Skye McDermott '23 Recruiting Profile

I don’t give up because someone said I can’t do something. I use those words as motivation to push me even harder. I believe that you miss 100% of the opportunities you don’t take. I truly believe that this is true on and off the volleyball court.  I am driven and strive to be the best at everything I do.  See, I was born with only one hand (my right hand).  I have had to overcome obstacles in my life daily that others take for granted.  I have chosen to work harder than most to get where I am, and where I am going.  My path to the podium includes a high school diploma with a GPA in the top 10% of my class, a college degree with a 4.0, and playing college volleyball.  After college I will get my Paralympic gold medal.  I started playing indoor club volleyball when I was 11 years old.   I loved it so much that I asked to have private lessons where I could work on my volleyball skills and have more touches on the ball.  There I learned, the more touches on the ball the better I got.  I also attended many volleyball camps.  One in particular, was my sisters volleyball camp, my 6 grade summer is where she told me that I could not be a setter.  That lit a fire under me and I decided that day that I would be a volleyball setter.  So I became one. I want to inspire others to not give up. 

Outside of volleyball I have enjoyed my Girl Scout Troop.  I started in my troop when I was in kindergarten.  I have earned many badges in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, money management, first aid, etc.  I have volunteered with the elderly and the homeless, and it is allowing me to travel across the United States while making and achieving goals.  In Girl Scouts I have completed my Girl Scout Bronze Award and Silver Awards. For my Bronze Award my troop and I wanted to give 2 intermediate/middle schools in my area a place to play GAGA.  We fundraised and built two GAGA pits, made solar bird baths and rain barrels.  We presented them to the two school districts later that year.  Then for my Silver Award I wanted to help the homeless. See when I went to take my older sister to college, in New York city, I saw kids without the simple necessities so I came back and immediately went into action where I made 250 blessing bags to deliver in 2 counties in my area as well as in New York City. 

As an athlete, I have many qualities that I believe that I can bring to my team that will positively benefit the group of people I will be spending a lot of time with on and off the court. These characteristics include not just my athletic abilities, but also my desire to achieve a higher level of play, while developing relationships with my teammates. I am a loud player on the court, an encourager, a competitor, but most importantly a leader on and off the court. I do not give up, I push others to be the best players and people they can be. I am also a student of the sport, which means I continually learn new techniques and scan the floor in order to make smarter and more effective plays within games.

I am attending college to succeed in both academics, in business or criminal justice and athletics equally. I set very high goals for myself as a person and as an athlete and I constantly encourage my teammates to do the same. One thing that is very important to me is team chemistry and compatibility. We need to learn how to work together and not only play with each other, but for each other as a family. The mental aspect of the game is just as important as the physical. The team chemistry is a huge component of that mental game as well. With a highly compatible team, the desire to win and work hard is evident and it definitely pays off in the game. I look forward to college because it is an opportunity to play with new people and new coaches who will all contribute to my skills and knowledge of the game of volleyball.