With every passing day our little girl is becoming not-so-little. Irini, now in Middle School, made her way to her first formal tryouts back in September. From a parent perspective we could tell instantly the difference between a 5th grade "everyone makes the team" approach and the more serious MS "we're making cuts" approach. After just one day of try outs it was obvious that the pressure was high, as was the stress level. Irini found it difficult to be sharing the court with girls as old as 8th grade, some of whom were jump serving. For a 6th grader who has never tried formal volleyball in her life this was quite a jump. But, as much as the stress was high, she determined that she would follow through with her commitment to the tryouts and see what would come of it, focus on those things which she could control (effort, communication, listenting, etc.) and not worry about the things she could not (e.g. whether she made the team, who her teammates might be, etc.).
With every passing day of tryouts (there were three) she got more and more confident and, by the end of tryouts she had made the MS Junior Falcons team! We were thrilled to welcome her. To make it a family affair it was quite fortuitous that both mommy and daddy were coaching the team as well! How cool!
The season seemed short but the growth of both Irini and her 12 teammates was quite impressive. They girls became a good team by the end and really learned how to play together, focusing on hustle, communication, supporting each other, etc. Without the pressure of playing time (everyone plays the same amount of time at this level) the team really bonded and became proud Falcons! Irini was no exception to that as she continued to develop her skills.
By the end of the season we could not be prouder of Irini and her work ethic, her growth, her commitment to the team and her being such a great learner! We are hopeful that she will continue to thrive in sports as she continues on to season 2 (basketball) and beyond! We love you Irinoula!
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