November 14, 2003

By JACLYN BAILEY

Photo courtesy of JENN STRAUSS A Navy transfer forces Jenn and Derek Strauss from Virginia Beach to Alexandria, Va. where they will raise their first child.

Most often when you drop your keys, your first inclination is to bend down, pick them up and continue on your way, but this was not the case of Derek Strauss in November of '99. His ploy to drop the keys was his creative effort to get down to his one knee in order to propose to his girlfriend of one and a half years, Jenn McLaughlin.

After her graduation from Fairfield University, in Connecticut, the couple married in July and relocated to Pensacola, Fl., where Derek was stationed for flight school. One year later, Jenn and Derek relocated from Pensacola to Virginia Beach, where Jenn took the head women's volleyball coaching position at Wesleyan. "I was completely excited because it was a huge opportunity to get my foot in the door," said Jenn. "It was a big step in my life and a great opportunity for my career."

Derek continued his position in the military, stationed at the Oceana base as an Intelligence Officer for the U.S. Navy. Accepting that ring four years ago put Jenn into a position of adopting the lifestyle of a navy wife; an at-home life that revolved around her husband's military career. Jenn found that reputation to be old and knew that her role as a wife would be nothing like that.

"That is more of an outdated image and that isn't me," she said. "As long as there is somewhere close by for me to coach, Derek will be supportive of what I choose to do with my life." She originally envisioned a life that would incorporate moving from time to time, but put away any worries, knowing that she could travel to whichever port Derek would be traveling, even if it meant visiting overseas. She never expected war to be an issue during Derek's years of service.

That notion lasted until this past January when, after intensive training following Sept. 11 attacks, Derek was sent as part of the Roosevelt ship to Afghanistan; the entire deployment lasted for approximately 10 months. Life changed for Jenn as her dominant communicative device was belittled to sporadic e-mails that eventually became obsolete for three weeks while the war plot thickened. "It was a very uneasy time, but I knew he was safe because I would have heard something if he wasn't OK," she said. "When you can't hear the voice of a loved one you want that reassurance and although it was very nerve racking, I never feared trouble."

Her temporary single life allowed her to create lasting friendships with other Navy wives and reminded her of why she truly loves her husband: she's extremely proud of what he does. Upon his return this past summer, Derek and Jenn celebrated his safe arrival home and the exciting news of a new baby. "It was very exciting," said Jenn. "We had just been talking about near future plans for a baby, it just was a surprise that it happened a month after Derek returned home."

This fall, the growth of her baby paralleled that of Wesleyan's women's volleyball team as she led them to an overall record of 17-9 and a first-time bid to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament, where they were knocked out in the first round by Washington and Lee University. With a successful first-year season, the news of Derek's transfer to Washington D.C. came as a shock and disappointment. "Initially I was upset because I had put so much work into the volleyball team," said Jenn. "I felt let down to think that someone would be taking over my team, which was a small piece of me."

He had requested to remain stationed in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area, but as part of his rotational shore tour, the military made a decision to place him where he was most needed. In his new home, Derek will be working in the growing field of counterterrorism, while Jenn has decided to stay at home and watch their first child grow for at least the first six years, when she may then decide to go back to coaching.

With the news coming so quickly, Derek and Jenn put their Norfolk lives on hold for a five day period in which they searched for and bought a house in Alexandria, Va. Upon leaving, Jenn's reluctance is apparent through teary eyes and heavy sighs as she regards her move as "bittersweet." "Probably more bittersweet than sweet," she suggests. "But it's a lot of firsts: first house and our first kid."

Jenn is excited to have the opportunity to bring up her child in the DC area, which she considers to be one of the best. The sudden move brings about a lot of change, for Jenn especially. She will have to switch to yet another doctor after never having the same doctor twice during her medical visits while in Virginia Beach. The difficulty in consistency comes from her relationship to Derek; without him she has no identity within the US military, because she is regarded as his dependent.

"The government is our life," she says. All of their insurance and banking details are taken care of by the US government. Since they will be locating to a different region, everything has to be changed. Starting all over is going to be quite a task, especially with the baby. She is leaving things she believes in and friends and people she relies on, but most of all she is leaving her team. "My team is my first child," said Jenn. "We started from nothing to a 17-9 record to the ODAC tournament. I am seeing it from its infancy."

With Derek required to serve in the Navy through May 2004, a return to Wesleyan for Jenn is presently out of the question. Derek will stay in past his fourth year to complete the remaining three-year tour in DC before making any further decisions. Jenn is confident that the team will move on without her, because they built the program to what it is today. "They believe," she said. "It's their contributions that will make the program outstanding." But it's the contributions of her husband that she's most proud of."When I sit back and think of me, I'm a volleyball coach," said Jenn. "Derek makes our world safer, my life safer, and I truly appreciate what he does."

Jenn's dedication to the college and her team has been equally appreciated. Her impact she has made in just one year at Wesleyan will be equally reflective as she embarks upon a new journey in her life as a mother. In looking back on her initial decision to marry into the navy life, she would still say "yes" to the man bending down to pick up his keys.

New Beginnings Stephany Dunmyer begins new career as Wesleyan’s head women’s basketball coach and begins a new life after becoming engaged to fiancé, Aaron Ripple By KATIE BOZZA Photo courtesy of STEPHANY DUNMYER Head women’s basketball coach Stephany Dunmyer and fiancé Aaron Ripple first met on an Internet site called cupidjunction.com. The couple plans to to marry July 31. First-year head women's basketball coach Stephany Dunmyer followed her heart to Virginia Beach to start a new job and new life with her fiancé, Aaron Ripple. Dunmyer, 25, came to Virginia Wesleyan from Indiana State, where she was assistant coach for a year after coaching at Ashland University in Ohio for two years. She attended Kenyon College in Ohio, where she also played college basketball as point guard. Basketball has always been a part of her life; through first learning how to play ball with her dad, she began to love the game. When it came time to look for a new coaching position, Wesleyan was very appealing to Dunmyer for a couple of reasons. "This has been a dream job for me, because I played at the Division-III level and now I get to coach it," said Dunmyer. "There is also a great balance between academics and athletics here. In addition, this job has brought me closer to Aaron." Dunmyer and Ripple met two years and four months ago over the Internet on a website called cupidjunction.com. Dunmyer submitted a profile without a picture and hoped that a nice guy would respond. "I hate admitting that I actually met my fiancé over the Internet, but I can honestly say that it was a good experience," said Dunmyer. After browsing the site, she was immediately drawn to a picture and profile of a guy named Aaron and decided to e-mail him. That e-mail was the beginning of everything she had dreamed about. They began a long distance relationship and e-mailed each other every day. "I learned more about him in the first month than I know about some people I have known for more than a year," she said. "It was nice to finally meet a guy who liked to write back." After e-mailing each other for about two weeks they began to talk on the phone, having conversations that would last up to six hours. A month and a half later, they decided to meet. Halfway between Indiana and Iowa, where Ripple attended school, they met in Chicago. It was love at first sight. Weekend flights became a routine for both of them. Ripple, part of a civil engineering corps in the military, was transferred to Oceana, in Virginia Beach and has been stationed there for four years. Landing a new coaching job at Wesleyan has allowed Dunmyer to claim Virginia Beach as her new home as well. This is the first time in two years that Dunmyer and Ripple have been able to live together, and, for that matter, in the same state. "This whole experience has been really exciting," she said. On October 13, 2003--Columbus Day--Dunmyer was driving home from basketball practice. Ripple had the day off because it was a holiday. As Dunmyer reached for her front door, she realized that it was locked, something that Ripple never does when he is home. When she got inside, rose petals covered the floor, candles lit the rooms and music was playing in the background. On the kitchen table was a note telling her to go upstairs. Dunmyer entered their bedroom to find more flowers and candles with a small box on the bed. She knew Ripple was in the room and she immediately turned around to find him behind her with a ring in his hand. She instantly cried, "Yes!" They plan to get married July 31. Dunmyer has everything to look forward to. Basketball season is just around the corner, and she is about to begin a new life with the man she loves. The Marlins will step onto the court this season after struggling only to finish last in the ODAC last year, but expectations are high for this team. "I am hoping to finish in the top half of our conference and, hopefully, make the tournament," she said. "We just need to peak at the right time, and I have confidence that these girls can do that."

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