As I sat on the sideline, I hesitated and trembled to watch my teammate play the game I love. With only five minutes into the first set, I was already taken out of the court due to, as stated by my volleyball coach, a nervous breakdown. To my surprise, I did not expect an eighth grader to spike the ball with such great power. Going into the final two of the Newark Volleyball Tournament, our team was warned about the opponent, but I was not going to let the intimidation get to me, and yet I was terrified to receive another hit as I played from the back row. Before the second set began, I was asked if I was ready to get back into the game. Now as I reflect on my past, I believe deciding to return to the game was a decision I will never forget. …show more content…
As I attempted to translate to my father of his conditions and the treatment plans, I sensed a rushing feeling. I wanted my father to believe in the words I translated and for him to follow the doctor’s instructions so that he would feel better right away. Despite the fact that I had over a decade of interpreting experiences, I still stumble on my words as I translate. My eagerness of wanting to deliver the message have caused several confusion events for my parents, but I have also learned to remind myself to listen to my own words and check if they were rational. Although the process is a little time consuming, I am rewarded by the satisfying feeling I received upon knowing my parents are well informed. The desire of wanting to replicate the gratifying feeling enhances me to work harder towards becoming a surgeon, and fortunately for me, I was able to find it again as I volunteered for the Westerville Special Olympics …show more content…
Yet, the experience was inspirational for me. Initially, I found myself having many difficulties in communicating with these young athletes, especially with an athlete who I came to be very fond of. As I am lacking in American Sign Language, she and I communicated through basic hand gestures, and when we worked together, I tried my best to show her the form of hitting and holding the tennis racket. It took some times for her to fully grasp the skills, but the joy on her face when knowing she had succeeded gave me the motivation to continue working towards my own
We were going to win the game. That was the end of it. I knew it. We were the winners of that game. I stood up and yelled in a voice that even frightened me. I didn’t scream about moving our feet, or calling the ball, I screamed about how big of winners we were. I was done with moping. For seven minutes of my life, I had forgotten that I could do anything I set my mind to, and I had given up. The worst seven minutes of my volleyball career were those seven minutes in the third game of the final match at Brighton Volleyball Tournament. I had put my determination down to wallow in my disappointment. Disappointment needs to build determination. I had decided a long time ago that there were certain things in life that I could do better than other people. Those were my gifts. I use my gifts to my full potential.
I recently had the amazing opportunity to watch the University of Illinois women's volleyball team play Stanford, and let me tell you… THEY. ARE. AMAZING. Stanford has a six-foot-eight beast; her head clears the net when she blocks. I bet she's been nailed in the face quite a few times, but hey, if that's the only downside to being that tall and a volleyball player, then sign me up! I’ve chosen to play volleyball in college, but since I’m only five-foot-ten, I won’t have to worry about being smacked in the face when I’m blocking. Attending the game just two rows in front of me was no other than Charlie Rodman, probably the greatest volleyball coach I’ve ever encountered. Never having played, when Belleville West was looking for a new head volleyball coach, he began to read books and teach himself the game. He coached my mom when she was in high school and led her team to win back-to-back state championships in 1990 and 1991. No longer the head coach, he still helps run practices, comes to the games and tournaments, and whenever I have a question about what I did wrong, where to go, or a new technique, he’s always the first person I go to for an answer. He coached two girls who ended up playing for Stanford and the University of Illinois in the same year, so when I say he’s an amazing coach, I’m not sugar coating
Playing for the Fredonia volleyball team has allowed me to be a part of something that is bigger than myself. Each day, I had the ability to improve as an athlete and leader in order to give back to Fredonia. From the first day of preseason, freshman year, I chose hard work over complacency and fought to represent SUNY at Fredonia the best that I could. Whether it was on or off the court, I knew that I was not only a student from Fredonia, but I was an athlete who shouldn’t bring any negative attention to the school. I hosted many recruits for the team and my coach gave me the majority of them, saying that I was someone who would be a positive role model for the students and parents to meet. Many of these recruits chose Fredonia and have said that I was one of the reasons that they liked this school so much. I dedicated many hours to becoming the strongest that I could be and believe that I will leave a lasting mark on the volleyball program. During my senior season, I was very excited to have broken the total assist record for Fredonia volleyball. The record was broken under my name, however it is a statistic that my teammates helping me earn.
As more of my teammates began to show up, I recognized most of them. However, I learned later that if I went on to play in the Spring, this would not be the same exact team I would play with. With only twenty minutes until we began,I put on all of my gear and my dad gave me a thorough warm up. Time seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, everyone was gathered together as positions were being assigned. I was originally overwhelmed with excitement, but as the game drew closer, the joy I had felt was replaced with anxiety. The lacrosse game taking place before ours ended and we entered and took our place on our bench. I recognized the opposing team’s jerseys quickly and identified them as a travel team from our area. Taking one final breath, I rushed into the lacrosse net enjoying my bird’s eye view, unsure of what was to
I felt depleted, I thought that I had finally gotten the hang of my emotions on the court. In return she stated, “Mistakes will always happen, you can't ignore them, but you also can't get caught up in them. I know it is hard, but you have to learn because that is how you get better in sports if you want to continue playing.” This thought whirled around my head for the following months; if I wanted to really excel in volleyball I had to finally fix my attitude, for the better.
Only 136 more hours until basketball season. And then only 3,387 until it's all over.
As most children did, I had the choice to play whatever sport I wanted. Considering my height, 5’10, most would assume that I played either basketball or volleyball. No one expected me to play tennis, and was surprised when I said that I did. During my elementary years, I played softball for seven years, and when I hit eighth grade, I decided to play tennis. My decision came about because of my sister. I had always followed closely in her footsteps because I looked up to her a lot, so when I saw she was playing; I wanted to try it out too. I had never really thought about what it would be like to play tennis. I didn’t hate it, or really know what it would be like to play it. And little did I know that playing would demand so much time, energy, and effort.
Each game, my passion grew. Each team, new memories and lifelong friends were made. Sports sometimes make me feel disappointment and at loss; but it taught me to be resilient to a lot of things, like how to thrive under pressure and come out on top. Being the team captain of my high school’s football and lacrosse team showed me how having a big responsibility to bring a group together to work as one is compared to many situations in life. Currently playing varsity football, varsity lacrosse, and track I take great pride in the activities I do. Staying on top of my academics, being duel enrolled at Indian River State College, working three nights a week, and two different sport practices after school each day shaped my character to having a hard work
Volleyball represents my most meaningful commitment not just because I have invested so much into it, but also because it it’s a passion of mine and has been a part of my life since elementary school. The impact my coaches and teammates have had on my life has helped make me the confident and determined individual I am today. Volleyball also takes up a lot of time and there are many sacrifices that come with the sport and playing on a team. To keep up my skills, I have had to give up a lot of my free time and parts of my summer. Balancing school with practices was also a challenge, but participating in one of my passions made it worthwhile. I have persevered through difficult times and learned new lessons along the way, so there is nothing that could make this sport less meaningful to me. (148)
I figured that I had grown about five inches since my freshman year and had gotten stronger it might be time to play basketball competitively once more. When November rolled around I was on the varsity team, but unfortunately my basketball skills was not up to par. It was tough at first, because I was a new face on the team, and the guys on the team had a great chemistry that they had built up throughout the years. After a few weeks had rolled by, I realized that I would not be in the rotation.I told myself that the team’s success is more important than my personal desired statistics.I decided to make the most of my role on the team. It was a tradition for the guys who were not in the rotation to contribute to the game in some way, guys did this by preforming stunts after significant plays and momentum shifts in the game in our favor. This was great because the crowd loved and it and more importantly my teammates fed off of the
Finally, it was about to be my senior year. My school hired a new coach, which meant a clean slate for every player – including myself. Doubt overwhelmed me instantly, wondering whether I should even attempt coming back after taking off for three years. When I showed up to the first weightlifting in the winter, every girl shot dirty looks at me. None of them had to speak for me to know what they were thinking. “Why is she here? She thinks she’s good enough to come in for one year and play? I hate senior walk-ons.” The intimidation from the other girls was just as wearisome as the discouragement from
My love for tennis blossomed at the young age of eleven. During middle school my peers knew me as the boy who was remarkably talented at tennis and I savored that title. Butterflies floated throughout my youthful body whenever someone complimented me. As the years passed, my dad nurtured me into a top player. Before I knew it high school arrived and it was time to compete at a higher level. My excitement was out of this world, but I knew my dad could no longer push me forward and my future was up to me. However, the ego I developed over the years blocked what lie in front of me. I wasn’t looking at the bigger picture; the hard work demanded of me, teamwork, and the motivation to reach an ultimate goal. Throughout my four years of participating
I started playing volleyball in seventh grade, and I had completely fallen in love with the sport. Growing up in a small town, our school always struggled to find coaches that were not related to players. In middle school, I would always be so angry that the important named kids got to play in the A team, while I was stuck in the corner with the B team. Eventually, eighth grade year I decided to join a club team, and increase my skill for freshman year. I enjoyed club, I had actually made the one team, and I had virtually no problems with anyone or anything that season. But, just as soon as freshman year rolled around my attitude changes a lot. I’ve gained the perfectionist trait from my mother, and with this mindset in a sport, you’re almost guaranteed to struggle. Freshman year I had just come off of club, so I knew so much more about the sport and its movements. Naturally I wanted to be perfect, I personally believe that I had done really well as a freshman, but when I messed up I became silent.
I had played on the volleyball team all through my junior high days, and was a starter on the “A” freshman team when I reached high school. As a sophomore, I couldn’t believe it when I got the towel thrown in on me. I was devastated when I was cut from the team. Volleyball was my life; I absolutely loved the sport. How could they do this to me? Everyone told me things would turn out fine, but how did they know? A close friend of mine wrote me a letter stating, “I know that right now it is hard to accept the paths that God has chosen for us, but I am sure whatever you decide to do with what has been thrown in your way you can surpass everyone else”. I thought about what that really meant, and decided she was right. I had been thrown something I was not sure what to do with or how to handle, but with a little advice from my brother, Chris, I decided to take a risk and try something new. I chose to become a member of our school’s cross-country team.
As I walked onto the volleyball court, I noticed people were screaming and cheering all around me. They were all around me, and yet they all sounded strangely distant. I was nervous. I was worried that we might lose, but worst of all, I was worried that I might end up letting my teammates down. Negative thoughts continued filled my head and I drew closer and closer to my position. Once again, I found myself asking whether or not I truly belonged on this team. Now, this certainly was not the first time I questioned my place on the team, but little did I know that it would be the last.