Why I Love Milwaukee: A Bump for Milwaukee’s Volleyball Community

“There is so much talent here.”

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WHO: Allyson Gorman grew up in South Florida, playing tackle football and tackling volleyball courts. During her pre-med studies at Marquette, Gorman, 23, found everything to love in Milwaukee’s volleyball scene.

WHERE: Outside Discovery World, 500 N. Harbor Dr.


 

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There is a lot of volleyball talent here in Milwaukee.

Volleyball is just a more complicated version of that game where you keep the balloon off the ground. Milwaukee has really taken advantage of the sport – one everyone can play and everyone can love. But the scene here can also be super competitive, and I love that. There is so much talent here, and I don’t know why.

We’ve got this whole community of people who played professionally and are coming back to Milwaukee and creating leagues or playing at different tournaments.

There’s Danny Rivera, who I met at Marquette, who went on to play professional beach volleyball and still plays at Milwaukee’s beaches. And there’s Tomás Goldsmith, another high-level player who went to UW-Milwaukee, who is really growing the leagues at Bradford Beach and Grant Park.

Milwaukeeans took this really fun sport and implemented it in every type of community: whether it’s the drinking community by putting volleyball at bars (like at Fat Daddy’s, where I play Monday nights) or getting church leagues going (like at Eastbrook Church, where I play Sundays) or at Bradford Beach (where I play … a lot).

It’s so hard to stay in touch with people. But when you have a reason to get together, like a volleyball game, then it makes maintaining those relationships so much easier.

– As told to Adam Rogan


This story is part of Milwaukee Magazine‘s May issue. 

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Adam is a journalist who recently returned to his Wisconsin home after graduating from Drake University in December 2017. He interned with MilMag in the summer of 2015 and has been a continual contributor ever since. Follow him on social media @Could_Be_Rogan