Sanders’ Summer Of Saying Yes

By Mason Kelley // Originally published in GoHuskies magazine

By Washington Huskies

September 28^th, 2018

For Lauren Sanders, the end of the school year would typically signal an opportunity to take a break, to relax; a bit of time to escape the grind that comes after the balancing act of school and athletics.

But, this year, Sanders' summer was anything but relaxing. From the moment it began, she was on the move. First, she traveled to Peru with other Washington athletes to build a sport court for children. Then, she was off to Michigan to compete with USA Volleyball. And, finally, she returned home to help coach the Huskies' youth volleyball camps.

Looking back, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Being a student-athlete creates unique opportunities for those willing to take advantage, and that's exactly how Sanders spent her summer.

"I loved it," she said, as she began to make the transition from a busy summer into the start of her sophomore season. "Even though I've been so busy, I got an amazing opportunity to go to a foreign country, learn about a new culture and experience new things."

Less than a week after the school year ended, Sanders boarded an airplane with teammate Natalie Robinson and a group of Washington athletes from a variety of sports. Outside of Robinson, Sanders didn't know the rest of the athletes well, but that all changed through several days of hard work.

When the Huskies arrived in Peru, they were greeted with hugs, kisses and signs that read "Bienvenidos A Santa Isabel." The Washington contingent stayed in the community and, through a program called Courts for Kids, spent five days transforming an open patch of land into a play area for local children.

"We did a lot of good work in a short amount of time, which was really unique, but it was also just so cool to be able to build relationships with athletes I've seen around campus, but have never really had the chance to get to know really well," Sanders said.

When Sanders was in high school, she went with her church to Nicaragua to clean up a sports facility. That was a rewarding experience. But, building a sport court from scratch? Well, that was a different kind of intense.

"We poured the concrete," she said. "We mixed everything. We leveled the field. I'd never really done anything that intensive in that short amount of time. That was a really cool experience for me."

The group was able to tour the mountains and explore some ruins while in Peru, but for Sanders, the most rewarding part of the trip was interacting with the children who came out every day to watch the sport court come to life.

"They loved to see these tall, athletic people they had never seen before in their lives working in their community, trying to be a part of their culture," Sanders said. "I just thought it was really unique how welcoming and grateful they were.

"That was a really, really unique experience. It was just amazing to both live in the community and do something great for community, but also to learn about the people as a culture, while also getting to know each other."

When Sanders returned to Seattle, she had three quick days to get ready for her second trip of the summer.

"I was really busy," she said with a laugh.

Sanders quickly shifted her attention back to volleyball, as she was one of 24 athletes selected to compete for the U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team. She started in Ann Arbor, Mich., for a few days of training before playing a series of matches in Detroit.

"That was just a really cool experience, because there were only 24 athletes selected and we just trained really hard," she said. "It was a lot of volleyball, a lot of competitive volleyball.

"Doing any sort of USA Volleyball training is always going to be a great opportunity for a volleyball athlete because of the training and coaching, the competitiveness. That's always a good environment to put yourself into."

So, a summer that started with a rewarding cultural experience transitioned into a challenging volleyball opportunity that led her back to Seattle with a wealth of memories.

And, when she got back, she took a break, right? Not exactly. She did take two weeks to spend time with family, but then jumped right back into volleyball, this time helping with Washington's summer camps.

"Coaching camps is always an experience," she said.

With the Huskies starting the 2018 volleyball season with a lot of new faces, the team took advantage of camp season. They would spend their lunch breaks competing with and against one another during open gym sessions. And, that doesn't include the morning workouts that helped build strength and endurance for the upcoming season.

And, now that the season has arrived, Sanders said the Huskies' work this summer helped to build a cohesive group.

During the season, Sanders works with her teammates to represent a program that enters each season with championship aspirations. That's the standard the program has set over years of success at the highest level.

But, being a student-athlete is about more than just wins during the season. There are unique opportunities and experiences that can be seized if an athlete wants to invest the time. Sanders did just that this summer. She sacrificed her down time for challenges that helped her grow as both a person and athlete. She made new friends and contributed to a good cause.

And, if presented with another summer full of experiences, she will say yes, because the past few months have been "awesome," she said. "That's always something I'm going to jump on, no matter how busy I am."