When speaking of the term volleyball, some may conclude that it's just a white ball that gets hit around or that it's simply another sport that individuals play. In reality, it's more than that. It's been a blessing for me to continue to play volleyball. As a student-athlete, I must maintain several responsibilities at one time. Sometimes, we must endure what we don't want to keep going.
I may not remember my very first day, but I remember the day I fell in love with volleyball. We had lost our first set everyone was upset with one another, not me. I was so focused that I hadn't realized that I was smiling the whole time; the coach called time and asked why I was glowing. I responded with, “I'm having fun”. Anxiously waiting to go back, with that response, the rest of the team started to pick up their feet and make amends with one another. Being able to win that day put fuel on that little flame. Imagining my life without volleyball seems impossible; finding a way to balance my academics and extracurricular activities has become overwhelming. Over the years, the responsibility of playing volleyball has pulled some weight; having essays due late at night, missing classes early the next morning, and not doing homework because of practice. I've been fond of power naps since that's the only time when things seem to stop. There were times when I thought of throwing in the towel because I couldn't handle what was being thrown at me. Multiple skills have been attained: communication, time management, and judgment, and just a few skills that I have picked up on throughout the season. They've assisted me throughout my everyday life, I now have a successful business while maintaining a job. On top of it I'm a fourth-year student athlete at Crossroad Academy.
I can't let go of it. But doubt consistently clouds my thoughts. Having something to look forward to every season, I can't imagine living without it. I love the sport but what really gives me the courage to continue playing are the people who stand beside me. The way I see it, the team on the other side of that court are obstacles to help me get to where I want to be. I realized that setting boundaries only hinders your resolve. With that, I visualize myself as my quintessential athlete. With every step I took, I had to push myself and reject my limits. Envisioning a brighter future with the love I have for this sport. Within the past six years, I've learned that some tasks can’t be accomplished in one big step; it takes time and requires an eminence amount of dedication and perseverance.
Winning? Losing? It doesn't matter; the thrill of playing on a team against another gives me enough reasoning to continue to play. There will be some games where we fumble. There will be mistakes. But in the end, playing volleyball is worth it. To me, it's not just a game. Volleyball gives me my drive to keep going.
Well, I wasn’t always a volleyball player. Before my newfound love, I played soccer for six years. I loved the sensation of the ball on my feet, the repetitive drills, and being one of the best in the craft that I worked so hard to polish. Over years of hard work I saw a drastic improvement in my skills. So much so that I was moved up to Varsity in a highly competitive program after three weeks. I was not able to return to the program for financial reasons; with the gas prices on the rise and a long, lonely, daily drive to practice I made the hard decision to quit this past summer.
I let myself feel devastated, but continued on with life and school. As a student-athlete and teenager I have grown accustomed to maintaining a high GPA and balancing my responsibilities along with sports. Instead of focusing on my sadness, I decided to use that energy to begin my college applications.
A few weeks after school started I heard about tryouts being held for the Volleyball team. My prior experience with the sport entailed playing it with friends and watching a cartoon about it. While I did not have a complete grasp on the rules of the sport, I did not let that stop me from taking a chance.
“Who knows if I’ll be good enough to make it, but I can try.”
On the first day of tryouts I was quite lost. After such a long time of focusing on what my feet could do, having to use my arms to get the ball to a desired position seemed foreign. Not only did I have to awaken a part of my body, but I simultaneously had to stay attentive when it came to new sports terminology.
“What’s a serve? What’s a float?”
Saying “MINE” instead of “here”.
This experience was new and fresh; but it was just what I needed to move on from my past sorrow.
I was also introduced to Volleyball pads that day. I was amazed and sold at the amount of the slip and freedom they gave me on the floor. The court seemed small, but when I slipped on those pads it felt as big as the fields that I am accustomed to.
The sense of novelty and freedom was accompanied by new teammates. Feeling welcome is of the utmost importance to me, and that’s exactly how my teammates make me feel. My more experienced teammates are always open to helping me and others out. And new players, like myself, are working hard to assemble as a unit on the court while enjoying ourselves.
Overall, my passion for Volleyball is built on great teammates, having fun, and taking chances. I’m glad I decided to try out for Volleyball. I still have much to learn, but I see myself overcoming this learning curve and continuing this sport for a very long time. I can only imagine how I’ll improve after much time, sweat, and dozens of bumps.
