J UNIOR J OURNAL 10 quotes that inspire
The sports environment is filled with inspirational sayings about important life lessons such as hard work, determination and being a good teammate
by Kendall Kipp
“There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either in or out. There is no such thing as in between.” – Jim Valvano, NCAA Championship men’s basketball coach
Volleyball is a very time-consuming sport. When I’m feeling over- whelmed with the amount of time I’m putting into it, this quote reminds me that I must be fully committed and all in to accomplish my goals as an athlete.
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Fig- ure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan, Hall of Fame basketball player
Michael Jordan talks a lot about facing adversity, and this is one of my favorite quotes to remember in an adverse situation. It reminds me that when obstacles present themselves, the solution may not always be obvious, but there is always a way to overcome them if you look hard enough.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
– Benjamin Franklin, a U.S. Founding Father
My favorite part of volleyball is the games and tour- naments. But this quote reminds me that I must first work hard at practice in order to be successful. It keeps me motivated to improve each day in the gym because my hard work will pay off soon.
“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” – Dan Gable, Hall of Fame wrestler and coach
Playing for a gold medal is a common dream among athletes all around the world. However, not everyone with these dreams understands the hard work and dedication that go into accomplishing this goal. If the club or high school season ever begins to feel long or boring, this quote re-motivates me by helping me remember how much preparation is required to be victorious.
“Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.” – William A. Ward, American poet and writer.
Every athlete faces adversity, but the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is how they respond. This quote reminds me that successful athletes learn to use these challenges to motivate themselves and learn from adverse situations.
“Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden, 10-time NCAA Championship men’s basketball coach
Volleyball is an extremely mental sport in which you must be mentally tough to be successful. This quote reminds me to stay positive during
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games. If I am struggling with one skill or aspect of my game, I try to refocus my mind onto the positives and the skills I am succeeding with. This helps me to keep my mind clear and not let negative thoughts interfere with the positive ones.
“Work hard in silence, let success be your noise.” – Frank Ocean, American singer, songwriter .
Humility is a characteristic that I value greatly. This quote reminds me to work hard in silence. There is no need to voice your own success or failure. This quote inspires me after a failure to get back in the gym to work hard, and eventually when I reach suc- cess, big or small, that will speak for me.
“Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing that you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
– John Wooden
To become successful, I know that it is necessary to keep improving in some way each day. This quote reminds me to keep pushing my limits and to not feel satisfied with where I’m at.
“There may be people who have more talent than you do, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter, former all-star for the New York Yankees
I know there will always be somebody out there who is taller, can jump higher, hit harder, or pass better, and some of that can be blamed on natural talent. But there is no excuse for getting outworked in practice and training, and this quote reminds me to continue working as hard as I possibly can every single day.
“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell for the game and never looked back … play for her.” – Mia Hamm, U.S. Olympic soccer player.
This quote makes me focus on how far I’ve come and the progress I’ve made since I first started playing volleyball. I think of the little 13-year- old version of myself and think of how proud I would be of my progress that I have made. This motivates me to continue to work hard. When I’m 18, I hope my 16-year-old self can be proud, too.
Kendall Kipp, a middle for Laguna Beach Volleyball Club, resides
in Newport Beach, California. She recently helped the U.S. Girls’ Youth Team earn silver at the 2016 NORCECA U18 Continental Championship and qualify Team USA for the 2017 FIVB Women’s U18 World Championship.
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