SCHIECK Emma

Classification
VS1 (WPV, 12 Dec 2020)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (usavolleyball.org, 07 Jan 2021)

Impairment Details
Due to complications at birth, she sustained nerve damage to her left shoulder and arm, which resulted in a brachial plexus injury. "It is not congenital but it is from my birth. What happened was there was a complication and my arm got stuck, and because of that there were nerves stretched out. It has left me with a lack of mobility in my arm. I can't straighten it or put it behind my back. I also can't rotate it fully." (usavolleyball.org, 07 Jan 2021; teamusa.org, 01 Jan 2020)

General
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)

STUDY FIRST
Before taking a break from her studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States of America to focus on preparing for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, she took a number of summer classes to stay ahead of her academic workload. "I didn't want to get to the point where I had to choose between the two." (statesville.com, 01 Aug 2021)