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Weekend Part 1

1.-2. On Saturday Randolph Volleyball won their first home game of the season! Johnathan was, of course, very excited and we certainly enjoyed the victory. 3-4. It was also parent's weekend so we "adopted" some of the girls for the afternoon, got some lunch, watched some TV, and played a rather tepid round of Uno. 5-8. We returned to the college for evening festivities-- which included a pumpkin walk, a round of singing, and then some standing around. It was such that if you didn't know any better you'd think there was a cult on campus! I enjoyed it, as I got filled in on some of the ghost stories pervading Randolph's history, and when we met up with the girls in the haunted "West End Parlor" we talked for hours!

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There are no Snakes in this Lake

Well, at the very least, there are no recorded instances of snake bites. There were ducks, though . . .

Husband and I

Girls vs Guys

One thing that I have noticed in attending various volleyball tournaments is a major difference between the way girls and guys interact with those of their same sex. Yesterday, for example, I took Liberty's men's team to a tournament at Radford University. We have played and beaten Radford's team twice before, but when we played each other and the ref's were making bad calls, both teams decided to make calls on themselves in an effort at good sportsmanship (i.e., if Sean touched it but the ref's didn't notice, he'd call the touch himself and give Radford the ball).

One Radford fan came up to us (he was a little drunk) to offer some of his double cheeseburgers (he apparently also had the munchies) and praise us for always beating them. "You guys f***in' beat us in everything. I don't even know what to do with you guys, you're so awesome and good winners! Do you want some double cheeseburgers? I bought ten, but who buys ten? Who does that?!"

Then the Radford head player came up to us to discuss our rivalry and how much fun it is to play each other.

Whoa! In girl world, this would never happen. First of all, if it is your third time playing a team, you want to sit together and talk about how #14 has super fat legs or how #12 dropped an F-Bomb last match. If the refs were missing calls, each time would be reveling in the glory of putting it to the other. There would be no honesty!

If a girl fan came to talk to us at all, it would be to describe how snotty she always thought we were but how now she's figured out she's wrong.

And no one on either team would approach the other to say anything. It would all be catty and competitive sizing up their warm-ups, their boyfriends, their brothers, and the way they were their hair or make up. "Hey, did you see the amount of make up she had on? Doesn't she know she's playing a sport?"

Although I'm not used to it, I think I like the guys' way better.

A Volleyball Memoir

When Husband and I first began dating, I went with his volleyball team to the UVA tournament they were playing in. I don't know if you have ever watched volleyball with me, but I get pretty loud. Anyway, this was when Johnathan was a player and not a coach, so I vehemently defended his team in all they did. From the sidelines.

So this one play, the ball landed in and the guy pursued it but called it out. Triumphantly I cried that it was "IN!" The UVA guy screamed at me to "F***in shut up" since it wasn't my call. Apparently, I had "no business making any calls from the sidelines."

I was kind of stunned. But the guy's adrenaline was pumping and anyways, he wanted to play, so he just stepped back into the court like nothing had happened. One guy on his team whispered to me that they were sorry. The guys on my team just kind of stared, but Husband didn't hear it. (I can't remember why.)

Later, though, he stepped to him. They were called to the ref as captains and asked to introduce themselves, but Johnathan didn't extend his hand. Instead, he leveled a stare at the guy and was like, "You should never lose it like that on my girlfriend again."

The guy kind of freaked out (Husband is a scary black man) and began apologizing like crazy. Johnathan didn't say anything but did shake his hand. Later in the day the guy personally apologized to me.

Today, he and Husband are friends.

The Need Some have to Connect

So, I am back at work. Sundays are always so long. We left around 6:15 and got home around 10 and I went straight to bed. I woke up late, too-- around 7, and I had to drop Husband off at his car. Can I just say I love to sleep?

I am training all week during my work hours, and so I have an out of office reply on my e-mail account. What strikes me as funny are the students who normally e-mail me once a day, but as soon as they get my out of office reply send three or four emails in quick succession. "I need your help!" "Hey, are you receiving my e-mail?" "You will need to call me this afternoon."

Hello! I am OUT OF THE OFFICE! I am NOT ANSWERING your e-mails. I will not be helping you today. The date I will return to the office is next week.

And then they start requesting "read-receipts." I am not reading your e-mail if I am out of the office. You are not going to catch me in some scam that I am lying about being out of the office. Call or e-mail someone else!

{Exhale deeply}

I feel better for yelling...

Committed

This weekend has been devoted to volleyball. Thursday after work-- volleyball. Friday after work and class-- volleyball. Woke up this morning-- volleyball, watched volleyball, played volleyball. I help coach a high school team; my husband helps coach the college team I used to play for. My roommate Rachel still plays for them; my other roommate Tyler shuttles back and forth between the highschool team and the college team to help the scrimmage. There are four people living in our house, and we all leave Buck the chocolate lab at 7 (sometimes 5:30 for Rach) AM and return around 12 hours later. We all arrive home exhausted and sore from our various practices and work outs, make dinner, pretend to study to Special Victoms Unit background, then head to bed aroun 9:30.
This is life. So how do I connect?  How do I make volleyball mean something to life?
My roommate has been answering questions for Liberty's media guide-- what is your defining moment as an athlete? What does volleyball mean to you? What type of person would you be without the sport?  They are difficult, and the four of us have been brainstorming.
What is your defining moment as an athlete? I think this came the day I heard I would have to have knee surgery. For 17 years my whole life had revolved around athletics, and I lost that very suddenly. This changed a lot in my life: I got a few friends back, I redshirted my freshman year of college, I was unable to hide behind the thing I was very good at, I met my husband (he only liked me because I was on crutches, which he thought was cute), and had a lot more free time to waste on God. Also, my left thigh has since not been the same size as my right.
What does volleyball mean to me? My coach and I discussed this my last year playing collegiately. By that time, I had not been able to reach the level I played at before my injury, and I was frustrated, had no confidence, and was constantly exhausted. I used volleyball to stay in shape and to have something to do. Things are much different now that I am coaching. I use volleyball to connect with high school girls. Through volleyball I can reach a completely different demographic-- the same girls I used to stretch and giggle and pepper and tell stories with, are the same girls I get to drive around and laugh at and talk about God to and demonstrate love and commitment.
What type of person would I be without the sport? To put it simply-- I would be lazy, out of shape, bored, and completely bound up within my comfort zone. I would never know the gyms of the East Coast, never have gotten my taste for traveling in sleeper busses. I would never have received a free education. I would never have met Husband, or realized the best way for me to find my place of worship. I would have never grown close to my best friends Lori and Janell, or been able to do anything but read when I went to the beach.
Volleyball has pretty much made me who I am. That's how I connect it with life.