ATHLETIC JOURNEY

Recently, I’ve been watching and playing a lot of beach volleyball, which sparked a new role model for me. His name is Taylor Crabb, a professional beach volleyball player who’s a multi AVP champion. He’s a really experienced player, but the reason as to why I admire what he does is because he’s the smallest guy out on the court. He’s 6’0 tall, and although that seems pretty tall to most, it’s actually considered pretty short to the other pros that play. Most of the “smaller” guys that play are around 6’3 or 6’4, but what makes Taylor special isn’t just his height, but how high he jumps. Even though he’s the smallest guy out there, he’s one of the strongest hitters. He’s able to jump and get his head level or higher than the net, and either hit a smart cut shot or just hammer away. I’ve been watching how he plays, and I’ve been trying to sculpt my playstyle around his. I’m only 5’9, so seeing someone else that’s considered short competing with all the big boys, gives me hope.

During my sophomore year in California, I decided to tryout for the school’s tennis team. Longer story short, I tried out, beat everyone, and ended up being the number one player at our High School. So after a few months of playing against other schools, beating them, we were invited to a ranked tournament in Fresno, California. It was a long, 6 hour drive, but it was a lot of fun. After we checked into our hotel, I set up my WII and had all the guys inside of our room, “warming up” before the first day of the tournament the next morning. Fast forward, it’s our first day of the tournament. We had an insanely strong start. Since I was the number one player at our school, I had to play against all of the number one players from the other schools that were also invited to the tournament. We all won majority of our games, and advanced to the second and final day of the tournament. During my final match, my shoe blew out, and I hit the ground hard, literally ripping the top layer of skin off my knee. My coach was this close to forfeiting the match, but I had to get the win. So, I decided to keep playing, and even though I was limping for the rest of the match, I pulled through and got the win. Our team then advanced from Division 6, all the way to Division 4.  

If you think you are beaten, you are.

If you think you dare not, you don’t.

If you’d like to win, but you think you can’t.

It is almost a cinch that you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost.

For out of the world we find

Success begins with a fellow’s will

It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re outclassed, you are.

You’ve got to think high to rise.

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win the prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man.

But sooner or later the man who wins

What a surprise! Tri-athlete Richard Steele runs a blog about… sports?! And his most recent reblogged image is… two beautiful women playing beach volleyball?! 

Just kidding. We all know our Knights rule, on and off the sand. Volleyball is a pretty popular sport here, and it’s just one of the few things Saipan has in common in the PNW. None of my siblings played volleyball, but we all attended semi-elite educational Catholic institutions- which, undoubtedly, spawned some seriously talented volleyball players. 

Just like the ones here. Although Saipan is much smaller than my home-states, the dedication of our athletes measure up, and maybe even surpasses that of the some athletes I know from Washington and Oregon.  For my first post as a guest, I want to write about one of the most exciting volleyball games I’ve ever witnessed: this year’s 2021 Highschool Boys Beach Volleyball championship match. 

I can’t put it any better than how Marianas Variety’s sports reporter James Sablan Jr. wrote, “The boys of Mount Carmel School proved that they are the best in the Public School System 4v4 Beach Volleyball League after edging Grace Christian Academy, 16-21, 21-15, 16-14, in a hard-fought title game Saturday at the Fiesta Resort & Spa beach”. Our Knights proved they are the best. 

Although academic and extracurricular achievements are generally highly esteemed among the public, especially in the private school sector, I argue that athletic achievements should be regarded as one and the same with the two. Regardless of a student’s academic standing, putting in hours almost every day after school throughout the week takes serious commitment and dedication. Yet, that is just one component of why our boys won this championship match. 

The other component is talent. I’ve always admired Dr.G, the president of our school, for always making time to watch the championship game of any sport if our Knights are competing. I was surprised to learn that his veteran observational and analytical skills are just as sharp on the sand as they are in the classroom. If I’m remembering correctly, he turned to me and said, “Our boys are truly talented and hardworking athletes. I really am proud of all of our Knights athletes and how dedicated they are to their sports. Not only is Sam a great setter, but his serves are consistent and deadly. Richard and Merrick are always beasts on the attack, and it all isn’t possible without J-Boy’s flawless passes. They’re going to win this one”. 

And they did. 

Yes, the game was a nailbiter, and undoubtedly intense. Yes, the GCA boys had given our Knights their first lost set in the entire tournament. But there was not a single moment where I lost faith that we would win. Arguably, the only thing that our Knight family lost that day was… our voices from cheering on Richard, Merrick, J-Boy, and Sam. 

Dad: You're a junior now, which sport do you wanna play in college?

Me: I'm not sure yet, I love playing everything.

I just moved to California for my sophomore year. After two weeks of living in California, I was told about this soccer club about 20 minutes from where I lived, so, I decided to try out for the team. I showed up to their first tryouts, and it was a little rough at first. I didn’t know anyone, and everyone on the team was kinda giving me that “Oh it’s a new kid” sort of look. We got into the first couple of drills, and I was taking it slow to get a feel of how the team plays. Tryouts ended, and the coaches pulled me over telling me that I made the team, and that they’re going to be giving me my uniform and gear before the first tournament on the following weekend. Fast forward, I’m in my family’s car, on our way to my first game. I have to admit, I was a little nervous since it was my first game playing in California. We arrive to the field, and as I’m getting out the car to warm-up, my dad tells me, “Hey. Let’s show ‘em how you play.” Skipping ahead through the game, my coach decides to put me up top to play as a striker. When he did this I thought, now I can showcase my speed. Sure enough, I’m sprinting passed players, running with the ball, and even assisted my teammate on the game winning goal. After the game, all of the parents and players on my team started talking to me, saying they haven’t seen anyone with my speed in a while, and this led to me being the main scorer on our team, and built strong trust and friendships amongst me and my teammates.