspirational, plus it was a little funny.”
This volleyball squad, a mixture of non-traditional students and traditional students, is more than just a sports team. They are a tightly- knit group which has no problem getting together outside the volleyball courts.
“We sit in the Brewhaus and discuss next week’s uniform theme,” said team member and UW-SP senior, Holly Ehrhardt.
The team sometimes gathers at places like the Basement Brewhaus in the Dreyfus University Center to discuss other issues that may or may not deal with the team, but are still important to them.
“We watch Matlock and play bingo when we aren’t going to school or kicking back with a beer and complaining about the young’ uns’ in the Brewhaus,” said Wills.
Intramural sports are good for students who would like to play organized sports, but not take it too seriously. Though this team enjoys the social side to the game, they also enjoy the physical aspect.
“I have really enjoyed it thus far. It lets us come together for an hour once a week to exercise and have fun,” said Ehrhardt.
The non-traditional students serve as a key, irreplaceable element on the team. Ehrhardt believes that the non-traditional students offer the team insight and show them wisdom, good sportsmanship and humility. Wills agrees that these non-traditional students assist in helping out those a little younger.
“I don’t care that they’re non-traditional, I like them anyway,” said Wills. “I very much enjoy it. My age difference with most other students is accentuated in a group of older students, but that just makes me feel unique.”
The team plays every Sunday night and generally looks forward to playing. There are times when the team doesn’t have games but shows up regardless and tries a new sport to delight in besides volleyball.
“There was one week when volleyball wasn’t going on, but we all showed up at the scheduled time anyway instead of going home,” said Ehrhardt. “We decided to make the best of our time, so we found a kickball and started playing what ended up to be very long, competitive and suspenseful game. That is something I really value about this team; we’re as nostalgic as they come.”
