I did not always think volleyball would matter this much to me…

I wanted to start playing volleyball starting 6th grade but had to make the decision to quit my other sports and stay with volleyball or not. But that one choice ended up shaping me a lot more than just how I spent my afternoons.

I tried out for a club team called A5, not to brag, but it may or may not be the number one volleyball club in the nation. It is. But to be fair though, I did only make the 4s team, which is the last and worst team in the club. lol. But accepted it and kept playing.

Practices were 4 times a week for 4.5 hours each and A5 was a 45–90 minute drive depending on Atlanta traffic. In the beginning, my time management started horribly, becoming stressed out from being late. AND if I was late, I had to run for 30 minutes after a 4.5 hour practice, which was honestly so much worse than just being stressed out. So I learned to leave early. Really early.

That simple habit changed everything. Volleyball taught me discipline, planning, and responsibility in a way nothing else has ever. It forced me to take ownership of my time and become independent of myself. I started showing up more prepared not only for volleyball but to school, events, etc.

Volleyball also pushed me outside my comfort zone socially. I traveled to tournaments, meeting girls from all over Georgia and out of state, and learned how to talk to people I did not already know. I learned the best lesson “A handshake goes a long way”. I even went to a volleyball camp in Boston and met one of my closest friends, who I still keep in touch with today.

Just rethinking my experience from volleyball, I have never been more grateful and happy I made that decision. Becoming a whole new person and networking while doing what I love was amazing. I would never regret anything.

As volleyball started as just a sport. It ended up becoming the reason I learned.