Whether the thought of them summons fond childhood memories or induces painful relapses, we all have some type of relationship with organized athletics. Perhaps you were the person that always found an excuse to go to the nurse’s office during the basketball unit in gym, or were the pride and joy of your school when you made the All-State team after your lacrosse team won regionals, or have sat with your parents in the living room rooting for the Buffalo Sabres your entire life; either way, if you’re reading this, I’m willing to bet you’ve had at least one personal experience with sports.
The field and court were some of the first places where I learned about leadership and what it meant to work as a team for something bigger than myself. Check out my soccer debut:
In addition to teaching me discipline and teamwork, this experience also taught me how dreadful of a soccer player I am. These pictures represent the first and last photos of me having anything to do with soccer because, after a season of me sitting on the field picking grass and scoring goals for the wrong team, the adults in my life decided to try me out with volleyball in hopes that it would stick better.
Gracias a dios, it did.
Real talk, coming here knowing that soccer reigns supreme in Costa Rican sports culture, I was terrified very nervous about being invited to play and making a complete fool of myself. I spent the first few weeks of my service actively avoiding opportunities to mejengear (play pick-up soccer) and asking just about everyone I got into a conversation with if they knew anyone that played volleyball. The question was always answered with a slight frown and a polite, “No, but there’s a soccer field 50 meters from the school.”
After nearly giving up on my search, one day, as I was sitting in the teacher’s lounge, I was approached by my school director, Mario, and asked out of the blue, “Lau, usted juega voleibol?” The smile that erupted across my face gave away my answer before I could get out the words to confirm “YES,” and I was extended an invitation to play that Monday night.
The women’s volleyball teams in the zona sur are powerhouses. Most of these ladies have played volleyball since they were in high school and have kept up with the sport into adulthood through clubs and playing with leagues organized by the teacher’s unions like APSE and SEC. When I arrived in site and started playing with them, we typically scrimmaged and trained on Mondays and Thursdays from 6:00-8:00PM in Sabalito, which is a town about 20 minutes away from San Vito.
There is a strong network of women’s volleyball teams in the zona sur, including full teams from San Vito, Golfito, Ciudad Neilly, Perez Zeledon, Buenos Aires, Palmar Norte, among others. Because of this, we’ve been able to organize a few regional tournaments and a lot of mini-torneos on the weekends with neighboring teams.
Volleyball culture in the south doesn’t stop at indoor women’s volleyball, however:
Beach volleyball up in the mountains? Yes, it’s a thing. Despite the fact that San Vito is hidden on the outskirts of a rainy mountain range, one of the local technical high schools decided that it would take more than that to stop them from building a beach volleyball court.
Finding a home with the women’s volleyball team has been one of biggest the highlights of my service. The way that passion for a sport effortlessly rises above cultural boundaries and unites people across linguistic barriers is no short of magical. In how many social situations can we substitute stumbling through small talk for hitting a ball back and forth at one another and leave feeling more connected than before we started? I’m grateful to have found and been accepted by a community of women who I admire and who share the same fiebre (passion) for a game so near and dear to my heart.
820 Days of Pura Vida 