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Why athletes are considered to be role models
Why athletes are considered to be role models
Physics volleyball
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What can you say when you see a five foot, six-inch Asian male playing on the volleyball courts? Can you say that he is their leader? Can you say he truly belongs on the court as their leader? Or do you look blindly at the taller players, believing it was them that brought the team together? Even though there is no “I” in team, there is someone that unites them behind the curtain. That someone is me.
I have played on the California Academy of Math and Science’s Boys’ Volleyball team since my freshman year. I started like every other freshman—nervous and scared of a higher level of competition. My tryout was shaky; I would make perfect passes, then I wouldn’t. However, my coach saw something in me, and nominated me as Junior Varsity captain.
Volleyball is a game which consists of teams of six which rally a ball over a net. Although anyone can play volleyball, sociologists have used a tool which displays how an individual decides to participate by exploring socio-cultural factors that can influence equity and access within sport. This tool is known as Figueroa’s Framework which was constructed by Peter Figueroa. “Figueroa developed a tool to investigate the issues surrounding access, equity and equality in sport and physical activity.” (12peboard.weebly.com). This framework consists of five levels they are Cultural, Structural, Institutional, Interpersonal and Individual; each level contributes to one another. Equity derived from the word equality looks at the equal opportunity/chance for everyone within any sport, whereas access focuses on the accessibility to equipment, a court, coaches etc. Both these elements have major impacts on whether the individual can easily participate and feel welcome in the sport. Figueroa’s Framework will be used to observe the Individual and Interpersonal level to self-evaluate my own participation and success in the sport Volleyball. These two levels will be discussed to demonstrate how the sport volleyball can be selected and what impact and effects are taken into consideration of this process and how they respond and develop. Problems in the equity of the sport will be looked and ideas will be discussed which could increase equity in the sport.
I have been a four year letter-winner in volleyball and basketball. Athletics have been a crucial part of developing my character and work ethic. In sports, you must work together with your team to reach your goals. Trust and communication skills are vital and are tested every day. The failure and setbacks I have faced through sports have helped me to believe in myself and have the self-confidence that it takes to be successful in athletics and in life. As a senior captain of the volleyball and basketball teams, my leadership has improved tremendously as high school has progressed. Being a leader holds me accountable and I aim to be a role model for younger teammates on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.
When I found out that I was one of the captains of the Varsity Sideline team, I had a beaming smile and felt satisfied with my achievement. As captain, cheerleaders on the varsity and the JV squads come to me with questions and small issues, and I enjoy the opportunity to help them. I have become even more organized and mature because the coach looks to me for help. Being selected as lead captain has had many rewards, it gave me a boost of confidence and inspired me to campaign for other leadership
Even though that being the captain of the soccer varsity team in high school is the most prestigious position you can have, it is also the one that requires more skills; and not only soccer skills. Suppose that Lamatepec High School from El Salvador is known for being the best soccer team in the nation, but this year things are not going well. With only four games left they are in 3rd in the table, they have lost the past three games against the worst teams in the league and the four games ahead are against some of the top teams. In order to be two-time champions, the team needs to win all of the games. The senior captain of the team Rodrigo Cabrera wants to keep the winning legacy of his high school, and wants graduate
The OU men’s basketball team is a monochronic, masculine, collectivistic, and individualistic co-culture. They come together as a team, but each player has their own identity attached to this co-culture in their own way. One of the teammates, Bob, was kind enough to provide answers to a few questions that will bring a little more understanding to how the players view themselves within their co-culture. All of the members of this co-culture are college students at the University of Oklahoma and range from freshmen to seniors. It is a masculine co-culture because it is a men’s team.
Volleyball represents my most meaningful commitment not just because I have invested so much into it, but also because it it’s a passion of mine and has been a part of my life since elementary school. The impact my coaches and teammates have had on my life has helped make me the confident and determined individual I am today. Volleyball also takes up a lot of time and there are many sacrifices that come with the sport and playing on a team. To keep up my skills, I have had to give up a lot of my free time and parts of my summer. Balancing school with practices was also a challenge, but participating in one of my passions made it worthwhile. I have persevered through difficult times and learned new lessons along the way, so there is nothing that could make this sport less meaningful to me. (148)
Sports play a very important role in my life ever since I could walk. My interests in playing sports began at the age of three as my parents signed me up for soccer, flag football, basketball, and lacrosse. First grade started my competitive edge as I began to play for travel teams in various sport tournaments. This competitive edge transferred from the sports field to the classroom having teachers and coaches helping me be the best I can be. Sports have continually well-shaped and defined my character by teaching me how to accept a win from working hard, also how a loss is an opportunity to learn and fix mistakes.
My days began with going to the gym early in the mornings and going to the park to practice my batting swings and catches in the evening. I even managed to save up some allowance money to spend on the high school’s softball summer camps. However, my time fell short, and the day of the infamous tryouts had begun. My rambling thoughts were running bases through my head. How will I try out in front of hundreds of other girls? Will they laugh at me? Would I even make it? Will my friends make it? While my anxiety got the better of me, the head coach yelled out my name, and I slowly and steadily walked up to the batting box, and got ready for the pitcher to toss a fastball at me. Time slowed down as I anticipated the pitch; my fingers almost lost the grip on my bat waiting, but then, I saw the softball coming my way. I took a deep breath, and I hit it as hard and as fast as I could; it made it all the way to the outfield. I stood there shocked that I could do that, grinned ear to ear, and did a little happy dance on my way back to the line. My friends were celebrating and came up to high-five me when I got to the end of the line, and the varsity first basemen, a celebrity in my eyes, came up and complimented me on how far I hit the softball. A varsity member had spoken to me.
After playing three years in the recreational league, I naively believed that my stud-like skills were needed for bigger and better things. Unfortunately, no one told me that I would be the shortest girl at the travel team tryout, by at least 5 inches. Needless to say, I did not make the cut; however, that did not stop me from trying out again, and again, and again. I could not wrap my 11-year-old mind around why I was not qualified to earn a spot on the team. I was the go-to-girl in the recreational league. Heck, I was voted MVP every year.
When my participation of volleyball is analysed from an individual level it was clear that my effort and participation was not always consistent. One of the main contributing factors was that on some days i was feeling tired and worn out, which would affect my gameplay because i would either sit down or not put any effort in on the court. Another leading factor which altered my participation was my hand-eye coordination which during the first few weeks of playing volleyball made it rather difficult to have consistent hits. Another constraint that will affect my future precipitation in volleyball is that i wouldn’t have enough time to complete the full set up, game and pack up process, because if i make it into the police the amount of time i will be spending at the gym and actually working i will be unable to dedicate 2-4 hours of my day for a game or two of volleyball. Which is why i think the individual level will be the most influential level as i feel i wont be bothered in spending the time and effort playing and planning to play volleyball.
I feel that this relates to my volleyball risk in a unique way. I felt that if I stayed on JV then I may not be substantial enough to substitute into the varsity games. If I stayed on JV no one would be able to substitute with me and I would have played the entire game. After taking the risk, and joining varsity, I ended up being able to work alongside my other teammates. In a weird was, my volleyball experiment correlates with
On the first day of practice, approximately fifteen girls showed up wearing either their school uniforms, or worn-down clothing. I explained the game of volleyball as best I could, but the only thing they wanted to know was why a white girl was wasting her time trying to coach a group of poor, African American girls.
Tryouts are torturous for me because I get nervous while doing anything in front of others. For instance, I would do great at the practices before and when I practiced at home, but as soon as I got to tryouts I wouldn’t be able to do anything. This is exactly what happened at freshman year volleyball tryouts. I couldn’t serve a single time. The fact that I wasn’t able to serve as soon as tryouts started and that I couldn't do anything about it made me incredibly angry. As a result, I made JV and then cried my eyes out. I wanted to quit. I didn't want to play anymore at all. I was annoyed at how every year, I would try so hard and wouldn’t be able to achieve my goal. Moreover, one of my friends, all she would do before tryouts was to say which team she wanted to get on, and it would happen. No matter how much it seemed impossible, she always got on the best team. At this point, I was really tempted to drop out of the team. I was done trying so hard and not being able to achieve my goals. I wanted to quit the sport, but then my dream of becoming a college volleyball player kept coming back to me. I finally decided I was going to keep playing and work even
3 years ago I wanted to play another sport. I didn’t have many options so i thought volleyball was a good choice. I first played for rec but then i realized I was a little better than everyone else and I wanted to get on a better team. I found WVA and I have been playing for them for 2 years now. Ever since I joined club my skills have gotten a lot better.
White, S. A., Psychological Skills: Differences between Volleyball Players on the Youth National Team and Those Involved in the 14’s High-Performance Camp, Unpublished Thesis, Illinois State University, Normal, IL.