Perhaps one of the best parts of college is trying new things. One of the new things that I’m trying this semester is going to see more of the sports game offerings here at Berkeley.
I started this endeavor by going to the recent volleyball match against the University of Arizona. With this being a new experience, I didn’t know what to expect nor what the atmosphere would be like. Thus, the first moment of magic that happened that night was me being sat right next to the action. Being so close to the court allowed me to see almost every detail of each play. Even though I may not know all the rules, with this luck already on my side, the Cal Volleyball team has converted me into a fan.
Though I knew some basic rules of the general game, another thing that made the match all the more endearing was the little unique celebrations each team did throughout the match. This isn’t a unique thing to see in sports, however there’s still something to be said about watching genuine female friendships come out during a match.
In my opinion, The Eras Tour and Barbie being major events during the summer has led to an even deeper appreciation of all the ways that women lift each other up to do amazing things. On the court, this came in the form of a player saving a volleyball from hitting the ground or finding a way to sneak a volleyball through the other team’s defense. The expression of joy or surprise that would overtake the team was priceless as a viewer.
One may assume that because I don’t know as much about volleyball as someone who’s followed the sport for years, I eventually must’ve gotten bored. However, I think that not knowing all the rules makes going to see a new sport that much more fun. Trying to figure out the rules can become a fun guessing game that has both you and your friends on the edge of your seats trying to figure out why a call was called. This can also be seen as another puzzle. Although there aren’t any physical pieces, each new rule figured out will fill in the missing gaps of knowledge in your head. Thus instead of boredom, you and your friends can create a game within a game which, by the end of the match, makes you wonder what you’d learn if you decided to attend again.
My Friday night was made so much better by trying a new thing. It quite possibly might be what I consider a perfect Friday night. Not all Friday nights can be as good as this one, but surely it shows what can happen when you leave what you know behind. Therefore, if any college student out there is looking for a good Friday night activity, the Cal volleyball court is a good event to add to your rotation.