When I decided to try out for volleyball my senior year of high school, I was so nervous. I had always been very athletic, but never played a sport like this other than during p.e. at school. But I decided to go for it and take the chance to try something new. The moment I walked into the gym I saw numerous girls performing volleyball drills and hits and I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Coach Deatrea Jones came up to my family and I and greeted us with a big smile and handed us the tryout form. She was so friendly and it made me feel at home on the court. As we were starting the drills she asked me if I was a tennis player because she thought I looked like one; I 'm not, but hearing that as a compliment from her meant a lot to me. Coach Jones was …show more content…
She created an environment where we could be ourselves and where we were rewarded when we did well and pushed to be our best selves always. We also had a lot of fun. All of the girls were so sweet and talented, and I think being with Coach Jones brought us close together. Her best friend was a breast cancer survivor, so our team was called the Pink Panthers. We showed our support for breast cancer month by wearing pink jerseys, hair bows, socks, shoelaces, and sparkly monogrammed sweatpants. This reminded me of the importance of supporting the people you care about. I had to miss the team picture day to take the act and even though she was disappointed, Coach Jones still gave me so many words of encouragement, telling me that she knew I would do well. She would even periodically ask me how my college prep activities were going. Her sweet, uplifting nature made such a wonderful impact on me and I feel so blessed to have been a part of her volleyball team. Even though we didn 't win very many games, Coach Jones served as a reminder that in the end, it 's not about whether you win or lose; it 's about how many lives you touched in the