After more than two years of hard work, their efforts have paid off. This year, there was both a men’s and women’s club volleyball team. The teams competed for the first time this fall—the women as a part of the Northeast Women’s Volleyball Club League and the men in the Eastern Collegiate Volleyball Association.

“It’s been amazing to see this grow from an idea into an actual club, and now an actual team that’s going to compete against other teams in the league,” said Fordham College at Rose Hill sophomore Mariano Chegwin, who played for the men’s side.

A Long Journey

Club sports, which fall between varsity and intramural sports in terms of competitiveness, provide students a chance to play at high levels against other schools throughout the country. But unlike their varsity counterparts, club sports don’t have their seasons planned out for them by their conferences. Those complex logistics fall to the participants and club directors, usually members of the athletic department who work with students to turn their ideas into reality.

“We would have regular meetings with the club director, and then they would review our plans with us and give us feedback,” Wong said about the initial process.

An application for a new club sport is comparable to a business plan, including specifics such as developing marketing and outreach strategies, creating potential tournament plans, arranging travel, deciding on executive leadership board duties, and more. This means that getting a club sport off the ground takes a little more effort than just fielding a team and hitting the court.

While established teams can draw on alumni or other existing resources, starting from scratch means that new club sport leaders have to be creative in their fundraising efforts.

Wong and Moran enlisted club treasurer, Fordham College at Rose Hill junior Elena Stoddard, to outline a plan for their first year. The trio organized pay-to-play volleyball tournaments on campus and hosted several bake sales to support the club’s expenses.

Those efforts made it all the sweeter when they were able to sport their new official jerseys this season.

Supporting Future Players

When Moran agreed to be a co-founder of the team, his original hope was just to have a place to play competitive volleyball. Now, more than halfway through his undergraduate career, he continues to devote his time to running practices and scheduling tournaments because he sees how much it means to everyone who has taken the journey along with him.

“Once we did start it, I think the longevity aspect was super important to us because we saw the community we were creating,” he said.

Moran and Wong know that many of the fruits of their labors will likely materialize long after they’ve already gone—and that’s OK by them.

“I don’t want this club to die,” Moran said. “Seeing the fact there are generations after us that we need to provide for, and keep their passion alive: that’s what motivates us the most.”

 

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After years of nonstop, high-level competition in some of the top youth leagues in the country, Garrett decided she needed a break.

“By the end of it, I was pretty burnt out,” she recalled.

It was a choice she initially felt confident in.

‘I Don’t Know Who I Am’

The first moment of doubt came in the dining hall.

“I was in line to get food and this girl comes up to me and says, ‘Oh is this a line that’s only for athletes?’ Maybe because of how I was dressed or something,” Garrett said. “So I just told her no I wasn’t. Then in my head I was like…‘but I am an athlete.”

For Garrett, her yearslong dedication to training and competing wasn’t just a lifestyle, but an integral part of who she was, particularly coming from a family of professional, All-American, and Division I athletes. Her father told her she’d regret giving up the sport. She hadn’t believed him until now.

“I remember calling my dad and telling him he was right—I don’t know who I am. I’m having an identity crisis,” she said.

The Perfect Balance

When Garrett saw a table for women’s soccer at the club fair the next day, she jumped at the opportunity.

“I didn’t even have my cleats because I didn’t plan on playing,” she said. “So I just showed up in my tennis shoes and went through the tryout on the turf, slipping around everywhere.”

Even before she officially made the team, Garrett knew she’d found a home.

The toxicity and high pressure of her youth soccer experience, she said, were replaced with a challenging but supportive environment.

“It was the perfect balance,” she said. “Everyone was really good and competitive, but they were also there to have fun.’’

Making Connections

Now a junior, Garrett is not only a member of the team, but was one of four captains last fall, alongside seniors Dana DiBella, Alex Bedard, and Maria Marucci. Garrett said the bond between teammates is so strong because of how much the game has meant throughout each of their lives.

For one teammate in particular, sophomore Isabelle Damo, those bonds stretched back to her youth. Damo shared with her captains that a former coach who was formative in her early playing days, Patricio Meneses, Ph.D., was now an associate dean and professor in the biology department.

“She told us he might be interested in coaching our team, so we reached out over the summer and thought he was great, so we brought him in,” Garrett said. “He’s been a huge help.”

As Garrett continues to learn the various duties and responsibilities of running a club team, she said she can’t imagine her Fordham experience without club soccer.

“Without having that outlet, just being able to go run around, do my best, compete—a big part of myself would be missing,” she said. “You dedicate so much of your life to something that it just becomes like a part of you and who you are.”

Learn more about getting involved on campus at fordham.edu/clubs.

“This is literally the opposite of what I am used to,” she recalled.

Over the course of a few months, Cuesta had moved to New York City, started college classes, and auditioned for The F Sharps—the a cappella group at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus—despite knowing nothing about it. Now she was tasked with singing her first-ever solo at the Spring Teaser, a performance that features every a cappella group across the University.

“It was a little nerve-wracking because there’s so much talent in these groups,” she said. “I was shaking in my boots.”

But once she started singing, everything changed.

“They were so supportive, and so kind,” Cuesta said. “I could feel that this group was going to welcome me, and they did.”

Building on a Legacy

While Fordham has many rich traditions and legacies, a cappella is among its oldest. The first-ever group was the Fordham Glee Club, which tradition holds was founded in 1893, and continues on today as The Ramblers, the all-male ensemble that puts on regularly packed performances across the Rose Hill campus and beyond.

But they’re far from the only show in town.

Over the years, a number of different a cappella groups were founded as a way to engage different student populations and explore diverse genres of music. The Fordham b-Sides are Rose Hill’s oldest co-ed group, while The Hot Notes specifically focus on jazz fusion arrangements.

Olivia Nast, a student at Fordham College at Rose Hill, is the current president of The Satin Dolls, the University’s only all female and femme ensemble.

“For me, the sisterhood aspect is huge,” she said. “From my perspective, I think we’re one of the most bonded groups.”

Hard Work Behind the Scenes

To those in attendance, blending many different voices might seem effortless, but for a cappella members, it takes hours of hard work and practice.

Ensembles typically perform multiple shows a year, no small feat considering that each individual song requires original arrangements that are painstakingly created, written, and learned in students’ spare time.

“This doesn’t stop in the summer,” said Heaven Holford, a Fordham College at Lincoln Center student and co-president of The F Sharps. “Basically since our concert last spring, we’ve been preparing for this year. People have been arranging music all summer.”

Once in a Lifetime Opportunities

But those long hours and dedication pay off as Fordham’s a cappella ensembles have had many memorable opportunities and experiences.

The Satin Dolls performed the national anthem on ABC News’ coverage of the 2016 election and were praised by New York Giants legend and TV host Michael Strahan. The Ramblers opened for the Rockettes at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular two seasons ago. The Hot Notes just released a full-length album on all streaming platforms. Several groups compete at the International Championships of Collegiate A Cappella every year, which allows them to make connections with artists from other schools in New York City and from countries around the world.

But for many, it’s the lifelong friendships that will stick with them the most.

“Some of the best people I’ve met at Fordham have been through this group,” said Dana Ebralidze, a Fordham College at Lincoln Center student and co-president of The F Sharps. “It’s hard to even put in words how much this club impacted my experience. This gave me a group that I know is always going to be there.”