Coyotes and Gomez looking for another great experience

While young, Lorena Gomez has lived a life one might normally take many more years to experience. 

She's traveled, danced, performed gymnastics and a plethora of other sports—and even helped design and build a house with her family. 

And she made the jump of moving from life on an island to the big state of Texas, something that might lead to another unforgettable experience for herself and the Weatherford College volleyball program. 

As a sophomore, she and the WC volleyball program are attempting to achieve their best season yet—following the first two seasons that included two conference championships and a berth in the NJCAA Tournament last season. 

Gomez played a key role as the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Setter of the Year. 

COMING TO TEXAS 

 Gomez was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Her native language is Spanish. 

"All of my family is from there and I love my island," she said. "I was raised in Caguas for a couple of years, and for the rest of the time I lived in San Lorenzo.  

"I went to elementary school there and was involved in so many extracurriculars. I spent a lot of time outside, especially at the beach, or with all of the animals." 

Then she moved to Texas and her life completely changed.  

"Although I still miss Puerto Rico, I am so thankful that God blessed me with so many great opportunities here," she said. 

Gomez and her family moved to Texas when she was about 10 years old. Her father works for American Airlines as an airplane mechanic. The station where he worked in Puerto Rico shut down, so he went to work in Miami, only being able to fly back home on Sundays and leaving the next morning.  

"Most of the time, because of his job, he wouldn't be able to see us for weeks at a time, which ended up being the resulting factor in us moving to Texas," she said. "He was able to find a job here, which allowed him to see us more, as well as giving us a better education and more opportunities than what we would have had in Puerto Rico." 

They first lived in Keller, later moving to their current home in Fort Worth. She attended and played for V.R. Eaton High School for four years. 

FALLING IN LOVE WITH VOLLEYBALL 

"Ever since I was little, I have always been involved in sports. My parents kind of threw me into a lot at a time to see which one stuck," Gomez said with a smile.  

She participated in many sports, including volleyball, soccer, basketball, track, gymnastics, dancing, swimming and more in Puerto Rico. Her main three were volleyball, gymnastics and dance.  

"I have always been very drawn to sports, but volleyball just felt different," she said. "Being surrounded by my teammates made the sport so fun, but overall, it gave me a place to grow when I had so many things going on outside of it.  

"Volleyball has always been a safe haven for me, and it's just an exciting feeling getting on that court and knowing that whether I touch the ball or not during a rally, I can always bring energy or help my team out in other useful ways." 

Gomez said the speed of the game and the difficulty makes it fun. And the adrenaline rush is "amazing."  

BEYOND WC 

In her ever-expanding life, Gomez is working on her associate degree with an eye toward a career in nursing.  

"Ever since I was little, the healthcare field has always fascinated me, and I think that with all of the blessings that I've received in my life, the least I could do is help those in a time of need," she said. 

She also plans to continue playing volleyball at a higher level, though where she has not decided. 

Whatever the future holds, she said Weatherford College has been one of the best experiences of her life.  

"I have never met a group of people so loving and supportive and just overall down to earth and genuine," she said. "I miss everyone that left us last year, but I'm so excited for all of the new memories I get to make.  

"Being in a school that is so involved in the community and has people that come from all sorts of places is such an amazing thing, because I now have so many friends from all over the world and have made so many connections that will last a lifetime."