Dina Bengelsdorf - Week 2 - The Sky is the Limit

 Dina Bengelsdorf - Week 2 - The Sky is the Limit

Although I love to work out, I most definitely do not consider myself an athlete. I was a member of my old school’s varsity basketball team from freshman to junior year, but still, I consider it more of a hobby than a passion. So why would I try out for DKJA’s high school volleyball team? My senior year is filled with AP classes and college applications, so I barely have time for extracurriculars as is. But I wanted to try something new. I wanted to leave my comfort zone and do something I could have never pictured myself doing, even if that would lead to embarrassment or failure. Plus, I would be doing it with my friends and hopefully incorporating a good amount of cardio into my daily routine.

Tryouts were not easy. I could withstand the conditioning; the suicides were doable. But obtaining the skills of passing, setting, and hitting were not very straightforward. Regardless, I felt myself feeling more excited to come back. Maybe my arms got stronger or my technique got better, but I saw within a couple of days that my passes got higher, my serves went further, and my hitting became more powerful. So after I accomplished getting onto the team, it would now be necessary to work even harder so that I could play in the first game. 

Practicing four days a week seemed absurd at first, but I came to understand that the more practice I had, the more I improved. But, just as importantly, I was having fun. I met people on the team that I had never seen before. And once I meet someone, I begin seeing them in the hallways or during lunch. It was between tryouts and the first game that I was really able to become friends with everyone. I had joined a smaller community that I am so excited to continue the season with. 

Just last week, we won our first game! I played well (I hope!) and cheered my teammates on throughout the game. I remembered my basketball season from last year and the combination of nervousness and adrenaline that had us all at the edge of our bench. I loved the feeling of working to achieve a goal and then actually getting the reward for that work. The emotion I felt after we won the last point is something that I’d like to hold onto so that I stay motivated through the rest of the season.

All because of an impulse decision I made the day before volleyball tryouts, I now have something to look forward to almost every day after school. I am a part of a great team and, win or loss, have fun during every game or practice. My only regret is that I haven’t done more before now. If I had joined volleyball my freshman year, I would be much better than I currently am. But I’m glad I took the chance, because now I don’t have any regrets about the decisions I am making in the present. So, whether that may be a school club, sports team, or any other activity, we can not get better without pushing ourselves past what we perceive our limit to be. In reality, we are all capable of so much more, and we need to remember that as we navigate through our final year of high school and beyond.