Ashleigh Convery '18 Recruiting Profile

I have always had sports in my life. My mother wanted me to be able to participate in every sport I was interested in. I did dance, soccer, t-ball, lacrosse and volleyball. By seventh grade I had dropped all but volleyball and lacrosse. My mom talked me in to doing track to increase my stamina in lacrosse and wanted me to do jumps to increase my vertical in volleyball. Running was okay. I was best at the 800. I initially tried long jump, but hated getting sand in my shoes! So I went to high jump. But, once I landed on the pole a few times, decided it wasn't the right event for me.  A friend and I decided to give throwing a try. I guess you could say it was love at first throw! Our coaches were not very knowledgeable about throwing so my mom found a coach with a throwing club, who happens to be a teacher, and former track coach for my school. At that point I gave up lacrosse and just focused on track and volleyball. 

One of the biggest reasons I love throwing, aside from the fact that it is fun, is that as I got better my confidence grew. I have always been a shy person, and always question whether I am really good at something. Throwing was a way that I could actually see that I was good at something. The confidence I have gained has passed over to my volleyball where I have become a lot more sure of myself and my abilities on the court.

My goals in high school are to continue to earn honor roll, and continue to improve my grades. I am hoping that I can select what I want to major in when I get to college through some classes I will be taking my senior year. I hope to continue to improve academically through college as I take classes that really interest me. 

One of my biggest obstacles in every aspect of my life is dealing with my social anxiety. I work hard to overcome it, which is how I've gotten to where I am. One of the hardest things to get used to was having people watch me throw and being afraid of looking stupid. I still have to fight with these feelings even now.  But as I continue to improve, I feel better and better about my abilities.

The biggest influence in my life has been my mom. She has been coaching volleyball since I was little and has always known the right things to say to motivate me. She has always been involved in all my sports, as well as my brother's and is always there to help me when I need it. She even made my dad put in a throwing circle at home (and they are putting in another one and clearing a bunch of trees because our club had the lot sold from under them and needs a place to throw!)

I feel I would be an asset to any team. Even though I can be shy, I am easy to work with and very coachable. I am driven to continue to improve and succeed.