Camila Gómez has solidified plans for her post-volleyball career as a firefighter.
Story by Steve Vedder | Photo courtesy of Camila Gómez
Camila Gómez had reached a critical crossroads, a time when she would either fulfill a longtime desire to become a firefighter or face an uncertain future with no idea what would follow a distinguished pro volleyball career that had begun when she was 17.
A year ago the Grand Rapids Rise libero found herself in the final stages of a Miami firefighting academy. But before training was completed, she had to pass a physically demanding test that included suiting up in bulky gear, checking a multitude of cylinders and gauges for weaknesses and pressure levels, fitting an airtight mask to her face to ward off toxic smoke and gasses, and swiftly deploying a heavy fire hose before dragging it into position to put out a simulated fire.
The mandate was to complete the test in four minutes and thirty seconds, with no wiggle room. Either complete the test in the allotted time or wash out of the academy.
Candidates were allowed two attempts. Gómez, at 5-foot-2 the shortest player in Major League Volleyball, promptly failed her first chance, going over the time limit by almost 30 seconds.
It's at that point where Gómez's get-it-done athletic mindset took over.
"It was like I was dying, I'm done," she said. "I knew if I didn't pass I'd be knocked out. Like volleyball, it was high intensity. But it was like I went back into a volleyball mindset."
The firefighting seed had been planted during Gómez's freshman year at Miami Dade College in 2016, when a friend who worked as a firefighter tried to recruit her into the field. She began following him to fire stations and slowly developed enough of an interest to realize it was something she might want to pursue when volleyball was over.
After Miami Dade, Gómez played volleyball at Texas A&M, where she met the manager of an open gym who, like her friend in Florida, talked to her about the benefits of a career in firefighting.
It eventually dawned on Gómez that firefighting featured much of what she wanted out of life, including adapting to a schedule and having a career that included helping people.
"I began seeing what [firefighters] could do for a community," she said. “They seemed nice and genuine, and I thought, ‘I'd like to do that job.’ I thought it was possible [at first] but not probable. But I liked being active, having schedules and helping a community.
"My body had gotten beaten up playing volleyball all those years, and I don't like traditional jobs. I thought, here's a job with benefits. Plus, I was looking for roots and staying in one place."
Gómez wound up enrolling in the Miami Dade College Fire Academy, became a registered EMT, and found herself at the end of the unforgiving survival week facing the dreaded SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) test. Firefighting had been a priority for years, but now she was on the brink of washing out and having to come up with a Plan B for the rest of her professional life.
Instructors offered her the chance to re-take the test the following day, but Gómez refused. She grabbed something to eat and rested. While she had been an athlete virtually her entire life, she soon found herself learning a valuable lesson about the role of teammates. Many of Gómez's classmates were from branches of the U.S. military and all quickly jumped behind her efforts, encouraging her that she could pass the test. She said their support was critical.
Gómez wound up crushing the test with a time of 3:40, nearly a minute under the required time and one of the academy's best marks. The result ensured that her post-volleyball dreams would be exactly as she had hoped.
Gómez said the encouragement from her academy teammates was much like what is found in sports. Just when enough doubts have bubbled to the surface, along comes a teammate full of confidence.
"You get this feeling from them that you're not going home," she said. "I knew I needed to get better, but there was little doubt I could do it."
While surviving the rigors of the academy was every bit as rugged as Gómez had expected, there were no second thoughts whether it was the right course for her. The four-month course included daily 5:30 a.m. wakeup calls, hours of classroom lectures, and endless physical training – much like a military school where boots have to shine and bed inspections must be perfect. Of the 40 candidates, Gómez, one of only four females at the academy, was one of six group leaders.
"It was hard, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything," she said. "I'm not a physically strong person, but I'm not afraid of fires. It was four months, but it felt like a year. I think it was all that shapes you into a human being. Everything about it teaches you how to survive."
On the surface, it might seem that there is little similarity between firefighting and being a pro volleyball player, but Gómez shoots down the theory. In fact, Gómez said there are major similarities between success as a firefighter and a pro athlete, beginning with her interest in the limitations of the human body.
Because Gómez – by her own admission – is not physically imposing, she's always tested the physical boundaries facing an athlete. Her theory has always been if you don't possess the perfect body for an athlete, then find a way to overcome those shortcomings. Gómez draws a line between that and being a firefighter, who faces huge demands in battling a blaze.
Both, she contends, include finding a way to get the job done.
"As an athlete I've always been interested in the human body," she said. "I like having the knowledge of an EMT, with knowing the body and its limits and how it works."
Firefighters and volleyball players both possess discipline, determination, and an ability to perform under pressure. Like an athlete, a firefighter must maintain composure, never deviate from the ultimate goal, and have the determination to forge ahead against long odds. An athlete, Gómez said, can't afford to waver from that philosophy, and nether can someone in the midst of fighting a dangerous fire.
"The goal in volleyball is keeping the ball off the floor versus saving a life," she said. "Every time on the court is a test. It's like, OK, it’s game time, just like EMT work. There are no warmups or second chances. You can't be a liability to your crew or your teammates."
Now, with her future path decided, the 30-year-old Gómez can focus on her final year of pro volleyball. She will retire this spring and likely return to Miami to find employment as a firefighter.
"Camila is incredibly disciplined. She works extremely hard in the weight room and gives her all every day,” said Rise head coach Cathy George. “She has a great attitude and genuinely wants to help people. All the qualities that make her strong as an athlete translate to being a firefighter.
“She has been a volleyball player her whole life, so she is used to handling adversity and performing in difficult situations. A big part of that is maintaining composure under pressure. She will be tested in that way, but she will be ready for it," added George.
Gómez admits it's a bittersweet time for her, looking back over a pro career that began as a 17-year-old in Colombia, but also greatly looking forward to her other love as a firefighter. She played professionally in several countries, entered the United States as a teenager unable to speak a word of English, starred at the Division 1 level in college, and grinded through three seasons in Major League Volleyball. But now it's time to put volleyball in the rear-view mirror and seek new challenges off the court.
"I've prepared myself for the end of volleyball. It'll be tough to end all the relationships I've made over the years, but I know I'm ready for the future," she said. "Volleyball made me the person I am. The impact the other players and coaches have had on me, that's what I want for others. I want a new purpose."
If there is anything that Gómez proudly takes from a long volleyball career it's that she has always been a winner. From the time when she earned more than a dozen medals with Colombian National Team, including a silver at both the Pan American Games and the Pan American Cup – earning best libero honors on each occasion – she has excelled on winning teams.
Gómez helped Miami Dade to back-to-back NJCAA national titles and Texas A&M to the NCAA regional semifinals, where the Aggies lost to eventual national champion Wisconsin. Gómez was a member of the inaugural 2024 Rise team that reached the championship match, recording double digits in digs in 11 of the 12 matches she started, before moving to Omaha last season and helping the Supernovas post a league-best 21-7 mark.
Medals and trophies aside, Gómez said what she will miss the most in volleyball is interaction with young fans. She loves talking with young girls about everything from simply enjoying the sport as youngsters to what it takes to become a professional athlete. Gómez uses her own experiences as an undersized player to relate to girls who have the same dreams of playing at a high level.
"As a firefighter I can impact youngsters just as I can impact them as a player," she said. "I'm happy with what I contributed to the Colombian National Team or as a college player, or overseas or as a professional. I'm satisfied with all those experiences. That gives me a lot of peace and satisfaction, but it's also time to do something else.
"It's the feeling that I was part of something bigger than myself. I love volleyball and would play it until I couldn't walk any more. But you get to a point in life where there is something else out there," she said. "I'm tired of bouncing from place to place. I want to [plant] roots, and that's Miami."
Gómez realizes she's unique in loving two professional pathways. "I'm grateful because I know how rare that is. There was fear once about what I was going to do after volleyball," she said. "I guess I could have coached, but I didn't think I'd love that as much as playing.
"Now I get to transition to something that I love like volleyball, and I don't take that for granted,” she said. “I showed little girls that [playing] is possible. I love that I can help them think they can [be a firefighter], too.”