If you have ever played competitive club sports, you’ll be able to relate to what I’m about to say.  Imagine playing as hard as you can only to have your teammates throw all of your hard work away. This has happened to me many times during my club volleyball season.  Week after week I try to give one hundred percent effort on the court only to be disappointed. Especially since I think we can do much better.

I’m the libero on my club volleyball team, which is a defensive specialist whose job is to keep the ball in play any way I can.  This means I’m constantly diving for “hard to get balls.” It’s extremely frustrating for me when I dive for a ball and make a pass, only to have my teammates let the ball drop or hit it out of bounds. Sometimes it seems that they don’t even care or want to win. The longer the season goes the more aggravating this has gotten for me

The most “painful” part of all this are the court burns and bruises I get when I’m diving for balls.  I never let my injuries affect the way I play, so it’s extremely irritating when my teammates complain about theirs when they don’t play as hard as I do. My family has always told me to play my hardest and play through the pain. I understand that different people deal with pain in their own way, but that doesn’t mean you should act like a baby.

Win or lose, it sometimes seems like I’m the only player on my team who tries.