Biography:
Robyn MacDonald
December 2021 Graduate from University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Major in Computer Science and Mathematics, Minor in Economics
Pre-NCDA:
In high school I played basketball and soccer. I’d never really played dodgeball before getting to college (except for the occasional day in PE with foam balls). I would never have expected to wind up playing dodgeball in college, but am very happy I found it!
Initial Involvement:
I joined dodgeball with a couple friends during our second semester as freshmen. Another friend of ours knew someone in dodgeball, and one friend suggested we all go try it out. At our first practices, the team had lost a lot of numbers over the years, so it was a rather small group at the time. Everyone was super nice, and since it was a small group, the experienced players were able to give us a lot of information and advice that we could take forward. It was a bit bizarre to learn about people playing dodgeball at this level, but the group and sport was so much fun that we were very excited to come back in the fall!
Fall Semester 2021 Tournament:
The tournaments this fall semester were probably the most exciting for me. After being unable to play for so long due to COVID, it was really awesome to get back out there and play against a different set of players. I was really excited to play after we’d been able to improve so much during the time away. For me personally, I’d been able to work on my catching a lot and had built up more confidence. It was so much fun to execute against different people!
This semester with fluctuating COVID restrictions, we only ended up playing UWP twice in back-to-back weekends. I was so proud of our team’s play, especially considering about half our rosters had never been to a tournament before. I think our catching really stood out and allowed us to keep numbers which helped us immensely. It was also so exciting to watch the new players and their successes. I’m absolutely sad to be leaving the team at this point, but I’m really looking forward to hearing about their results and growth going forward!
How did it feel being selected as Baller of the Month?
It was awesome! It’s not something I was at all expecting, so it was really exciting to hear the news from Erik Zander and be recognized for the ways in which I was able to contribute to the team. During the interview with Erik, we talked about building up confidence and how for me, it mainly came from just going for it and trying things out, even when you’re not super confident to start. I’m really proud of myself and the growth I was able to make as a leader and player over my time in the club, so it was really an honor to be recognized and to be able to share my experiences with dodgeball!
Upcoming Tournaments:
I’m really excited to watch our team continue to improve. I think we’re in a really great spot with a lot of talented players throughout the entire club, so I’m looking forward to watching them get better. I also think they’re hoping to attend a tournament with teams that we (any veteran players) haven’t played before, so I’m excited for them to see new people and show what they can do!
What are your plans for Spring 2022?
Mid-January I started a job as a Software Engineer. I was an intern for the company previously, so I’m super excited to go back to the people there! My position is based out of the Kansas City area which is where I’m from, so I’m also looking forward to being back near all of my family.
