Catching Up With Former Upstate All-Around Athlete, Shannon Pallardy
11/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 4, 2008
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Shannon Pallardy was no ordinary athlete at USC Upstate. The Lacrosse, WI, native was a four-year member of the volleyball and basketball teams and also earned one letter in cross country as a sophomore while at Upstate.
During her career in Spartanburg, Pallardy compiled 2,992 assists (third-most in school history) and 573 digs. As a junior and senior, she was the team's starting setter and captain. She earned All-Peace Belt Conference honors in her senior year, in addition to the PBC Specialist of the Week honors she earned on three occasions during her final two seasons. Meanwhile on the basketball court, she set the Spartans' Division II-era record for three-point shooting, sinking over 40 percent of her attempts and also held the team captain position for the 2005-06 season.
She excelled outside of the athletic atmosphere also. Pallardy received the NCAA Sportsmanship Award in 2005 and the university's highest GPA award for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years. Additionally, she was a member of the Chancellor's Honor Roll for several semesters, the Peach Belt Presidential Honor Roll in both volleyball and basketball, made the National Dean's List and was tabbed the USC Upstate Female Athlete of the Year in 2005-06. Pallardy's compilations of accomplishments are a mouthful!
Furthermore, Pallardy was strongly involved in the community. She was the President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Action from 2004-2006, and the Secretary for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2003-2006. She also volunteered for the Hurricane Katrina Assistance, Presbyterian Food Kitchen, and was an elementary school mentor.
Pallardy earned a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in physical education and an emphasis in psychology from USC Upstate in May 2006.
During the 2006-07 academic year, Pallardy was a graduate assistant and team manager for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. She completed a summer-long internship with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute in 2007 prior to taking on her role as a full-time assistant coach in 2007, while simultaneously working towards her master's degree. She recently completed her master's degree in exercise science in August, and is currently working part time and doing research in the psychoneuroimmunology laboratory of Nutrition and Exercise Science on the USC campus.
Currently, Pallardy is in her third year with the South Carolina volleyball team, presently standing in the role of director of operations. She performs many administrative tasks for the team, such as coordinating team travel.
In adding to her plethora of all-around accomplishments, Pallardy qualified for and ran in the 2008 Boston Marathon this past spring.
Recently, Pallardy sat down with upstatespartans.com and discussed her playing experiences at USC Upstate and how they helped her become the person she is today.
What brought you eastward to USC Upstate from Wisconsin?
Coach Calloway and the interest she had for me as a volleyball athlete. Once the contact was made and I knew I had the opportunity to head south I went for it! I love the sunny warm days and I was excited to go to school in a warmer climate.
Who were your athletic heroes growing up? Why?
My dad is a huge fan of all professional Chicago teams. During the 1990's, my dad and I would always watch the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan and B.J. Armstrong of the Chicago Bulls were two athletes I loved watching compete. Michael Jordan was not only the athletic superstar, but he also showed strong leadership skills that I admired. B.J. Armstrong modeled a true "team" player as well. They were my athletic heroes and I still admire them.
Of the three sports you played at Upstate, what sport did you enjoy playing the most?
I did not enjoy one sport more than the other. I put in so many hours a week to become a college athlete and I was always thankful that I had volleyball, basketball, and running to balance each other out. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to play both volleyball and basketball for four years in college, and to this day I still enjoy playing both sports.
What I enjoyed about both sports were the relationships I built with my teammates. I have friends all over the United States from volleyball and basketball and building those relationships is what I remember the most now that I'm done playing.
The opportunity to run cross country is something I enjoyed as well. I gained a love for running as I found running to be my "alone time" to get away from my busy schedule. Although at times it was a challenge to juggle all of it, USC Upstate gave me the opportunity to compete in three things I truly enjoyed and I would do it all over again if I could!
Jennifer Calloway recently became the youngest coach in the NCAA with 250 career wins. What was your experience like playing under her as the head volleyball coach?
Coach Calloway loves the game of volleyball and her competitive nature was what I wanted from a college coach. Calloway was also a great mentor off the court. She taught me there is more to being a successful individual than dominating on the volleyball court. She always showed her support in the areas of my life outside of volleyball, including school, family, friends and faith. Going to school far from home was difficult for me, but having a competitive yet very supportive coach made the experience great!
How would you compare being involved and associated with the volleyball program at a bigger, prestigious Division I school to that of the Division-II volleyball program that Upstate was when you were here?
Volleyball programs no matter what level will each have their pros and cons. Although there is more money available for facilities, recruiting, and travel at a bigger division I school, the memories of working hard and building relationships with teammates would still be the same.
USC Upstate has made the transition into Division I since you've graduated. How do you envision your playing experience would have been different if you had competed in the Division-I Atlantic Sun Conference?
Overall, players at the Division I level are taller, stronger, quicker, and jump higher, which means the game would have been played at a higher level. I would have enjoyed pushing myself to compete at the higher level, however, I am thankful for the experience I had!
What was your internship with Gatorade like? Have you done anything like that before?
Awesome! It was a great experience and the people I met and worked with taught me a lot of things that I will hold onto and use for the rest of my life. I was able to use scientific testing to assess the ability and performance of elite tri-athletes and was challenged to organize, monitor, and compile data on an entire rehydration research project. I was given the opportunity to present research on scientific studies and assisted with product development, production, and marketing of Gatorade products. The experience was definitely unique and I am very thankful for the positive connections I made with a great group of people.
You received numerous amounts of awards and honors for your athletic and academic talents at USC Upstate. How did you learn to balance everything when you were a student-athlete at USC Upstate?
Going to school far from home was hard and I often missed my family and friends from Wisconsin. I found out quickly that keeping myself busy with numerous things also kept me focused. More importantly, I regularly attended Spartanburg Community Church, where God taught me lessons on life that helped me keep all of my activities in perspective!
You also spent a good amount of your time volunteering and being involved in extracurricular activities while at Upstate. Is there one experience or volunteer activity that stands out among others?
Organizing the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Action my junior and senior year at USC Upstate with volleyball teammate Erin Hagemann stands out the most. We went on a volleyball mission trip to Costa Rica the summer prior to my junior year and we both came back excited to get the group started at Upstate.
What would your ideal career job position look like?
I can see myself being happy in numerous positions. I enjoy working with athletes and I enjoy the variety of career opportunities that are available in the health field with a master degree in Exercise Science. My outlook is to make whatever position I am in the ideal position while continuing to build experience and relationships with people that will help me climb the ladder in the real world!
You are an avid runner. What was your experience like running in the Boston Marathon this past spring? Have you ever competed in any other marathons?
The Boston marathon was AMAZING! What made it so special for me was having the support of my parents and best friend Justin who were not only fans of me that day, but also all the other runners! Boston is a great city and to be a part of the history that the Boston marathon has established is very special. I qualified for Boston at the Myrtle Beach Marathon in February of 2006, which was the only other marathon I had ever done before Boston. I am currently in training to run the "Thunder Road Charlotte" marathon in December and I am planning to go back to run Boston in April 2009!
Do you ever plan on moving back home or westward?
If the right opportunity presented itself for me to move back home, I would definitely go for it. Being in the south has been great, but it's always been a challenge for me to live far from some of the people I love the most.
What is your favorite part about being the director of operations for the South Carolina volleyball program?
The relationships I've built with the coaching staff and players are the best part of being the Director of Operations. The competition in the SEC conference is fun to be around and I've enjoyed being on the coaching side of athletics. It's fun to organize a team and makes it even greater when the staff and players are fun to be around!
