You Have A Say: Tori Hamsher
From 5th all time as a part of Virginia Tech’s Women’s Volleyball team, Tori Hamsher has found strength in her transition from fierce competitor to water resources engineer. In the passages below, Tori opens up about her transitions, discoveries and provides sound advice regarding asking for help. Inspired by her success, More Than The Score sat down to learn more..
“If you were able to believe in Santa Clause for 8 years, you can believe in yourself for 5 minutes.”
Achievements & Highlights:
Tori Hamsher currently works as a Water Resources Engineer in the Dewberry Baltimore office. In the last 3 years she has been recognized for her work in watershed restoration/retrofit planning and assessments, stormwater management, hydrology/hydraulics and water quality data analysis.
In 2016, Tori was awarded a Dewberry At Work award for Dewberry’s core value of Passion. Most recently, from November 2017 to May 2018, Tori was working in Tampa, Florida as a FEMA contractor performing Public Assistance Hurricane Irma disaster relief work.
In 2010, Tori was the first VTVB player to win ACC Freshman of the week honors and was also named to the ACC All-Freshman team. In 2011, she finished the season with a team-best 150 blocks and was ranked nationally throughout the season in blocks per set, finishing at the No. 38 spot. Tori competed at the US Women’s National Team tryouts in Colorado Springs in 2011 and 2012.
Tori finished 5th in the VT record book for total career blocks with 425 and second in the VT record book for block assists with 376.
Q: After you left the world of volleyball at Virginia Tech, where did you find the largest void in your life? Did you struggle with anything in particular with the adjustment?
I was pretty depressed after I graduated from VT and moved to Baltimore. It was difficult to move to a new city without knowing anyone and not be a part of a natural friend group, as you are on a sports team. I didn’t have an established support system of people and resources as I did in college.
Q: Could you walk us through your normal routine now without the set schedules of lifting, practice, studying..?
A normal weekday is pretty standard. I work an 8-5pm job, so with commuting that’s about 7:30-6pm. After work, I usually have some sort of social team game/event (see hobby question below). Although I don’t have the rigorous schedule I did in college, I still have a pretty regimented routine.
Q: Where are you currently working? How did you find your new job outside of volleyball?
I am a water resources engineer at a civil engineering firm called Dewberry. Between my 4th and 5th year at VT, I took an internship with Dewberry which turned into a fully time position upon my graduation in December 2014. I was introduced to Dewberry through the civil engineering department at VT, but found the internship through my own research.
Q: What hobbies have you picked up to fill time outside of your corporate job?
I am involved in a few different social leagues. My friends and I usually do one or two sports a week (volleyball, kickball, dodgeball, etc.), along with other social teams like trivia. Baltimore also has a pretty good music scene. I would say I have been to upwards of 30 concerts in my 3 years in Baltimore. I’ve also taken up writing which has proven to be a good balance to my social life, and am currently writing my first book.
Q: We all adjust to the working world - where did you find the largest adjustment and what was your remedy?
Adjusting to the sedentary lifestyle of the working world was probably the most challenging. Transitioning from being in a gym 30 hours a week to sitting behind a desk, was a stark difference. Finding little ways to keep moving at work, i.e. taking small walks, taking the stairs, etc., then joining social sports teams, has significantly helped with the adjustment.
Q: In your eyes, where do you see the majority of young female athletes struggling?
Based on my personal past experience, along with my encounters with other female athletes, I see the majority of young female athletes struggling with identity. Identity in the broad sense. As athletes we are trained to perform a certain way, to look a certain way, act a certain way, live a certain way. And sometimes in the midst of all the seemingly conforming chaos, we lose ourselves. But the reality is, you have a say. You get to be who you are and be the athlete you are training to be. For the majority of my life, I suppressed my sexuality because I was concerned it did not fit the mold of who I should be as a female athlete. What I didn’t realize then, is that each one of us gets to shape our own mold.
Q: What’s the one piece of wisdom that you could share with our More Than The Score girls? Any advice?
The most important piece of advice I would want to share with More Than The Score women, is to not be afraid to ask for help. As female athletes, we are taught to be as strong as our male counterparts. What female athletes don’t realize, is that we are already that strong. Asking for help is not a weakness. It does not make you any less of a strong, empowered, female athlete. Strength is recognizing you need help and finding ways to ask for it. Personally, I wish I had learned this sooner. I have struggled with everything from mental illness and sexuality, to course load and lifestyle adjustments. As female athletes we are given an amazing platform to stand on. We deserve to be the best versions of ourselves, so that we can help others do the same.
Connect with Tori on LinkedIn here.