NIKE

            This year my club is sponsored by Nike, which is by far my favorite brand. We got Nike knee pads, spandex, volleyball shoes, jerseys, warm up pants, warm up jacket, and a backpack. In order to keep our sponsorship with Nike we can’t wear anything but Nike at practices or tournaments, because if someone was to post a picture on Instagram with let’s say an Underarmour headband on we could lose the sponsorship.
          Nike volleyball shoes are my favorite volleyball shoes, so I am glad we get to wear those. I just got new ones but a lot of girls have started to wear basketball shoes for volleyball. I am not sure if they are more comfortable or what, but they have some cool designs so I might have to look in to that for next club season or maybe this school season. Nike spandex are definitely my favorite so that’s a plus too. Nike also makes some sweet socks that are CIA colors (Volt and Black) so I wear those at tournaments. I have never worn Nike knee pads before this year, but I really like them and I would definitely recommend them to other players. I really like our warm ups this year, too. We got skinny (Soccer pants) sweatpants that work really well to warm up in, and cool white zip up jackets with CIA embroidered on the front.

          For next season my team was thinking about getting long sleeve warm ups (they are called spirit jerseys) that have the big arched letters on the back. I think they would be more comfortable to warm up in, compared to our zip up jackets this year. I also customized some Nike Roshes that have my name and number on the back of them that match our colors. My team got team tennis shoes too. They are just plain black and white roshes. I have gotten some pretty sweet stuff from being sponsored by Nike, so if you have a choice I would say choose Nike :) 

Spirit Jerseys: Examples

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Most Important Things to Remember as a Volleyball Player

I have learned a lot about myself as a person and an athlete from having a passion for volleyball and following my dreams. Spending so much time working for a goal, and having that hard work pay off is the best feeling ever. I have been playing volleyball since I can remember and I have looked up to players that have gone on and played in college and even professionally. It is crazy to think that younger girls might be looking up to me as a player now. I can remember when I was that age, doubting my abilities and wondering if I could ever be as good as the players I looked up to. There were probably some times when I didn't want to stick with it, but I loved the game so much I never stopped. Throughout all of these years playing, I have figured out some things that I think are important to know as a volleyball player.

It is weird to think that I only have 1 high school season and 1 club season left, but I am so excited to be able to continue playing at the D1 level at Loyola in Chicago. I have learned so much from working towards my dream and making it become a reality, I thought I would share some of these things. I think the biggest thing I would tell younger athletes is to never give up, no matter what anyone says about your abilities. If you start to doubt yourself that is when you will not be successful. People will tell you your dreams are too big, or you will never get to where you want to be. You have to learn how to ignore these comments and focus on improving your skills and becoming the best player you can be. One day when I was watching a division 1 college match I asked myself "why can't that be me?" and from then on I knew I was going to work harder than ever to get to that level.

Trust me you will be knocked down multiple times, whether its not making a team or something someone says, but just remember to always believe in yourself. If you set a goal, no matter how high it is, I guarantee you that if you work hard every day and truly believe that you can reach that goal, you will. You can't have any doubts and you have to work your butt off, but you can do it. Don't ever give up on something you have that much passion for.

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