NCAA Ladies
April 1, 2024
Simone Asque-Favia is the third-year volleyball coach at Siena Faculty in upstate New York. She was an all-ACC participant at Virginia and after enjoying professionally in Cyprus, Denmark and Slovakia bought into faculty teaching. Her final cease was as an assistant at Seton Corridor earlier than taking on at Siena, which competes within the MAAC. Asque-Favia additionally nonetheless performs. She has Jamaican roots, performed for that nation in her 20s, after which final 12 months rejoined the nationwide group:
Final summer time, Siena volleyball coach Simone Asque-Favia performed a significant position in serving to Jamaica win its first-ever CAZOVA (Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Affiliation) Senior Ladies’s Volleyball Championship.
It wasn’t a straightforward highway.
When Jamaica first approached her about enjoying, Asque-Favia knew she confronted many challenges. She had simply completed her first 12 months as the top coach at Siena and was within the midst of recruiting for her second season. She was getting older, and Asque-Favia questioned if she nonetheless had what it took to play on the highest worldwide stage. And she or he was additionally recovering from extreme accidents sustained in a significant auto accident.
And that wasn’t all: Asque-Favia and her husband needed to begin a household.
Asque-Favia and her husband, Ethan Favia, had talked about having kids since they married in 2021. Early in 2023, she stated, “We began considering (severely) about beginning a household and having the youngsters, the canine, and so forth. I’m 33, so we knew we’d be hitting the infant window, so to talk.”
Asque-Favia already knew that feminine athletes face distinctive pressures in comparison with their male counterparts particularly when being pregnant come into play. She remembered, for instance, that observe champion Allyson Felix left her long-time sponsor, Nike, when the corporate tried to resume her contract for a lot much less cash after she grew to become pregnant.
“I assumed, ‘Wow, these peak ladies athletes are getting handled this fashion as a result of [they’re] within the midst of getting youngsters or planning a household, so that they’re not as priceless,’” Asque-Favia stated.
Jamaica: “If you happen to come, we have now an opportunity to win”
A name from the Jamaican nationwide volleyball group made issues much more sophisticated.
Jamaica had come near profitable the CAZOVA title earlier than, together with a disheartening loss at house in 2017. Simply as Asque-Favia and Favia began making their plans, she stated, “the coaches reached out to me and informed me ‘If you happen to come, we have now an opportunity to win.’ ”
Asque-Favia first performed for Jamaica in 2014, and she or he skilled the frustration of the 2017 loss first-hand. She felt she had unfinished enterprise, and she or he needed yet one more likelihood on the championship. She helped Jamaica earn a gold medal on the 2016 Venus Worldwide Invitational in addition to a bronze after beating the U.S. Virgin Islands within the 2014 World Championships qualifying.
However how did Asque-Favia, who’s from Chicago and performed at Virginia, and had been an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina, UIC after which for years at Seton Corridor, wind up enjoying for Jamaica within the first place?
Asque-Favia’s maternal grandmother was born and raised in Jamaica. When the nation gained its independence from Nice Britain in 1962, her grandmother moved to Canada to assist open the Jamaican embassy. She introduced her household alongside, together with Asque-Favia’s mom, who later moved to the U.S.
That offered Asque-Favia with roots in all three nations, Jamaica, the U.S. and Canada. Asque-Favia first started to consider enjoying for a nationwide group when she was in faculty — she was a first-team All-ACC participant — and she or he knew it wasn’t uncommon for gamers to compete for nations with which they shared a heritage.
“My father is African American, and I’ve at all times identified that I used to be Jamaican on my mom’s aspect,” she defined. “Additionally, (my grandmother’s background) gave me the sense of being Canadian as effectively. I knew I had choices so far as the place I might probably play.”
Asque-Favia, a 5-foot-10 outdoors hitter, figured she was too small to play for the U.S., however she thought Jamaica or Canada may provide a possibility.
In the meantime, Asque-Favia’s aunt grew to become concerned with the Jamaica Volleyball Affiliation and she or he lobbied her contacts to recruit Asque-Favia for the Jamaican nationwide group. Her efforts lastly paid off.
Deciding to play for Jamaica once more
When Jamaica reached out in 2023, Asque-Favia needed to verify her husband was absolutely on board.
Ethan Favia works as a UX designer, somebody who tries to enhance the person expertise with an organization’s companies and merchandise. Favia can work remotely, which has made it simpler Asque-Favia to observe her profession.
In accordance with Ethan, pausing their household planning to help Asque-Favia and her quest wasn’t even a query.
“All these alternatives don’t come up fairly often,” Favia stated. “With age, and the way lengthy you may play any sport, it appeared like a superb factor to do. For me, it was extra whether or not she felt that she might do it.”
“I imply,” Favia added, “Who am I to inform her what she will be able to and can’t do?”
Asque-Favia quickly realized that the Jamaican squad had been reconstructed.
“The group was very younger,” she stated. “(Crew captain) Sasha Lee and I had been the one ones who beforehand performed on the senior group. The remaining had been enjoying for the primary time on the senior worldwide stage.”
Asque-Favia realized that, so far as the gamers had been involved, she was “an outsider of kinds,” and an older one at that. She knew she wanted to rigorously strategy her new teammates to realize their belief.
“Getting in, I knew I needed to be very aware of how I made that first impression,” Asque-Favia stated. “I knew that a few of them noticed me play once I was youthful, so I had a popularity, and that helped.
“However actually,” she continued, “I simply tried to be myself, and fortunately they favored that. We bonded in a short time. Everybody needed to win, needed to push, and had been very open to creating group chemistry and having enjoyable.”
A profitable end result
Asque-Favia’s determination to rejoin Jamaica couldn’t have turned out higher.
After overcoming funding points and a COVID-induced moratorium, Jamaica lastly triumphed, defeating arch-rival and seven-time defending champion Trinidad and Tobago in a five-set thriller (25-21, 13-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-13). Jamaica wound up sweeping all six of its matches, with Asque-Favia contributing 35 kills. Click on right here for the match recap.
Asque-Favia’s worth to the group stretched effectively past her scoring on the court docket.
“I’ve my masters in sports activities psychology,” Asque-Favia stated, “And I actually utilized that information. I used to be like, ‘Hey, you’re not the highest participant you was once, however you may nonetheless be impactful. You’ll be able to nonetheless encourage your teammates.’ A variety of what I did on the court docket was elevate the vitality [and] be that voice on the court docket that calms everybody down but additionally lifts them up. And perhaps rating just a few factors.”
Crew Jamaica coach Ricardo Chong known as hia nation’s victory “an emotional win,” and he credited Asque-Favia for enjoying a key half.
“Earlier than the event, we had mentioned her position, not solely as a participant, but additionally to help with some teaching duties, which included group scouting and efficiency evaluation,” Chong stated. “She was very keen to do no matter it took for the group’s success.
“Simone was a significant a part of the championship mentality, as she introduced expertise as a participant. She calmed the group in occasions of traumatic conditions, but additionally, when the group wanted that spark, she was in a position to present that fireside. I feel with out her being there, we might not have had the profitable and historic final result.”
Teammate and captain Sashalee Thomas valued Asque-Favia’s presence so extremely that she devoted the victory to her.
Asque-Favia described her expertise enjoying for Jamaica as a labor of affection.
“I’ve at all times been very proud [of my] Jamaican heritage,” Asque-Favia stated. “Profitable the Caribbean Championship was an enormous aim once I first joined the nationwide group. I knew I used to be getting older, so this one was actually particular.”
Again to upstate New York
After the event ended, Asque-Favia returned to Siena, seeking to construct on her profitable first season as head coach. Siena, with an undergrad enrollment of simply greater than 3,500, is situated simply north of Albany. The volleyball group has been to the NCAA Match six occasions, the final in 2014.
A program that had gained 9 Metro Atlantic Athletic Convention (MAAC) championships struggled to a 30-98 document (23-56 MAAC) from 2017-2021.
Asque-Favia turned that round in her first 12 months, ending 10-8 within the convention (13-17 general) and main the Saints to the MCAA semifinals. She hoped to see much more enchancment in 2023, however Siena completed simply 2-16 within the convention, 2-26 general.
But, Asque-Favia is optimistic about 2024.
“Staying constructive is essential,” she stated, “A variety of what I impressed upon my teammates on Crew Jamaica was not attempting to be good, and specializing in the enjoyment of enjoying and combating to win collectively. That’s an enormous aspect we’re working into our group right here at Siena.”
Making an attempt to schedule a being pregnant
Getting back from the CAZOVA event additionally meant it was time for Asque-Favia and her husband to refocus on their household. The Jamaica journey led to success, however they had been now involved with the approaching volleyball season.
Asque-Favia needed to think about the autumn enjoying season in addition to the spring/summer time recruiting interval. She started to appreciate that, for somebody in her scenario, “There may be actually by no means a superb time.” After talking with different ladies who had kids whereas teaching, Asque-Favia determined that Could could be one of the best month to present start.
“That’s a quiet time,” Asque-Favia defined. “The group is ending the semester, so we’re not working follow, we’re not working round recruiting. So, [after] speaking with folks and contemplating my very own preferences, Could was type of the window.”
That meant she and Favia needed to assume 9 months prematurely. Sadly, they weren’t profitable. Asque-Favia has saved her humorousness about it, however she admits that it was disappointing.
“We held off attempting to get pregnant due to coaching and enjoying within the event, after which going into the season. So, the plan was to attempt for this window, and it didn’t work,” Asque-Favia stated, with a little bit of amusing. “That was truly extraordinarily irritating, particularly once we didn’t win rather a lot. So, I used to be like, after Jamaica, I assume I wasn’t allowed to win anyplace else!”
Asque-Favia believes that the stress of attempting to plan all the things so precisely between CAZOVA and the season might have had an impact. Asque-Favia and her husband at the moment are approaching issues in another way.
“I feel I used to be attempting too laborious to make all the things match to my schedule,” Asque-Favia stated. “It doesn’t work that means. You’ll be able to’t management it. You’ll be able to’t time it. And my physique feeling all of the stress from the season and all the things else, that didn’t assist. So, at this level, we’re type of like, ‘There’s by no means a superb time [to get pregnant]. So, the timing would be the timing.’ ”
She stated they’re exploring choices.
“I don’t have an excessive amount of nervousness as to, will it occur? It’s extra when. Particularly, with the developments of medication and different issues, there are such a lot of methods now to achieve that aim.”
If she must, Asque-Favia stated, “I’m giving start within the peak of the season! Realizing my luck, I’ll get pregnant and be due the day of our championship sport or one thing ridiculous, simply to make it dramatic.”
When it occurs, Asque-Favia stated, “What a blessed factor, proper? As a result of my profession is vital, nevertheless it’s not the end-all driving issue of my life and what I need to do.”
Asque-Favia believes {that a} huge a part of her progress and improvement all through her teaching profession has been “Stepping away from figuring out my complete success as being a coach. It’s remembering that is what I do, and the way I can empower and affect the folks round me, nevertheless it’s not the ultimate me.”
Being a coach and a mother
When she first began teaching and thought of having a household, Asque-Favia questioned how she might handle to do each.
“How does this work?” she stated. “I might hear about a variety of coaches who would stop their career when it got here to beginning a household as a result of they felt prefer it wasn’t doable.”
Asque-Favia even had a detailed good friend and colleague inform her, “You’re attempting to be a coach and a mother? Good luck!”
Asque-Favia sees that as a difficulty that many feminine coaches and athletes face, however which isn’t talked about sufficient.
“If you happen to determine that you simply need to prioritize your kids, it’s virtually like, oh, you gave up, otherwise you’re making a foul instance, It’s a extremely tough spot for girls, going by way of this determination.”
Asque-Favia is grateful for the help that she’s receives from Siena, however she is aware of that’s not at all times the case. Asque-Favia talked about a number of teams which have provided nice assets and recommendation, together with WeCoach, a company devoted to supporting ladies coaches throughout all sports activities.
“They do a variety of occasions, seminars and talks, and I actually take notes,” Asque-Favia stated. “They’re so gracious, sincere and sharing.”
Asque-Favia has additionally tried to speak with different ladies who’ve gone by way of the identical scenario.
“It’s so superior [that] there are various, many feminine coaches with kids that had been head coaches whereas pregnant. They’ve been actually inspiring, and I be certain to ask them, ‘What are the secrets and techniques? What ought to I do?’ I’m actually grateful for that group.”
Jamaica once more?
Asque-Favia thinks that the eye garnered by the CAZOVA championship will help construct a long-term basis for girls’s volleyball in Jamaica.
“I’ve already been in talks with the coaches about constructing coaching camps and discovering methods to essentially improve the general public’s information of the game in Jamaica,” she stated. She additionally hopes that her group’s accomplishments assist appeal to extra monetary help for Jamaican ladies’s sports activities basically.
So, if Jamaica calls once more, how will she reply?
“I’ll wait and see,” Asque-Favia stated. “I’d have to essentially speak to my administration about it, and in addition see the place I’m bodily. However I’m a competitor deep down, so perhaps. I can by no means say by no means.”
However, she added, her primary aim proper now could be beginning a household.
“I’m not pregnant for the time being,” she stated with amusing. “So we’ll let nature take its course earlier than I even have to fret about that subject.”
