To My Volleyball Days,
My head was spinning. My palms were sweaty and my legs were shaking. I was so nervous that I thought I was going to throw up. This was the first time I was going to volleyball practice after making the team in seventh grade. I made it through tryouts without any volleyball experience, but having practice with the eighth graders made me feel like the coach made a mistake of putting me on the team. As I was walking through the doors to the gym, I felt the butterflies starting to flutter in my stomach. I made it inside the gym and was beginning to feel better. The older girls weren’t as scary as I thought they would be. They actually talked to me and helped me with my techniques. The coach also pushed me to do my best and taught me a lot about volleyball. After getting through my first practice, I was starting to feel like I belonged on this team.
Since making the team in seventh grade, I’ve played school volleyball every year. Playing volleyball allows me to release all the stress I’ve been feeling throughout the day. It allows me to forget about everything else and just focus on my skills. Volleyball also allowed me to meet my second family. I played volleyball with mostly the same people since seventh grade and eventually, they became some of my best friends. Even though some quit the team or went off to college, I remember all the tears, laughter, and joy I’ve experienced with them during the season. Volleyball has made my high school’s gymnasium the place where I feel perfectly content.
Not only do I feel content when I am in the gym, but I am also content in my mind. I went through many self doubts playing volleyball because I never felt that I was good enough. Throughout high school, I’ve had three volleyball coaches. When we got a new coach in 10th grade, she pulled me up to varsity. I was unsure why she pulled me up because I felt that I didn’t deserve to be on the team when she made 11th graders go down to JV. I didn’t think that I was going to play, but to my surprise, I started and played every game. Towards the end of the season, I actually started to believe that I was a good player.
Throughout the rest of high school, I grew to be more confident in myself. I learned that you can never play volleyball with a negative mindset so once I let that go, I played better. I used to be this nervous, shy girl who didn’t like to show everyone the real her. Throughout the years, I came out of my shell bit by bit. In my senior year of high school, I was captain of the varsity team. I’ve learned how to successfully run a team. I helped the girls reach their potential and strive for their goals. I also learned how to be a good leader by running practices and taking charge of the team when my coach couldn’t be there.
The volleyball court is the one place that stayed consistent throughout high school. While the coaches and players left, I still had a second home to play the game I love. I learned how to adjust to changes and how to have a positive mindset. I will apply these skills in college by adjusting to different teaching styles that are not like the teaching styles of my high school teachers. I will apply my positive mindset to different tasks in college to help me reach success in my grades and class work. My high school gymnasium will always be the place where I feel perfectly happy, but I will always bring that happiness and confidence wherever I go.High school volleyball allowed me to gain the confidence that has helped throughout college so far. I am able to stand up for myself and be the person that I want to be. High school volleyball has changed me for the better and I am forever grateful. Thank you volleyball.
Love,
The player who misses the sport
