Have you ever experienced a sport that’s so intense while a whole crowd is cheering on the side? Whether you have or haven’t, this sport is the way to go to enjoy yourself and I’ll explain why. This sport is an activity that can make you go crazy and scream your lungs out especially at Crownpoint High School (CHS). As a volleyball player myself at CHS, I can explain, with the help of coaches and other players, that volleyball is a good sport, and how it feels to be on the court competing with many different teams.

The first thing about volleyball at Crownpoint High School is there are many rules. Every athlete must follow the rules, and there are a lot! Before the first game every player has to sign a contract with the parents to show that they understand the rules and regulations. Some of the requirements are to maintain good grades (no F’s), to show positive sportsmanship, and to attend every practice. Also, before and after every game, you must attend every school day. Following the rules is very important and if the rules are broken more than once, it’s possible that you won’t be able to play, or you may have to turn in your jerseys. Every player is told that school is more important and to play, we must pay attention in school because it is what allows us to participate in sports such as volleyball.

Parents supporting their student athletes may have many thoughts and feelings about this sport, especially the players and coaches here at CHS. One of the main concerns of the parents is the safety of the student athletes. Every volleyball player at CHS, and their parents, must attend the parent meeting and give the coaches permission to train each athlete to become proficient in the sport. Volleyball players always go to their parents for support and advice with training as well–not just their coaches. Parents that are involved with the volleyball players in the sport are more helpful to the coaches. According to the coaches, parental support benefits them because it helps with communication. Parents communicating with coaches prevents students attempting to tell parents a different story about why they are not playing in a game for instance, than what is the actual circumstance. With parents involved they can communicate directly with the coaches, rather than getting the students’ versions of what the coaches said. I believe that having parents involved benefits everyone in the sport–even themselves, because they are notified about everything, especially schedule changes.

Playing volleyball at this school with other girls tests your strength and builds your confidence. From my experience as a volleyball player myself, and the responses I received from student athletes I interviewed, it appears that students have a lot on their minds with the requirement to follow every rule in school and balance academics with participation in a sport. I enjoy thinking about what other players say because I notice many of the athletes have similar thoughts and beliefs about sports. The number of emotions I experience while talking about volleyball makes me feel like I can talk about anything. I don’t have to hide the feeling of all the adrenaline I have while on the court. Talking to freshmen and seniors about playing at CHS was very enjoyable and relatable.

There are many positive outcomes from this sport, especially if you follow safety regulations. For example, having the proper equipment for the sport can benefit you by preventing you or other players from getting injured. Also, some of the positive outcomes are being able to be sociable with other players while at practice or heading to away games which can help you get out of your comfort zone. Being in this sport requires many things, and the more you play and practice, the better you will become as a player.

In an interview with Araalyn Arviso (Senior Volleyball player at CHS), she explained to me that volleyball is something that requires you to speak up louder (meaning yell) during a game because of the loud crowd cheering for you. She also told me that the sport can teach you many life lessons and will change your life in high school. Interviewing Araalyn Arviso was one of the best interviews that helped me understand the meaning of volleyball and changed many of my perspectives on the sport itself.

Interviewing freshman athletes was interesting as well. Their ideas are like my own, because I’m a freshman myself. After discussing the sport with freshmen Ellianna Tsosie, Zoe Garcia, Jessica Juan-Yazzie, Briseis Haskie, Audrey Riley, and Miley McMillan, I realized that we all have the same feelings that playing for high school is very different from Middle school. Another thing we all have in common is that we believe playing for the high school has changed us in different ways, but all positive. The sport makes me feel free and full of excitement. The feeling for all us players on the high school team is very positive, especially in getting to interact with each other. I believe that the more we practice and play, the more intense and fun emotions we get to experience during practice and games. I hope to be able to learn more techniques and ways to become a better player from the senior players at CHS so I can teach the next group of freshmen athletes things I learned.

Being able to interview the seniors and freshmen at CHS about volleyball was a very fun thing to do and I hope to do it again in the future. I hope this information can help many beginning players learn about the emotions and feelings you may experience when on the court. I believe that playing sports is one of the best things I have done, and I have enjoyed learning all these new ways to be a better player. I would like to tell the readers that want to become players that no matter how hard you train, no matter how much you feel like you want to give up do to the extreme pressure and hard work, DO NOT quit– don’t quit something you have worked so hard for, because you will finish strong and become one of the best players you can be when you work hard for it. Araalyn tells me “Never give up and say you can’t finish, because you can, no matter how tired you are, finish and play with your heart!”