LINGLE – Just moments before boarding a bus to head to the state track meet on Thursday, Lingle-Fort Laramie senior Jordyn Gaspers announced she will be heading to Northwest College in Powell to continue playing volleyball next season.
Gaspers, a 1A Southeast All-Conference performer last fall, helped lead the Lady Dogger squad to a 21-9 record and a third-place finish at the state tournament in Casper.
It wasn’t the easiest decision to make considering the distance Torrington is from Powell, which was something which crossed her mind.
“It was actually pretty hard,” Gaspers said. “I was thinking about the distance from home, but I love volleyball and always wanted to do it.”
Because it was something she wanted to do, in the end, it was an easy decision.
Gasper chose to pursue volleyball over track at the next level.
“I’m not as consistent in track as I am in volleyball,” she said.
As a result, she knew she wouldn’t be able to compete in track at college.
Gaspers moved to Lingle as a freshman. That was the first time she worked with L-FL coaches Barb Clark and Kim Cooper.
“They’ve been a big help,” Gasper said. “She’s one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever had.”
In high school, Gaspers played every position possible with an emphasis as an outside hitter, but at the next will focus on playing in the back row.
“I think I will mostly be in the back row,” Gaspers said. “That’s what the college coaches looked at more was my back-row play than my hitting.”
Gasper’s love for the sport of volleyball was easy for Clark to recognize.
“Jordyn worked hard every night, every day of the week. She loves the sport of volleyball. In the summer, she went to several of camps. She was a silent leader, not one that talks a lot. She just went out and performed every night that should could,” Clark said. “Sometimes I rode her hard trying to make her better. She never, ever batted an eye. She nodded her head and said that’s what I need to do.”
She plans to major in elementary education.
