Sophomore volleyball player Claire Nuessmeier has never noticed the differences between her grandmother’s farm in Minnesota and life in Milwaukee. Now that Nuessmeier is on campus, she appreciates the changes that Milwaukee offers.
“It’s fun to be in an area where there is so much to do and there’s so many people around. With COVID, days are similar and there is less to do, but there’s never really a dull moment. Every single day is different,” Nuessmeier said. “I like how in Milwaukee you can run into different people every day, it’s not the same routine. … I think it’s fun to live in different places.”
Nuessmeier, a native of St. Peter, Minnesota, has spent a lot of her time on her grandmother’s farm. She would help her father and her uncle with feed buckets and feed apples to the pigs. She was also able to play with the animals on the farm, one of her favorites being a 1,000-pound pig named Chester.
“(Chester) has lost some weight, but that’s a good thing. My dad was getting worried about his joints, so losing a little bit of weight is good,” Nuessmeier said. “It is disappointing though because I’m pretty sure he could break some records … I kept trying to convince my dad that we should take him to the fair, but I think getting him in any sort of trailer would be more trouble than it’s worth.”
Nuessmeier said when it comes time to feed Chester, he does not get up to eat it right away.
“I would roll apples to the pigs and we would do this every apple season. We’ve got a little orchard, and if you don’t put food directly near (Chester) and he’s not starving, he will not move to it,” Nuessmeier said. “If it’s not right by his mouth, it’s not worth his time. He’s quite the character.”
When head volleyball coach Ryan Theis came out to meet the Nuessmeier family, he got to meet Chester as well.
“I went to a tournament in Minneapolis and then I branched off to do a home visit to see her family’s farm,” Theis said. “They have and run a pig farm, and it is awesome, so I went there and they had a pig, Chester, … I had never really dealt with a personality of a pig and they run away because they’re scared, but then they inch closer because they are curious.”
When the team was to head up to Minnesota to play the Golden Gophers, they planned to go to the farm after the match. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, that trip was rescheduled. It was something the team was looking forward to, as the squad has a very close relationship.
“When I actually got to meet the team and coaches, it was super obvious that everything was really special. Ryan (Theis) has definitely built a specific culture with our team and I really like it,” Nuessmeier said. “We’re always super competitive in practice, but we are super tight knit. It’s really hard to emphasize just how welcoming everyone is.”
Theis saw the fit as well, not only on the court with her skills, but off the court with her personality.
“Off the court she is a wonderful human being,” Theis said. “She will never stray from what is right, and so you’ll never have to put her in her place … She knows exactly what is appropriate and she is willing to do what is asked of her with a smile on her face.”
While the spring season is still up in the air with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting athletics, Nuessmeier cannot wait for the season to begin to get back on the court. Just seeing volleyball back in action for other teams already has her excited.
“Last night me and my roommates were watching the Oklahoma State versus Texas game. It was just really fun to be able to watch volleyball again,” Nuessmeier said. “I’ve missed it a lot.”
This story was written by Jackson Gross. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jacksongross6.
