Personal Statement
I am a student athlete whose dream is to continue her volleyball journey at the college level. Currently a junior in high school, I happen to successfully combine my school responsibilities and passion for sports. As a student, I truly enjoy reading and exploring the subjects that allow me to understand a human body and mind better and, as an athlete, I am doing my best to represent the club in three age categories – cadet; junior; division III seniors. As an individual who knows what it takes to achieve her goals, I have always been determined to do everything to the best of my potential. Time flies by and there is still so much more to learn; every opportunity to grow is to be taken; minor accomplishments and failures are the signposts.
Ever since I stepped on the court, and it was around the age of 10, I knew that there was something about volleyball. Players’ belief in work as a moral good; ability to cooperate with others to achieve common goals; opportunities to develop as an individual. All that appealed to me and made me want to commit to training regularly. Although I was aware it wasn't going to be easy as I am a person who always goes the extra mile in everything she does and such commitment would literally devour my time, it was my way to develop as a person and an athlete. It was my way to do what I realised would make me feel complete.
Volleyball has allowed me to develop my character. Hard work, resilience, patience, perseverance, and organisation are only a few areas where I can clearly see progress. These abilities are not only needed in the world of sport but are also essential in any area of life. For example, time-management and organisational skills helped me study in a more efficient manner, which further contributed to my better performance at school. In fact, for three years in a row, I have been getting top marks and have happened to be the best student in my year group. As I was able to explore the subjects taught in a more meaningful way, I also got more involved in deepening my knowledge about the human body and mind. As a result, I became more aware of the importance of injury prevention and what needed to be done to actually achieve that.
Broadening my knowledge in the field of sciences allowed me to understand my body better and contributed to my taking care of it more effectively. In the 7th grade, I enrolled in regular weight lifting training and started doing plyometrics systematically. All the aforementioned significantly improved my performance as a player. Not only that, it also made me want to gain enough knowledge in the area of dietetics and nutrition to be able to help prospective athletes in my post university professional career.
Being a hitter in volleyball is quite a challenging position as it requires me to be a leader and be quick on my feet as things change in a very dynamic way. As a lot of people depend on my decisions – my fellow teammates; coaches; team supporters; not only do I have to know how to pass and where to pass the ball, but I am also expected to make quick and informed decisions on the court, often under pressure. For instance, once, during the semifinals, we were down by 5 points in a third set. Nobody believed that we could win; nevertheless, my trainer and my setter knew I was the one that could make a difference, so they decided that every ball would be passed to me as they knew that I was the one who could handle such a stressful situation. Although under a great amount of pressure, I managed to lead my team to win the set 27:25, which further allowed us to win the whole match. It was a great feat.
It is also worth mentioning that apart from indoor volleyball, I also play beach volleyball as I believe it is a great way to spend time while away from the actual indoor training. In this discipline I also achieved a lot – two times 5th place in Poland championship; gold medal of the voivodeship; and two times bronze medals in cadet and junior categories. I find outdoor volleyball a great activity for the summer break when the indoor season has ended. I am also able to challenge myself in different ways. In spite of hard weather conditions as boiling hot sun or raining, almost the same court size, playing on sand, having to care about the wind, sometimes a little problematic teammate I still manage to give everything I possibly can in games and on training. Beach volleyball as you may know is very challenging in many aspects, not only physical but also psychological. It's more of an individual sport than a team sport because not only you have to keep a cool head but also have to be sure your teammate is also mentally stable. To play beach volleyball you need good adaptation skills, because you never know what the weather will be like the next day or even the next couple hours. Moreover, you need to adapt to the new trainer because he is looking at different things than the indoor trainer does. Furthermore, he is also showing me new things and improving my skills. Even though that beach season is short, I manage to improve myself and my skills and I start the indoor season with a clear head, even more enthusiasm and determination.
Having been playing for the past 7 years, I believe I have achieved a lot as an athlete. Coming in the 3rd place in the Polish Junior Championship and in the 2nd place twice in the Voivodeship allowed me to believe that hard work and a growth mindset are key to success. Being an MVP made me want to work even harder. Nevertheless, I am certain that to make the desired progress, I have to be challenged.
Therefore, becoming a student athlete at the university where both roles are valued is very important to me. Being surrounded by individuals whose goals are similar to mine and with whom I will be able to exchange valuable ideas, not only will I be able to develop my skills and abilities, but I will also contribute to the development of others. Playing volleyball while getting my degree in dietetics, food nutrition, health and wellness at the University will, undoubtedly, be a dream come true. If given a chance, I will go the extra mile to represent the school to the best of my potential.
