When speaking of the term volleyball, some may conclude that it's just a white ball that gets hit around or that it's simply another sport that individuals play. In reality, it's more than that. It's been a blessing for me to continue to play volleyball. As a student-athlete, I must maintain several responsibilities at one time. Sometimes, we must endure what we don't want to keep going. I may not remember my very first day, but I remember the day I fell in love with volleyball. We had lost our first set everyone was upset with one another, not me. I was so focused that I hadn't realized that I was smiling the whole time; the coach called time and asked why I was glowing. I responded with, “I'm having fun”. Anxiously waiting to go back, with that response, the rest of the team started to pick up their feet and make amends with one another. Being able to win that day put fuel on that little flame. Imagining my life without volleyball seems impossible; finding a way to balance my academics and extracurricular activities has become overwhelming. Over the years, the responsibility of playing volleyball has pulled some weight; having essays due late at night, missing classes early the next morning, and not doing homework because of practice. I've been fond of power naps since that's the only time when things seem to stop. There were times when I thought of throwing in the towel because I couldn't handle what was being thrown at me. Multiple skills have been attained: communication, time management, and judgment, and just a few skills that I have picked up on throughout the season. They've assisted me throughout my everyday life, I now have a successful business while maintaining a job. On top of it I'm a fourth-year student athlete at Crossroad Academy. I can't let go of it. But doubt consistently clouds my thoughts. Having something to look forward to every season, I can't imagine living without it. I love the sport but what really gives me the courage to continue playing are the people who stand beside me. The way I see it, the team on the other side of that court are obstacles to help me get to where I want to be. I realized that setting boundaries only hinders your resolve. With that, I visualize myself as my quintessential athlete. With every step I took, I had to push myself and reject my limits. Envisioning a brighter future with the love I have for this sport. Within the past six years, I've learned that some tasks can’t be accomplished in one big step; it takes time and requires an eminence amount of dedication and perseverance. Winning? Losing? It doesn't matter; the thrill of playing on a team against another gives me enough reasoning to continue to play. There will be some games where we fumble. There will be mistakes. But in the end, playing volleyball is worth it. To me, it's not just a game. Volleyball gives me my drive to keep going.