ACAMIS Volleyball 2016
ACAMIS volleyball tournament in Tianjin this year was an emotional turmoil. It took me a long time to gain the courage to write a reflection for this event. Volleyball is my greatest passion and I share this passion with my senior classmates and my volleyball team mates from other grade levels. We had the hope of receiving championship this year, along with the XIS boy’s volleyball team. I wanted to graduate with a championship and let the seniors of 2017 leave behind an athletic legacy, since ACAMIS volleyball first place have not been achieved for a very long time. However, the result was not what we hoped for.
Ever since the first practice, until the tournament, our team worked very hard. During the tournament, we continued the momentum for championship until the Finals. It was against a team we beat during round robbin, and we started off the match with a first set finish. However, many of our team mates were experiencing their first ACAMIS tournament, not to mention their first ACAMIS Finals. There was emotional burden amongst all of us. The second set tested our mentality and we were not able to defeat it. The outcomes of the tournament not only taught me how to deal with pressure, but most importantly dealing
with defeat. Especially an unexpected defeat. After the match I thought I have lost many times before, and it is okay, it was just a learning experience. Nevertheless, when people started to congratulate me for working hard and being a part of the finals, I cried. I knew that we worked hard, but it was not hard enough. We were not defeated by the opponents overwhelming skills, we were defeated by ourselves. I could not help by feel the disappointment, but there was no one to blame and through time, the feeling fades. Here I am reflecting on the experience of team work and collaboration, but also handling self conflict.
Perseverance, commitment, and collaboration were amongst the most obvious outcomes. We worked as a team from practice to tournament, we communicated, we cheered for victories and we handled the defeat. I appreciate the coach and all of my team mates for being a part of this journey with me. Undertaking new challenges such as handling such a great defeat was a personal outcome for me. It was the first time I felt the sadness of losing and having that feeling travel with me for a very long time. The result was not what we hoped for, but that means I get to keep having hope.
