When you talk or spend time with Chico State volleyball player Kennedy Greenwood, the positive vibes she provides stay with you the rest of the day. The Wildcats’ talented defensive specialist is one of those “glass is half full” types, and one can’t help but feed off her upbeat outlook on life. The COVID-19 pandemic may have interrupted Greenwood’s time on the court, but it hasn’t prevented her from concentrating even more on her studies while re-embracing creative outlets like painting to keep her spirits up and encouraged about the future. Greenwood’s optimistic approach and productivity make her the latest Wildcat of the Week.
“I’ve been trying to pick up more hobbies to fill up the time I usually devote to playing volleyball,” Greenwood said. “I picked up painting again, which has been cool. I started painting about a year ago because I thought winter break was a long time to be away from volleyball. Little did I know that would come in handy down the road. It’s definitely a stress-reliever from school and the pandemic. It’s nice to be able to forget everything and paint for a few hours.
“Sometimes I’ll just go on Pinterest and try to find some inspiration,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll just walk around and see something interesting and write it down and go paint it. Butterflies, cityscapes…sometimes I’ll go by a reference photo. I like to take animals and paint them doing human things. I recently painted a picture of a frog riding a snail like a horse.”
Greenwood has even sold a couple of her paintings.
“I painted a Dodgers logo as a room decoration for a friend,” she said. “I like to post my paintings on Instagram just for fun, and I had a couple people message me and asked me to paint their sports team’s logo.
“Some friends have asked me to paint their portrait,” Greenwood said. “People are really hard to paint, but I did paint a portrait of me and (former Wildcats teammate) Lauren Voelker…it hangs in her room.”
Along with her Wildcat teammates, Greenwood was obviously disappointed the 2020 volleyball season was cancelled due to COVID. But the Stockton native predictably elected to focus on the positive side of the equation.
“In a way, it was kind of nice to take a little break from sports,” Greenwood said. “It gave me more time to focus on my studies. I’ve been running a lot more; in fact, now that I’m not worn out after practice, I definitely enjoy running a lot more.
“I think volleyball is one of those sports where you need other players and a volleyball court to practice your skills,” she said. “It is a little nerve wracking knowing that I haven’t played in so long. Maybe a break is what we all needed, and (when the team finally returns to action) we’ll come back fresh and ready to go.”
Chico State volleyball head coach Tommy Gott knows that when that day comes, he can rely on Greenwood to fill Acker Gym with her positive energy.
“Kennedy is such a great individual,” Gott said. “She has all the characteristics that you look for in a person: hard working, great teammate, awesome student, determined, genuine, and the list goes on. One of the biggest things that separates Kennedy from others is her personality; it is so infectious. It’s hard to find Kennedy without a smile on her face and displaying her passion.
“Kennedy’s work ethic and athleticism also separates her,” Gott continued. “Because Kennedy is always working 100 percent to be the best she can, she makes others around her elevate their game, too, and it raises some good friendly competition. Prior to the pandemic shutdown, Kennedy was playing at such a high and consistent level; some of the best ball I think she’s ever played. I’m looking forward to seeing her continue taking those next steps.”
When the pandemic brought an abrupt halt to the Wildcats’ spring season workouts last March, even Greenwood’s positive outlook was put to the test.
“I think we just all went home,” Greenwood remembers. “Nobody knew exactly what was going to happen. Would we be sitting out a week? A month? It was pretty scary. (The pandemic) was shocking for everybody, but I never expected to last as long as it has. It was definitely a letdown because we really were excited for the (upcoming fall) season. It was really a bummer.”
Greenwood finished out the spring making the transition to virtual classes, and her hard work paid off with her third California Collegiate Athletic Association All-Academic award.
“I think I’ve adjusted (to virtual classes) pretty well,” Greenwood said. “At first it was really tough, and I think it was because not only were we trying to get used to it, our professors were trying to get used to it too. One positive about virtual classes is you can do it from anywhere. But you don’t get to be with your classmates, and I find it much harder to ask questions and get clarifications. You also don’t get the chance to speak to your professors after class and make connections with them.”
The lack of in-person instruction didn’t seem to hamper Greenwood over the final months of 2020, as she was one of 36 Chico State student-athletes to earn CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll accolades.
Greenwood has been in Chico since last summer, and in addition to her running regimen, she has joined In Motion Fitness to work out and stay in shape.
“I tried to work out in my own apartment, do in-home and YouTube body weight workouts” Greenwood said. “It’s just really hard to do without weights and equipment.”
Greenwood also makes sure to devote time to staying connected with her Wildcat teammates.
“It’s actually been really weird. I’ve got all these teammates I’ve never even played with!” Greenwood said. “Since volleyball is a fall sport, we usually jump right into practice and the season, so we don’t really get the chance to know each other. But this has been a unique opportunity to become friends first and have that connection before we get on the court.
“Since a lot of us are here in Chico, I’ll take a little walk around campus with some of my teammates…usually outdoor things,” she said. “We have Zoom meetings most Fridays; we’re involved in group texts and Snapchats. We’re all definitely trying to get to know each other. We talk a lot.”
As everyone waits for the pandemic to eventually play out, count of Greenwood to paint an encouraging picture for her fellow student-athletes as well.
“We’re all here for each other. Rely on your Wildcat Family,” she said. “We all have a common goal, and that’s to get back to playing. So everyone is here to lean on. Reach out if you need to. Stay active and stay positive, and we’ll be back before we know it.”
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