Volleyball has always been a passion of mine since I was 10 years old. I have always wanted to play volleyball in college and have dreamed of playing professionally. But sadly, things change. Throughout high school, I worked very hard to get better and be able to play and start in games. With one particular coach, he saw the determination and grit I had in my eyes and granted me lots of playing time. It was the best feeling ever playing on that court. Hitting a ball and slamming it onto the floor, scoring point after point. The adrenaline rushing through my body once the ball is being set to me. I absolutely loved the game.
However, everything changed when my dramatic and uncooperative team was able to push our coach right out the door, leaving us with the most terrible coach I have ever had. During the time with this coach, he played his daughter over me. I was left to be a benchwarmer and my skills put to no use. My attitude for the game made a swift 180. I dreaded practices and did not look forward to games because I knew that no matter how hard I worked, I was not going to play. And at this point, I hated the game.
In my entire high school career, my team won CIF three years in a row and made it to the State finals. Although it was frustrating and discouraging not being able to play, volleyball will forever and always be a true passion of mine.
Here is a picture of our third CIF win in a row!
Hi, Trinity. Winning the CIF third in a row is definitely amazing! All the hard work you and your team put in it had definitely paid off. That also must have been a lot of pressure. I can totally relate on losing interest in a sport you love because of the coach. It is also very discouraging when you worked so hard to earn playing time and to show them what you got, to only sit on the bench. Throughout my high school years, I noticed that you have to be the coach's favorite to get playing time no matter how hard you have been working. It's hard to keep the passion and the love when the coach doesn't even believe in you. I'm glad to hear that you still love to play volleyball despite what had happen. Some things just have deep roots. Plus, you can't forget all the good memories you have playing the game.
ReplyDeleteHey Trinity, I'm really sorry to hear about how your feelings about volleyball changed for the worst after your new coach. Your story really resonated with me as during my JV year of basketball, my coach played me a ton during summer ball, but I too didn't leave the bench during our actual season. Our team won state the next year, but I ended up not returning the next year to focus on football where I played much more.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you still love playing volleyball because I know just how a coach can make you start to dislike the game you love. Hopefully you've found a place to play and find other people who love to too, but congratulations on winning the CIF three years, that's crazy!