When I was little I spent my weekends being dragged around the state of Florida to my older sister’s volleyball tournaments. It was grueling being in a frigid gym all day, waiting in-between games and being away from home. During the week, I was sitting in on their practices or watching their high school team’s play. I was only in elementary school but it seemed like volleyball controlled my life and I wasn’t even playing! The time I spent watching, motivated my desire to play. I started to play club (travel ball) in 8th grade and two years later my dad dragged me reluctantly out of my room crying and forced me to try out for the more talented club teams in town. As a father he saw my potential and I ended up making the “elite” team. Volleyball…show more content… I learned time management, responsibility, teamwork and dedication. These skills were just the foundation I needed to be successful in my next step.
As I started reaching out to colleges I fell in love with the idea of Hillsborough Community College (HCC) in Tampa, FL. It was one of the top programs in the state and since I wasn’t sure what I wanted out of volleyball or school it seemed like the perfect start. My coach, Gary Larkin, trained me to be an intelligent volleyball player and an even better leader. I believe that I was blessed with many qualities of a great leader but Coach Larkin was the one who brought them to life. I was voted a captain in my sophomore season and took on more responsibility and pressure than I knew I was capable of. I became the barrier of bad news between the coaches and the players and for that I was often disliked. I was supposed to be the go-to player and make the play to decide whether we win or lose the game. I was never that player before, this was all new to me, and difficult. Technical skills involve knowledge of operations, activities, and processes necessary to accomplish organizational goals and objectives. (Gillentine & Crow 2009, p.51) HCC is