I think I have mentioned this in passing, but I have never dedicated a post to the sport to which I dedicated my life. This idea came to mind today as I was packing up my room, and I came across this note that came with a "College Survival Pack" - a graduation present from the senior volleyball moms.
The find made me think about volleyball, and just how much a part of my life it was. I started playing volleyball in the third grade and I never looked back. At first, I wasn't sure if it was going to be the sport for me, as I actually liked basketball better, but I think I made the right choice, my 5'5" frame wasn't going to get me too far in the basketball world!
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| My third grade YMCA team |
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| My fifth grade MDPC team |
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| Seventh grade at Memorial Middle School - I'm the one in the air! |
My entrance to the volleyball world was in third grade, but in sixth grade, I entered the world of club volleyball. Oh club volleyball - I am sure you have heard about it - the drama, the politics, the expenses, it's all there, but it it also some of the best memories you will ever have. Originally, I thought I wanted to play in college, so I threw myself into a club team team that practiced three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, AND Friday), additional conditioning workouts twice a week, extra setter practice twice a week, and generally, two to three tournaments a month. Does that sound like a lot? It was, and while I can't say I loved every minute of it, I don't regret one minute of it. I grew as not only a volleyball player, but a person. I still keep up with some of the girls on my team, and I even won a bronze medal at the Junior Olympics. Basically, we rocked.
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| Lonestar Classic - 2007 |
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| We always ate a LOT at volleyball tournaments! |
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| The famous "Dig It" Pants |
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| Hayley & I - she is currently playing volleyball at Arkansas! |
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| Bronze Medal at the Junior Olympics Volleyball Championships - 2007 |
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| Indiana Tournament - 2008 |
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| Me in action - Indiana Tournament 2008 |
I not only played club volleyball, but I played school ball as well. Volleyball ended up being a year-round sport, and while I complained about never getting a break, I bawled like a baby the day I played my final volleyball game as a high school senior. The girls on the volleyball team were my very best friends - we had an end-of-the-year banquet video that featured "interviews" with the seniors, and it sounded like a broken record with the number of times we said, "we're all just really good friends," "we are all best friends, on and off the court," but it was absolutely true. Part of the reason we made it so far my senior year (one game away from state, and I'm still upset about that!), was because of the chemistry that we had on the court, well, and the fact that we had some serious skills may have had a little something to do with it!
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| Freshman year - we were cute! :) |
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| Sophomore Year |
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| Spirit Sisters before the big Stratford-Memorial Game |
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| 80's day - Volleyball Juniors |
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| Excitement at the Nike Pearland Volleyball Tournament |
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| Senior Year - first place at the Spring Branch Tournament |
Volleyball is something that I miss all the time - there was truly nothing like playing the game you love with your best friends, getting excited about every point, playing in front of a standing-room only crowd (gotta miss that Stratford-Memorial rivalry!), and putting every ounce of energy that you have into beating that state-ranked opponent. I had some pretty awesome coaches, made some life-lasting friendships, and made memories that will stay with me forever. I hope you guys have enjoyed this walk down memory lane - I definitely did!
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| Coach Perry |
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| Becky Palermo, aka Bpal |
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| Coach A |
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