INDOOR VOLLEYBALL July 21 – July 25, 2016
BEACH VOLLEYBALL July 26 – July 31, 2016
Greensboro, NC
J U N I O R J O U R N A L A farewell message
Our junior columnist, who is now playing collegiate ball, shares some sound advice in her fi nal column by Jaimee Rindy
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IN DECEMBER, I WAS ASKED TO JOIN a panel of current college volleyball players at my former club’s alumni match and give a short speech about my experience with the game of volleyball. I would talk about how I got to where I am today (a middle blocker at Coe College in Iowa) and offer advice for younger girls who are in the same position I was once in.
Coincidentally, I was given
the same prompt for my farewell piece as VolleyballUSA’s junior columnist. Or maybe it wasn’t coincidence at all; the conclusion of your fi rst season as a college volleyball player is a pretty good time to refl ect on your career. I would say that I’ve been
extremely lucky, but honestly, it wasn’t really luck at all. It was a lot of hard work and sweat and frustra- tion and victories and failures. There were certainly elements that came down to luck, like all the great coaches who I was fortu- nate enough to work with and learn from, and all the teammates who became my best friends and who I owe so much to. I’ve met so many wonderful people who I hold so close to my heart, and in that way I could not have gotten any luckier. When I think back on my early years
of volleyball, I think about how unrealistic it once seemed for me to play college vol- leyball. For one, I didn’t have a lot of natural talent or athleticism. Many of my peers were far more coordinated and better versed in the world of sports. But all the talent in the world couldn’t match my love of the game. I wanted to play so badly, and I was ready to give everything I had for it. And that’s what it all comes down to – fi guring out what you want. I remember watching my high school team (Eagle Valley in Gypsum, Colorado) play in the state tournament back in 2011, and I remember thinking, “Wow. That is what I want to be.” After discovering something that I really
loved, I enjoyed putting my heart and soul into it. I loved the work that I put into it – everything from the physical training to my academics. It all played a role in my volleyball success. My dedication led to huge improvements, and I started to believe that if I wanted to play volleyball in college
(which I so desperately did), then I could. The very fi rst column I ever wrote for
USA Volleyball was about how the biggest competitor you will ever face is yourself, and I still think this is the most important message to take away. You will face tough competition in your years, volleyball or otherwise, but the toughest opponent will always be yourself. You are the only one who can stand between you and your dreams. I cannot express how true this turned out to be in my career. For years, I was told that I wasn’t good enough to be successful in this sport, and I never let others stop me. But my true success didn’t come until I actually started to think of myself as good enough. As
long as I believed I couldn’t play in college, I wouldn’t be able to. It was a self-fulfi lling prophecy that I had to learn before I could go on. But I decided that I wanted to play
this sport more than anything, and in that decision, I gave myself the strength I needed to overcome all my obstacles. Once I had defeated my biggest rival, I could tackle any- thing that was thrown at me. I want to leave you all with the same advice that I gave you when I fi rst started out; the best kind of motivation comes from within you. Nobody can get you to where you want to be but yourself. Of course, there will be people to help you along the way. I had wonderful coaches, parents and teammates, without whom I couldn’t hope to be where I am today. But in order for their faith in me to mean anything, I had to believe in myself. This column has allowed me to pass on advice and insight about the world of volleyball from the perspective of someone whose love for it shaped her teen years. It’s been so amazing to connect with others who may be going through the same experiences. I hope that I’ve been able inspire and moti- vate you to go after your dreams. My fi nal advice would be to leave nothing to chance. Decide what you want and go get it. Savor the struggles, the ups and downs, because they make victory that much sweeter. Life, like volleyball, is a game – so go on
and play your heart out! 26 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
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