Lauren Tharp (UK Athletics Photo)
Kentucky volleyball coach Craig Skinner prides himself on recruiting not only talented players but also players who care about others.
“You can’t recruit chemistry but you can recruit people who understand the bigger picture and will be happy for other people. If you recruit selfish people, you’ve got a problem,” Skinner said before UK’s national championship match with Texas.
Certainly, juniors Alli Stumler and Lauren Tharp qualify on all counts. The two helped UK win the national title last week but also have plans to become teachers.
Stumler averaged 4.82 kills and 2.35 digs per set and had the championship-clinching kill to earn all NCAA All-Tournament Team honors.
“When I came to college I really had no idea what I wanted to do,” Stumler said. “I loved kids and giving back to people. I was thinking maybe teaching or social work. I took classes in both but I loved teaching and the more I got into classes, the cooler I thought it would be to have a role in so many lives.”
She’s now an elementary education major and believes she can be the same positive role model in a classroom she is on the court.
“As a teacher, you spend more time in a day with a kid than the parents do,” Stumler said. “I am going to take great pride in having students of my own and raising them.
“I have had teachers shape what I think, how I think. It’s similar to what a coach does for you. I love giving back to people any way I can. I can always be a positive person just like I try to be on the court.”
Tharp, Stumler’s roommate, has the same passion with kids and is a special education major.
“In high school I got randomly placed for a service project helping students with special needs,” Tharp, a key defensive specialist, and server for UK, said. “Getting involved then made me realize I wanted to impact their lives any way I can.
“I have learned through observations I have been doing and classes that kids need somebody to give them advice on how to help their lives. I know I can make a difference. That’s what I try to do on the court but I also know I can make a difference teaching for a lot more years than I can playing volleyball.”
