Volleyball

Saturday, I played volleyball for the first time in almost a dozen years.

Growing up, my lack of coordination and athletic ability meant I was picked one of the last for teams and generally developed a sense I was not a physical person. I loved being in the water but was never one for laps, and neither diving down to retrieve things from the bottom of the pool nor staying in the water until your skin turned pruney ever counted as a gym-level activity.

My one ability outside of gymnastics, which is something assumed girls will be good at, was serving in volleyball. My other skills for the game never reached the level of my serve, although still rose above the general lack of ability. I'm not sure if it is solely due to some talent or if there is something more to it, but I enjoy playing volleyball.

In college, I was on the Asian-American intramural team (I think I joined the group with my then boyfriend who was half-Chinese, but by the volleyball days, I was taking Chinese so I could study abroad in China). I wish I remember more from that time, but all I have are glimpses of the gym.

Saturday's game introduced sand to the equation. All my other experience had been in gyms or outdoor courts, mostly playing 6 to a side. There were five of us total playing Saturday, so we did 3 to 2 mixing up the sides between games, until the sun and exertion had me call it quits and be a spectator for the last grand match. The sand definitely adds a degree of difficulty, and I still need to figure out how to back up better.

When I went to bed Saturday night, I saw the court and players. Between the exertion and the learning curve, I was so tired I was out pretty quickly. And don't recall any volleyball dreams.