The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Live Like Line
04.03.2018 | Volleyball
The story of former Longhorn volleyball great Haley Eckerman’s connection to an upcoming motion picture about her former club teammate Caroline Found.
By Ryan Tewes
There are people in our lives who leave an indelible mark – who impact and shape who we are and how we choose to lead our lives.
For Texas Ex and Longhorn Volleyball great Haley Eckerman, it's her club teammate Caroline Found.
Gregarious and energetic, Found, who liked to be called "Line," was a positive force in the lives of those she met, striving to bring out the best in people and making sure everyone felt included and part of something special.
"She was the captain you would want on your team. She didn't really pick sides, she didn't have a clique," Eckerman recalled. "She always wanted to make someone laugh, make someone happy."
The story of Caroline Found and her West High School teammates are the focus of the upcoming movie "The Miracle Season," set to be released in theaters Friday.
Found, a junior all-state setter, was the heart of her high school team and had guided Iowa City West to the 2010 State Championship. The title was the first in school history and the team appeared primed for another run, until tragedy struck on the eve of the 2011 season.
On the evening of August 11, 2011, Found was on her way to visit her mother Ellen, who had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that spring, in the hospital when she lost control of the moped she was driving and suffered fatal injuries from the crash.
Eckerman was just beginning her collegiate career at The University of Texas, having just completed her first day of preseason camp when the accident occurred. She awoke the next morning with a series of text messages, including one from her club coach telling her the devastating news.
"I remember calling my mom crying. She called (assistant coach) Salima (Rockwell) and told her what was going on," Eckerman said. "My mom knew it was going to affect me but that I might not say it to the coaches, especially my freshman year because I just wanted to hold everything in."
Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott and the coaching staff sought to help her through this distressing period, asking if she wanted to go home to be with friends and family, but Eckerman elected to remain in Austin for the rest of camp.
"In my head, I'm thinking that Caroline would kill me if I went home for this. She would want me to be playing," Eckerman said. "It would be the same when it came to crying and not wanting to play volleyball and not wanting to practice, she would say, 'Are you crazy?'
"A lot of people would ask, 'What would Caroline really do in this situation?' She would want us to go out and play, she would want us to fight. I think that's a lot of what 'Live Like Line' plays into."
The motto 'Live Like Line' quickly became a rallying cry for West High Volleyball, spurring the Trojans to an unlikely repeat championship. Facing a season without their friend and captain, the team struggled at the beginning of the year. The loss of Caroline was compounded when her mother, Ellen, died less than two weeks after the accident following her bout with cancer.
The Found's were a welcoming family who routinely held parties for family and friends, and Ellen regularly volunteered in the community and for their children's activities.
"Ellen was the team mom that everybody loved," Eckerman said. "They had this big barn and they would have end of the year volleyball parties, end of the year softball parties and more."
The West High community embraced the slogan, with students and staff wearing blue shirts with "Live Like Line" on the front and "Found" and her number nine on the back.
In Austin, Eckerman found her own way to honor Found. She began using finger tape when she played and would write Caroline's name and the number nine on it.
"It was a way for me to remember her in those tough moments or when I'm frustrated in a game," she said. "That reminder of her saying, 'You've got this, OK, you've got this.'"
Eckerman would reference Found in postgame interviews, stating "Caroline's right here," and would talk about her with those who asked her about the things written on her finger tape.
During winter break of that year, Eckerman had "Live Like Line" tattooed on her right shoulder, with two butterflies, one in blue to represent Caroline and one in purple to represent Ellen.
"Caroline's nickname was Spidey because she loved Spiderman, that's why the "Live Like Line" shirts are blue and that's why I chose the blue. The purple I did for Ellen because the color to represent Pancreatic cancer is purple," she said. "It was special for me to put the butterfly on there to know that she's there, too."
Eckerman currently plays professionally for Proton Saratov in Balakovo, Russia, after previous stops in South Korea, Puerto Rico, Azerbaijan and Italy, and the tattoo is a topic of conversation.
"My teammates here, everyone really, always asks, 'What does that mean?'" she said. "(I tell people it means) to go out and give it your all, all the time. To never give up and always fight; just be the person that has that energy, has fun all the time."
Eckerman's connection with Iowa remains strong, as her family lives in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, about 80 miles northwest of Iowa City, and this past summer she worked clinics for the Iowa Rockets. She also still gets words of encouragement and support from the Found family.
Caroline's father, Ernie, sent her a text message congratulating her on being named the National Freshman of the Year following her rookie campaign with the Longhorns, while Caroline's sister was at the tournament when Eckerman received the award. Ernie also sent a text after the Longhorns won the 2012 national championship simply saying, "This is Ernie Found. Caroline would be so proud of you."
"Every now and then I get text messages from him that are really nice," Eckerman said. "Just a reminder of how, if she was here, she would be cheering me on and checking in on me."
That is why Eckerman tries to "Live Like Line." Caroline would want her to know that there is always someone there cheering for her.
