Iowa High Performance 2015

It’s almost summer and you know what that means… High Performance time! Tryouts are over and results are going to be posted this week. Every year it amazes me how much volleyball talent we have in Iowa, both girls and guys. I think a little over 400 athletes tried out for HP camp this year. It was really cool to see a lot of guys at the tryouts I went to, men's volleyball is growing as a sport and that is exciting! The next step is to get it at the high school level. I’m getting off topic but it is always awesome to see that more guys are trying this awesome sport. Anyway HP this year is going to be a blast, we are hosting the tournament for the second time in 4 years in Des Moines, Iowa. Last year it was in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the year before that Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The first year I made an HP team the HPC’s (High Performance Championships) were in Des Moines. It was an incredible experience. Teams from all over the world, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Hawaii came and competed in both women's and men's. Being surrounded with people from all over that share the same love for volleyball as you is an indescribable feeling. My favorite part about that year was a picnic we held that all of the teams came to and we got to talk to each team, learning some things about where they came from and if they had liked there stay in Iowa so far. We learned a dance from some girls in Hawaii and got a group picture with all of us in front of the Old Capital.

                

This year if I make a team and get the privilege to play in Des Moines again I will be pumped. Last year my team won a silver medal in Oklahoma, so I really want to win gold this year. It will also be a chance to meet new people and since it is only 2 hours away from home my family and friends can come watch. 

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Kennedy Volleyball Senior Year

Senior year is a big deal, especially senior volleyball season. I am super excited and I have already been coming up with ideas for the poster, jerseys, warm ups, shoes, etc. Jerseys are probably the most important thing because that is what we wear while competing. This year for club season we have Nike jerseys and they are really comfortable. 

For our warm ups we want to all look the same and be comfy at the same time so sweats and a sweatshirt or zip up jacket is what we usually do. This year since it is my senior year I thought we could have some cool long sleeve spirit jerseys, which a lot of teams seem to be getting right now. We could wear these to school, over our jerseys or just whenever. I think they look pretty sweet if everyone on a team is wearing them. 

Finally the poster and the fun shirt are other important factors in vball season. Last year the saying on the poster was “Rise as One” and that saying was on the fun shirt too. This year I have thought of a couple of ideas that I think would be cool for the poster and our shirt. My first idea was saying “Bring out the best in each other” and have “Bring em out” on the shirt. Every year in the locker room before games we warm up to the song Bring Em Out. So if our shirt said this I think that would be sweet. The color of the shirt is a hard decision too, last year it was light green. This year I think if we did a magenta color that would look good if we got green or black jerseys.

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Committing to Loyola

My biggest dream has come true. A goal that I have had since I started playing. A dream that has been looked over by many people. A goal that I have never gave up on. Playing Division 1 volleyball. About a month ago I committed to play the sport I love at Loyola University in Chicago. After going there on a visit a little over 3 months ago I knew that Loyola was the right fit for me. 

It is an awesome school, with a great biology program. I want to be a pre-med major so picking a school with good academic opportunities was important in my decision. Loyola also has a brand new campus and it is right on the lake. They have the coolest library I have ever seen, it is all glass and 1 of the floors is all computers. The best view of the lake is out the library window and it is amazing. I got to see where they play and it is the perfect size. It is so sweet and I can’t wait to play there. I met some of the team and they were all extremely nice and seemed to really like it at Loyola. I watched them practice and I could see myself practicing with them. I just got an awesome feeling watching it and being in that environment. The coaching was very 1 on 1 and I liked all of the positive feedback the players were getting. The coaches are awesome and I love their coaching style. That was really important in my decision too. I think this is really something that only you can know if it is the right fit for you.

Loyola also has the #1 men's volleyball team in the Nation. Men's volleyball is so much different than Women’s and if you have never watched guys play, you should. It is so fun to watch and the coaches at Loyola said that the men's and women's teams are very supportive of each other and sometimes will even practice with each other. So I am looking forward to that, having a men's team that is representing the same school as me will be sweet. Another plus about going to LU is that Michigan Ave. is 20 minutes from campus, so whenever I have time outside of volleyball I can shop at all of my favorite stores. Beach volleyball is something I wanted to be able to continue in college, and at LU some of the girls either play in beach leagues or coach club teams which would both be awesome opportunities. I am so pumped to go to Loyola I can’t even contain my excitement.

The recruiting process for me was fun because I met a lot of awesome people but it was a great feeling when I committed, I still can’t believe I accomplished that dream that I have had for so long. Hard work really does pay off. The biggest thing I would say to younger athletes is never give up on your dreams. If you truly believe that you can reach your goals and you don’t have any doubts in your abilities, you will get there. Just know that you will have to work really hard until you get there.

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