Six-footer Anicia Wood has been living her volleyball dream while making a good living from the sport which she loves so much.
Centre player Wood recently left Barbados after helping to pilot her club team, Brydens Rockets, to the Cooperators General Insurance Knockout title to take up her fourth-year contract with Haro Rioja Voleibol team in Spain.
Professional volleyball in Spain and in Italy, where Wood also competed, is a far cry from Christ Church Foundation where the slim, long-limbed youngster took part in tennis before trying out at volleyball in her last year at school.
As a beginner she struggled to get her serves to reach even the net, but Wood used her tremendous insight and analytical powers to launch an almost meteoric rise in the sport.
Offered a scholarship to St John’s University in 2002, she deferred the offer until she had completed her Associate Degree at the Barbados Community College in mathematics, physics and geography.
“I then took up the scholarship and played Division 1 for St John’s for three years,” said the affable young woman.
“I captained in my final year and we made it to the Big East Conference play-off championships,” said Wood, who made the Dean’s List every semester before graduating with a BA in environmental studies.
After leaving St John’s, Wood joined Creole Volleyball Club in New York which travelled and competed in many club tournaments across the United States.
During that time, the talented Bajan was offered a graduate assistant position to pursue an MBA in global marketing at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, where she was allowed an additional year of college volleyball.
Armed with her MBA and enhanced blocking and spiking skills, Wood journeyed to Italy to try out with three professional teams and received solid offers from two.
She turned out for Pallavolo Donoratic in the Seria A2 League, ending the season in the top 15 among over 100 middle blockers.
In the second year in Italy, Wood moved up to Seria I, where her team made the championships play-offs.
She then moved on to Spain, where she helped her new team to the play-off, for the first time in 20 years, and the championship match, in which they captured the silver.
“What made that season even more special, was winning Copa De La Rein, the Queen’s Cup of Spain, the first time ever for the club,” said Wood.
“It was very rewarding to be part of that team and I was recognized on six occasions for making the Ideal 7 Team, also known as the All-Star team.”
Citing proper time management, training hard from beginning to end and proper nutritional habits as key factors in her success, Wood stressed that volleyball has opened doors of travel, education and financial rewards for her in a great way.
“I want to help other talents to achieve what I have gained and on returning to Barbados next summer, I would like to contribute my experience and knowledge to Barbados in the area of sports management,” she added.
