University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Rhonda Kilpatrick
July 08, 2020 | General, Volleyball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Rhonda Kilpatrick didn't come to Georgia to play volleyball. In fact, she had hardly played the sport before being spotted in a freshman P.E. class.
A native of Athens and a 1978 graduate of Cedar Shoals High School, Kilpatrick stayed home for college. And, as she explained during a recent Quick Chat, she soon found herself a member of the Bulldogs' volleyball team, much to her own surprise.
Kilpatrick joined the UGA Athletic Association in 1996 and is now the Assistant Athletic Director for Academics and Eligibility. She oversees academic counseling for multiple sports and administers the National Letter of Intent and scholarships for all 19 of Georgia's sports.
During our Chat, Kilpatrick talked about growing up in Athens, joining the volleyball team, working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, eating at ADD Drug and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What have the past few months been like, working from home and doing all the important work you do without actually being around the student-athletes?
Kilpatrick: I feel like we're busier than ever [laughs]. I do think that working from home, a lot of what I do is on computers and texting student-athletes and contacting people via email. On one hand there's been an efficiency to where you can just sit and work without maybe the same interruptions in a day.
I think within my role, the compliance role, working with football predominantly with all of the admissions and eligibility and all that, it's a lot of working on a computer and texting people and calling people. But then in my role as a sports facilitator, as we've tried, certainly with the fall sports, to run scenarios, you're having to plan instead of just getting your head down and going straight forward down the road. You've got to plan for all these different kinds of scenarios.
I think it's had its challenges in that regard because we're trying to anticipate and be prepared for any type of situation. And then you just deal with the reality. ... We've learned to work at home and I think it's sometimes harder to stop working [laughs]. It seems like there's always something to do.
I think learning how to disconnect a little bit and step away is something I've had to learn, because there is always something to do and you can just keep working and working.
Frierson: Because we can all get into our routines and stick with them for a long time, has this disruption been a healthy thing in terms of maybe seeing new ways to do your job?
Kilpatrick: I do think, and I actually said this to two colleagues today, is that what we've learned is how to do our jobs in a different way. We're using some of the same tools, our phones and our computers, but at the same we've learned to communicate differently. You learn to set your own structure.
I'm fortunate because of my situation. I have empathy for the ones that have little ones at home, whereas for me it's a pretty quiet house and it's very comfortable, and I don't have the challenges that I'm sure a lot of people are facing during this time. I at one time in my life had a lot of little ones running around, but now it's very calm and you can work and be very efficient and get a lot done.
Frierson: As a native Athenian like myself, did you envision staying in Athens? And did you want to work in sports?
Kilpatrick: It's very interesting, I very vividly remember as early as eighth or ninth grade, I remember saying, I want to be in sports. I thought it was going to be teaching and coaching at that time, but I always knew this was sort of where my heart was.
Like a lot of people, having grown up in Athens, and I probably have gained an even greater appreciation for it as I get older — I tell my own children, you won't even understand what a great community you have growing up because you take it for granted. We all know a lot of people that live to come to Athens.
When I left Georgia, I went to Atlanta and that seemed to be a good thing to do, change me scenery a little bit. I was teaching and coaching at the time, and then I had another career opportunity, and then I ended up getting married and having kids and made my way back here to be with family.
I then had this opportunity to work with Glada (Senior Associate Athletic Director Glada Horvat) in 1996 and slowly that went from being 13 hours a week to 20 hours to full-time, and then Coach (Mark) Richt gave me a great opportunity in 2001.
I thought I would be in sports all my life and then I saw my life going in a different direction after I had a family, but I made my way back into it. At that time, too, I was coaching high school and helping start the volleyball program at Cedar Shoals. Sports has always had a place in my life, it's just had different roles.
Frierson: When did you get started in volleyball?
Kilpatrick: [Laughs] I laugh every time, it's such a privilege to work with our program now. It's a very unheard-of story. I recognize in this day and age that it would never be possible. I was actually taking a P.E. class with B.J. Clements, and B.J. was just a great guy and I was in his class. And he goes, oh, my God.
We didn't have (high school) volleyball in Georgia, so I was in his P.E. class and he was like, oh, my goodness, I think I need to get you in front of our volleyball coach. Of course, Sid (Feldman) was the coach at the time. I don't know why but (Clements) saw some kind of potential or something [laughs] and called Coach. How crazy is that? I'm appreciative for that, I mean he saw something I guess.
I worked really, really hard and Sid invested in me and I had this amazing opportunity. I was sort of found in a P.E. class [laughs]. We didn't have volleyball in Georgia so I always played basketball and tennis and softball.
Frierson: Had you ever played an organized game of volleyball before joining the team?
Kilpatrick: Never. I'd played in P.E. and church, with the youth group. I still have vivid memories — I'm really dating myself but there was that mat room in the coliseum and I can still remember the team was in there working on something and the bruises that I had were really something [laughs]. I was very fortunate that he was willing to invest time in me and gave me the opportunity to learn the sport. It's such a great sport and I've had it in my life ever since in some form or fashion.
I've been very, very fortunate to have the opportunities I've had, there's no doubt.
Frierson: What is the best meal you've ever eaten? Is there one that stands out above the rest?
Kilpatrick: I'm not much of a foodie. I was on a call yesterday and said that my favorite place to eat in Athens is ADD Drugs, so that will tell you something about my palate. And I do love ADD Drugs.
Frierson: For those that don't know, can you explain the ADD Drug experience?
Kilpatrick: I sort of feel it's my civic responsibility to make sure people know about ADD Drugs [laughs]. When new people come in I'm like, I need to take you to ADD Drugs. Just the experience of sitting there at the counter, I tend to like more simple things. It's kind of frustrating for my family, I like vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
The idea that you just sit there at the counter, I think it takes me back to my childhood. The idea that you just sit there and it's this real sense of community. I tell everybody, this is like the food that your mom or your grandmother would fix you, a grilled cheese and really good crinkled fries.
I just think that it feels a little more simple and it feels like, when you walk in there you have this hometown vibe. The food is quite delicious; it's not fancy but it's all made right there right in front of you and I love to watch that process, as well. I think you see your regulars and you can be called by name. Those kinds of things appeal to me.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Rhonda Kilpatrick didn't come to Georgia to play volleyball. In fact, she had hardly played the sport before being spotted in a freshman P.E. class.
A native of Athens and a 1978 graduate of Cedar Shoals High School, Kilpatrick stayed home for college. And, as she explained during a recent Quick Chat, she soon found herself a member of the Bulldogs' volleyball team, much to her own surprise.
Kilpatrick joined the UGA Athletic Association in 1996 and is now the Assistant Athletic Director for Academics and Eligibility. She oversees academic counseling for multiple sports and administers the National Letter of Intent and scholarships for all 19 of Georgia's sports.
During our Chat, Kilpatrick talked about growing up in Athens, joining the volleyball team, working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, eating at ADD Drug and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What have the past few months been like, working from home and doing all the important work you do without actually being around the student-athletes?
Kilpatrick: I feel like we're busier than ever [laughs]. I do think that working from home, a lot of what I do is on computers and texting student-athletes and contacting people via email. On one hand there's been an efficiency to where you can just sit and work without maybe the same interruptions in a day.
I think within my role, the compliance role, working with football predominantly with all of the admissions and eligibility and all that, it's a lot of working on a computer and texting people and calling people. But then in my role as a sports facilitator, as we've tried, certainly with the fall sports, to run scenarios, you're having to plan instead of just getting your head down and going straight forward down the road. You've got to plan for all these different kinds of scenarios.
I think it's had its challenges in that regard because we're trying to anticipate and be prepared for any type of situation. And then you just deal with the reality. ... We've learned to work at home and I think it's sometimes harder to stop working [laughs]. It seems like there's always something to do.
I think learning how to disconnect a little bit and step away is something I've had to learn, because there is always something to do and you can just keep working and working.
Frierson: Because we can all get into our routines and stick with them for a long time, has this disruption been a healthy thing in terms of maybe seeing new ways to do your job?
Kilpatrick: I do think, and I actually said this to two colleagues today, is that what we've learned is how to do our jobs in a different way. We're using some of the same tools, our phones and our computers, but at the same we've learned to communicate differently. You learn to set your own structure.
I'm fortunate because of my situation. I have empathy for the ones that have little ones at home, whereas for me it's a pretty quiet house and it's very comfortable, and I don't have the challenges that I'm sure a lot of people are facing during this time. I at one time in my life had a lot of little ones running around, but now it's very calm and you can work and be very efficient and get a lot done.
Frierson: As a native Athenian like myself, did you envision staying in Athens? And did you want to work in sports?
Kilpatrick: It's very interesting, I very vividly remember as early as eighth or ninth grade, I remember saying, I want to be in sports. I thought it was going to be teaching and coaching at that time, but I always knew this was sort of where my heart was.
Like a lot of people, having grown up in Athens, and I probably have gained an even greater appreciation for it as I get older — I tell my own children, you won't even understand what a great community you have growing up because you take it for granted. We all know a lot of people that live to come to Athens.
When I left Georgia, I went to Atlanta and that seemed to be a good thing to do, change me scenery a little bit. I was teaching and coaching at the time, and then I had another career opportunity, and then I ended up getting married and having kids and made my way back here to be with family.
I then had this opportunity to work with Glada (Senior Associate Athletic Director Glada Horvat) in 1996 and slowly that went from being 13 hours a week to 20 hours to full-time, and then Coach (Mark) Richt gave me a great opportunity in 2001.
I thought I would be in sports all my life and then I saw my life going in a different direction after I had a family, but I made my way back into it. At that time, too, I was coaching high school and helping start the volleyball program at Cedar Shoals. Sports has always had a place in my life, it's just had different roles.
Frierson: When did you get started in volleyball?
Kilpatrick: [Laughs] I laugh every time, it's such a privilege to work with our program now. It's a very unheard-of story. I recognize in this day and age that it would never be possible. I was actually taking a P.E. class with B.J. Clements, and B.J. was just a great guy and I was in his class. And he goes, oh, my God.
We didn't have (high school) volleyball in Georgia, so I was in his P.E. class and he was like, oh, my goodness, I think I need to get you in front of our volleyball coach. Of course, Sid (Feldman) was the coach at the time. I don't know why but (Clements) saw some kind of potential or something [laughs] and called Coach. How crazy is that? I'm appreciative for that, I mean he saw something I guess.
I worked really, really hard and Sid invested in me and I had this amazing opportunity. I was sort of found in a P.E. class [laughs]. We didn't have volleyball in Georgia so I always played basketball and tennis and softball.
Frierson: Had you ever played an organized game of volleyball before joining the team?
Kilpatrick: Never. I'd played in P.E. and church, with the youth group. I still have vivid memories — I'm really dating myself but there was that mat room in the coliseum and I can still remember the team was in there working on something and the bruises that I had were really something [laughs]. I was very fortunate that he was willing to invest time in me and gave me the opportunity to learn the sport. It's such a great sport and I've had it in my life ever since in some form or fashion.
I've been very, very fortunate to have the opportunities I've had, there's no doubt.
Frierson: What is the best meal you've ever eaten? Is there one that stands out above the rest?
Kilpatrick: I'm not much of a foodie. I was on a call yesterday and said that my favorite place to eat in Athens is ADD Drugs, so that will tell you something about my palate. And I do love ADD Drugs.
Frierson: For those that don't know, can you explain the ADD Drug experience?
Kilpatrick: I sort of feel it's my civic responsibility to make sure people know about ADD Drugs [laughs]. When new people come in I'm like, I need to take you to ADD Drugs. Just the experience of sitting there at the counter, I tend to like more simple things. It's kind of frustrating for my family, I like vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
The idea that you just sit there at the counter, I think it takes me back to my childhood. The idea that you just sit there and it's this real sense of community. I tell everybody, this is like the food that your mom or your grandmother would fix you, a grilled cheese and really good crinkled fries.
I just think that it feels a little more simple and it feels like, when you walk in there you have this hometown vibe. The food is quite delicious; it's not fancy but it's all made right there right in front of you and I love to watch that process, as well. I think you see your regulars and you can be called by name. Those kinds of things appeal to me.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
BMW AD Update with Josh Brooks and Randi Roelling
Thursday, April 30
BMW AD Update with Josh Brooks and Lily Smith
Thursday, April 16
BMW AD Update with Josh Brooks and Jordan Ross
Friday, February 06
2025 Arch Award - Colby Gardner
Tuesday, October 21