The hot August air
takes my breath away
I’m perspiring and I haven’t
even out on my gear.

I’m already nervous about
what today will bring when
I notice coach thumbing
through her notes.

My thoughts are suddenly interrupted when
coach yells, “get on the line.”
as I’m running the sprints and stretching
I can feel my heart beating as fast
as my minds racing.

As I look around I see the determination
of the upper classmen
who’ve been through this before
as my freshmen friends and I
battle it out for a spot.

Coach calls the drills
but I’m just going through the motions
my legs are moving and my stomachs flipping.

After three hours of intensity and worry
coach finally calls lunch
I know I should eat but
my nerves won’t let me
my freshmen friends talk amongst ourselves waiting for
lunch to be over with.

When coach called us over
I knew it was time
the moment I had been waiting for all summer
all of the crossfit workouts, vertamax,
summer league it all led up to this.

Coach was pulling us in her room one by one
three seniors and two juniors had been cut
it was finally my turn
I walked into coaches office
all I heard were the words,
“Quincy congrats you made varsity volleyball!”

I was grinning ear to ear
everything I had done had now been worth it
I was now a varsity athlete as a freshmen.