Volleyball
I love…(read p. 411 of “Why I Ride” I love to play volleyball. It was my favorite sport in high school. Getting out there on the court and competing gets my adrenaline flowing. It is wonderful to be wrapped up in each play of the game. You always have to be thinking about your next move, your teams next move and your opponenets next move. You are always moving, always talking, and always focused. I love to zone everybody in the stands out. I focus on what my teammates are telling me and what my coach has to say. All the other problems or issues I am having or stressing over, I just forget about them. While I am out there on the volleyball court I focus on nothing but volleyball. Everything else that is happening in my life can wait until this game is over I am not a….(Richman uses the negative at least twice in her essay—first on page 396 and again on p. 411).
I am not a wimpy, girlie volleyball player. I am an athlete who plays volleyball in a tough and challenging sport. I am not the person who gets out on the court and is afraid to go after a ball that is served over the net. I am not afraid to get on the ground in order to save a ball and keep it in play. I am not afraid to serve the ball hard over the net every single time. I am not afraid to give the other team my knuckle ball serve either. I am not afraid to be aggressive when I spike that ball over the net at the other team. I am not a wimpy volleyball player. I am an aggressive and athletic volleyball player.
I didn’t…….
I didn’t give fifty percent each time I went out on the court. I gave it everything I had, each time. I wasn’t afraid to step up and lead my team. I didn’t sit back and watch my team fall apart. I did my best to get everyone motivated and focused on the task at hand. I didn’t let negativity ruin a teammates focus. If they were having a bad day at spiking I kept encouraging them to try. I didn’t let them give up. I would tell them everyone has their bad days and some days you are just off. But to remember that they will have days when their serves are right on and days when their spikes will land in the back corner of the court every time. I didn’t let me team get down on themselves or beat themselves up over a bad play or a bad game.
A list of things you need to do/engage with/participate in your personal passion. (See page 413).
To play volleyball you need to be able to perform the basic skills. You need to be able to serve, pass the ball and either set the ball or spike the ball. You can be great at all of those things, at a few, or even just one. You need to be able to work with a team and as a member of a team. Yes, you do need to have some individual skills. However, your individual skills will do the team no good, if you don’t learn how to use those skills to better the team and not just yourself.
Describe an object that is essential to your passion… (Look at Richman’s description of her bike on p. 404).
An object that is essential to my passion is a volleyball. That ball determines how practices go, who wins a game, and who loses a game. Players are expected to manipulate that ball to go where they want it to go or where it needs to go. If the ball lands too far the the right of the whtie line, the ball is out of play, and the other team gets a point. If the ball comes at you and you are not ready, then that ball could go anywhere, most likely a place you don’t want it to go. That ball can help you become a better vollebyall player in practices. You can use that ball to improve your serving, your passing, your setting, your spiking, and your digs.
What kinds of special knowledge do you need to participate in your personal passion?
You need to understand the rules of how volleyball is played. You need to understand the different rotations, you need to understand each position and the responsibility that goes along with that position, and you need to understand how the scoring works.
What are the concerns, issues, problems, difficulties that you face? Some difficulties you encounter when playing volleball can be individual based or team based. You do not always get along with your teammates or have the same philosophy about the game as they do. It can be difficult to find a middle ground or a way to work through it in order to make the team successful. Volleyball can also be difficult when you as an individual are struggeling to master a certain skill. At the varsity level the starting six spots are very competative. If you are having trouble passing or serving the ball then there is a good chance that another player can take your starting position for that game. Searching for insights:
- Sometimes I think X, other times Y…
Sometimes I wish I continued playing volleyball through college and other times I don’t. I think about how nice it would have been to still play games everyweek and go to practices and go to away games with the team. However, then I think about how stressful the homework load can get now, when I do not even play volleyball. I have chosen a major that is very demanding. A major in which the college does not guarantee you will complete in four years. I couldn’t imagine scheduling classes around my practice or game schedules. I don’t’ even want to think about how long it would take me to complete my undergraduate work if I was playing a sport at the college level.
· When most people think about (your personal passion), they probably think about……………
The show Daria from MTV, where she is standing on the volleyball court. The volleyball goes by, she puts her arm out, and says, “Oops.” Volleyball may also be thought of as a girlie sport. Where girls are afraid of the ball and run away eveytime the ball is hit towards them.
· What they don’t know/realize/understand is……………..
That volleyball is a highly intense and competative sport. Volleyball is not for whimps or girlie girls. Volleyball requires a lot of skill and hard work in order to be successful at it. You have to learn how to receive a ball from a serve and pass it up in the direction of the setter’s position. You need to learn how to spike the ball over the net and put some fear in your opponenets. You also need to know how to serve the ball over the net. Once you learn how to get that ball over the net then you can then work on placing the ball when you serve. You can work on how hard you serve the ball or if you want the ball to curve when you serve it. Volleyball is a team sport. You need all six players on the court working together, talking to one another, and keeping everyone focused on the game.
