Life without sports is something everyone has had to endure throughout this pandemic, but for me, it changed my everyday life. Volleyball is something that has taken over the better part of my life for the last 6 years. Having our season abruptly end due to the new and terrifying Covid-19 completely changed the course of this year.
Our season had started in November of 2019 and was supposed to end in July of 2020. Obviously, that did not happen. We were able to have a total of three out of eight or nine major tournaments. Each of which was very fun, but not as successful as we had wanted. This was very upsetting because when you get a new team almost every season, it takes time to learn to play with them and get into a rhythm, so we didn’t have the time to get there before COVID shut us down. Looking back on it now, I think we did fairly well for the time we were given.
I think the tournament I missed the most was AAU in Orlando, Florida. I had never been to a tournament that big or that important before, so I was very excited as expected. AAU is one of the biggest events you can go to for club volleyball, there are thousands of scouts and recruiters for college ball, and even more, parents to watch. It’s almost like playing in an arena because of the crowds.
Our tournaments being canceled wasn’t necessarily the worst thing to happen, but it was definitely the most upsetting. Our practices were canceled as well. Going from practicing with these girls 3-4 times a week to not being able to see them for months was devastating. Being with these people for so long out of the year, they become like your second family even though most seasons your “family” is completely different from the year before.
This year especially, because I had branched out and joined a new club, the NC volleyball academy, after being with my other club for almost 5 years; I had not only gotten a new family but a new environment to get used to.
