#perserveranceandcommitment

Today was the second session for ISSEA training. A whole lot of people showed up today and it was a really good turn out. However, I did not enjoy today’s session very much. We were divided into different teams and I just felt our team did not have good team spirit. Failing to build up the team spirit sort of made it hard to play as a team and we were all over the place. Moreover, the fact that there wasn’t much team spirit caused no one to take the games seriously and that really angered me. I am okay with not being the strongest team but when people do not put in as much effort as I put in I get really ticked off. Due to this, I did not play my best either. 

Today’s session was a big lesson for me. I have realised that I will not always be placed in a team with intense team spirit so I should deal with it and also take initiative to try and increase the spirit myself. 

We had out first volleyball training in the MPH today. I find volleyball season very rushed and overwhelming because it all goes by so quickly. Unlike ISSEA football or basketball, we only have 7 weeks to prepare for ISSEA volleyball and with more than half the team gone, it can be quite challenging to try and replace the skills and team work that was previously present. If you are not very good at volleyball, the activity can be quite overwhelming because there isn’t much time for an individual to improve all that much. But all is possible! I am determined to work even harder this year and just improve my skills generally. 

IST is hosting ISSEA this year and it is going to be a memorable event. I remember when I was in 7th grade, we hosted ISSEA and I found it incredibly inspiring how all these big looking girls can control the ball and execute such skill. To think that I could possibly be one of those girls is  incredibly exciting, a) because I just realized how old I am (senior year :O) and b) because I have noticed how far I have come. Never in a million years did I think that I would actually be good at volleyball and execute the same skill that several of these girls were showing. All those P.E lessons have finally paid off! Thank you Mr. Kaskella and Mr. Bahati :D This being my final year, I have finally realized that it is not about ISSEA. It is about the game. Specifically, the love for the game. I have had a grown passion and love for volleyball and football for the last couple of years and would be really happy either way, as long as I am playing the game I love. 

Training today was exciting and incredibly fun. We started off with the usual warm up (pepper), where we ran a few laps then sort of gather in small groups and set, bump and spike the ball to each other. After that we went straight into matches. I particularly enjoyed my team because they were all very enthusiastic and they seemed like all my team mates actually wanted to be there, making the game even more fun! I cannot wait to continue training ad hopefully have a wonderful season! 

Since December break I am unable to attend Mr. Collins’s strength and conditioning class as Mr. Kovacs introduced Wednesday morning practise. However, he recently announced that we will have morning practise every other Wednesday so this allows me to attend Mr. C’s class as well!  I am excited to continue with Mr. C as I have missed working out my upper body. Let the fitness continue!

Unfortunately, volleyball season has finally come to an end and I will miss it terribly. I think my volleyball has improved greatly and I have Ms, Carrie, coach Abby and my fellow team mates to thank for. We had out last game today against a Tanzanian public school, Makongo and they are by far the hardest team to play in all of Dar. We managed to do quite well but we could have done better. However, the team did have an overall better attitude and I think this is very important. We were never this close and we were never this positive. Whenever someone did something wrong it always brought negativity to the team and we ended up losing games. However, we have gotten closer and whenever we do mess up, we are constantly brushing it off and learning from our mistakes. I think we have all grown together as a team and hopefully we will be able to continue this next school year when unfortunately half of our team mates graduates. I am really looking forward to working with everyone next year and I will surely miss volleyball practices!