I started playing in an over 50 dek hockey league (ugh, holy cow) almost ten years ago. The format was simple, two people were chosen to be captains for the night, they selected the teams in a straight draft format. Stats were kept including wins and losses, goals scored, and assists. A “leaderboard” was displayed at the rink, and at the end of the season the top and bottom six players played the middle 12 players. It was a very competitive atmosphere. Picking teams was interesting, and some nights you played with someone you had a beef with the week before. When this pandemic is over I am eager to get back into it. It is the most fun I’ve had competing in the sport I really enjoy.
It might lead you to wonder how this “pick-up” format might work in professional sports. The NHL allowed players to pick from an elite roster to form their All-Star teams for a few years, but hockey’s all-star game has historically been less than competitive. Last year, Athletes Unlimited started a softball league that featured stats driven rankings and an interesting pick-up team schedule. Rumors of adding volleyball to future plans piqued my interest. How many of America’s best volleyball players would be interested in joining this league and playing in this unusual format?
It turns out, quite a few! Starting February 27th, Athletes Unlimited will start its inaugural season. The league will include many former national team members and some of NCAA volleyball’s best athletes. This new league has even attracted some of the strongest players from around the world. Maybe the pandemic has provided the perfect situation for this league to thrive. The NCAA volleyball season has been sketchy and even though there is little difference in the level of play, the schedule has suffered for the safety of both the players and coaching staffs. Maybe volleyball fans are ready for an indoor league with a twist. I know I am.
As someone who supports strong females, I really want to support this new league and the effort to bring a quality professional league to America. I also have a penchant for collecting volleyball tee-shirts. I was delighted to find out the league has a “team shop” that included tee-shirt replicas of the game jerseys of each of the athletes in the league. Bingo. Credit card in hand, I chose one for myself, my fiance Audrey, and my daughter Aly. I chose Deja McClendon’s #18 for myself, Jordan Larson’s #10 for Audrey, and Cass Lichtman’s #8 for Aly. Then I wondered why I “drafted” those three players.
I decided to explore this by finding a single descriptive word for each athlete and why I might hold them in such high regard. Then, because I always have questions, I asked each of them about their assigned trait.
Jordan Larson on Leadership
“This is an area of my game that I am always trying to improve. I think I have always been able to lead by example, but one area I am trying to be better in is being a more vocal leader. Everyone is going to have their own style of leadership. I want to identify that and then be able to recognize the areas that still need some growth.”
So why did I see leadership when I thought of Larson?
She is outwardly unflappable. I’ve never seen her appear unnerved, out of sorts, or emotional on the court. I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen Jordan compete at the highest levels of this game, yet all I see is steady. A great leader is someone who keeps her teammates together and on task. Jordan Larson has done this for longer than anyone in American volleyball. But she’d admit, it’s not always perfect. “I would say there isn’t a secret key skill,(to leadership) it’s more about trial and error and being able to look at those who have come before you and ask how you can best hold the standard amongst your team.”
Does longevity have a part in leadership? Larson thinks so. “I have been lucky enough to have played on a lot of great teams with a ton of great learners, so being able to watch their actions and pick their brains has really helped me.”
Cassidy Lichtman on Integrity
I’ve watched closely as Cass has navigated her playing career, morphed briefly into coaching (long enough to be on the staff at her alma mater, Stanford, for a national championship), then turned her attention to working for a revolutionary startup that helps solve systemic issues of inclusion, equity, and environment. She now is in the middle of developing her own non-profit called P/ATH. P/ATH believes healing the divisions in our society depends on teaching young people new skills around empathy, equity, and empowerment.
“In terms of integrity, to me it’s just about always being in alignment. I feel like the moment I act in a way that doesn’t reflect who I am then I cease being that person. So I just want to have clarity on who I want to be and what matters to me and then not allow anything to knock me off course.” Cass adds that like most of us, this trait comes from a familiar source. “I assume I learned most of that from my parents; I think I’ve always had a fairly strong sense of self.”
Lichtman named a few athletes she looks to for examples of integrity. “In the overall sports world, off the top of my head, I love Steph Curry and what he’s about, Steve Kerr, Nneka Ogwumike from the WNBA, Andrew Luck, Billie Jean King…”
All fine examples of integrity, but add Cassidy Lichtman to that list for me.
Deja McClendon on Joy
Deja has a smile that lights up an entire arena, and she’s not afraid to use it. I used to travel from Pittsburgh to State College a couple of times a year, and Deja never failed to light up both the scoreboard and Rec Hall. Penn State has a long list of elite volleyball players, but none of them have seemed as approachable and kind as Deja. Make no mistake, as a hitter, she is an assassin, but once the ball hits the floorboards, her grin and celly game is unmatched. Joy, to Deja, comes from more than just athletics. “For me joy is very closely linked to freedom. In my life outside of volleyball, traveling and exploring always fills me with joy because of the vast sense of freedom I feel. I get the same feeling being on the court. We can laugh, we can cry, we can yell at the top of our lungs all while playing our hearts out together and that is what brings me so much joy.”
Defining joy comes easily for someone who exhibits it so freely. “To me joy is that light childlike happiness we all have in us. A smile or laugh that is so contagious that it can change the energy of a whole room. It unifies us no matter our language, age, color or creed.”
How does joy sub-in and apply to sports, and particularly volleyball? “I get a great sense of joy from my connection with my teammates and the fulfillment of succeeding together.” It won’t take long for volleyball fans to see joy in this new league. No matter what team she is on, #18 will be cracking floorboards and flashing that million watt smile. If joy were a metric in this stats driven league, Deja McClendon is an overall first rounder!
Now, about the league and how it works. Here is the brief explanation provided by the creators of the scoring system.
“Athletes Unlimited has developed a scoring system for the sport of volleyball that is designed to highlight the individual performance of an athlete within the context of overall team performance. Given the nature of the Athletes Unlimited unique competition format, the scoring system should account for both the player’s measurable individual statistical impact, as well as their intangible influence on team outcomes. Historical data from international competition matches were used to craft the initial models, which were then refined through simulations, compared against actual match results, and integrated with the team and MVP point structures that appear in all Athletes Unlimited scoring systems.”
Let’s go!!!
All three are anxious to try out this wild new format. Jordan Larson led the way commenting, “I am excited! It is definitely different, but I think it’s going to be fun!” She added, “To be able to play with some of these girls is going to be awesome! I do wish Dallas was more open so they (the international players) can see what it's like, but playing here is going to be great.” Lichtman also is eager to play with the impressive roster of international talent. “I’m so excited about the foreign athletes we have joining us. I don’t know that I would have ever predicted in my lifetime, much less during my career, that there would be a league that would attract players of this caliber to come to the US.”
Meanwhile, Cass is focused on figuring things out. “I am excited to play in this format. I think when you’re at this point in your career it’s rare that you get something totally new thrown at you. So I love that it’s still volleyball, the rules haven’t changed at all, and yet there’s a new kind of challenge coming at us.” Joining a new team, finding out how things fit is an additional challenge. “It’s been an interesting process so far just trying to get to know all the different players and figuring out what they’re like and who I think my game can complement best and vice versa.” Yeah, this is what makes Athletes Unlimited so very interesting!
For McClendon, not surprisingly, it’s all about connection, competition, learning, and enjoying the experience. “You have the veterans that we're all learning from mixed with the younger players that bring a freshness to the game creating this awesome competitive environment.” Deja is also excited by the international flavor in Dallas. “It's a dream come true for us to have a league in the states and to also be bringing in big names from all over the world. It's a crazy opportunity for volleyball fans to get to see this level of play in the US.”
Draft strategy is another aspect of this league that makes it unique. The first week, “captains” will be chosen using data derived from the first few scrimmages and after that, the top four players statistically will pick teams. They can ask for help from anyone, including the coaching staff Athletes Unlimited have provided, but Cassidy seems to have a solid plan. “My first draft pick is a game changer— best possible player I can get. At this point I anticipate that being a pin hitter.” Deja concurs, using an oft employed draft strategy of best available athlete. “I'm still working on my strategy but I think I would start with my game changer first. Probably an OP who can really make a big impact and then build around them.” Jordan was slightly more coy about her game plan. “I can't be giving away my draft secrets... so, you will just have to wait to find out!”
Lastly, each player represents a charity or nonprofit. Jordan plays for The Pink Fund, whose mission is providing financial support to help meet basic needs, decrease stress levels, and allow breast cancer patients in active treatment to focus on healing while improving survivorship outcomes. Their 90-day grant program allows them to meet critical expenses for housing, transportation, utilities, and insurance.
Cassidy plays for her own wonderful nonprofit, P/ATH, whose mission closely aligns with her values and outlook on the world. “I figure if I believe in it enough to create it then I should probably believe in it enough to play for it!” Humility and integrity must run in the same circles.
Deja represents Bald Girls Do Lunch, who support and connect women and girls with alopecia areata. “They are a group that connects women and girls across the US suffering from alopecia, helping them restore their self-confidence and conquer the isolation and stigma of female baldness. I chose this cause because as I was struggling with alopecia I always wished I had a group of women who could talk me through the struggles I was going through. Now not only can I be a voice in that group but I can also bring awareness and support to the organization to help women and girls like me.”
Causes, strategy, and athletics in a league with leadership, integrity, and joy? Sign me up for some of that! Our game jerseys should be here soon, and opening night is less than two weeks away. Get involved by joining some level of the Unlimited Club, or plan on watching these incredible athletes starting February 27th!
Good luck to all of the women of Athletes Unlimited, especially Jordan, Cass, and Deja.