Volleyball is a sport that I have picked up more recently. Specifically, at the beginning of Freshman year. My intro to the sport definitely wasn't typical either...
Leading into the year, I had been watching an anime about volleyball called "Haikyuu"; and I absolutely loved it. So much so that I wanted to join the volleyball team for Burncoat. Now while this may seem both nerdy and silly, it actually taught me a very important lesson.
Prior to joining the team, I was so excited that I had bought a volleyball for myself and was practicing everyday, despite never having played the sport. By try-outs, I was skilled enough to be declared a "freshman-prodigy" and made JV-Varsity split, while captaining the JV team. And I was absolutely hooked. I had so much enthusiasm and motivation to be good at volleyball, that I pushed myself to meet that goal; while having fun doing it. This for me was a first-hand experience of how hard-work and passion allows you to achieve your goals. Despite having no innate talent or prior experience, I found myself proud and content with my achievement.