Personal Narrative: Rodriguez Prep School's Volleyball

     The sport of volleyball was created by a man named William G. Morgan of Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895. Morgan was a physical education teacher at the YMCA and called it "mintonette". It was an indoor or outdoor pastime that had characteristics of both handball and tennis. The first rules were written down by Morgan himself. He wrote that the game called for a 6 foot 6 inch net and a court of 25x50 feet. A match composed of 9 innings and 3 serves for each team in each inning. In case of a serving error they got a second chance just like in tennis. If the ball it the net

“Vivian, we are the only two returning players on the team next year”, my co-captain for the Mira Mesa High School Tennis Team notified me.

Being ranked number one on the Vacaville High School Varsity Tennis Team was one of the most mentally challenging events during high school. I love tennis, but it was very difficult balancing all of my Advanced Placement classes, trying to having some sort of a social life and playing tennis year-round all at the same time. The only reason being number one was mentally challenging was because I was losing most of of my matches. I thought about quitting the tennis team more times than I could count. It was my first year playing in the number one spot and I was not ready to play against such high-level tennis players. I knew that if I didn't show up we would lose because the rest of the team would have to play against a player that is one level

There were 3 families going to Toronto, Canada to watch the “Panama Girls Basketball Games.”They were staying in a large house in a small neighborhood. When it was time to go to the basketball game we had to drive to a small train station about 3 miles from the house. The train station was very small it only had a few trains going to the station. As we walk up the concrete stairs to the track we can here wheels on the solid metal track. As the train pulled up it kept going and you saw lots of heads from the large windows go by.We got on a long silver train with about 25-30 cars and each had two levels. You walked onto one of the cars and the seats were blue with red,yellow, and white spots on it. The carpets match the seats and each car had maybe 20 seats and seat held 2 people.

Ever since I was seven years old playing t-ball I dreamed of playing high school softball. Every year I waited not so patiently for the season to start. My junior year in high school I was the second basemen for my school softball team. That year my team and I were more determined than ever to get our team to the state finals. Before the state tournament we had to win conference, sectionals, and super sectionals. My junior year my team and I had our hearts set on being the first team in Somonauk history to ever win to the state championship.

Oh how time flies when you’re having fun! I have made so many fond memories within the walls of the Clifton-Clyde High School, memories that will last for a lifetime. Most of those memories would cease to exist if I hadn’t participated in extracurricular activities. I competitively compete in volleyball, basketball, and track & field. One of my most cherished athletic moments was when our volleyball team became two time sub-state champions. It was an honor to earn the role as team captain for both the volleyball and basketball teams this year. I have been on the All-League Academic Team for two years, the All-Academic Team, and earned KVA All-Academic Honorable Mention. I enjoy staying busy, and I have been involved in many organizations throughout my highschool

“And the 2013 state runner up is…La Salle Academy”. My entire senior year, award ceremonies always seemed to turn out that way. It was the running joke of our senior class; we had taken on the title of Second Place Academy. First place kept escaping our sports team’s grasps, including my own. As a cheerleader and avid sports fan, I attended basically every game, match, and meet during my senior year. That year some of the recipients of those second place medals included the hockey team, cheerleaders, boys soccer, boys basketball, girls lacrosse, volleyball, gymnastics, football, and so on. Through the tears, disappointment and many upsets, I learned bitter sweetly how much my high

School, community, and family are three important parts of my life. I have been a part of Fairfield School since preschool. I started playing basketball in second grade, and played until sophomore year, when I decided being a cheerleader was a better fit!

Exhilarated by the independence I was feeling, I made the most of my time there. Nevertheless, fall was approaching-also known as high school application time. Deciding where I wanted to spend the next four years of my education posed the most confusion I had faced yet. Would I follow in the footsteps of my family and go to a noncompetitive public school or in the footsteps of my fellow volleyball players and go to an expensive private school to further my sports career? Chaos was my mind, and I had no idea how to tame it. And there was still a third option that was roaming my mind since I had enrolled in middle school: duPont Manual High School. It seemed like a daunting task, getting into the number one school in the state. I had always had good grades and performed well in my classes, but was I ready to accept the challenge that was

Let's us deal with another post about a volleyball weekend, but don't worry since it probably is the last I'll post about club volleyball. To continue, this weekend I had to drive to Minnesota for a three-day weekend. I'm just going to sum up the tournament for you so you don't have to deal with it. To conclude, my team didn't do well with 1-6, but I didn't expect much since it was such a big tournament, with the name of Northern Lights Qualifier. I'll at least talk about what I did in Minnesota that doesn't include volleyball. On Friday, my team and I went to the Mall of America and I spent most of my time there walking around. I at least got a Supernatural shirt from Hot Topic and some snacks on the way. In the morning on Saturday, my team

Corpus Christi Academy has taught me so much this year. Most Importantly it taught me how to inspire, serve, and excel. Volleyball has helped me uphold these three pillars  in a variety of ways. Volleyball helps inspire me and my teammates on the court. I am  inspired by my coach. I have been coached by Chach Shaughnessy. She has inspired me so much. She taught me something new everyday of our seasons. She showed me how things get tough and how to get mack up and keep fighting. She inspired me to never say “ I can't  do it.” because we should always believe in ourselves and what we can do anything the we set our mind to. Volleyball inspires me to achieve my goals and try my hardest in life. Volleyball always inspired me to set my goal, reach for the top, and most importantly to do all that I can to achieve it.

For me, communicating my feelings is sometimes difficult, especially when I am playing volleyball with my sister. My sister gets a little high strong when we are playing in a tournament together. I, on the other hand, am more calm and laid back. This weekend we played in an open tournament called the Oasis Classic which is a very high level tournament for sand volleyball. The players that participate in this kind of tournament are the highest level of women players in the Denver Metro area. The first game we played two ladies named Darsee and Dominique, who we beat in two sets. The second team we played were Cat and Katie who have both played college and professional tournaments. We lost to them but we gave them a really close game. The third

Playing on the varsity volleyball team is an adrenaline rush like no other. To be able to play the sport you love with teammates that are like family, in front of a crowd of actual family members is the ultimate feeling. Playing is even better when you, a small town nobody, beat a ranked team in the first set. We had just beaten Humboldt 25-17 and I was on top of the world. We were playing like our lives depended on it and I couldn’t be more proud of the girls.

I first started playing volleyball at a very young age. I was in the seventh grade when my volleyball career started. My sister started playing in the seventh grade and I just wanted to follow her footsteps. My seventh grade year was ok because I had just started out and really didn’t know the game. There was A team and a B team, where A team was better than the B team. I tried my best to be on the A-team, but guess where I ended up, on the B team.

Volleyball, one of the world's greatest sports. From the hot and muggy gym, to sweat dripping down each players face, volleyball is not for the faint of heart. This sport requires a single-minded desire: to win. It takes more than just teamwork to win. Volleyball has always been one of my favorite sports. I would always meet a new friend anywhere I would go. Believe it or not these situations are how you could meet your life long best friends.