Editor’s note:  Meridian’s Sports Editor Kelly Martinez relocated his family to the Provo/Orem area in late August and has been anxiously seeking full-time employment, with no success, ever since.  He is experienced in writing, editing, and proofreading but also has a wealth of experience in desktop publishing, general office work, publication production and basic Web site development.  If you are aware of any work or job openings in the Provo/Orem or Salt Lake areas, please send an email to Kelly at sports@meridianmagazine.com .

If things had worked out for Janie Penfield in 1994, she would have donned a BYU women’s volleyball uniform during her four seasons of collegiate competition.  However, there were two high school All-Americans--Amy Steele and Korie Rogers--that were recruited to Provo that year, so Penfield opted to play volleyball at Colorado State University instead.  There were other schools that wanted the highly accomplished prep star to play for them, but the Rams won out.

Carrie and Janie before battle

Janie and her twin sister Carrie, who was also highly recruited out of high school, had decided that if they were both recruited by BYU, they would play their college volleyball together.  As things worked out, Janie went to CSU and Carrie signed with the University of Arizona.

Both excelled at the collegiate level.  Janie earned All-Region, All-Western Athletic Conference, and team MVP honors during her senior year in 1997.  She was also the team captain and set the school record for block assists with 388 in her four-year career.  The record has been broken twice since 1997, so Janie is currently third in all-time block assists. 

Down south, Carrie was named to the All-Pac 10 team her senior season (also 1997) while leading the conference in aces and service percentage.  In 1998, she was a member of the USA National team.  Carrie, who has a son, Cooper, 1 ½, and is expecting another baby, now lives in Las Vegas and is married to Ryan Halvorsen.

Janie and Carrie faced each other in 1997 in the Doubletree Guest Suites Volleyball Classic in Arizona.  “She blocked me three times and I blocked her twice,” admitted Janie.  Arizona won the match and the tournament, but Carrie outplayed Janie that day with 16 kills, 14 digs and six blocks to Janie’s 10 kills, 13 digs and four blocks for CSU.  Janie was also named to the all-tournament team.

Since their college clash, the Penfield sisters have played together in the annual U.S. Open Volleyball Tournament, which showcases volleyball players of all levels and ages.

Blazing the Trail
Janie was the only LDS volleyball player at CSU when she arrived.  It was a priority for her to be involved in church activities in addition to playing volleyball.  Her determination to do this led to leadership positions at the CSU Institute of Religion.  Being a college volleyball player was not all that she wanted to be.

It is this perspective, Penfield believes, that led the CSU coaches to take extra interest in recruiting LDS players.  “The coaching staff saw value in LDS players,” said Janie.  “They saw a work ethic that was appealing, a humility and proper perspective.  They knew we work hard and finish a task once it’s started.”

Janie served as a mentor to other LDS players that were recruited by CSU, including Emily Darger, who was spotlighted in a previous Meridian Sports article.  Like Janie, Darger wanted to have time to do the things that she felt were most important in addition to playing volleyball. 

When Janie first attended CSU, she was in a ward that had 90 members.  Currently, there are three wards and three LDS players on the women’s roster at CSU.  While she doesn’t accept credit for such an occurrence, it is evident that her influence and example showed other potential LDS recruits that it was possible to find a balance between church and athletic activity in Fort Collins, Colo.

A Strong Lineage
John and Margaret Penfield are the parents of seven children: Michelle, 28, Carrie, 26, Janie, 26, John, 23, Scott, 21, Ryan, 13, and Steven, 10.  The family resides in the southern California community of Thousand Oaks, where Carrie, Janie and John played volleyball at Thousand Oaks High School.

Penfield children at Michelle's wedding

The Penfields come from a lineage that is steeped in the Church.  They are direct descendants of Lorenzo Snow and Hyrum Smith and their grandfather, Eldred G. Smith, is Patriarch Emeritus to the Church. 

This heritage has given Janie strength and a proper perspective of how important the gospel is in her life.  “I can remember dinners at my grandparents’ home,” she remembered.  “There were discussions about the gospel that instilled in me the importance of righteous living.  It is the key to unlocking rich blessings.”

Blessings have come to Janie throughout her life.  One of those blessings, she considers, is an opportunity that came to her following her senior season at CSU.  She was a volunteer student assistant coach for the Rams during the 1998 season, when she was contacted by a professional coach in Finland.  “The coach in Finland was very anxious for me to come and play,” said Janie.  “In December of 1998, I flew to Finland and was able to begin playing professional volleyball mid-season.  I was excited at the adventure of playing professionally overseas and the opportunities that it would provide me to share the gospel.”

Finnished

Janie's winter wonderland

While playing in Finland for Savonlinna AJO, Janie and three other international players shared a lakefront house with a sauna in the backyard.  It was a special experience when a friend and teammate took the first discussion and found a desire to offer the first pra\yer of her life.  Though her friend didn’t accept the covenant of baptism, Janie considers this incident one that has promoted her faith. 

“I loved that there were many opportunities to dispel misconceptions about the Church,” said Janie.  “Coaches and teammates really didn’t know much about Mormons or the Church.  It was really neat to be able to help them learn more.”

After playing half a season in Finland, where she was named the team MVP for 11 out of 19 matches, Janie returned to the U.S. and was an assistant coach at Boise State from 1999-2001.  In 2001, she began the MBA program at BYU and was a volunteer assistant for the women’s volleyball team for that season, but gave up the position after the season ended to focus on her studies.  Since January 2002, she’s worked part-time in the BYU athletic marketing department and hopes to someday be an athletic director.  In spite of her playing and coaching experience, she has no aspirations to pursue a coaching career.

Her inclination to offer volleyball advice does have an outlet, however.  Her brother John is currently on the BYU men’s volleyball team.  “We’re good friends,” Janie said.  “We have Sunday dinners together often, but he never asks for volleyball advice.  He doesn’t need to because I offer it anyway.”

Janie is comfortable giving advice, especially when it is targeted at younger LDS athletes that are facing the challenges that come with athletic pursuance and making righteous choices.  “My advice to all LDS athletes, especially those still in high school, would be to do all that you can to live a righteous life,” said Janie.  “Read the scriptures, go to seminary and read the Church publications.  These things will help you to become better adults.  Never lose sight of the fact that there is much more to life than sports.  The gospel and family are things that should never be placed behind athletics.”