Emma Joyce Schieck

Started: She began playing standing volleyball at age seven at Cloverleaf Elementary School in Statesville, NC, United States of America. She transitioned to sitting volleyball in 2017. (statesville.com, 01 Aug 2021; usavolleyball.org, 07 Jan 2021; teamusa.org, 01 Jan 2020) Reason: "It was my sophomore year of high school [playing standing volleyball] when I had a ref notice my brachial plexus injury. He asked me about it because he had noticed I was passing a little bit different, and I explained to him what it was. He told me that I needed to come and try sitting volleyball. The referee happened to be Elliot Blake, the director of the [US] A2 sitting programme. He had just gotten back from the [2017] Youth Parapan American Games with our sitting team, which included Nina McVay, who I went to high school with. After talking to her, I decided to try sitting volleyball and attended my first A2 camp." (statesville.com, 01 Aug 2021; usavolleyball.org, 07 Jan 2021, 01 Jan 2020) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 18 May 2023) Milestones: She is the youngest US women's sitting volleyball player to have won gold at the Paralympic Games to date, having been part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2020 Games in Tokyo at age 20 years and 30 days. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jan 2024) Additional Info: PARALYMPIC GOLD She hit the winning point that secured gold for the United States of America in the final of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "The score was 24-19 and I stood up and walked towards the court. If you would have told me a few weeks earlier that I would be going in to serve match point in the gold medal match for the Tokyo Paralympics, I would have thought you were lying, but here I was. I picked my spot on the other side of the court and served the ball. It was an ace, and the game was over. We won 25-19. I was in shock, and honestly, I think everyone was. The bench stormed the court and everyone was screaming. The next moments were full of tears and hugs and the most incredible feelings you could ever imagine. Hearing our national anthem play from the top of the podium and having a gold medal put around my neck was incredible." (volleyballmag.com, 29 Sep 2021) FROM STANDING TO SITTING VOLLEYBALL She says there was a big transition when she switched from playing standing volleyball to sitting volleyball in 2017. "I played [standing volleyball] for my elementary school, middle school, and club teams, all the way to high school. The game is so much faster in sitting volleyball. There is a learning curve. The movement aspect is the biggest adjustment. The net is shorter, the court is smaller, and when you are sitting down you aren't going to run and dunk. Those are the big differences." (statesville.com, 01 Aug 2021; iredellfreenews.com, 13 Jul 2021; usavolleyball.org, 07 Jan 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES She has worked as an intern with USA Triathlon in constituent relationships. (teamusa.com, 29 Oct 2023)