Lessons Learned from the Volleyball Court

by
Patti Dickinson

No blog yesterday. That's because I left the house at 6:20 a.m. with my husband, my daughter Meghan, and her friend and teammate, Laine. It is our turn to drive. Still dark. Two kids, slumped in the backseat, fleece blankets up to their chins. Both with zip lock bags full of Trix cereal for a sugar boost when they arrive in Leavenworth, a forty-five minute drive from Kansas City where we live. They settle in for part two of their night's sleep. Two adults in the front, both with enough liquid caffeine to see them through the morning. Completely quiet in the backseat. 

This is club volleyball. This is an add-on to the regular high school season. A chance for kids to sharpen their skills in the off-season. But it is so much more than that. A chance for the kids to rub elbows with kids who don't go to their high school. A chance for them to practice getting up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning. They don't see the benefit of that right now. The better question is --- Is there one??? A chance to depend on one another, a chance for them to make mistakes and get a pat on the back from several teammates anyway. A chance for them to forgive another's screw-up. A chance for them to realize that this is just a game. It's supposed to be fun. It's a chance for them to learn to screen out out-of-control parents who are screaming and red-faced, throwing up their hands every time a mistake is made, a ball is missed or a serve doesn't make it across the net. It's a way for them to keep a stiff upper lip when they are being singled out by the coach for some sloppy playing on the court. That maybe they need to just bite their lip and not burst into tears, but instead look around at their teammates and derive strength from their empathic looks. To learn that coaches, too, are human.

The ride back home wasn't too much different from the one going. Some hindsight insights from the kids in the backseat. Once that was done, they got quiet, ate some bagel chips, and snoozed.

Good day, all around. I love the bleacher time. I love watching Meghan play. It's a way for my 5'10" daughter to "sing" on the court. Polite, gentle Meghan finds a way to compete. This is the same kid who in elementary school played basketball and would steal the ball from the opponent and stop and APOLOGIZE!!! Really.