How Volunteering Coach Volleyball Brought Back My Joy by Amelia

How Volunteering Coach Volleyball Brought Back My Joy by Amelia - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Recently I volunteered at the Rock Hill Sports Center, and I have been an assistant coach for a 12U team. We have practiced every Monday and our games are always on Wednesdays. Watching these young girls and boys get excited for their games brings me so much joy. I too play varsity volleyball for my high school but I have recently stopped playing club volleyball because it brought me so much stress and I lost my passion for the sport. Being with these kids every week allows me the chance to coach them and share with them things I was taught. Seeing the passion these kids have for the game has made me re-gain my passion for volleyball!
As a player, you don’t typically understand the coach’s aspect of the sport of volleyball. Being a player brings stress, pressure, and joy all while having fun on the court. In a coaching role, I see a whole different side of the sport, one that is more fulfilling and rewarding, but still stressful. Being a coach has taught me many lessons. One lesson is that communication is key, especially in sports. Coaching these younger kids has made me realize that it doesn’t necessarily matter what you say but how you say it. Many of these kids are very respectful and caring so I must show the same respect to them, and I do so with the way I communicate with them. Coaching has also shown me that being on a team is like a family. You become very close with your teammates due to the amount of time and trust you have with them. Seeing the passion these girls and boys have for their team brings back my passion for volleyball and even makes me miss the game! Some of the kids want to stay after practice to get more reps in or work on hitting and it warms my heart to see someone so young be so passionate about something.
Another lesson coaching has taught me is that it is not always about winning. Instead, it is about working together as a team while having fun competing. Coaching these kids has helped me realize that volleyball is a sport of mistakes and that even though you made a mistake, you’ll get a chance to try again and make it right. I have truly enjoyed seeing these kids grow as athletes but also as people and they are experiencing something spectacular. Without volunteering to coach them, I would not have found my love for the sport of volleyball again and I don’t think I would have enjoyed my senior year of high school volleyball. Now, I am not only excited to play volleyball again, but I am passionate about my sport. I can’t wait to see what my last year of high school has in store for me on the court!