The name Kara Seidenstricker is synonymous with Wittenberg Women's Volleyball. During her four year stint as a Tiger, the 2016 graduate, became the most decorated athlete in the history of Wittenberg Athletics. Just when it seemed Seidenstricker couldn't set the bar any higher, she became the first female athlete from Wittenberg to go on to play professionally in their sport.
In August 2016, Seidenstricker signed a 10-month contract to play for Nawaro, a team located in the city of Straubing, in the lower Bavaria region of southern Germany. Nawaro plays in Germany's second league and is currently 4-1. The team is made up of five Germans, three from the United States, one from Canada, Poland and Serbia.
How is playing professionally different from playing at Wittenberg?
Overall, it's pretty similar. We have a dedicated team that continuously puts in hard work and effort, and we are led by a knowledgeable coaching staff. The main difference is that my only responsibility here is volleyball. I can completely focus on volleyball without the stress of classes or other time consuming obligations, which is really nice.
The game atmosphere is also a lot different. Here we have volunteers completely transform the gym by building our game court with a roll-out floor and lining the court and walls with banners from our sponsors. Around 800 people attend each game, and noisemakers are encouraged. Every person gets a clapper at the game, and some people bring their own cowbells, tambourines, or bass drums. All of this creates an incredibly loud gym, but it makes every game so much fun.
How did being a student at Wittenberg, and an athlete on the volleyball team prepare you for this experience?
The Wittenberg experience in both academics and athletics continuously pushed me outside my comfort zone to help me gain skills such as independence, open-mindedness, perseverance, and creativity. Living in another country has required me to use these skills as I learn about how others live and how to find my way around. Wittenberg's volleyball program prepared me for the physical demands of this experience of course, and it helped me develop the proper mentality and work ethic required. My team works extremely hard to succeed, and we aim to make the best decisions not only for ourselves, but also for our team. It's very similar to the mindset we try to maintain in Wittenberg's program.
Besides volleyball, what else have you been doing while overseas?
I have spent most of my spare time traveling or thinking about traveling. One of my goals for this experience was to see as much as possible while meeting as many people as possible. On our off weekends we just plan a trip and do it. Sometimes we don't even plan, and we spontaneously make a day trip somewhere. The train system in Europe makes this unbelievably simple!
I've also been trying to learn German, but that is proving to be a very slow process. I'm keeping at it though!
What is your favorite moment so far?
This is an extremely tough question.
My favorite volleyball moment was when we won the Bavarian Cup. We played so well together to beat one of our rivalries for the championship game. The win gave us the chance to play one of the top teams in Germany in the next round, and that was a lot of fun too.
I'd have to say my favorite traveling moment was when two of my teammates and I took a day trip to Salzburg, Austria. Basically everything went terribly wrong that day, but we had a blast and got to see amazing buildings and gardens; it's a beautiful city. We became skilled at running down public transportation and sorting through information when our questions and statements to others were completely lost in translation. We might have been lost for most of the trip, but we all feel like we can conquer anything now!