Keiser University (Fort Lauderdale)
NAIA • TSC
Date: March 23, 2026
Would Recommend
Tags
I got to live both ends of the spectrum.. I knew going into Keiser there would be high expectations and an environment focused on winning, which I was excited for. The running didn't bother me. I enjoyed the running lol, but what broke my heart was watching the girls that were extremely talented at volleyball have to throw up in garbage cans, crawl on the ground, pass out, and cry in the trainers' room... every. single. day. They never got a chance, instead their bodies were broken down and they received 0 coaching. His tactics turned girls against one another, and it was 6 individuals on the court rather than 1 team... As I am applying to PhD programs soon, I still struggle to find the silver lining... having structure is amazing for athletes, but this wasn't structure, this was a dictatorship based on how these nasty men were feeling that specific day... and I say men because Sydow was almost worse... I sustained a concussion 5 months before starting at Keiser and had another stupid head injury while playing there. The trainer had me to go to the ER (I drove myself) and was SCARED herself for Rogers to see me on my phone calling my parents to let them know and standing next to the training room with blood pouring down my face w/out cover shorts on (as I had come straight from practice)... this was the day I decided to leave. I should have never been rushed out to drive myself to the ER with any potential for another head injury, and this happened because of fear. My own fear to take anyone away from practice and the trainers' own fear. Not only was I put at risk, but anyone on the road that day was too. I cannot stress this enough, I knew I was going into a tough program, but I didn't know I'd still be having nightmares about this man (his painted toe nails, his assistant-coach who struggled to speak to women in general, Chick-fil-A, etc.) and it was NOT worth the big scholarship I was given. ...I'm almost glad I went there though, it was like the Stanford Prison Experiment, watching those given power wield it against those that were powerless.. and I learned absolutely nothing about volleyball, I regressed immensely from injuries and a loss of confidence. The last thing I will say is this, when I first got to Keiser and I was playing, coach told my parents that I needed to create strong bonds with the girls that were on the court with me, the girls that terrorized the other players, rather than the practice players who would never play- I refused to go out of my way to do this. This is the part that makes me almost glad to have gone through it, because I didn't become a part of their game... I treated all of my teammates with respect and I don't blame the girls that didn't, they were literally just responding to the instability in the environment- they weren't the problem! -w/ love