I knew that this year would be especially difficult for me to pursue all the activities I wanted to. Since I have just entered my DP years, I have tried my best to balance all parts of me, the mental, academic and physical. I knew that I would not be able to travel for volleyball as I have many tasks to complete for Colombo Model United Nations but for the sake of my love of sports, I just couldn’t stay away! Therefore, I have been training with the SAISA Girl’s Volleyball team this season to not only keep my fitness in check but also to surround myself with the people I love! I created some goals at the beginning of the season to make sure that I was constantly working towards something at all practices.
- Attend at least 2 practices a week
- Work on my knowledge of the techniques and footwork
- Improve my overhand serving
The season started off with almost 20 girls trying out for a team that requires only 10 traveling members. I met many new students and got to continue building relationships with existing members. As we continued practicing, I found that many skills that I was nervous about putting to use again were stronger than I thought. For example, my passing was better than last year, this is because I did spend some time over summer prepping for the season. I also found that my endurance was far better this year, I definitely owe this to the fitness training that Coach Kelly and Chandler have implemented to make us even better. One of my weakest points last year was my knowledge of the game, its rules and plays. I tried my best to overcome that issue last year by constantly asking Coach Kelly questions when I had any doubts about something as well as watching volleyball games on youtube. This year, I find myself helping others with their positioning which makes me feel more confident when playing. Although there are some technicalities that I could read up on, for the most part, I can feel myself continuously improving my physical performance as well as my thinking.
I have also had challenges this season, don’t get me wrong! One skill that I have always struggled with is serving overhand as mentioned above. I find that I cannot stick to one form and I keep changing my position when I should not be. I have been working with Coach Kelly on improving this, she is consistently telling me what to change and how I can remember to change these things. I see that I am slowly getting better at serving but I feel as though I could dedicate more time out of volleyball practice to fix it. Another challenge I have had during the season is anticipating the ball when in-game situations. I notice that I get very anxious and nervous during games which makes me lose focus and miss the ball. I need to find a way to keep my confidence up and keep my head in the game. My coaches suggest that I analyze the court before getting on and keep my eye on the ball before moving into position. I have been working on improving this skill by taking deep breaths before games to keep me calm as well as focusing my attention on looking at the other team’s movements.
Overall, this season has been very challenging but I have discovered a profound drive to keep doing better. I owe a lot to my coaches as they have been giving me the support that I need to improve my skills and have been there to answer all my lingering questions! Although I did not get to travel, I gained so much from this season, it has made me feel great not just physically but to my surprise, mentally. Sports has become a very important part of my mental outlet, I am able to exercise my thinking skills and improve my state of mind simultaneously. The season may be over but I will continue to play volleyball with my friends and put my newly developed skills to use.