When I was younger I danced and played softball. Dance made me close to my mother and softball my father. Softball allowed for me and my dad to connect through a sport that he could actually be interested in and interact in. I got to a certain point in softball where I was too young to move up anymore and the sport became boring and excessive. I was having more fun in dance and I honestly believed that I was naturally better at it too. Leaving softball, I also left behind one of the best things that kept my dad and I close. I continued danced for many years after softball, slowly increasing that gap between me and my father.
The summer before freshman year of high school, I tried out for the dance team and made it, but one of my best friends told me to also try out for volleyball. She told me it was a week long tryout, but you learned the basics and it would give me a chance to decide if I liked the sport or not. After the first few days of playing, I had found my new favorite sport. I made the team and now had to decide between a sport that I had been doing for my whole life, or ditching it for a brand new sport.
I had decided to try volleyball in the hopes that maybe this sport would connect me and my father a bit more. If I was in a classic high school sport, he could come to games and cheer me on and we could have something to discuss over the dinner table.
I have now been playing volleyball for over seven years and my connection with my father has never been stronger. He has gotten so involved with the sport and pushes me to become the best player that I can be. Although I am now away at college playing the sport, he still watches the games online and is always a phone call away for support or advice.
Sports are a wonderful way for people to connect and bond, volleyball saved my relationship with my father and I'm so grateful.
