It's hard to believe that only a few months ago I was still in high school unsure of where I even wanted to go to college. I went on an overnight visit with the volleyball team at RC in March and I totally forgot how awkward it was until today when a recruit came to stay with me. Now this wasn't a random girl I had never met before, this was a girl who goes to my high school and was on my volleyball team for as long as I can remember. I didn't think that she would be so nervous visiting. She came to our game on Friday and right after she was going to ride back to RC and stay the night with me. As I was talking with her she kept on mentioning how she didn't know what to do, or if she should even go to dinner with us. She didn't want to be weird or be shunned. I was thinking to myself why are you so nervous it's just the team. They are all so funny and nice. She ended up going to dinner with us. Which as usual was Wendy's because our coach just loves that place. When we sat down to eat Michaela, the recruit, didn't sit with us. She sat with her dad until I invited her to sit with the rest of the team.
Michaela is not a shy girl and she can be really loud so I was shocked that at dinner she barely said a word. Again I was thinking don't be nervous! They don't bite, I promise!
After dinner I called my dad and I mentioned how nervous Michaela was. He responded by reminding me of when I went on my recruiting visit. I hadn't even thought about my experiences until he brought it up. I realized how awkward and nervous I felt when I visited. It's weird being with people you don't know. You don't want to say the wrong thing, because you don't want them to think you're weird. I barely talked on my recruiting visit, because the girls seemed so intimidating. Now being on the team with all the girls I stayed with last year makes me laugh at how nervous I was. These girls are honestly so nice and would include anyone new.
Now I know how Michaela feels being in a new place with people you don't know. It's terrifying. You freak yourself out by thinking of the worst scenarios that could happen when really nothing bad happens. You just feel so out of place, like you don't belong. I just remember wanting to shout to the girls "I'm good at volleyball I promise, and I have friends so I'm a normal person. Don't think I'm a weirdo!"
I could not imagine being at any other college or being on any other volleyball team. It's weird to think that only a few months ago RC wasn't my home. I feel like from Michaela coming to visit it put everything in perspective for me. I took a moment and just was shocked when I realized how much my life has changed in the last few months. It is seriously crazy to think about.
I remember going on my first overnight visit up in P.A. and i was so scared because I didn't know what to expect. You explained how you felt perfectly. I liked when you talked about how this experience made you realize how much you have changed. Really good post!
ReplyDeleteI Liked how you told the story of the recruit, related it back to yourself and at the end said that you have changed. The story was relatable to yourself and you were able to make the connection clear. I thought it was a good post.
ReplyDeleteI was really freaked out on my over night. The thought of being with complete strangers that could possible become my teammates and best friends really freaked me out. I liked how you talked about how your perspective of the team changed once you became close to them.
ReplyDeleteI love your post! The fact that our lives have changed so much is something I think about a lot too! I like how you compared the recruits experience to yours.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. This really gives me a window into your life--both before, and now.
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