My passion for volleyball started with boxing.
I began boxing as a sport last year after a heartbreak to distract myself.
The more I thought about it, the sadder I would get. School was not enough of a distraction, so I found boxing to be a temporary solution.
One day, I finished my routine and sat down on the volleyball court bench in the Texas Southmost College Recreation Center.
A practice match was taking place. I sat there and waited for it to start when I heard someone call me and ask me if I wanted to play.
Of course, I refused since I had never played. The people on the court insisted I play and I eventually said yes. I got on the court with my boxing shoes and stayed in a corner.
I observed how you were supposed to play and tried to blend in. There was a moment where I had to go to the front row and I was nervous.
Surprisingly, I did not do as bad as I thought I would do. Even the people I was playing with asked if this was my first time. I responded with a simple “yes” and left.
The next day, the same thing happened. I did my boxing routine and was invited to play. This time, however, I declined.
Instead, I did what my dad told me to do when I wanted to learn something new: just watch. I just watched them play, day after day.
I learned the proper way to warm up before playing and drills to get good-hitting form. I watched the players hit lines, block, receive and set.
I practiced by myself right after everyone left. The players would ask me to join in every other day and I would decline not because I didn’t want to play, but because I didn’t feel worthy of playing with such amazing players.
The way each team was coordinated to score a point was astonishing to me. After a couple of months, I started to have conversations with some of the players. One player, Eder Perez, was kind enough to teach me how to improve my technique.
I practiced with him for a couple of months before playing with the group I first played with. Shortly after, I joined a league outside of school and kept practicing every day against the wall. Eventually, I befriended the volleyball group.
Since then, I have competed in two tournaments, including one hosted by the North American Gay Volleyball Association (NAGVA) in San Antonio.
The NAGVA tournament allowed me to go from being an unranked player to a BB one, which is described by the association’s website as having a good understanding of the game and its objectives.
As time passes, I continue to make new friends, get more blocks, play more games and improve.
I went from trying to distract myself from a stupid thought to finding a sport I love and I’ve gotten so much from it. I have never loved a sport like this one before.
