Definition of "Calvin Volleyball"

Calvin Volleyball. Two words that have undoubtedly had the biggest impact on my life. And two words whose meaning to me has changed throughout my years.

Calvin Volleyball was first introduced to me as a little tyke and have held some of my favorite memories growing up. For those of you that don’t already know, Coach Warners happens to be my Aunt. And so for as long as I can remember, I’ve so to speak, “grown up” with Calvin Volleyball. I can remember attending the Calvin volleyball camps, secretly feeling like the coolest 5^th grader because Coach Warners was my Aunt. I remember coming to every home volleyball game, getting there a whole hour early so I could watch the big girls warm up before the match. I can remember when my little sister Sidney and I got to ride the big Coach Bus with the team to the regional tournament at Wittenberg. Sidney and I would spend every time-out peppering off in the corner of the gym. As that little girl, Calvin Volleyball was my biggest dream. One day I would be one of the cool big girls. One day I would play for my Aunt.

As I got older, volleyball became increasingly more important to me. I had passed the stage of not being able to get my serve over the net, tried out for school teams, and eventually started playing club volleyball. I continued to go to Calvin camps in the summer, and their home matches in the fall when I could. I knew every player on the team. During high school this once far off dream of mine started to become more and more real. Calvin Volleyball wasn’t so out of reach anymore – I was only a few short years away.

The day had finally come. The first home match of my freshman year was here. I put on my Calvin jersey for the first time in the locker room, and as I walked into the gym just minutes before the start of the match, my heart was overflowing. I had accomplished what I dreamed of as a little girl. I was officially a part of Calvin Volleyball and it was exactly what I dreamed it would be. Don’t get me wrong, it was physically and mentally challenging at points, but I finally was experiencing everything I had waited for: bus rides to away matches, getting food after tournaments, playing on our home court in front of tons of fans, wearing a Calvin jersey, and so much more.  

Fast forward to today. School is in full swing as we are almost wrapping up our second week of classes. Saying things have been “busy” would be an understatement. We leave tonight for a tournament at Wittenberg, which means we’ll miss all our Friday classes. My homework load has been piling up already, plus you throw in having to make up work for the classes I’ll miss – stressful! While volleyball is great, I’m spending at least 2.5 hours of my time in practice each day, plus games, and travel time to away matches. My part-time job doesn’t seem like much commitment until it’s in place of the only free time I get during the day. And finally I’m trying to squeeze in time to get to know my new housemates who barely get to see me each day. Now a busy schedule like this is pretty typical for me, and apart from one or two breakdowns during the year, I usually do okay with the packed schedule. This year however is different.  

A couple of months ago, my safe, seemingly perfect and struggle-free life came to an abrupt halt. Family is the one thing in my life that I felt was always a rock for me, and this summer it broke and shattered into a million pieces. I went through all stages of any life-altering event like this one: confusion, anger, pain, hurt, fear, etc. And while this summer was a pretty rough one for me, I was excited for volleyball to start up and be a great distraction from the mess that was happening in my personal life. And volleyball has done just that and I’ve done my best to set aside all the feelings of hurt, anger, pain, and confusion. I had convinced everyone around me: strangers, friends, family, teammates, and frankly myself, that I was doing alright. But the reality of it is, I’m hurting. I’m finding myself feeling bogged down with the weight of school, work, volleyball, friends, and family issues. And I’m covered in layers of stress and hurt that seem impossible to remove.

At our team retreat this year, I shared with the team some of the challenges that this past summer had brought me, and the struggles I was continuing to deal with. And let me tell you, over the past two weeks, I have felt more love and support from these women than I ever knew was possible. So as I sit here typing this blog entry, a little discouraged from my feelings of the past week, tired from a game last night, a 6:30am practice this morning, and a full day of classes, I’m thinking back to that retreat. It’s finally hitting me. I thought I knew what Calvin Volleyball was about my first year a part of the team. But I really didn’t. Now I understand what it really means to be a part of Calvin Volleyball. It’s not about the things I used to dream about as a little girl. It’s not about wearing a Calvin jersey or playing for an arena full of fans. It’s not about the bus rides or the meals after matches. It’s not even about the sport of volleyball. It’s about each and every woman that makes up Calvin Volleyball. And it’s about the relationships we’ve made and are continuing to make with each other. There were times throughout the past couple months where I wondered where God was in everything. But these women have showed me Christ. They have been the hands and feet of Jesus to me through their support and love. God has blessed me immensely with these women and I couldn’t be more thankful. Regardless of what’s happening in my life, both good and bad, I now know without a doubt in my heart, we are 19 sisters strong.

Emily Blankespoor #12  Jr. Defensive Specialist