10/13/2026
I love when the volleyball community does its thing. Mia is a 6th grader looking to play club for the first time this fall. She put a call out help. She recently had a deviating loss in her family and that family member was also and organ donor recipient. She was looking for some financial support to cover the cost of club.
Club volleyball has been increasingly becoming more and more a sport of economic privilege. I have been trying to fight this as much as I can with offering free lessons, free access to reps during other lessons, and reduced registration fees for my camps and tournaments. I never want money to be the reason a kid can’t play.
On top of all that, I know what it’s like to go through such a hardship with a sick family member. My mom had a heart and liver transplant in 1996, only to die waiting for a kidney transplant in 2004 (actually the anniversary is this Saturday). During those times of uncertainty and fear, I relied on volleyball to get me through. It was my life line. And there were many times when club was going to be tight financially for us, but my coach always wanted to make sure I had access to the game.
I continue to pay it forward today. Me, Lucy, Nick, and Sonia all got to work with Mia on Sunday and it was so great to give back to a kid that really deserves this. I’m looking forward to seeing her next week and at club open house.
