Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Schwan
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I didn’t have much of a choice to start volleyball, my mom played volleyball until she was 8 months pregnant with me and then as soon as I came out of the womb I was in the gym. I come from an athletic family, I started playing basketball when I was 4 years old. It wasn’t until I was 9 years old that I started playing organized club volleyball. I played this all through high school (along with basketball and softball). Club volleyball is how I got recruited by colleges. I stayed a hometown girly by going to the University of Washington. I grew up going to the Washington volleyball matches as a little girl so it was a dream come true to attend college there. After college I got an agent as soon as I finished my final season as a husky and searched for the next step which was starting my pro career. I played in Italy my first pro season, France for two seasons, Greece for a season, then went back to Italy for another two seasons and now I’m playing in one of the first ever leagues in America for my seventh season. I plan to play as long as my body allows because I love it too darn much to stop.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was not always a smooth road for me. Going overseas was not as easy of a transition as I thought it would be. It is lonely, you miss family and friends, birthdays and funerals. But it’s also rewarding and amazing. My first pro season, half way through the season the club called a meeting with me to tell me they wanted to release me so they had the money to buy a new player. That was crazy because I had signed a contract to be there the whole season, I had moved my whole life there, made friends, started to know where to shop for groceries, all of the things. All of that changed in a 5 minute meeting. In the end it was a very good change for me, mentally and physically. I had actually gained an eating disorder since being in that place because they had said I needed to lose weight, they didn’t tell me how, and they gave me no resource to help me to do that so they were just happy to see that I had been losing weight and never asking why. I had just not been eating nearly enough (I was eating just not enough for what my job required) and not getting the nutrients that were necessary. When I left that place I realized how everything had been affecting me negatively and turns out like I mentioned before that the switch to a new team (also in Italy) was very good for me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional volleyball player. I am most proud of the friendships and the relationships that I have built along the way. I am also proud of the way I remain myself through all the facets of this job that I have encountered. I think what sets me apart from others is that I am consistently consistent. Sounds simple but the best of the best are great because they do the simple and little things over and over again.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I have now lived and played in a total of 4 countries all with very different ways of life and one thing never changes. Relationships and people are the single most important thing in life. It’s also the way you treat people.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneyroseschwan?igsh=MTVud20xMzczMWJzbw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@crschwan04?si=CC1TY6W0Rp9rg60H
