With fall practice for the 2017 Cowgirl volleyball season starting this week, Shelby Johnson is the second of the Wyoming volleyball senior spotlight series for GoWyo.com. Johnson, a native of Gillette, transferred to UW in the spring of 2016 and joined the team just before the start of last season. Johnson saw action in 24 matches in her first season wearing the Brown and Gold and recorded a career-high 18 digs in the season finale at Colorado State.
How much has changed since you arrived on campus?
Well I’ve only been on campus since the 2016 spring semester, but in that short amount of time, there has been many big changes with Wyoming Athletics. It’s been really exciting to see how the school and state responded to football’s great season last year. I feel that it has really helped Wyoming and increased the fan base for every sport.
Since not much has changed in the year I’ve been playing volleyball, I want to spend a little time talking about the biggest changes I experienced coming from Laramie County Community College (LCCC). For starters, I was blown away by the facilities here. I’m very jealous of having to only deal with the construction of the new High Performance Altitude Center instead of actually getting to experience it, but I know it will be amazing for my younger teammates!
Playing in the UniWyo for the first time was shocking as my previous gym held a quarter of the fans we are able to get into the UniWyo. I remember multiple times where I was just trying to read our coaches’ lips because there was no way to hear them over the crowd and band. In my eyes, that’s a really good problem to have! The UniWyo provides the most exciting atmosphere to play in out of any gym that I’ve ever experienced before.
One thing senior self could tell you as a freshman?
The one thing I could tell my freshman self is to actually use the pretty $15-dollar planner I bought for more than the first two weeks of school. Time management is the most challenging part of being a student-athlete and I could have easily avoided many sleepless nights of cramming before exams. As a junior I spent a lot more time planning my meals, school work, and volleyball tasks. Overall, planning is key!
Best piece of advice from coaching staff?
The best piece of advice from my coaching staff has been to play with confidence. At this level, you must believe in yourself and possess a high level of self-efficacy to succeed. I remember I was struggling to pass in the match at Colorado State before I heard coach Callihan say, “have some confidence in yourself Shelby, six months ago you were a tutor.” (I tutored for the UW athletics department while I was going to school before playing volleyball). That comment has stuck with me every match since and made me realize I needed to trust myself more on the court.
What is one of your favorite memories so far while playing at UW?
My favorite memory while playing at UW was beating CSU in four at home for the first time in years! One of my favorite memories off the court was during our gag-gift exchange at Christmas. We all went to Coach Chad’s house, decorated cookies and exchanged gifts. I brought bacon flavored pop-rocks and we all decided to try them. It was honestly the worst taste I have ever experienced. Half of our team was about to puke, but the worst part is that the taste didn’t leave our mouths for almost two days. It was awful, but at the same time hilarious.
How well do you think your experience here will help you for life after college?
It takes a high level of commitment to be a student-athlete at this level and I think that will really help me in my life after college. I plan on attending Physical Therapy school after college and I know that it will be a challenging three years of school, but nothing that I can’t handle. I think it might feel easier than life as a student-athlete because I will be able to only focus on school.
As a transfer student-athlete, what about Wyoming helped complete your decision to come here?
My entire family has graduated from the University of Wyoming, so there was no question where I would end up after playing two seasons at LCCC in Cheyenne. I decided after my second season that I was finished with volleyball, and I transferred in the spring semester to UW. It was a little strange being a normal college student, and I honestly touched a volleyball less than five times that semester. I thought my college volleyball career was over in December, but I was very wrong. Ten days before fall camp last year I got a call from the UW coaches and ended up snagging a spot on the team. I had already decided to attend UW, and I am more than happy with my decision to play volleyball here!
What opportunities have you been able to be a part of while playing for UW?
One great opportunity I have been able to be a part of while playing for UW is being able to share the game of volleyball with younger players during camps. In addition to improving their volleyball skills, we also allowed them time to ask us questions and get to know us. Giving back to younger athletes is always rewarding and a key to building our future program. It is also neat being from Wyoming myself and showing younger girls from small Wyoming towns that they can make it to the Division I level as well.
It is already your senior year! Has it sunk in?
Absolutely not! The thought of moving far away for PT school next year is quite terrifying, but I’m also ready to escape the Wyoming winters after experiencing those for 21 years. I am excited to get back on the court and give it my all this season. I’m more than thankful that all my teammates were so accepting of me joining the team last year, and I will really miss them. It’s crazy to think of all the “lasts” that are coming, but I’m going to do my best to enjoy every moment of my senior year.
The Cowgirls begin fall practice this week and will open its 2017 schedule with an exhibition match at Northern Colorado on Aug. 18. They return home for the Brown and Gold Scrimmage on Aug. 19 before hosting Abilene Christian, South Dakota and Portland for the Rumble in the Rockies tournament on Aug. 25-26.
