Change is an interesting topic. It can be good, bad, or even both. It can be exciting, scary, right or wrong, sad or happy. Most of all, for certain, it can be confusing. That is how I would describe my experience in adding varsity volleyball, to my list of sports for my senior year of high school. It is all of this wrapped into one big ball of confusion.
When I joined volleyball this fall, I was a little nervous. Not nervous because I was scared I would not do well, but nervous because basketball is where my heart is. That is my sport, always has been, and always will be. Anything that sport requires of me I will do in a heartbeat without a second thought. Now, all of a sudden, I would be playing volleyball. That is not only different but it is confusing, to change my whole routine that I have had for years to play another sport.
With this being my senior year, I figured I would not have any time at all for rest, let alone joining another sport that I had not played since junior high. However, the deciding factor for me was when I came to school the following week and had a conversation about it with the Principal, Mr. Wagner. He told me that I should do it, that I should do all I could while I was still in high school before I entered the real world.
After our conversation, I was certain playing volleyball was the right choice.
Playing volleyball as just a normal member of the team, instead of a captain, has helped me relax a little bit and has allowed me to experience how some people feel when they join basketball for the first time; with little to no knowledge or skill of the sport. I have been able to sit back and observe how others run and control their team. I have quietly sat back and watched how things were done differently than basketball in many ways, different from the way I am used to doing things. Being a senior and joining a sport that I have not played all four years of high school, has made me feel like I am a fish out of water, a pioneer in a new and mysterious land.
Although volleyball is not my main sport, there are some positive things I can take in and keep in the back of my mind when it comes to leading my basketball team this winter. One thing I have learned from being involved in another sport with the same teammates as in basketball is the way to accommodate each member of the team. Some players have a different level of competitiveness than I do, and that is okay. I just need to learn how to work with, support, trust, and sometimes coach each of them differently.
That is one thing volleyball is helping me understand, I have to trust my teammates, and that is one of the main reasons I joined this sport in the first place. In volleyball, you have to trust that your teammate will be able to cover and defend their specific area and they will hustle for every ball. In basketball, you need the same kind of trust to know that your teammate has your back in case you slip up, and they will work their hardest to get the job done.
The second thing I have taken from my experience in volleyball is that respect and inclusive energy go a long way. In order to lead a team and have them do as asked I have to respect them and they need to respect me and the coaches; that is the only way to be successful and reach the end goal, which is, of course, to win.
Finally, I have noticed that when the coaches get involved and participate in the drills or practices, the team gets a boost of wild energy and everyone does better.
So far, volleyball has been awkward for me, however, I will not quit. Now that I have started, every day during practices, games, meetings all I notice are those basketball goals, those banners waving, the score table, and that scoreboard. All reminding me of the sport that saved my life, making me yearn, more than ever, for the game of basketball. Playing volleyball feels wrong sometimes when I see that I am in the gym where I play basketball.
Basketball for me is freeing, it frees my soul and my spirit from all the pain and heartache of the world. This is such an awkward, confusing change for me, but I can not wait to return to basketball.