Tharp1

EmilyTharp
StaceyDearing
ENGL106
27January2015

TrailscanbecomeTriumphsintheEnd
Itallbeganinafourthgradeelementarygymclass.Apassionthatstuckwithmefor
yearsdevelopedinsideatiny,oldsmellinggym.VolleyballbecameapartofwhoIamstarting
thatdaywhenIfirstpickedupaballandhititoverthenet.Mygymteacher,averysuccessful
formerhighschoolcoach,toldmeIhadanaturaltalentandtorunwithit.Idecidedthiswas
goingtobethesportIlovedtoplay.FourthgradewasthefirstyearthatIcouldcompetein
actualgamesagainstrivalschools.Sureenough,myfirstgame,Iwasonthatfloorwithallthe
excitementintheworld.Fromthenon,volleyballconsumedmylifeforabout8years.I
encounteredmanydifferentcoachesandcoachingstylesthroughoutmyyears.Ihavemanyto
thankwhohelpedmebecomesuccessfulandonewhoreallyhinderedmypassionforthegame.
Throughoutthesetrialandtriumphs,IdevelopedmanyskillsandvaluesthatIstillcarrywithme
today.
During,myelementaryandhighschoolyearswewereverysuccessful.Webeattherival
schoolsandwonmanytournamentsmakingthissportevenmoreenjoyabletoplay.Ideveloped
intoadefensivespecialistduringmyelementaryandjuniorhighyears.
Adefensivespecialist,or
DS,isallowedtosubstituteforanyplayerandtaketheirplacenormallyinthebackrow.ADSs
responsibilitywastodigoutattacksfromtheotherteamsoffense.Theyalsoreturnedtheballto
thesettertosetuptheirteamforoffense.Diggingischaracterizedbyhustleandanticipation,

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includingtheabilitytoreadtheblockingandattackinganglesspreadoutinfrontoftheDS.
(livestrong).Adefensivespecialistisoneofthemostimportantpeopleonthefloorbecause
everyplaystartswiththem.Thispositionisnowhereneareasyandyouhavetosacrificeyour
bodyforthebetteroftheteam.Icouldntpickandchosemypositionbecauseofmysize.Iwas
tooshorttobeanattackerorasetter.Iwouldnthavepickedanotherpositionthough.Iloved
divingforballsandgettingbeatupbackthereitwasfuninmyopinion.
HighSchoolvolleyballhasapproachedasImovedintomyfreshmanyear.Icouldnot
waitforittobegin.MyfirsttwoyearswereeverythingIcouldhaveexpected.Ihadthebest
coaches,MattandTravis.MattwasatypicalCalifornialookingguy,whowouldshowoffhis
talentbeforepractice.Everyonewasinlovewithhimbecauseofhisattractivephysiqueand
smile.Traviswasagoofyguywhoworeswimtrunkstoeverypracticetypicalcollegeman.
TheseyoungguysledustosomanyJVchampionships.Webrokejuniorvarsityrecordswith
thesetwomen.Ihadthechancetoplaytravelvolleyball.Myoriginaltravelballcoachquiton
theteamrightbeforeweleftforNationals.Nationalsisaweeklongtournamentthatthebest
teamsallacrossthenationattendtoseewhoisthebestinthenationthatyearforeachagegroup.
Luckily,MattknewhowimportantitwasforustogotoNationals,sohepickedupmy
notsogoodteamandturnedusaroundinaweekstime.Duringnationals,wewonmoregames
withhiminoneweekthanwedidourwholetravelballseason.Iplayedthebestvolleyballofmy
lifethatweekIalwaysdidwhenMattwasonthesidelinescoachingme.Wehadagreatplayer
tocoachconnectionthatnoonewilleverbeabletohave.Atage15,a18yearoldcoachat
Nationalsaskedmetoplayliberoforhisteambecausehesawsomuchtalentinme.Thiswasthe
greatestcomplimentIeverreceivedinmyvolleyballcareerIowethatcomplimenttoMatt.

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Unfortunately,thestartofmyjunioryearwelostbothofthemtootherjobopportunities.
Myjunioryearwaswhenobstaclesbegantobethrownatmeleftandright.Iwasspecifically
upsetaboutMattCaputoleaving.Heisthecoachthatpushedmetomybestandtaughtmemore
thananyonewilleverbeableto.Hispracticesweredifficult,theywereallaboutperfecting
fundamentals.Hemadethemintenseandhadlittlepatiencewhenitcametoerror.Therewasno
messingaroundandhisdrillswerealwayssetuplikepassorfail.Ifwefailedadrill,asinnot
reachingtheamountofpointsincertainamountofminutes,wehadtorun.Wefailedalot,more
thanwesucceededinpractice.Thefeelingofcompletingadrillthough,afterallofthefailed
attempts,wasbeyondsatisfying.Thesedrillsbroughttheteamtogetherandtaughtushowmuch
everypointandeverysecondmattersinthisgame.Normally,peoplewouldthinkpracticeslike
thatwereawful.However,IlovedthembecauseIwasconstantlychallenged.Itisbecauseof
himthatmygameplayreachedanultimatehigh.ItisbecauseofhimthatIdevelopedsomuch
passionandloveforthegame.MattisthereasonwhyIunderstoodthegame,hadsomuch
intensity,andwhyweconstantlywon.Iplayedmyheartoutforhimeverysinglegame,because
Iwantedtoshowhimthathisoutstandingcoachingskillspaidoff.Hewasstillincollegewhen
hecoachedme.Hegaveupsomuchforthesuccessofhisplayers.Hewasatrueexampleofa
greatcoachaselflessmanwhowenttotheendsoftheearthforhiskids.Hebelievedinme
whennooneelsedid,andthatissomethingIamforeverthankfulfor.
Next,IwastoldbytheheadvarsitycoachthatIwouldgetachanceatvarsityliberothe
bestdefensivespecialistonthefloor.Hetoldmehewouldrewardmeformyhardand
continuousextraworkthatIputin.Ikeptthisintensityandhadsomuchstrivetoberewarded
thatspot.Whentryoutswereoveranditwastimetodecideonteams,Brad,thevarsitycoach,

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calledmeintohisoffice.Iwalkedinwithnervesthroughtheroof,andthehopeIwouldbegiven
thatspot.Thefirstwordsouthismouthwere,YouaregoingtostartoutonJuniorVarsitythis
seasonasajunior.YoucanworkyourwayuptoVarsity.Youhadanunbelievabletryout.Keep
upthehardwork.Isatthereinuttershock.IalmostgaveupmycareerthenandtherebecauseI
wasbeyondmyself.Ihaveneverworkedsohard.Ihaveneverhadsomuchconfidenceinmy
capabilities.Myhappiness,myloveforthegame,mypassioncametoahault.Ilostmyposition
toanotherplayerwhodecidedshewantedtochangefromasettertoaDS.Hisdecisionwas
unfairtome.Itseemedtomethathegavethatpositionawaytosomeonewhodidnotearnit.I
wenthomethatnightandcriedtomyparents.ThiswasamomentinmylifethatIfeltlikea
failure.Thisfeelingissomethingthatnoonewantstoexperience.Myparentsthenbecamemy
sponsor.TheyaretheyoneswhokeptmegoingwhenIwantedtogiveupsobad.Theyreminded
meconstantlytonevergiveup,topersevere,andtoshowthevarsitycoachwhathewasmissing
outon.Goingintopracticeeachdaywasastruggleforme.Allofmybestfriendswereon
Varsityandtheweakertalentonthejuniorvarsitydidnotmakeitfunforme.Iwasso
determinedtojointheVarsitysidebeforetheseasonended.Wealwaysscrimmagedeachother
duringpracticeandIwouldgoaboveandbeyondtoshowmyselfofftotheVarsitycoachit
workedtoo.Hemovedmeuptovarsityandstartedmeinseveralgames.Ibecamethesparkof
thebench.Iplayedthebestgameofmylifetowardstheendoftheseasonandwonthegame
forusagainstourbiggestrivalschool.Ialsostartedduringthesectionalchampionship.Iwasso
proudofmyselfbecauseforthefirsttimeinalongtime,Ifeltneededontheteamanditwas
greattoknowthecoachhadconfidenceinmetoo.

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Afteralongoffseasonofanticipationforthenextyeartocome,itwasfinallyhere.The
hopesanddreamsmyclassaspiredour7thgradeyearweremeanttobemetinourlastseason
together.Itwastimetowinastatechampionship.GoingintothisseasonIhadalotof
confidenceagainduetothetremendousendofthepreviousseason.Onceagain,Iwasfighting
fortheliberospotonthefloor.ThishadbeenadreamofminesinceIfirststartedtoplay.I
wantedtobethebestdefensivespecialistonthefloorandmakeanoutstandingimpactonthe
teammyseniorseason.
Iwalkedintothegymthathadanaromaofabrandnewwoodenfloor.Iwasexcitedand
Iwasreadytocompete.IwasgoingtogetwhatIdeservedthisyear,Iwasadamantaboutit.
Aftertheprolonged,hotweekoftryouts,IonceagainwascalledintoCoachBradstiny,
claustrophobicoffice.Emotionsthroughtheroof,Isatdownacrossfromhiminaswivelchair
andwaitedforhimtospeak.Itseemedlikeyearsbeforehespoke,butfinally,hetoldmethatI
wasfightingwithtwoothergirlsfortheliberospot.ThiswasnotexactlywhatIwantedtohear,
butatleastIwasclosetomygoal.Healsoinformedmethattheteamvotedonmeasacaptain
forthatseason.Iwalkedoutofhisofficewithasenseofrelief,butwithawholelotofdesirein
myhearttobethebest.Afteranotherweekofacompetitivepractice,thelineupforthefirst
gamewasreleased.Mynamewasnotintheliberoposition,orinthelineupatall.

Igrewupinanunbelievablycompetitivefamily.Iwasinmybloodtowantsomething
sobad.ItwasapartofmynaturetofightforwhatIdeservedIlovedtowinandIlovedtowin
bad.Ihadamentalitytoneverbackdownfromasinglechallenge.Icontinuedtoworkhardto
play.Iwentmonthsofsittingonthebench.Icouldnotevenbeexcitedwhenwewon.Iwent

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homeeverysinglenightintears.Mycoachliterallymentallyabusedme.Hetalkbadaboutmein
frontofme.DuringpracticeheactedlikeIwasnoteventhere.EverytimeImadeamistake,I
wasintrouble.Everytimeothersmadeamistake,itwasfine.Healwaysliedtome,tellingmeI
wouldplay,orthatIamsoclosetoplaying.CoachBradwouldnoteveninvitemeintothe
captainsmeetings.EverytimeIgavehimmyopinion,hedisregardedit.Hehadnorespectfor
measanindividual.Theseeventsreallydepressedme.Ihadaconstantfeelingofsadnessand
failure.
Afterweeksuponweeksofnotplayinginthegames,Iwasreadytogiveupagain.Itwas
ruiningmysenioryearbecauseIknewIdeservedtoplay,everyonedid,evenmycoach.Hewas
anarcissistwhoneverwantedtobeprovenwrong.SowheneverIdidprovehimwrong,he
refusedtoacknowledgeit.Igavemyalleverypractice.Icameoutbruisedandbloodyafter
almosteverypractice.Yet,CoachBradwouldalwayssay,Youaresoclose.Atthispoint,I
couldnteventellyouwhatthatmeant.Iwasgivingeveryounceofenergyandpushinmybody.
Someofmyteammatesnexttomewouldbarelytry,yettheywouldgetrewarded.Yousee,my
coachdidnotplayontalent.Hedidnotplaywhodeservedtoplay.Heplayedfavoritesandhe
playedthosewhoseparentswouldgoinandcomplaintohim.Thoughitwashardforthemto
watch,myparentsneverwentintocomplain.Theywantedmetofightmyownbattlesandthey
wantedmyplaytodothetalking.Lookingback,Iamgladthisisthewaytheapproachedthe
situationbecauseittaughtmealot.IlearnedthatIcouldnotrelyonmyparentsfortherestof
mylifetofightmybattles.Ihadtogrowup,facethecoachwithoutthemifIwantedtotalkto
him.

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ThetournamenttimehadapproachedusandIwantedtolose.Yesthatsoundsselfish,but
Icouldnotendurethepainanymore.Icontinuedtoworkhardinpracticetomaketheteam
better.Ipushedthroughanddidnotgiveup.Finally,wewereinthesemistatechampionship
game.Weweredownmynamewascalledtogoin.ThiswasmychancetoproveCoachBrad
wrong.ThiswasmyopportunitytoshowhimwhatIamcapableof.Iquicklyforgotallofthe
negativethingshehaddonetomethisseason.IplayedmyheartoutformyselfbecauseI
deserved.ThefansinthecrowdandmyteammatesbecameecstaticwhenIenteredontothe
floor.Thewholeseason,theyknewIshouldhavebeenstartingeachgame.Ididplaysome
games,butnotalot.Pointafterpoint,myadrenalinerushing,Imadeahugeimpact.Ididnotlet
asingleballpassmeonthefloor.Wecamebackandwonthegame.Tearsofhappinesswere
fallingdowneveryonesface,evenminebecauseIknewIhelpedourteammakeittotheState
championship.Afterthegame,mycoachcameuptomyandsaid,Iamsoproudofyou.
Withoutyouwewouldnothavewonthisgame.YoucanonlyimaginehowhappyIwasto
finallyhearsomepositivewordsoutofhismouthtowardsme.Weloadedupontothebusand
myphoneblewupwithsomuchloveandsupportfromchildrentoparents.Icouldnothavebeen
morethankfulormoreexcitedtoplaythenextgame.
Sureenough,thefollowingweekend,wereachedBallStateUniversitywherewewould
beplayingtheStateChampionshipgame.Wewalkedintothatlarge,redarenawithhopesof
walkingoutwithastatechampionshiptrophyandmedal.Ourdreamwasinthemidstofour
eyes,wehavemadeit.Icansay,Iwashappywemadeittoo.(Iamgoingtofinishthispartof
thestoryaftertheroughdraft)

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Aftertheseasonended,itwashardforme.IwasbeyondmyselfwhenwelostState.I
wasrelievedIhadfinallyescapedfromCoachBrad,thestress,thepain,andthefailureIfeltfor
those5months.However,reflectingonthesilenttwohourbusridehome,Irealized,Ilearned.I
tookalotawayfromthosestrenuousmonths.Iwastaughtthatwhendiversityhitsyouthe
hardest,youhavetwochoices.Youcangetupandfightoryoucangiveup.Iwasclosetogiving
upmanytimes,butIamafighterandthatmademestrong.IlearnedtogiveeverythingIhave
intosomethingthatIcareaboutgoodthingscomeoutofthis.Ilearnedthatwhenyour
opportunityfinallypresentsitself,youhavetosucceed,youhavetoexcelandproveyouare
goodenough.Ilearnedthatasolidworkethic,patience,apositiveattitude,andperseverance
takesyoufarinanysituation.Youneedcharacteristicslikethesetobecomesuccessfulinschool,
anoccupation,anything.Ilearnedtohavefaithinmyself.IlearnedthatIcanalwaysleanonmy
parents,myclosefriends,andmostimportantlyIcandependuponGodandputmylifeinHis
hands.Trialsthroughoutyourlifecanbecometriumphsintheend.Youjustcantgiveupwhen
thingsgettough,becausethebestisalwaysyettocome.