Scholar Stories: Seeking Something Different, Beals Carving Own Path at U-M
4/7/2021 10:00:00 AM | Volleyball, Features
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By Brad Rudner
For Amber Beals, the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry hits close to home. Literally.
A defensive specialist/libero on the University of Michigan volleyball team, Beals is from Columbus. As someone who wears maize and blue in a town painted scarlet and gray, she certainly stands out.
It is personal because of who sits at her dinner table. Her father, Greg, is the head baseball coach at Ohio State, and her older sister will soon be a graduate.
One can only imagine what the conversations are like at Thanksgiving, pending the certain outcome of a certain football game.
"I always get some jabs about being a Wolverine," she said.
Still, Beals does not like to talk about the familial connection. It doesn't define her.
"I don't want people to just think of me and then automatically connect it to my dad," she said. "It wasn't a huge part of my recruiting process. It wasn't that big of a deal then, so I try not to make a huge deal about it now. I was a normal recruit."
Beals was a three-sport athlete growing up, playing basketball, softball and volleyball up until her freshman year of high school. What made volleyball rise above the others was the competitive aspect. When the Beals family moved to Columbus, Amber linked up with a club that encouraged competition at every spot.
"Succeeding made me fall in love with the game," she said.
Though short in stature, Beals made up for it on the court, flourishing in the DS/L role. It is a thankless position that requires those who play it to do the dirty work.
It may not be the sexiest of roles, but it may be the most important.
"I've really grown into loving it," Beals said. "It's super gritty. You're working your butt off and working for your teammates. There's not much in it for yourself. The plays you make help the team. That's the part of the game that's really fun to me. I'm doing as much as I can do."
When it came time to begin her recruitment, proximity played a factor. But despite Ohio State being in her back yard, Beals was looking for something different.
Going to Michigan certainly qualified.
"On my recruiting trip, Mark and Leisa [Rosen] knocked me out," she said. "They gave me a picture of what volleyball looked like, both from the social and the academic side."
"A question my parents would ask me: 'Would you go to Michigan if you weren't playing volleyball?' I said, 'Absolutely.'"
A big part of that decision was her academic path. Beals is majoring in applied exercise science, formerly known as health and fitness. Though still a ways away from graduation, she chose the major because of her interest in joining the healthcare field -- not as a doctor, but as someone who focuses on the personal health and well-being of others.
"Nutrition is one of my favorite aspects of health and fitness," she said. "A lot of classes I've taken focus on skeletal or muscular anatomy or functions of the body."
"I've always tried to be as healthy as I could be. In high school, I really became interested in learning about nutrition and healthy eating. Because I was an athlete, I wanted to be healthiest and best version of myself. Something as simple as eating healthy has affected me in a positive way. It gives me more energy, makes me lighter on the court. I'm not letting my diet affect my moods and how I play."
The athletic department's Performance Nutrition team plays a vital role for every student-athlete, from education (cooking demos, supermarket tours) to competition nutrition (proper pre- and postgame meals) to supplement evaluation.
Though COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how some of the services are administered -- pre-packaged meals instead of buffet-style training table, for example -- Beals was extremely grateful for everything the department provides. [ Learn More ]
Beals spoke on the role Kayla Lawson, one of the department's Team Performance Dietitians, has within the program. It is a job Beals could see herself potentially taking one day.
"Clinical nutrition would be an interesting path to go down," Beals said. "I'd probably need to go to graduate school for that. But if I didn't want to do that, I'd be interested in working within a health and fitness facility, doing nutrition counseling or training."
The Wolverines grinded out a 4-9 record this spring season. Its tough goings in the nation's premiere volleyball conference were made tougher by two separate COVID-19 related pauses since late January, forcing the postponement or cancellation of 10 matches. However, the future looks bright -- the roster features 10 freshmen or sophomores, Beals included. Its lone senior, Kiara Shannon, opted out of the season.
Naturally, the last year has put a lot into perspective. How could it not?
"Honestly, it just proves how great of an opportunity that we've been given," Beals said. "Having that taken away last year was tough. We've lost a lot of time. It can be a good thing and a bad thing. But as a program, we're going to build from this experience."
On a more personal level, Beals could not be happier with her choice. Turns out that being a Wolverine in a sea of Buckeyes is not all that intimidating.
"Something our program does so well is representing the block M in everything we do," she said. "Academics has taken a big role in what being at Michigan has been like for me. My opportunity, athletically, has been amazing. Seeing people wear Michigan stuff all over the country and knowing that there's thousands of people just like me, it's all just really an honor."
