Everybody starts their sports career with one thing, a passion. Unless you are forced into that sport by your parents, there are really only a few reasons why you’d commit to an organized sports team. Things like wanting to make friends or being the best are normal, but there is one goal that many share that can really take over your life and be all-consuming. Varsity. Although my infographic says, “Balancing school work/activities is a necessity in time management,” my time is definitely unbalanced leaning towards the sports side of things. For most, getting to this level of play isn’t just a want, it’s a need.
Recently I have been convinced to play volleyball like the rest of my siblings. It took a while for me to give in, but when I did, everything changed. I had always been around volleyball when I was younger and I have the ideal build to play, tall, but I never thought much of this sport and it seemed irrelevant in my life. But when I showed up for my first-ever volleyball practice, a whole new world exploded in front of me. I will never forget the feeling I got just from walking into the gym with nets up. That moment where you realize fate has locked in was all over me. It just felt… right. It wasn’t long after the start of practice when I found out I had a good amount of natural talent. With my height giving me a strong advantage, things like blocking and spiking were much easier. I had never felt good at a sport before, but something about this one was different. It only took a week to become entirely in love with volleyball. My for you page was filled with clips of volleyball techniques and national volleyball league teams’ highlights. I started to have volleyball be the only thing on my mind at any given moment. Seemingly meaningless days all became a great day after just a simple practice. Contrary to logical thinking, I followed a quote I heard from Spirited Away about my dedication, saying, “Now go, and don’t look back.”
This love continued to grow and grow and it became very apparent to my siblings that I adored the sport. This is when my sister thought it was a good idea to tell me about the high school tryouts that were happening in mid-January a couple of months away. Oh, what a big mistake she made. This turned my whole view of volleyball from just a fun hobby to a skill I must master. Even now with only a month or two of experience, I know in my head that I must, and will, make it to varsity. I’ve talked to as many other volleyball players as I could find in my school searching for tips, but what I found were players exactly like me with this burning passion. This discovery sparked great interest in me, and when inquiring about this with other athletes, I found that everybody shares this common goal.
If I were to give advice to anybody interested in a sport, I would say to be prepared to either go all in, or not at all. Looking back even just 2 months ago I had so much more free time than I do now, and I felt like the two survivors from the scavengers looking back at their past life of relaxation. Sports are fun, but the majority of that comes from enjoying the team and practices and having a goal in mind. I am so grateful that I have this opportunity to improve and achieve my peak ability for a sport I love, but if I truly want to get there, I’ll have to fully commit.
Sources:
Write Our World 