Olympic and Paralympic Patterns: Sitting volleyball player Bethany Zummo would like to crochet with Tom Daley

Crocheting is her hobby. Sewing and knitting too, to be precise. Bethany Zummo is the "grandma of American sitting volleyball players," as the 28-year-old says herself. Does a t-shirt need to be mended? Zummo will take care of it. Someone want a crocheted bag? No problem. Sew and donate several thousand masks? Zummo also arranged that with her family during the pandemic. She's a professional athlete with a pretty unusual hobby – well at least that´s what she thought. "You think you're unique, and then you see the Olympics ... and that Tom Daley crochets all the time," jokes Zummo. The British diver Daley crocheted calmly before his competitions, only to win the gold medal afterwards. Is crocheting the key to success? Zummo also won gold with the US female volleyball players.

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“People really want us to meet”

An interviewer gave her the idea to work with Daley to crochet both Olympic and Paralympic images. "I wrote a message to Tom Daley, but he hasn't answered yet," explains Zummo with a laugh. She can hardly believe how many people are trying to get Daley's attention right now and tag him under crochet videos. "People really want us to meet. I didn´t mean it to become such a thing. But it's funny." However, Zummo doubts whether she and Daley will ever work together. "I don't even know exactly where he is right now, I think in England? It's a long way." Still, Zummo would be very happy if Daley got in touch with her: "I think I'll fall over then."

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Zummo is currently working on a bag with the Agitos - the Paralympic symbol - on one side and the American flag on the other. She likes to crochet before competitions to relieve stress. "It just helps me when I'm nervous. My brain then has something else to focus on. Others read a book or watch videos on TikTok, but I crochet."

“The sport is so hard, I love it”

Zummo has been crocheting, sewing and knitting since she was a child, and her mother and grandmother are also enthusiastic about the craft. "There is something nostalgic about it for me because they taught me that back then. There is something calming about it, but also something challenging." Even then, Zummo loved to create things, later studying theatre and costume design. "It's not competitive and very different from my sport," she says. "That's what I like about art: it's not a competition for me." With "the zummo collective," the American already has a small online shop for various crocheted or sewn articles.

Whether in sports or crocheting, Zummo likes to try out new things, adapts, and learns quickly. "I'm very flexible," says the 28-year-old. She has been playing for the American national sitting volleyball team for over 10 years. "I love how it makes me feel," she explains. She used to play standing volleyball in middle school, and hesitated to try sitting volleyball. "I didn't see myself as part of a disabled community back then. All I wanted was to be normal." At high school, she finally felt established as an athlete and had found her identity in it. "Nobody could take that away from me. And then I wanted to try sitting volleyball as a new challenge. Not because I was unable to play standing volleyball, but because it was my decision to try sitting volleyball." And it should have been the right decision: "The sport is so hard, I love it."

With the American team, Zummo won silver at the World Championships in 2014 and 2018, and gold at the Paralympics in 2016. The Paralympic Games are still very special for Zummo in Tokyo. "It's just the experience to come here with my team, to see other teams and athletes, to be in the Paralympic village, to be able to play at such an elite level. It's a great show." All other tournaments are ultimately also a preparation for the Paralympics. "We trained every day. Two-thirds of our team live and train together in Oklahoma," says Zummo.

Team as a factor

The team is the decisive factor for Zummo. "We win and lose together," she explains. The American was never interested in individual sports. "I drive in community, whether in the theater or on the volleyball field. Different people come together, everyone has their job to do and we perform together." Even when things don't go well, Zummo's teammates are there to support her – and vice versa.

© Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP

When training together was temporarily impossible during the pandemic, a difficult time began for Zummo. "It was a big challenge for me mentally and emotionally," she says. She trained online with the Brazilian sitting volleyball player Fabricio Da Silva Pinto, and the long-time couple later got married in 2021. "My husband is a very big part of my life and he plays a huge role in my Paralympic journey. We have a unique relationship because we can understand and support each other like no one else can."

“It´s a miracle”

Not only her husband, but also sewing the masks helped Zummo through the competition-free time. "At one point we had four sewing machines on my kitchen table at the same time," she explains. She taught her sisters and aunt some basics, and her mother and grandmother also helped. The family donated 5,000 masks in total. "It felt good to have a destination at this scary time," she explains.

Zummo is relieved that the games in Tokyo take place. "It makes me incredibly grateful that we can be here now. It's a miracle, actually we've already won with it. I'm so happy." She cannot imagine a life without sitting volleyball. "During the pandemic I experienced that and I hated it. I missed it so much. I love the sport, I want to grow with it, and I want people to know it, follow it and just try it out." It is good and important that the Paralympics are present, also through social media. "As a kid, I didn't even know what the Paralympics were. I would have liked to have looked up to someone." It is important for the young woman to show children in particular: "This is great and you can do it!" Zummo would be happy if this message spreads much further – maybe Tom Daley agreeing to do a crochet round with her in front of his 3.5 million Instagram followers would help.

Mona Alker