Serve It Up: A Girl's Experience of Athleticism and A New Passion

Chapter 1

     The first day of tryouts had started. 26 girls, social, shy, tall, short, and sassy girls, sat alongside and my friend against the bleachers of the school gymnasium.
     "Alright, everyone know the basics of volleyball? Bump, set, spike?" Mr. Gulinsky, the volleyball coach said after setting up the volleyball net across the gym. Everyone nodded in reply, and a few "yeah"s were murmered.
     "Well, alright then. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mr. Gulinsky, or Mr. G. for short. Everyone partner up!" Mr. G. announced. Feet shuffled around as everyone who wasn't already next to a friend looked for another partnerless girl within the group.
     "Alright, everybody has a partner now. Right?" Mr. G. asked. No one disagreed. "Okay then. I would like for you all to just, well, bump the ball back and forth." My friend, Haley, and I did so.
     "No no no, that's not bumping. That's setting. There's a difference, you know." could be heard from some other girl talking to her partner who was probably uneducated in volleyball, who blatantly started wailing, tears streaming out of her eyes. In reply, the first girl turned around and exclaimed a huge "yeesh!" as she through her hands into the air.
     Mr. Gulinsky, who was trying his best to take care of the sensitive student, shouted to the rest of us to join a second pair and hit around with this group - bumping and setting - as he calmed down the poor crying girl.
     "Wow, this is a disaster!" I whispered to Haley as we looked around for another pair of people to join up with.
     "Hey look, it's Ella and Morgan!" Haley suddenly exclaimed.
     "And they are?" I questioned?
     A pair of people without partners who also happen to be my friends," Haley explained to me, and an oh yeah sort of look bloomed over my face.
     "Hi, Haley!" the girl whom I remember calling Ella at some point in time said, a few strides away from being right next to me and Haley.
     "Hey, Ella." Haley replied and gave Ella a hug. "I don't know if you remember her, but this is Maeve." she continued, referring to me.
     "Oh, right! Hello, Maeve," the girl standig next to me started.
     "Hi! I would be correct in assuming you're Morgan, right?" I said, nervous-laughing a little.
     "That's me." Morgan said. And so we practiced hitting around, the ball hitting the ground a lot more than we wanted it to, but having fun anyway.
     The emotional girl no longer crying, we heard "Well alright then. I'll start counting you off into groups of..."Mr. G. started counting girls, then after counting, continued..."7's." And he did so. "Okay, you get on the court and you too." Mr. Gulinsky continued, pointing at two "teams" that weren't mine. I sat next to a seventh grader whose name I didn't know, and introduced myself.
     "Hi Maeve, I'm Jessie," the girl replied.
     "Hey Jessie. Nice to meet you," I greeted her using her name.
     "I really hope I make the team." Jessie said.
     "Yeah, me too!" I agreed. This being my last year of middle school, I wouldn't have the opportunity to try out with this team again.
     "No double-hitting!" I heard Mr. G yell at a girl playing on the court, as Jessie and I were talking about which teachers she had.
     "Oh really? My friends told me he gives really hard tests." I said to Jessie of her math teacher, and she nodded  in agreement.
     "Okay, that's enough time for you guys. If you are on a team that hasn't played yet, join your teammates on the court!" Mr. G shouted into the gymnasium. It was my turn to play.