How I Became A Fairly Skilled Volleyball Player

It was August of my freshman year, I was anxious walking through the high school doors. As I’m walking there’s this middle-aged man that had walked up to me. He said have I ever played volleyball and I answered no with a hesitation. Then he went on saying I should try out for the volleyball team. He gave me the time and place, he said I would like to you see you in the East Gym at 2:30 p.m., I wasn’t at all surprised he wanted me because I was 6’2 as a freshman in high school. I had the height I just lacked the skills of volleyball or how to even get the ball over the net.

That afternoon it hit 2:16 p.m. and the bell had ringed letting everyone know school is out. I had 14 minutes to get to the girl’s locker room and switch clothes. I didn’t have spandex or volleyball shoes, so I put on my gym shorts and gym shirt with some plain black shoes. I’m already nervous because for one I’m only a freshman and two I don’t know nothing about volleyball. I’m walking through the gym and I just feel everyone eyes are locked on me. So now, I’m horrified, afraid, and frightened watching these girls hit the volleyballs with so much power over the net, that it just made me think is this really for me? I couldn’t even serve the ball without tripping over my own feet. I felt embarrassed because the other girls could do it. Here comes the middle-age man that stopped me and the hallway, I’m guessing he was the coach so he told me to follow him to the other side of the gym where he would help me with getting the ball over the net, serving, and the proper steps.

Next, it was day two of tryout I had on the right gear, so now I’m ready but I’m also still scared because its only day two and I still don’t know much. So the coaches tell everybody to line up and so we can spike the volleyballs over the net and that’s when my heart dropped. I’m panicking and saying to myself am I going to remember the proper steps to drop and spike the ball. I watch all the other girls go and of course I was last because I wasn’t sure on how to do it so I constantly said the steps in my head. It’s my turn and all eyes so I take a deep breath and says are you ready I said yes but in my head in mot ready so I’m saying to myself right, left, right, and that’s when I jumped so high to the point I felt like I was floating and I spiked the ball for the first time. I was so proud of myself, I got so many high fives and good job. I actually felt part of the team and it was only day 2.

So now that I have my spike down packed it’s time for me to learn to bump. Set. Spike all together. Now the volleyball girls said that this is the hard part because you have to be on beat with the ball. So I’m just there standing and thinking how am I supposed to be on beat with this ball when I have no rhythm. As they teaching me the steps it’s like my mind not here because I’m standing here watching the varsity girls do it so I can nail it. They make bump. Set. spike look really easy. So they put us in a group of three and of course I have to spike the ball because I’m taller. We all take our positions Samantha sets the ball and Brianna bumps the ball now it’s my turn to run to the net and spike. So I’m watching the ball and running and I missed. So I just scream F**** really loud, they like it will be okay Nixon get back in line and do it again. I literally went through this drill ten times and still didn’t get it. Now I’m frustrated and I’m ready to cry. After two more tries I finally get it the rush of energy felt so good because I finally accomplished something that made me feel helpless. Now that I have this down I feel like I’m step closer to being a good volleyball player.

A week of tryouts Saturday morning was the day I find If I make the team or not. So I wake up bright and early to drive to my high school just to check a piece of paper that have our positions, number, and which team we on. So I pull up and I see all the girls who tried out crowed around four pieces of paper for each grade. So I walk to the freshman list and I don’t see my name I said umm okay. I walk to the sophomore list and I still don’t see my name so now I’m scared and worried. Now there are only two papers to check and my heart is skipping beats because what if I tired really hard for me not to make the time. I personally feel like I did good I think so but always I look for my name Nixon on the junior volleyball paper and I see it I jump up and down I’m very excited because I’m a freshman playing on a junior team.

However, now that I’m on the volleyball team I go and tell my mom now she’s all happy. Now I have to think about how I am going to afford team shirts or to do dinner out with them, because we didn’t have the kind of money but my mom said she will make a way. The next day I applied for a job, 2 days later they called and asked can I come in for interview I went and 3 days later they call me saying I got the job. Somehow I have to jungle school work, volleyball and work. We have practice every day and I have work every day so it’s like I’m very busy to the point I don’t have time for my family. Getting a job and playing a sport is really tough to maintain because you also can’t fail your classes because you have to play in the game if you want the spouts to see you and request you for their team.

So now I have to learn the court and where I’m supposed to stand. I’m 6’2 and I play middle front row so this is where I have to block and spike the ball basically what I did in try outs. I started off playing first in every game and we lost every game besides like 10 games. Something we need to work on is how to work together as a team and not as one person carrying the whole team on one person’s back. Summer came quickly, and because I was practicing as much a possible, I became a fairly skilled volleyball player. I played that year with all I had because I had a feeling that this was my last year ever being able to play my favorite sport. Soon enough all these coach from schools would talk to me after games telling me that they want me to play for them next year for college and it was just so surreal.