UK Volleyball's Watson Forever Changed by Ethiopia Trip
Kentucky volleyball senior McKenzie Watson has battled injuries during her entire UK career. Watson has endured three hip surgeries (two on the right, one on the left), including her latest, which happened on December 29.
During the current offseason, Watson suffered a concussion, mounting yet another physical obstacle for her to overcome. And while just over a year ago she might have been upset or angry about having to overcome another injury, Watson recently had an experience that changed her entire perspective.
Early this year, Watson and her teammates got a text from head coach Craig Skinner about the opportunity to go to Ethiopia for a mission trip. Watson wasted no time in expressing her desire to go.
“Craig sent a GroupMe and asked if anyone would be interested,” Watson said. “I think every person liked the message because they were so excited. I took it a step further and went into Craig’s office that day and said ‘I’ve wanted to do this since I was little, I’d really be honored if you would pick me’. He kind of used the seniority thing, he thought I could get a lot from it.”
Once selected, Watson realized that she had some initial hesitation about actually going on the trip.
“I had no idea what to expect, I had never been out of the country, except for a cruise,” Watson said. “I was a little nervous, but as soon as I met (UK Executive Associate Athletic Director) Jason Schlafer and all of the girls I was going on the trip with, I felt really at ease and really comfortable.”
And that led to a memorable trip for Watson and everyone involved.
“We worked with an organization called Ordinary Hero and we got to go to some pretty bad parts of Ethiopia,” Watson said. “Throughout the whole trip, the power of play really spoke volumes for everyone. We can’t communicate in their native language and they don’t know English, but we’re out there playing soccer and we’re having fun.”
After visiting Ethiopia and seeing the plight of its residents, Watson had a huge change in perspective.
“It was a life-changing experience,” Watson said. “I am already planning my trip to go back. My family is sponsoring one of the kids I met while I was there. I’m obsessed with the place. It’s really humbling. Before I left, I was complaining about not being able to get my nails done. When I got there, I thought ‘I’m a brat’, that’s nothing compared to what these people go through.”
Schlafer, who led the UK group on the trip, saw big changes in Watson during the group’s time in Ethiopia.
“It was fascinating to observe McKenzie’s perspective shift during her time in Ethiopia,” Schlafer said. “While she’s always been known as ‘big hearted’ and ‘compassionate’, it was an honor to watch her develop her sense of empathy. Since her return, McKenzie has become an advocate for the children she served. Even during her toughest days, McKenzie will always have a sense of appreciation for the gifts she has been given because she will always have a piece of her heart on the top of Mount Entoto in the capital of Ethiopia.”
Watson was also amazed at the faith of the Ethiopian people.
“Their faith is amazing,” Watson said. “They have nothing. We went into mud houses that didn’t have beds and they are thanking God for what they do have. That spoke volumes of how God plays a role in their lives and how we take a lot of things for granted over here every day and we shouldn’t because there are people who have so much less than us and they still praise God every single day.”
On the court this season, Watson will be a senior leader for the Cats, a role that she embraces.
“We definitely lost a lot of great leaders (from last season),” Watson said. “Kaz Brown is someone that everyone stopped and listened to when she spoke. (I’m) not taking over that role, but creating my own role and making us, as a senior class, the leaders that this team needs.”
Her teammates see Watson as a natural leader.
“She is a very good vocal leader,” said fellow senior Anna Nyberg. “Her competitiveness is huge. She’s always fighting hard for everything and I think that’s something a lot of people feed off of.”
Head coach Craig Skinner agrees.
“She brings a calming presence,” Skinner said. “She’s a tremendous vocal leader, has a tremendous understanding of the game. She has a great awareness about her.”
Watson, a 5-5 senior defensive specialist/libero, has seen the UK program progress every year that she’s been in Lexington.
“My freshman year, we thought it was so cool that we beat a Top 25 team,” Watson said. “We beat Arkansas here, we swept them, and we went to Insomnia Cookies to celebrate. Just the standard that has risen every year that I’ve been here and it continues to get higher and that sets up the program for huge future success.”
Watson hopes that success can happen immediately.
“We’re not talking about getting to the Elite Eight now, we’re talking about getting to the Final Four and getting to a national championship,” she said. “So we’re raising the bar as we go.”
As for her injuries, Watson has both good and bad days.
“I’m doing pretty good, my hips are feeling good,” she said. “I’m doing treatment every single day. I’m a little sore, but three hip surgeries will do that to you.”
The more mature Watson appreciates what it will take to get back on the court after another injury. But she also appreciates that there are many people in the world with much bigger problems, something she learned during her life-changing trip to Ethiopia.
