The excitement of a hot start has the Iowa bench out of their chairs.
By James Kay
At any level of sports, every team needs a spark off the bench. This year, Hawkeye volleyball has found just that.
“Bench Press” is what the Hawkeyes call their highly energetic bench players, who break out into various dances and chants when the team records a point. It is not to be mistaken for the lighthearted banter you hear at your 5-year-old cousin’s tee-ball game; Bench Press has a meaning beyond simple cheers.
“Bench Press is a great energizer for all of us,” said junior Jess Janota. “It’s a way to get us going and excited. Everyone is a part of it on and off the court, and it’s also a way for us not to get too serious or from doubting ourselves.”
Bench Press’ origins date back to the beginning of the preseason during practice when the underclassmen stood out for a drill. The young group off to the sideline decided to heckle their upperclassmen teammates.
“They were being annoyingly loud,” said senior Alyssa Klostermann. “It was hilarious. They were doing stupid, little cheers and chants — but it caught on. People were laughing, and we started to love it. We thought, ‘This could actually work.’ ”
Last season, the team developed different chants for each player whenever she scored. The chants, however, didn’t live up to the hype and energy that Bench Press provides. There is so much energy being produced that the assistant coaches have adopted a method to keep everyone in check.
“When you go from the bench to onto the court, we have to sit in between the coaches the point before you sub in because of how crazy we are,” said sophomore Libby Koukol. “It keeps you engaged in the match and keeps you ready to go in.”
The team has choreographed different gestures such as holding up three fingers as if they made a 3-point shot in basketball or shooting a bow and arrow at whoever scored for them. The team has even created their own T-shirts with the motto “in bench, we trust.”
Above all the theatrics that are involved with Bench Press comes a greater sentiment — make every away game feel like a home game.
“It’s hard to go on the road, and sometimes crowds can be cruel,” Klostermann said. “The thing we talk about is that anywhere we go we have to make it our home court. We do that by adding our voice, which is why, I think, [Bench Press] is going to be a great benefactor to the season.”
Compared with where they were last year, the Hawkeyes seem to have found their groove this season; they have started out 10-2. One can easily point to the obvious upgrade in talent, but Bench Press has brought something larger than the physical aspect of the game. The Hawkeyes now bring an unrelenting atmosphere to every arena they enter. That could prove to be invaluable down the stretch, and the Hawkeyes hope they can bellow their way to the top of the Big Ten.