This last weekend was the Power League Qualifier up in Sacramento, CA. This was such a huge and important tournament to every team because it depends on where your team is placed by how well you place. For my team, we did not do as well as we had hoped.
We started out as seed 112 on the first day and luckily ended up as seed 62 at the end of it. Everyone was nervous, not mentally ready, and did not seem as if we were ready to do our best. We came out with fire and passion, but had very nervous looks on all of our faces. Since it was the first tournament of the year, that is expected but to get over the feeling of being nervous was needed. Saturday was one of the longest days of volleyball I've ever came across. We woke up at 6:30 to get in a good, healthy breakfast and drove to the gym. Our first game began at 7:45. Our schedule was so confusing! They would say how are next game would be delayed till 4:30 when it would really start at 12:30. So we were basically running in circles figureing out what our real schedule was. Because our schedule was so confusing, our last game ended at 10:30. They literally had to kick us out of the gym because it was so late. But hey, it was worth it!
The second day also didn't go as planned. We had long breaks that turned out into us playing back to back to back without it even being on our schedule. Our last game ended at 8:30, concluding the log weekend of volleyball.
I wish the qualifier wasn't our first tournament. We were all nervous and we did not seem well prepared. We all had our off moments but mine just happened to be so uncommon...
I am a setter. I am a team leader. I am the play maker. This weekend, I barely set. I actually only set one whole game. In every other game, I played all around as a right side. I got to pass serve receive, hit front row and back row, and got to play defense without worrying where I have to run and get the ball and make a decent play out of it. I felt free. I love setting so much, but playing right side was awesome. I started off Saturday with 15 kills in the first full match. I never even practiced right side in practice! I had great serving runs and great digs in defense. But I still cannot connect why my setting was not on like it usually is. Was it mental? Was it physically? Was I just flat out nervous? I'm not sure, but I'm ready to go into my next tournament and kill it. My next tournament is this weekend at the San Jose Convention Center on February 16th through the 18th. It'll be a good one!
I guess I can fit this into a "Never Give Up" sort of way. I did not put myself to the challenge that I always put myself too. I cannot say I quit, because I didn't. I went and played a new position with confidence, putting more points on our scoreboard then I expected. When things go wrong, and they sometimes will, don't give up even though it feels as if nothing is going to work. Success is only failure that is turned inside out. It is when things seem worst that you must not quit. We have many journeys throughout our lifetime and we get to parts of those journeys where we feel like we should give up. You are stronger than you think. Having one little setback is just not enough to stop you from achieving your goals. Go out there and prove yourself to the world. Who wants to be known as someone who is weak and gives up? I sure don't. If someone has been able to go out there and do it, I am sure as heck you are completely capable of anything you put your mind too. Never sell yourself short. There is always going to be those people that try and bring you down and tell you that what you're trying to accomplish is not possible, (I know plenty of those people), but then there is the motivation: Your friends, family, and coaches. Let the people you love be your inspiration to persist and persevere! Do you know that feeling of when your goal is only an inch away and you can't wait to come across it and out do it? That is the best feeling ever. Never ever give up, push yourself! I know you can do it! :) This next tournament, I am going to walk onto the court and take over. I am going to feel the greatest amount of confidence I have ever felt when stepping onto the court and use it to my advantage. This is going to be a great oppurtunity for me and a great tournament. I can't wait!
"A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can't."
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