Three out of three. An event continuously growing from year to year, from edition to edition. The American College Volleyball Showcase 2019 held between Trevignano Romano and Anguillara from June 10th to 13th, was a success.
"There are many aspects about this country that strucks me. The one surprises me most is the importance given to meritocracy: if you give a lot, you receive a lot and this pushes me to give my best every day. In the academic field I like the professors' availability to help you whenever you need and the workload which is is divided up throughout the semester. The secret is that study and sport in the United States go at the same pace: they go hand in hand and this makes easier managing everything. "
When we talk about playing competitive sports and study in Italy, about student-athletes, it is always a very delicate topic, an almost impossible coexistence, a typical Italian paradox.
A quick interview with Carlotta Cartelli: born in 1997, she is the goalkeeper of the Louisiana Tech University women soccer team. "Charlie", as her teammates call her, tells us about her experience as a student-athlete in the U.S.
Why did you decide to become a student-athlete in an American College?
Everyone knows the stories of the undrafted-turned-pro or breakout redshirt senior year but no-one ever talks about the millions of students that take a lesser known route: junior college to traditional four-year university. The opportunity to learn crucial skills both on and off the playing field, in addition to earning a scholarship and making progress towards your degree is invaluable.
The constant growth and popularity of volleyball and beach volleyball in USA colleges is impressive. Women's volleyball is already one of the most practiced sports in colleges: in the 2018-19 academic year, a total of 1,073 NCAA colleges are sponsoring volleyball teams: 334 of those teams are competing in Division 1, 303 in Division II and 436 in Division 3; NAIA institutions currently sponsor 226 women's volleyball programs along with 456 two-year colleges in the United States.
Our student-athlete Francesca Indoni describes us what happened during the four years she spent in New York, studying and playing volleyball at Queens College.
This is the story of her experience:
After the thrilled season just concluded, for the Italian volleyball pair Federica Frasca and Margherita Bianchin there is one more achievement: the AVCA BVB All-America Honors.
It was on a visit to the United States for a volleyball tournament when Ludovica realized her next chapter in life would take her to America. After completing her student-athlete experience and graduating with a degree in forensic science with a chemistry minor, Ludovica Centro recalls her days as an athlete at Long Island University in New York.
The Beginning of the American Adventure