Despite being a sophomore on Sedona Red Rock High School’s state quarterfinalist volleyball team in 2019, Emma Beattie was one of the better players on the team. One year later, Beattie is once again expected to be one of the top Scorpion players, only with a much greater role.
The team that took the floor in the fall of 2019 had six seniors but no juniors. Because of that, no seniors are expected to be on the 2020 team. That leaves Beattie, a three-year varsity player, as not only one of the best players on this year’s team but also among the most experienced.
“I think my role is a lot bigger this year as one of the older players,” Beattie said. “Now that those six seniors are gone, my role has become a bigger deal. So many players, like the freshmen, are just now coming in to play for high school. My job as a leader has grown a lot in that one year.”
As one of the more experienced players on the team, Beattie hopes that she can help the team grow closer and form a sisterhood. With that, they’ll get to know and trust each other more in games.
From an individual perspective, Beattie hopes to use this season to raise her profile.
“I hope to grow as a player and learn new things and also hope to get more college coaches to look at me,” she said. “I’m hoping to play for a college. I want to grow to get noticed by more colleges and get a really good chance to play in college.”
“I definitely need to increase my vertical, approach jump and block jump — increase them to the college level,” Beattie added. “I also need to update videos and update information so they [coaches] can keep checking my profile. And updating stats so they know I can meet the requirements.”
As far as where Beattie would like to go to college, she cited a few preferred destinations that are, to say the least, diverse.
One option would be to go to Hawaii. She’s visited the Aloha State before and enjoys the nice weather, tropical feeling, beaches and places to hike. On a deviation from that, Beattie would also enjoy going to college in the Pacific Northwest, citing a love of the rain. Another place that Beattie would like to go to school is almost literally the polar opposite of Hawaii — Alaska.
“I went to Alaska as a child, have small memories of it, and in those pieces of my memory, it was so fun,” Beattie said. “I’ve looked into Anchorage and think I’d enjoy it. I kind of want to move away from Arizona. I like the cold a lot more than the heat.”
Beattie is also mulling different things to study in college. Options that, like her preferred destinations, are also diverse. One is to go into a culinary arts program, with Beattie citing her love of cooking. Another is marine biology, owing to her love of animals and the ocean.
Beattie is also thankful that she’s in a position where playing in college is even an option and cited the support of her parents, Mary Ogburn and Russell Beattie, as well as her older brother and class of 2020 SRRHS graduate Dylan Beattie.
Looking ahead to the upcoming volleyball season, Beattie knows things are going to be different. The team’s first official practice will be held on Monday, Aug. 31. Also, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Scorpions don’t exactly know what the schedule will look like. Despite the uncertainty, Beattie is eager to get things going.
“I’m really excited to officially start the season practices,” she said. “I’m excited to see what our new varsity team is going to look like, how we’re going to focus on a few things and get better at what we need to get better at — and to see who we’re going to play.”
