Athletes walk the campus the same way everyday that typical college students do. They share our fears and our excitement. They have high hopes and dreams about what awaits them out in the real world.
Sometimes fans forget that.
They see the athlete in action and don’t realize how similar they are to the individual out on the field or on the court.
Sports writers often have an up-close look at athletes outside athletics. They talk to athletes at practices, after games and individually. They can see how long seasons and losing streaks can wear on athletes. They witness the emotional extremes from close wins and NCAA Tournament selections.
Then their final season ends. There are no more practices, games or road trips. There are no more individual workouts to prepare for the next season. The structure they’ve become accustomed to from four years of playing a varsity sport is gone. They have freedom and sometimes that can be a terrifying prospect.
For many athletes, when they hang up their Oregon jerseys for the last time, it marks the final time they’ll play sports competitively. Very few athletes have the opportunity to continue playing professionally and earn a living.
Volleyball player Erin Little is first up in today’s Emerald. The graduating outside hitter is looking at a future in the medical field after she completes her general science degree with a minor in biochemistry. She may find time to play sports on the side, but sees her time playing competitive volleyball coming to an end.
The competitive Little still plans to participate in sports, whether it’s a spring/summer grass volleyball league or soccer, a sport she played growing up.
The 6-foot-6 Jessie Shetters brought life and personality to the Oregon women’s basketball team, along with teammate and roommate Cicely Oaks.
Shetters gave Oregon a towering presence in the middle who could alter shots and grab rebounds. She missed 11 games due to a back injury during her senior season, and even when she returned, wasn’t the same player from the beginning of the season.
The Portland native ended her final Oregon season with averages of 4.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, never quite lived up to the expectations that comes with a player her size, but left a memorable mark on Oregon nonetheless.
I talked to Shetters last weekend for the question and answer piece, but I also sat down with her last season before Oregon’s final road trip to the Washington schools. The affable Shetters had gone through a difficult part of the Pacific-10 Conference season, forced off the court by her back injury, and had to watch as her teammates tried to make the postseason and give their mainstay in the post more chances to wear Oregon green and yellow.
Dressed in sweats and a sweatshirt, Shetters revealed her emotions, and her willingness to support the team, however she could. Oregon did make the postseason, and made it to the third round of the WNIT, before losing at Wyoming.
Shetters now looks towards a future that may include professional basketball. She looks back at her sister, Jenny, who played for Cal State Northridge and New Mexico in college, but stopped playing after graduating. Sometimes, Shetters wonders if her sister regrets not playing more. If Shetters plays, it’s likely going to involve going overseas.
Both Little and Shetters, along with the rest of the Oregon athletes we’ll mention this week, the question and answer pieces will show another side of former Ducks, who most likely will see their athletic careers end after their Oregon career is over. For many, the competitive spirit remains, but instead is channeled elsewhere once they enter the real world.
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