In 2016, I found myself in a new school. I had left the public school system that I had known for years to go to a private school for my middle school years. When I arrived at the new school, I realized that almost everyone was playing for one of the few sport teams that the school offered, mainly soccer, basketball, and baseball. I decided that it may be good for me to get to know people by joining one of the sport teams. I decided to join the JV volleyball team. I had no experience in the sport and I had not developed any skills for that sport, but I still decided to give it a try.
My first year on the JV team was not a good year. The second year, I somehow made the varsity team. I still did not have that much experience or skills in the sport. To be honest, I do not have that many memories of playing volleyball for those first two years. After seventh grade, I decided to go back to public school and joined the eighth grade modified volleyball team that was connected with my old high school and the middle school that was close by. I remember a little bit of that year playing, but I mainly remember my high school years.
During my high school years, I was on the jv team my freshman and sophomore and then I joined the varsity team my junior and senior year. Also during my junior year, I decided to try out for a travel team with one of the local high schools. I passed tryouts and I was then a setter and then a d.s. also known as a defense specialist. That was my only time on a travel team because the team I was on did not have a team formed for those who were seniors. But during my seven to eight years playing volleyball, I have learned many things that still help me to this day.
Lesson 1: Nothing will be perfect
One of the first lessons I had to learn was that nothing was going to be perfect when you first start. For example, I never had any experience playing volleyball until I was in sixth grade. I felt like I was never going to be a good enough teammate for my teammates. But, after a few years, I had to learn that I did not need to be perfect in every aspect of the sport. If I could do well in at least a few skills, then that was fine. I was able to set, bump, and serve. I was not that great at spiking and I could not block because I did not have the height advantage or a strong vertical jump. But I learned that I did not need to be perfect in everything and nothing will be absolutely perfect. If you give it your best shot, then that is what counts.
Lesson 2: Always be open
The second lesson I had to learn was that you should always be open to everything. What I mean by that is that you should be open to trying new things both within playing a sport and within life. During my seven to eight years playing, I played different positions almost every year. I’ve played setter, outside hitter, right side hitter, and d.s. If I never opened myself up to playing in different positions, then I would not be as well-rounded in volleyball as I am now. If you are not willing to open yourself up to things, then you are not really going to be able to grow as a person.
Lesson 3: Live in the Moment
The third lesson I had learned was that I should live in the moment. Throughout my seven to eight years playing volleyball, I do not think that I really took a moment and enjoyed how far I had gotten or completely enjoyed my time playing the sport. Yes, playing a sport has its ups and downs, but I truly do not think that I took a moment to enjoy it. Now that I am in college, I am making sure that I take some time to stop what I am doing and allow myself to live in the moment. Personally, I believe that some of the best memories were the ones that were made when we lived in the moment. Take some time to live in the moment because these moments are not always going to last.