Currently listening to: Be With You – Enrique Iglesias
What do you think you could have excelled at, if given the chance and resources when you were younger?
Prompt snagged from: TCMC
My brother started playing sports early—like, four years old early. He played soccer, baseball, and basketball because that’s what boys were expected to do.
Me? I didn’t really get into sports until freshman year of high school because my parents suddenly realized athletics looked good on college applications. That’s when the switch flipped.
I played a bit of volleyball, softball, and track and field. Basketball? Yeah, no. I knew my limits, and hand-eye coordination was not my strength. But volleyball? I genuinely loved it. If I had started earlier playing sports, like my brother, I think I could’ve been really good.
Of all places, it was the church that first recognized my potential. They let me play in the adult volleyball league even though I was only fourteen. I recruited a Korean adoptee friend from the neighborhood, who was older than me, to join. He had so much fun because he didn’t have much exposure to Koreans after he was adopted and learning the language and culture made him feel more confident about himself. Every year, they had tournaments with the other Korean churches, there were six teams in a 60 mile radius. I was the baby of the group, but they didn’t mind. I had a wicked serve and could dive deep from the back row, so they were more than happy to have me.
Since I was already playing volleyball for the church, they also asked if I wanted to join their baseball team. Not softball, baseball. I wasn’t a boy, but they didn’t care. My throwing arm was weak, but my catching game was solid and I could run and slide into the bases. They had me out in the left field and I was pretty content with that.
Leave a Reply