Over 35,000 miles the road, 250
plus practices, 44 tournaments, 5 years and 1 team. That doesn’t even include
the countless hours of extra workouts and just hanging out. I have been blessed
to spend this much time with Cami Nelson. She is a great friend and role model.
She is always there for us whether she’s bringing us food late at night while
working on a long project or just watching a silly TV show with us when we need
a friend. Looking back to our freshman year, she
immediately stuck out as a leader and a friend. Whether it was helping her
teammates to understand drills, or organizing social events with her fellow
rookies to get to know her class better, Cami was on top of it. Her extremely
inviting and including personality definitely helped me stick around and I’m
sure I can speak for others as well.
As the years went on she played a
larger role on the team. Today, Cami is a force to be reckoned with on the
field. Her intensity and plays are always inspiring. When you need to get fired
up at a tournament, watch Cami play for just one point and your head will be
back in the game. With her incredible bids, sick high release backhands,
unbelievably intense defense and ability to get open on anyone, she is
unstoppable. Her knowledge of the game is invaluable and play a large role in our
team’s success.
As impressive as her play is,
what is even more impressive is that she is visibly always trying to improve
herself and her teammates. She is constantly looking for ways to improve her
play from expanding her arsenal of throws to learning how to break different
types of defense. On the sidelines she is always there to help the last back on
defense or the poppers to find holes in the cup. Giving her all at every
practice, always doing extra workouts and asking questions to better understand
plays and drills, she is a natural leader by example.
Cami’s spirit and love of the
game does not go unnoticed by anyone. Her positive attitude is contagious and made
Women Scorned the team that everyone wants to play. Teammates and opponents are
constantly impressed by her positive spirit especially when situations weren’t
ideal. Playing in the Midwest, conditions are never predictable: one day it’s
sunny with no wind the next it is raining with 25 mph winds and 32 degrees.
Cami is the first to remind us of what we can
control and to be in control of that. Win or lose, rain or shine, her attitude
never failed to impress me.
These past 5 years Cami Nelson has brought everything she could to
Iowa State and I have no doubt she will continue to do whatever she possibly
can to help the team continue to succeed. There are not enough words to
describe her spirit, fire, kindness, intensity and leadership she has instilled
on the ladies of Women Scorned and I am very thankful to have had such a great
role model in my life. Although Cami’s career for Iowa State’s Women Scorned is
over, her legacy will forever live on in the hearts she has touched.
Thank you Cami for everything.
Sam Sauerbrei
Find Cami's Callahan video at: https://youtu.be/isQ2RIqlUGA
