World Traveler Ends Up at Bucknell
Sept. 10, 2008
By Becky Hart, Bucknell Athletic Communications She began her volleyball career at an international school in Japan, discovered the true meaning of the term "white-knuckled" riding elephants in Thailand and started her lifetime membership with the Girl Scouts in the Philippines. She dances ballet, has played the flute and the oboe and is in love with math and chemistry. She is Bucknell volleyball freshman middle hitter Anne Ellenberger. Born in Texas, Ellenberger moved to the Philippines with her family in 1995 at the age of five to be closer to her father who worked frequently in Asia. Although she and her younger sister, Sara, were initially sold on the idea of moving to a tropical climate when they learned of the opportunity to swim everyday and still have McDonald's, it is clear to Ellenberger now that living abroad was a good idea. With a wealth of learning experiences from her time in Asia, it is no easy feat for Ellenberger to choose the best part about a life overseas. "In the places we lived, everybody is just so nice. The international community was so welcoming to us. We're all different, and that's what I absolutely love," says Ellenberger, who made her collegiate debut and recorded three kills last weekend at the Central Connecticut State Invitational. "I was looking at pictures this summer from ninth grade. I was about 6'2". Other people were about 5'3" and I never noticed the difference. It just wasn't a big deal there. I also love learning the different customs of people." When her family moved to Japan in 2002, Ellenberger continued to feed her taste for all things international.
"The school was right in the heart of Tokyo, around all the embassies. I think we were right next to the Pakistan embassy," recalls Ellenberger. "For two years we lived right down the street from the Laos embassy. We walked past the Chinese embassy to get to dance. Everything was just so wonderful. I learned to take pictures so I wasn't tempted to buy too much."
While at the Nishimachi International School in Tokyo, Ellenberger continued to study dance, a passion she had pursued since she was two-years-old after her doctor suggested it would improve coordination. "I was two-feet tall when I was born and the doctor said to my parents when I was around two, `You have to get her into gymnastics or dance or something so she will be able to walk down the street without falling.' So I did that," Ellenberger remembers. Her time in Japan also marked the beginning of her volleyball career. Ellenberger took up the sport at the urging of her physical education teacher. "I got started in volleyball because I was a 5'11" seventh grader in the middle of Japan," explains Ellenberger. "The physical education teacher, who was also the volleyball coach, said, `Why don't you try out for volleyball?' I said, `No, I'm a dancer.' After two weeks of this, I said, "I would try out, but I don't have knee pads." They give you your knee pads at the school. So I played, and that was the beginning of that." By the time she moved back to the United States at age 15, Ellenberger had had a number of experiences that most people could never have in a lifetime. She has taken those experiences and lessons from living overseas and used them to find success at home. Independence was an important lesson Ellenberger picked up from her mom, Carole, while living abroad. "My sister and I were responsible for what we did," describes the tallest player on the Bison volleyball squad. "Our mom would be guiding us, but it was basically us. She taught us to be strong." With all of her time traveling, Ellenberger places great importance on family and friendship. "My parents have always told me that I can do whatever I want and they helped me do it, providing me all of the opportunities I want and not saying no," explains Ellenberger, who is one of seven freshmen on Bucknell's roster. "My mom was great at finding the dance school and finding the Girl Scout troop wherever we lived. She found my sister a harp teacher in Japan. "And my sister is without a doubt my best friend," Ellenberger continues. "She has been the one person, along with my parents, who has been constant throughout everything. I don't have the next door neighbor that I've grown up with since I was in diapers, which I'm okay with because she's that person for me." That focus on camaraderie also has been a key factor in her decision to play team sports. "I love my teams," Ellenberger exclaims. "My teams are amazing, especially this one at Bucknell. They're all so nice and I love seeing them around campus and you can talk to them about anything. I could never be an individual-sport person because I love the teams." Most recently, the love for a team atmosphere played a major role in her decision to attend Bucknell. While visiting the campus for the first time, she knew from her dinner with current teammates and meeting with fellow chemical engineering majors that she was destined to be a Bison. "It was the perfect school. I drove into campus with my dad and said, `This is where I want to come.' Everyone was so friendly. I had dinner with the team. One of the girls pulled a chemical engineer student out of the hall to talk to me about chemical engineering. Everything that I wanted was here." While she still has a few years until graduation, Ellenberger's goal for now is simply to do her best. "I'd really like to be the best me," she says sincerely. "That pretty much sums it up, because by being the best me, I can contribute my fullest on the court and reach my highest potential in the classes and be the best friend I can be to my hallmates, my classmates and my teammates." |
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