Don't Suck: Life, Family & Softball
Don’t Suck: Life, Family & Softball is a father-daughter podcast where passion meets the grind. Hosted by Ronald and Madison Smith, we dive into the highs, lows, and lessons learned from the game of softball and how they apply to life beyond the field.
From early morning workouts to late-night tournaments, and road trips—we talk about the dedication, sacrifices, and unforgettable moments that come with chasing dreams. Expect real conversations, funny stories, competitive debates, and insights into the softball journey, plus a little family banter along the way.
Whether you’re a player, parent, coach, or just love the game, Don’t Suck is here to keep it real. No excuses, no regrets, just hustle.
Don't Suck: Life, Family & Softball
Bump, Set, Success: A Libero's Path to College Volleyball
Ever wondered what it takes to transition from high school sports to college athletics? In this groundbreaking episode, we welcome our first-ever non-softball guest, Brooke, a volleyball libero who recently committed to Mercer University.
Brooke takes us through her journey from elementary school cheerleader to collegiate volleyball player, sharing candid insights about club volleyball travel, competitive high school experiences, and the recruitment process that ultimately led her to Mercer. Her story of becoming state runner-up with Saraland High School—a first in school history—showcases both her athletic prowess and leadership qualities.
What stands out most is Brooke's mental approach to the game. "I'm meant to be here. I worked really hard to get all the way here. And I deserve it," she affirms when discussing her mindset entering college competition. This powerful self-belief, coupled with her ability to maintain composure during pressure situations, offers valuable lessons for athletes in any sport.
The conversation delves into fascinating volleyball-specific details—from the challenges of serve-receive to pre-game rituals—while also exploring universal themes like balancing academics with athletics, handling recruitment pressure, and finding your sense of belonging. When Brooke says, "When I step on the court, I feel at ease because I feel like I'm at where I'm supposed to be," it resonates beyond volleyball.
For parents of athletes, coaches, or anyone interested in women's sports, this episode provides authentic perspectives on the emotional and practical aspects of pursuing athletic dreams. Whether you're navigating recruitment yourself or simply appreciate stories of determination and growth, Brooke's journey will inspire you to embrace challenges and find where you truly belong.
Have questions about volleyball, recruiting, or student-athlete life? Drop us a comment or reach out on social media—we'd love to continue this conversation!
came up young. Glove in my hand, dirt on my cleats yeah, way before I had a fan. Late nights, cage lights perfecting my stance, got a dream in my heart. I ain't leaving the chance softball.
Speaker 2:You're listening to the don't suck live family and softball podcast with your host, ronald. Come on, just throw a strike. And madison smith, if only it was that easy. It it's that easy.
Speaker 3:What's up everybody? You're listening to the Don't Suck Podcast. I've got Claudia.
Speaker 2:Hey y'all.
Speaker 3:And we have a special guest because Madison's not here with us. Miss Brooke, hey, and it is Madison Brooke. I've got a Madison and a Brooke, which is kind of strange. Madison's in Colorado this week. They're at the Colorado Sparkler. They're in an absolutely beautiful place. Madison's in Colorado this week.
Speaker 2:They're at the.
Speaker 3:Colorado Sparkler. They're in an absolutely beautiful place the mountaintop. It's so pretty, All glass windows, only solar power, no air conditions in the house. I think they have like one fan. They said it was 60 degrees there last night.
Speaker 2:That's crazy.
Speaker 3:What got us here? Brooke is a volleyball player. She just committed to Mercer and she just spent her first week at Mercer, and me and her father have become pretty good friends. Mr Mike told me yesterday at lunch that God puts people in your life at the right time, and for me, mike has kind of been that way. So this is a shout-out to Mike. Thank you for introducing me to Brooke. We're so thankful to have her here today, and the reason Brooke is here is because yesterday Mike turned 60. So Brooke drove in. It was a big surprise party. She surprised him, yeah, I think a lot of people did, yeah, and so we're just real thankful to have you. So thank you for joining us. What we normally do here is Claudia gets us started. We do like some quick pitch questions, something just kind of relax the mode before we ever get into interviews and stuff. So, claudia, you want to go ahead and start us off?
Speaker 2:Yes, what's the last thing you searched on Spotify or?
Speaker 1:Apple Music Probably the Jesse Murph song Blue Strips.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Honestly same.
Speaker 3:Yeah, blue Strips. Yeah, it took me a while to even understand what she was saying, though what's? The Boy Ain't't mad, is that what? He said yeah mine's 50 cents and, by the way, jesse murph has become one of my favorite people yeah, she's cool somebody told me she doesn't write it on for her.
Speaker 1:She writes her own music and she's terrible songwriter no, I think she has a lot of backstory to her too I like a lot she does, but I do think that her songs are really repetitive.
Speaker 3:Her voice, though, is like Her voice is different.
Speaker 2:You can't walk away from that.
Speaker 3:No, I love her voice.
Speaker 1:I don't really listen to her regularly. She's not in my playlist. That's why I have to look her up.
Speaker 3:I remember the first one she did was the I'm terrible with names, but the guy with all the tattoos First of all, no, but the guy with all the tattoos, post Malone? No, the big guy, the country singer-ish.
Speaker 1:Oh, jelly Roll, yeah, jelly Roll, that one. Yeah, I like that song, I was like wait.
Speaker 2:She sung with Post Malone.
Speaker 4:No.
Speaker 2:Okay, what do people misunderstand most about you?
Speaker 1:I would say in high school I feel like a lot of people thought I was like a mean girl before they knew me and then, like once, like they had an encounter with me, they realized like I'm actually really nice. Yeah, I have that same problem.
Speaker 3:I'm actually not far off from that. People, I think for me, people don't know, people don't realize how much I'm joking.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we talk about that a lot.
Speaker 3:Like I'm actually always most of the time joking. You'll a lot like I'm a real.
Speaker 2:I'm actually always most of the time joking you'll well. I say you'll know because most time people don't know so, but I am always kind of joking to the most part of that. Um, I have that same issue and also it goes hand in hand with like being kind of shy. Like I'm really shy when I meet people for the first, like few times, and until we actually like talking stuff, I won't just I don't know. I find it hard to to go out of my way and go talk to somebody. But I'm working on it, I'm working on it. And then people see that as you being mean, but it's not really that.
Speaker 2:It's just like I don't know how to talk.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly, I feel that I was friends with a few girls and I feel like people just automatically think we're just mean because we're kind of popular and like we play sports and stuff, but we're actually just like, really nice, you just have to talk to me, it's like coming, being approachable yeah, yeah, exactly yeah I mean, you know, and I'm out of the whole, like peer pressures and like being in high school, like what that felt, like that was I looking back, like that that was difficult, like to kind of weigh yourself in areas and like, do I fit in with these people, do I not fit in with these people?
Speaker 2:and I feel like if you play a sport in high school, you're automatically like rude, like you're automatically viewed as like me it's just a thing.
Speaker 3:See, when I was in high school I hung out with every group, like there was not a group that I didn't touch because, well, I mean I won't tell y'all. Well, I will tell y'all, I was in choir. I also played baseball, football a you in choir. I did not expect to get bullied today. I'm clipping that. I did not expect to get bullied today. I am an all-state singer. Okay, I was on the honor choir. Oh yeah, wow, base one, and it would probably be base two now. So keep your opinion over there.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's hilarious. What is your favorite thing about yourself and why?
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, I would probably say the way I feel for others, because I'm never really mean to anybody. I feel like I always try to put myself in other people's shoes.
Speaker 3:So I guess, empathy, yeah, empathy, that's a huge one that's huge yeah empathy, but, um, that's a huge. That's huge. Yeah, you know, I went to a management training, uh, probably a year ago, and there was one person out of like 80 people whose number one characteristic was empathy. Yeah, but I remember hearing this, like hearing them talk like dude, like the way their mindset is and stuff like it was a whole new world to me yeah like very emphatic, yeah, I think. Uh, what was the question? I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:What is your favorite thing about yourself and why?
Speaker 3:I wished it was that, but uh, I mean probably just the ability to put myself in a conversation with people and being able to talk.
Speaker 1:So I wish I had that I know, I do too.
Speaker 3:I kind of am and I wasn't that person I'm seriously when I was younger probably before I got your age, but when I was probably 14-ish, is when I transitioned over to like being able to talk to people.
Speaker 2:Well, that's very young to have that skill.
Speaker 3:But I had someone who, well, I mean, maybe I'm talented, I don't know. But I had someone who was in my life who was very like outreaching to people, like extroverted, where I wasn't Like. I loved kind of being like right here, but when I watched them I'm like man. I love the way they entertain people and talk and people communicate. I wanted to be that, so bad that I think at that early age I've become that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a really good trade. Yeah, it is really good. Yeah, because then you can just talk, yeah, talk to a lot of people and make connections and stuff. But I'm so funny because I'm extroverted but I'm introverted, so I love being around people, but talking and socializing a lot is just kind of hard for me in a way.
Speaker 3:I'm so much into this that I have a roofer that wants to sponsor the podcast right now for a softball podcast, so I put myself in those. That is one thing I really do love. But then again, over my lifespan here I've also hated that at times too, where maybe I've been too personal with people and things.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I think my favorite thing about myself would probably be like how much I care for people around me. Hundred percent so if you have to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? That's hard.
Speaker 3:Mine changes every week. I think one time you asked this question I did, I think it was that week, it was hamburgers Like oh man, I could do hamburgers every week.
Speaker 2:I thought you said steak.
Speaker 3:I might have said steak, but you know it changes After last night. I'd want it to be Italian type, which is what you think. You said something like that, but I want to be spaghetti, but with different noodles every time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that spaghetti last night was so good.
Speaker 3:Our party last night was Sopranos theme, so it was like Italian.
Speaker 2:It was. It was a lot of fun yeah.
Speaker 1:I would. I feel like mine does change too. I feel like the first thing that came to mind was steak. But I don't, I wouldn't say that because I, once I eat that too much, I get burnt out on it. We used to eat it so much when I was younger and I just kind of got over it.
Speaker 2:But probably like, honestly, probably like sushi maybe I was literally thinking yeah, I love sushi, it's really good, yeah I mean you know, if you got alabama roll at sakura. If you could group it like a category.
Speaker 3:It'd be easy for me to say seafood oh, yeah, oh yeah yeah, because you can get so much change up.
Speaker 2:That's true, seafood, yeah, but it's only one thing like one meal. So, yeah, I would definitely say alabama roll from sakura every day of my life could eat it I had uh oysters yesterday with your dad and I had char.
Speaker 3:What are they?
Speaker 1:char grilled. Char grill so good, they are really good. Yeah, your dad can eat some oysters.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I like raw oysters, oh my god, I knew I was in trouble when I got. He got in the door about three minutes for me and he had already unwrapped like 45 saltine crackers he had like five things.
Speaker 2:He was ready to go.
Speaker 3:He's like I need a bowl. They gave him all this cocktail. So he adds it on he adds it on, then he's like, hey, hand me. He's whipping him like bro, we have an order, I know what I want.
Speaker 1:He's already ready to go, and the guy?
Speaker 3:knew him.
Speaker 2:He's like you going with the same two dozen a day. Yeah, they know who it's bad. One rule in volleyball you would change if you could.
Speaker 1:Definitely the rule where the libero can't sit in front of the 10-foot line, because I think that is so just dumb. I don't think there's a reason for it.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you something. Madison played volleyball years ago. But going under the line, like if you're hitting and your body goes below the net, that kind of sucks, that really sucks. That takes a lot of talent too, like these hitters. But I mean just coming from the ball world. I love banana balls, so maybe mine would be that if the ball goes into the stands and we hit it back to y'all, it's still alive. That would be it.
Speaker 2:That would be funny, that would be awesome, that would be funny.
Speaker 3:That would be awesome. Have y'all seen banana ball like banana baseball?
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, I've been to a game before. Oh, have you. Yeah, they're so hard to get tickets.
Speaker 3:But one of the rules is if the foul ball, like a fan, catches it, it's an out.
Speaker 4:Really. Yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 2:Wait, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:I love that it just brings the fans into it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and banana baseball now is on tv, like we watched it yesterday oh, that's yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:I bet that's interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah yeah, what's your most used phrase lately? Okay, I have three. That's wild, crazy work and it'll buff. I say it'll buff like all day every day since I met you, it'll buff it's been, it's stuck with me for a while. I I think so.
Speaker 3:Yeah, claudia crawled back here, no legs, no arms, from Florida, and she's like I was like good, she's like hit above.
Speaker 2:That's funny.
Speaker 1:I don't really have one right now. I forgot.
Speaker 2:I said that then.
Speaker 1:I feel like I usually have one, but I don't really have one right now. I can't. I don't either. My mind's going blank.
Speaker 3:I just can't think of one so two things I overuse probably a lot now is like let's go, let's go, or even the podcast like let's go, or I mean, don't suck, that is kind of weird in situations too, we'll be like don't suck or when I'm out talking to people like, hey, how you doing? I have this podcast. At that moment there's a lot of pressure on you to say don't suck Like family softball. Let me get that out of here.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, Worst volleyball drill.
Speaker 1:Definitely the butterfly drill. I've gotten more into it to not hate it as much. So tell us what the butterfly drill is so it's like there's like a group of girls right here, a group of girls over here, and then on the other side it's the same thing. And then, um wait, do I need to explain it like?
Speaker 2:yeah I'd love to know. Okay, I'm curious.
Speaker 1:Okay, so there's one group on the left side of the court and then on the opposite side it's another group of girls. The left side is serving to the girls and they have to pass the ball to a target, which is like it's like the target has to catch it, and then they go to the other line.
Speaker 3:You're basically running around the whole court having to pass and serve and it's just all have to yeah you all have to do everything, so it just it gets kind of I would think in volleyball the hardest thing would be like suicides and stuff like any sprints oh well, yeah, like running, that's obviously like the worst part.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, the other day, we had like conditioning drills.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's like conditioning when your team.
Speaker 3:Like when you go to a tournament you struggle like I don't know how school ball and stuff like that was for you, but you're gonna pay for it later.
Speaker 2:Yes, you will, you know, and doing stair runs and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the other day we actually had to do what was it called Stadiums? Yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, we had to do stadiums and that was horrible. I literally almost died. I don't know how I passed out one time. Yeah, I felt like I was about to From stadiums. My legs were actually about to give out on me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, literally. Have you ever you've been to theodore high school? Like the football field? I've been there. Okay, I'm just making sure, so like you had to find a way.
Speaker 3:There's two stadiums. You had to find a way to plug theodore high school there's two stadiums, right, okay, okay.
Speaker 2:So you had to go up, down, up, down, up, down, up down one stadium, run to the other stadium four times. Yeah, that was horrible. And then I passed out and coach had to go get me. So, yeah, all right.
Speaker 3:The only drill I can think of that I ever did that just sucked completely was any type of suicide.
Speaker 1:Oh it sucks. Yeah, my freshman year at McGill, me and one of my other teammates we didn't turn in an assignment or something and our coach found out and we had to run and run, and run.
Speaker 3:It was horrible. Yeah, anytime, any running yeah, I hate running.
Speaker 2:I do too, I hate running especially when it's a punishment, though, because then it's even worse. What's worse is when you need to do this, when I know I sucked at it and I hated it.
Speaker 3:I still tell myself, hey, you need to get there and run the day. Yeah, like hey, you want to do this, you gotta run.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I couldn't do it who, in your life, has made the biggest impact on you?
Speaker 1:definitely my dad. He's always like been there for me through literally everything so probably my dad.
Speaker 3:I love that yeah, uh, for me, yeah, I mean probably like my kids. I mean mean, you know, we talked about it before At 18, 19, I had to make a life-changing decision and become a father and not just a teenager anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, probably my mom.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you during a game?
Speaker 1:Gosh, probably serving it under the net or like whiffing a ball completely. I hate when I'm about to completely with no, no, not serving like in defense, like when I'm about to dig like another hitter and she just completely destroys the ball and I try to go get it and I just I just didn't react fast enough and I just missed the ball yeah, it's happened in that moment like a dig.
Speaker 3:Have you ever been like hit in the face or anything? Oh yeah, I actually got a concussion, because that is a fear when I see that ball coming.
Speaker 2:No, seriously, I could never be a libero, because that stresses me out. Those girls hit so hard Like I don't know how you freak out. And then college ball it's even worse.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's even more they're all good, they're all very good, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:That's the thing about college. Now you're meeting every girl or any player on there. You know a good ball player Really good yeah.
Speaker 1:Yes, I actually got a concussion before by being hit in the head by a ball. It was really bad. My junior year. My teammate, hannah, she's extremely strong and I just like we were warming, warming up, and I just turned my head and I went to turn and the ball was just right there and just hit me right in the practice. It was actually warming up before a game. It was a tournament. It was really bad.
Speaker 3:I never had any embarrassing moments on the ball field. I was always a stud.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh Couldn't relate.
Speaker 3:I think I've been hanging around you too long now I'm starting to get a little I don't know why y'all think I'm so cocky. I think it's just I've been around you. Now I just find ways to brag.
Speaker 2:I think y'all just don't know how to take my jokes because they're very dry, especially madison. Madison truly believes that I think that I'm just like the best.
Speaker 3:I don't think that hey, uh, madison did give claudia a pitching lesson. We were going to post it on tiktok.
Speaker 2:She didn't give me a pitching lesson, I just pitched.
Speaker 3:Oh, I thought she gave you a lesson.
Speaker 2:But we are going to do a little lesson.
Speaker 3:You might need one, after what I've seen.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, it's been like seven years since.
Speaker 3:I pitched 15 since I hit and guess what Hit that bomb off that college board.
Speaker 2:Well, that's easy. What's one thing you're currently working on, physically or mentally?
Speaker 1:So definitely, starting college ball, it's been mentally and physically a little bit harder. So my physical, we've been lifting and conditioning a lot, so that's, I'm a little not behind, but it is a little bit harder for me because I haven't been conditioning as much as them, because they've been doing it for a while. But well, the older girls and mentally I'm just kind of trying to stay in my head of I can do this. I don't want to let myself get behind. I've been trying to tell myself I can do it. Just I got to start getting into it, that's basically it.
Speaker 3:You want me to answer this question too?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean physically. I've given up soda for the most part Drinking water.
Speaker 2:That's awesome.
Speaker 3:No energy drinks, just coffee, and I'll lose this 10 pounds you see added on me on camera. Oh my God. I mean I might need to lose another 50 along with it, but I'm going to lose that 10.
Speaker 1:That's actually like one of the best things you can do for yourself is just drinking water.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I've been drinking every day it does. I got me a lemon squeezer. I put my lemon in there which is really good On some ice. I just add water all day. So again, I'm probably going to get back to high school skinny, it's going to be wonderful, and then let's see. Mentally it's probably telling myself don't give up Like constantly.
Speaker 3:Because you know, as Claudia knows, this is a struggle some days, and trying to put this on YouTube was that almost made me break a MacBook twice. And then I thought you know what, maybe I'm not cut out for this and you start telling these negatives. I know it sounds stupid, because I'm old.
Speaker 1:No, I tell myself that.
Speaker 3:But here I am, I'm 36. I'm like what am I doing this for? And then when you post on YouTube like it doesn't work the way you want, and then you're like OK, why? And then you start looking and you're like oh, don't do this and don't add that. And like, gosh, like I told you this past week like I should have went to college.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's difficult, so just tell us like don't give up, keep like there's a bigger goal here.
Speaker 2:For sure.
Speaker 3:What are you doing physically?
Speaker 2:Um well, um, not back in the gym yet but I'm thinking about it. I keep texting my friend me and my friend Haley. We keep, um, she watches the podcast, so she's going to hear this, but she keeps texting me. She's like, okay, we're going to the gym this day and I'm like, okay, and then either I have something happen or she has something happen. So I haven't been able to get back in the gym, but it's happening at some point.
Speaker 4:Good for you.
Speaker 2:And then I have actually really been watching my proportions when I eat. I have been eating less than what I normally would.
Speaker 3:So I'm just trying to lose a little bit of weight. So somebody at work who's this health freak to another day he's like it's not about how much you eat during the day, it's how. What you eat, it's how you snack see, I don't snack anymore he said you have to snack like at all oh you have to he said I'm not talking about.
Speaker 3:Well, I took that as like I should go get me a, you know I need to get a bag of chips I need to go get me a milkshake at 12 30, which I did, it was cookies and cream, but I didn't have a coke coke to go with it. But he says like if you eat your three meals a day, your body's like holding on to that because it doesn't think you're going to get rid of it, where if you eat like five or six times, like just kind of break those meals up throughout the day, your body is completely just like getting rid of it.
Speaker 2:Interesting, look, I read on the internet and he also well, and here's the thing, though, is I'm sometimes I will overeat, like I'll literally eat more than my body needs so I'm to a point now is what I'm saying, like when I get full, when I feel that feeling I'm done, like I'm not eating any more than I should, is where I'm at so and I've been better about drinking my water well, the water helps me because I'm not hungry.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like I can skip breakfast or what have you, and then I add like some coffee. But he said like in the morning, just like if you eat like a egg McMuffin, like maybe cut that egg McMuffin in half, eat part of it right here, eat, and then at 930, eat the other part of it and then at 11, eat lunch.
Speaker 2:That's so interesting.
Speaker 3:But he said, because your body says oh, I'm getting fed all day yeah. So you're not adding more food to yourself, you're just spreading your meals out to where your body is not. I don't know what is the word when it holds.
Speaker 4:I don't know man.
Speaker 3:No, it's not holding on to it.
Speaker 2:Oh, I don't know, I've been doing like man. I almost feel like an idiot.
Speaker 3:when I leave here, I'm like man. I'm an idiot. When I leave here, I'm like the words, like that I've been well, what I've been doing is like basically intermediate, fasting kind of.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I've been like this is probably bad, but I've been skipping breakfast and lunch these days and just eating dinner, so like whenever we had those steaks or whatever. Even then I didn't eat a lot Like those steaks are good. They were very good that he made.
Speaker 3:Your dad. They were very good that he made your dad's got a steak. Yeah, yeah, he is.
Speaker 2:That was very good and those little vegetables, but even then my portion size was like yeah, you cut that steak up I cut it in half.
Speaker 3:I wasn't eating a lot, so, but maybe you should cut that half into quarter and then you just eat it for a few hours. Yeah, so I'm just trying. I mean it does make cut down a few pounds, especially like me. Like I'm in an office job, but, like for you, you're in college. I don't know how that day looks for you. I'm always sitting next to a refrigerator or something. So spread the meal out and not have one big meal at one time. Y'all come to us for any nutritional advice. That's what fat people do. We tell you how to change.
Speaker 2:But anyhow, how are y'all?
Speaker 3:doing. By the way, that could still be y'all.
Speaker 2:That could be y'all, and that will end our quick pitch questions.
Speaker 3:Awesome. Well, thank you so much, brooke. I hope you're enjoying yourself. So far, those are like a little Well, some of those questions are a little deeper, so they're fun. Yeah, they are fun. It kind of loses the mood. Well, look, we're going to take a quick second pause for our sponsors, so y'all give it a watch. Today's episode of Don't Suck Life, Family and Softball is brought to you by us. That's right, folks. We try to get a big name sponsor, but apparently yelling don't suck at a person isn't the best sales pitch.
Speaker 4:So we're sponsoring ourselves, because if we don't believe in this podcast, who will Do you love softball family?
Speaker 2:questionable life advice.
Speaker 4:Then Don't Suck is the show for you. Tune in weekly for game breakdowns, hot takes and at least one embarrassing story that Madison will regret sharing. And, best of all, it's completely free. That's right. You can enjoy this premium, high-quality entertainment at absolutely no cost. No subscriptions and no hidden fees. Just good old family fun and maybe a few sarcastic remarks.
Speaker 2:Don't Suck live family and softball, because life's too short for bad podcasts.
Speaker 3:Available wherever you get your podcasts and if you don, all right. Thank you to our lovely sponsors. No better than us. But look, if you'd like to partner up with us, we'd love to hear from you, so just shoot me an email, facebook, anything like that. Y'all could them some love. But let's keep the interview going, ms Brooke. We got a few questions for you and let's go. How would you start us off, claudia?
Speaker 2:Okay, what got you into volleyball in the first place?
Speaker 1:I was actually in elementary school, in third grade. I was doing cheer and the volleyball coach started asking me to play and I was like thinking about it because it sounds fun and I was friends with a lot of the older girls. So I was in fourth grade at this point and I started playing volleyball and just never stopped.
Speaker 3:Did you ever play any other sports? I did.
Speaker 1:I played basketball from, I think, fifth grade, all the way up until my junior year, like in high school. Yeah, in high school I loved basketball. It was really great. I didn't love the running as much oh, it was constant yeah. I wish I would have just kept going and I don't know. It was a fun sport to play. I knew I wasn't going to play it in college.
Speaker 3:Were you a good shooter, what position would you say you played?
Speaker 1:him. I was more like in the post, but I feel like when I got more into high school I started getting really good at shooting a little bit better.
Speaker 3:Madison played basketball when she was young and she sucked at shooting, but she was awesome at defense. Yeah, she couldn't shoot for nothing and now my little one's coming up and she might be like my offensive three-pointer.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's awesome, but she has no aggressiveness to her really. Yeah, well, um, like when I stopped playing, I would like shoot around and I would just realize like I was so good at shooting through, like I was just like banking them, just making them every time sometimes like that confidence right there, like no, hey, I am the one yeah, yeah, I wish I would have kept playing, just for fun but who knows, maybe you could yeah, maybe how would you just, oh, were you.
Speaker 3:I would imagine the girls playing high school basketball have to be just freaking stud tall yeah really tall, yeah, in high school I think in college
Speaker 1:oh in college. Yeah, because I'm I'm too short for all that. Anyway because, but it is really fun.
Speaker 2:I feel like most of those girls are what over six foot you mean yeah, um you're about what?
Speaker 1:five, seven, yeah, I'm like five, seven, we have study hall with a bunch of other basketball girls and they're just so cool, like they're really tall and like they got their headphones on and their jackets and their shorts they just look really cool.
Speaker 3:I will tell you like the way that, like college sports, like everybody wears, like the same little, you know zip-up jacket They've got like their Bose headphones on.
Speaker 1:Especially the basketball players. They just have this like aura to them.
Speaker 2:They do they do, for sure yeah.
Speaker 1:So how would you describe your time playing for Sarah Land High School? I really loved all of the girls. I feel like it's really upsetting to think about because we didn't get a chance as much as we wanted. My junior year we were really good. We started peaking around the after season, like when we start competing in regionals and state. So we won regionals and then we went on to state and we got runner-up, which was the first time ever in school history. So that was really cool what year was that?
Speaker 1:that was your that was my junior year, yeah, and um, that was awesome. So we only lost, I think, two seniors after that, so we were the seniors at that point for my senior year, uh, the year after that. So, um, it went really well. We didn't really peak as much coming into like after like when we were competing in regionals and stay. We didn't make it to state, unfortunately. I just wish we would have gotten that chance.
Speaker 3:Like peaking too. Like you can peak early, you can peak too early you can peak late, Like I mean that's across the board, yeah, we peaked a little bit too early.
Speaker 1:We went to a tournament in Mountain Brook. We played Mountain Brook, mcgill and I forgot the other team. But we didn't sweep everybody, but we beat everybody, so it went really well. And then we just got too into our heads and we started thinking too hard about everything that's it.
Speaker 3:I mean, it's crazy. It's so easy when you're dealing with such talented teams, though I mean it could go any way.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You know we dealt with that in softball this year. We were like man. All three teams here could win.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You know, and just maybe a little bit of confidence, or I don't know. It's probably like the worst thing in sports is when you have the talent and you don't make it somewhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really sucks because we were determined. Everybody thought we were going to go to state and we were probably going to win it. Yeah, it really did suck because we didn't even make it as far as we should have at all. It really did suck.
Speaker 3:So now it comes down to y'all did it. It was because of y'all. It wasn't like you got beat out yeah.
Speaker 1:I feel like at Sarah Land, all of our sports, we have great athletes, like really good athletes, that come through. We just don't have as many resources as everybody else that we get to use. And then we get to have as many I don't know how to explain it but yeah, we don't get to use our ability as much as everybody else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what is the biggest difference between high school and club volleyball?
Speaker 1:So high school was a little bit more well, I would say club volleyball. You're. You're traveling more, which is, I think it's more fun. It's also yeah, it's a lot more fun. It's also you get to meet new girls for other schools, so you know it's the schools we're competing with too, so it's really fun after season across this country.
Speaker 3:You know, yeah, exactly, and um, like, real quick, give us a rundown like what kind of it's the schools we're competing with too, so it's really fun after a season and you get to go across the country, yeah exactly, Real quick. Give us a rundown. What kind of places would you travel to for club volleyball?
Speaker 1:We would go to Texas, Denver. Colorado, we went to Denver, Nashville, a lot of places in Tennessee. We'd go to Florida, like Orlando, New Orleans, Birmingham, all across.
Speaker 3:Is it like a weekend, every weekend type of deal, just about.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it would be like two weekends in a row We'd be off a weekend, or then a weekend, then we off.
Speaker 3:It's kind of like back and forth when Madison's at now with Travel Ball. They don't get to practice as much anymore. We get kids kind of all across the state. Do y'all practice with storm around here?
Speaker 1:yeah, we do. We have a um facility at uh mobile storm. We practice either, I think like about three times a week.
Speaker 3:So most, most of your girls are from one area.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're all from like around here, kind of see like where madison might have a teammate in louisiana oh, really yeah so we may only see those girls at tournaments.
Speaker 3:And a lot of travel ball is that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, okay.
Speaker 3:We've seen teams where there's a girl from Tennessee on your team and her parents put her on a plane and fly her out to where you're going.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't know how cool that is, like it's always it kind of sucks.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because there's something about this girl bond Speaking of girl sports you can build with your team when you get to practice with them and things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true. That's one of the things about school ball.
Speaker 3:for us, when I think about school ball, there's that because we don't have that in travel ball.
Speaker 2:But the aspect of what I love about travel ball is the fact that you're getting to travel around and see all these people. But there's something about that big bond you can have with your girlfriends when you practice every day with each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true every day. Yeah, how did mobile storm shape you as a player? Well, I started playing with mobile storm around eighth grade, so I was pretty young. So, um, I really met a lot of my best friends from there. We became really close and I feel like just being there, I grew with the volleyball people around me and the coaches are really understanding and really cool.
Speaker 3:Do. A lot of your players from Sarah Lynn play with you too on Storm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a lot of us go to Storm. There used to be a rule where you couldn't have more than three or so that were on the same team, but I think that rule is over now so so did.
Speaker 3:Like your coaches and stuff with storm. Did they kind of stay the same all the way through your graduation or did you get new coaches every year?
Speaker 1:um, I would get new coaches. But we would, we would get coached by all of them during practice anyway, like all of the main, like national coaches and stuff.
Speaker 2:So what's one game from high school or club you'll never forget definitely my junior year.
Speaker 1:Um, we were at regional or no, not regionals, we were at state at this point. Um, we had beat spanish for to go to the state championship and we actually we went all five sets with them. So it was the best three out of five, but we went all the way to five and that was the best game ever. I mean, the energy was amazing. Our whole student section was there. It was really good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that is cool. We've talked about this a lot too. Female sports in general don't get a lot of love from a lot of the student body. Volleyball is a little different, especially volleyball, volleyball is a little different, especially volleyball. Volleyball they do or they don't.
Speaker 2:They don't. Oh, I thought they always kind of did. Well, I mean, whenever I was in school, I used to get frustrated because, like our softball games, the sections would be filled up, but then you go to the volleyball like I was in volleyball and playing and stuff, and there's barely Madison when I was in high school, volleyball was right after high school.
Speaker 3:My parents worked for a living, so I wasn't getting picked up until 5, 30, 6 o'clock. I went to every volleyball game.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's honestly depending on the school, but the Sarah.
Speaker 3:Land School body. Do they support their sports like the students and stuff a lot?
Speaker 1:I think so. Yeah, we used to have a way better student section. I think my sophomore year was definitely the best it was ever because our seniors were really good. Uh, my junior year got a little bit worse and then senior year just wasn't that great, but I mean they still came and supported it just wasn't.
Speaker 3:We didn't have that much support I love to see a culture that supports like that. Yeah, me too.
Speaker 2:It's beautiful and it's also like empowering, like when you're on the court and you know people are cheering you on it's. It feels good.
Speaker 3:I don't know why I feel this way, but just from my eyes I always felt like female sports in general of school there's a lot more jealousy to players than there is like in baseball players and stuff what do you mean?
Speaker 2:jealousy?
Speaker 3:um like.
Speaker 2:What do you? What I like?
Speaker 3:Like what are you referring to? The community doesn't support each other as much is what I mean, for the female sports Correct Totally and I'm talking about like their own teammates their own families.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay, where like in baseball and I know it's been a long time, but like in baseball I feel like those families are really joined together and like it's okay to say, hey, thomas is going D1. Like there's not a question here, like Thomas is that good, he's going D1. Johnny's not, but like that family still shows out for this kid and like supports him to where. Yeah, and some like mostly softball. I don't see the same type of support like that.
Speaker 1:I definitely can see that for sure. Yeah, because, um, I think it was like my freshman year of high school, I had an ex-boyfriend. He used to play baseball and like I was like really around all them and his family and like they were all really supporting. I can, I can definitely see that in the volleyball. It's just a. It's just a little different.
Speaker 3:I feel like there's more like animosity and maybe it's like a little bit more and as a parent it's like we are kind of this way like my kid, I need to get my kid looked at and stuff, but um, I feel like there's there's like not as much support from individually to each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's definitely true?
Speaker 3:yeah, I agree, maybe we should work on that yeah, I mean, maybe that's what we want to do, is change the culture, like yeah like you know, let's show the ugly and let's fix it yeah, for sure you know and uh what part of your game do you think you improved the most over the past year?
Speaker 1:definitely my mental game. I feel like, um, I used to get my head pretty bad and it wouldn't it wouldn't affect me, but, um, especially my junior year and senior year, I was more of a leader of the team, so I feel like my mental game had to be very strong. So everyone else is around me could be, so I would be there for everybody and like I would never really get down on myself and if I did, it would be in my head and I wouldn't like it wouldn't really affect me.
Speaker 3:I don't feel like yeah, I mean that mentality, like when you become a senior, like that that's on you now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's real. Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3:And also like having good seniors the year before that to kind of mentor you to be ready for that position.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like that makes a huge difference on a team when you have seniors who are extremely welcoming to the freshmen and the newer you know the newer players on the team and stuff. I feel like that shows a lot to your character versus the seniors who are just rude and like kind of belittles like the younger students and stuff. Yeah, how do you mentally bounce back after a tough game?
Speaker 1:I would say I try not to get in my head too much, try to think about it, but I try to get over it. Like I want to think about it and then fix it and just get over it, let me ask you this, and again, I don't know a lot about volleyball.
Speaker 3:Madison played when she was younger and I've been to enough volleyball games, but I've never been in that daily grind of it. If Madison has a bad game, you know she's 0 for 4, she gave up 8 hits. You know something like that. What does a bad game look like for you?
Speaker 1:I would say my serve-receive would be really off because that's like most part of the game, that's about 70% of the game.
Speaker 3:Your serve-receive? Yeah, that's where.
Speaker 2:Like when they serve you yeah.
Speaker 1:I would say, if I'm shanking balls a little bit more or not passing it on as much as I want to, I feel like that kind of gets me a little bit down.
Speaker 3:So is that just like a speed thing, like getting your hands where they need to be at in time?
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely the ball is coming really fast when it's over. Like people think that defense is a little bit harder, but I definitely think, like people outside of volleyball world but inside everyone knows server Steve's a lot harder because it's more of a distance, so it's a little bit more difficult to track the ball down. As much as defense is, because it's more just about speed and reflex and I feel like I have that a little bit more than my distance is a little bit harder. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Do you have any pre-game rituals?
Speaker 1:I think mostly I just listen to music and kind of try to get locked in and just tell myself to stay calm.
Speaker 2:What does your off-season training look like?
Speaker 1:so right now, we just started our first week back, so, um, we have a summer class and all the freshmen have it in person and everyone else has like an online class. But, um, so I'll get up from nine to 10. Right now it kind of looks different. It's going to look different next week, but right now, um, from nine to 10, we have study hall, and then from one to three, I'll have my class.
Speaker 3:So you're already started college.
Speaker 1:Yes, we already are doing a summer class.
Speaker 3:Dang, I didn't realize that was going on already.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, we have to have one since, since all the athletes that are up there right now have to have a summer class, so are all the athletes there for every? Sport, Just about. Actually, I'm pretty sure I know basketball women's and men's is there. Football, baseball is there. I think softball is there I'm not sure if they're there yet, but I know obviously volleyball is there.
Speaker 3:And then I'm not sure if soccer is there yet either. I mean, how cool is it? It's your first week you've been there, though, right yeah, do you feel like you're there now?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's actually really cool. I love it. We've all been hanging out too. The first night I was even there. When we moved in, we all went out together in downtown.
Speaker 3:A lot of the teammates. We went and hung out. Do teammates?
Speaker 1:actually. Um, I got lucky. I don't have a roommate everyone has a roommate but we have an uneven amount of freshmen, so I don't have that.
Speaker 3:Sounds like a cow, we look yeah, it does.
Speaker 1:I got really lucky. I'm so happy, like I love all of them, but I love having my own space absolutely that's awesome, yeah, but we actually move out, um, and then move back in for the fall. So we move in for the summer and then we move out for a week when we're off and then we come back for pre-season for the fall and, um, I'm not sure if I have a roommate then or not, so you have to move out your stuff back out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like a storage probably we all just get like a storage place or something. Honestly, we don't have a lot of stuff, so I probably should put in my car I don't really care that much yeah, I mean, I'm probably going to come home anyway, so I'll probably just bring my stuff here.
Speaker 3:That's what my car looks like now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah same.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:How do you keep yourself motivated during long seasons or slumps? I?
Speaker 1:don't really mind long seasons, so I usually just stay motivated. But slumps, those are really annoying to go through because it is hard to get through it. But I would say I just tell myself not to give up and then I'll get over it. Because I mean some sort of thing like seriously, especially in sports, and especially with women's sports too, it happens and mental, it's just mental stuff, yeah it is mental.
Speaker 3:Maybe you've seen this. I don't know if this is a volleyball term, but in baseball and softball you have what they call the yips, and it's where your mind and your body do not connect. And so, like we talked about this, Kind of like in gymnastics too. It's a real thing.
Speaker 2:And when they have it they cannot compete or do anything, because I mean they're doing flips in the air.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's where like. Yeah, it's where like, for instance, like this catcher for Auburn, she can't throw the ball back to the pitcher, like it'll hit the dirt, so she runs the ball out there every time and hands it to her it's a mental thing, but like yeah but when there's a girl stealing the base and she throws it like there's no disconnect she had, she snaps but it's like if you have to think about it, that's where it gets you ever seen anything like that in volleyball?
Speaker 1:yeah, um, yeah well I mean something like that, and serving like I can't, I have to do like a certain thing, I don't even think about it, I just I like hit the ball three times oh, I can see that, absolutely, yeah and then like, because everyone I feel like just about everyone has a serving ritual like you have to do this certain thing and it's not even like I'm thinking about it, it's just what my body does to get like ready to serve.
Speaker 2:So that makes sense. How did you balance school work with volleyball, especially with club travel?
Speaker 1:so with club we would sometimes have like three or four day tournaments, so it would run into the week. So I just really have to um, talk to my teachers beforehand and get all of my work before then, and just any free time. It's not really free time because I'd have to do work and then I'd be off. So I have to do a lot of schoolwork on any type of free time.
Speaker 3:But do you find that to be like a struggle for you at all?
Speaker 1:Not really. I mean, I just kind of get it done. I kind of procrastinate really bad. So I'll do it like a little last minute and even like on the road or something, or if we have like a flight to go somewhere, like I'll do the work then, or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what was your support system like during high school?
Speaker 1:My dad was always like there for me if anything Like I feel, like some of my teammates, they weren't allowed to quit if they ever wanted to because their parents wouldn't let them. And I don't know. I feel like that's that sucks to have, because my dad, if I would have told him I wanted to quit, he would have not wanted me to but he would have been there for me and tried to obviously talk me out of it. But I never really went through that. I didn't really ever want to quit, especially at sarah land. My freshman year was a little bit different, but instead of quitting I just moved school. So he, he was okay with that, he, let me move school.
Speaker 3:So well, I mean, you know we're, we face this a lot in softball and I don't know how many like, how much y'all do lessons and stuff like that, but the expense like madison's a pitcher, so the expense gets really expensive. When you're talking, you know 100 bucks a week for hitting, pitching at least yeah on top of everything else.
Speaker 3:So I've always told her like I don't want her to quit during a season. Unless it was something that happened and and it wouldn't be a quitting, it would be me snatching my kid off for some other reason, like outside of that. I can't think of nothing else that we yeah, I can see that she couldn't just quit because she was tired of it.
Speaker 3:Now, if a coach was like vulgar to her in some way, or demeaning or touched her, that would be different, there's no question. But I have asked her every year after season do you want to give it a break? But now she's gotten older and we're so much more invested. I don't ask that question no more. And I used to tell her hey, if you want to take a break, now's the time, because as you get older, it's going to be harder for you to walk away from this because it's so much investment. This is your dream now. So I do understand that. And it sucks for parents. You know one thing I think about like even like your dad like he's traveled all these weekends to go watch you play volleyball to where, like now, you're five hours away and he doesn't get to just go watch that anymore. That's tough on him, you know which? I do know we'll make some games.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely, yeah, I definitely want to come watch. Yeah, what was the hardest sacrifice you had to make for volleyball?
Speaker 1:I think, growing up honestly, kind of like some of my friends a little bit like maybe half of them didn't even play volleyball or even a sport, so they would all get to hang out on the weekends or something and I would have to be traveling and go out of town to go play volleyball. And when I was younger I would say it kind of sucked more. But now I don't mind it at all because I mean I'm doing what I love, so I don't really care if I'm missing out that FOMO.
Speaker 3:Yeah it is a little bit of FOMO, but I feel like.
Speaker 2:I feel like when you have a a strong team bond like it's not as bad, yeah, if you're like around people that are doing the same thing that you love, y'all get a lot, you know, it's just like it makes it easier. Well, we had Emily on several weeks ago.
Speaker 3:Like I love the way she looked at that like where her friends were who like where she's at with her college team to where she's at like with her old high school friends. We're in a different place in life and eventually life will bring us back together. I really I don't know, it was very mature thinking, but it is you know when you're like a student athlete, like you know what your goal is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and I mean right now it's kind of the opposite, like I had bad fomo being here because all of my teammates last night they all went hung out, yeah, out, yeah, they all are getting closer and I just wasn't there. But I mean, it's fine, I'm not too upset about it. But last night they all went and hung out and went downtown and then now today or no, it was yesterday actually yeah they went to the Parker McCollum concert.
Speaker 2:So I was a little jealous and had a little bit of FOMO Parker.
Speaker 1:McCollum.
Speaker 3:Ellis and had a little bit of FOMO.
Speaker 2:I've heard that name. Love him. Yeah, I love him.
Speaker 3:Maybe when y'all get back, maybe the don't suck podcast can buy y'all like face tattoos or something for y'all can bond, yeah, yeah, teardrops.
Speaker 2:Yeah, little volleyball, teardrops no.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean that's good, I love that.
Speaker 2:Now you feel like you're missing out there exactly. It tells you, like, how strong that connection is already getting in one week, so good for you. Yeah, how did it feel walking?
Speaker 1:across the graduation stage knowing you will still be competing. So at that point I actually didn't know I was competing in um college. So it um, I would say I never lost my I mean my love for volleyball. But it just it kind of sucked knowing I wasn't playing because I was going to go to Alabama and not play volleyball, just because I felt as if it wasn't in the cards for me yet. But that changed so I'm really happy now that's awesome.
Speaker 3:What is your plans in college? What are you going to college for?
Speaker 1:I'm studying criminal justice right now, going on the pre-laws, because I want to do law school after Mercer and they actually have one of the best law schools ever. So yeah, I'm really excited.
Speaker 3:To me it's like everything kind of happened for a reason for you.
Speaker 1:Exactly. I have always believed in that fully, through my whole life. I always believe everything happens for a reason.
Speaker 1:Everything, Because I mean Mercer wasn't on your radar initially, it was at all yeah so, um, I actually had got back from a trip, just like a shopping trip in atlanta and just got back home and my recruiting coach had texted me. Well, actually, a few months before this I had texted him and told him, um, that my friend kind of dropped out on me when we were supposed to be rooming together at bama. So I was freaking out because I was kind of like, I mean, at this point I was thinking about volleyball in college because it could be in the cards for me again. So I told him, just to keep me on the radar again, I had told him about Bama, but I told him that now I'm thinking about playing college volleyball. So he had texted me and told me that mercer was looking for a walk-on libero at um their place. So I was like, oh wow, so it not like right.
Speaker 1:When he texted me it just felt like right yeah it just felt right because I just got back from georgia. Yeah, exactly, I mean it really did feel right. So it really went very quickly. So I I told him yes into my info, so we started talking and I had a phone call with the coach and the next week after that I had a visit, actually right after. You know what it was right after graduation. So I wasn't really sure of what I was doing, but it was in the cards for me again. So it was really exciting, yeah, and kind of talking about that of what I was doing, but it was in the cards for me again.
Speaker 3:So it was really exciting, yeah, and you know, kind of talking like about that what is the recruiting stage look like for volleyball? Like, for instance, we like Madison's in Colorado, so hopefully you know if they're on the right fields, because there's so many fields up there, you know there might be five, 10 coaches at every game getting a chance to kind of come out there and watch these players play. What does volleyball look like when y'all are traveling to Denver, colorado? Is there a ton of coaches there watching too?
Speaker 1:Oh, definitely, I think, a lot of the coaches from all across the world, though I mean the country. Yeah, the country, not the world, I mean maybe. But they all come to all types of tournaments, especially the big ones like AAUs in Orlando. That has a lot of coaches, I think Sunshine Just like honestly, on our court at one point, especially my 17th year, we had 10 coaches at court at a game Because we had multiple games, and how does that feel Like?
Speaker 3:are you real nervous in that situation?
Speaker 1:Not really, I just try to stay in my game. Game, I mean, it doesn't really affect me. I feel like we all look a little bit more energetic purposely, so that's just how I am, but I feel like everybody just kind of comes together a little bit better, just knowing college coaches are watching.
Speaker 3:So yeah is there, are y'all allowed to talk to these coaches after your games and stuff too.
Speaker 1:To a certain extent. I'm pretty sure there's a certain age you have to be or year in your high school, but you are allowed to talk to some coaches. They can come up to you.
Speaker 3:Like JUCOs and stuff you can approach anytime. But D1, d2s, those do change for us in softball.
Speaker 1:They have to. There's a certain type of rule.
Speaker 3:I can't really think certain time of year yeah so yeah, I always kind of wonder madison, when she played, we did play club volleyball, but it was at a young stage, so it wasn't like we weren't ever at that stage to that yeah and now, like on softball, most of those coaches like stand like behind home plate and, you know, nobody really talks to them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and madison I'll tell you like she, she's so nervous talk to coaches. How was nobody really talks to them? Yeah, and Madison, I'll tell you she's so nervous talking to coaches. How was your experience talking to them?
Speaker 1:I mean, I used to be really nervous too, because I'm not really great with conversating with them. Madison's not either. Yeah, I got a little bit better at it. It just kind of starts to flow and you have to think they're normal people too.
Speaker 3:Like they're not so unapproachable. But it's mostly you you put the stigma on it.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 3:And she's getting better. She's 16. She's going to be a junior this year, but I'm telling her this is your time. You have to get over that part of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know and getting recruited is half of your skill. Honestly. The other half is really who you are as a person, because that really does mean a lot to coaches. Coach Benson at Mercer, we just kind of clicked. It just went really well, our conversation went really well and everything. He just liked me and my dad more as a person. So it means a lot about who you are.
Speaker 3:Did you have to send a lot of emails and stuff too.
Speaker 1:I did. I sent a lot of emails. I would send them my schedule and like the upcoming tournament and just everything about me and then a recruiting video of them, like I would just send it to a bunch of different colleges that I knew were going to the tournament.
Speaker 3:And did. Yeah, I mean because did they come and like talk to you during those times?
Speaker 1:At that point I don't think they're allowed to come up to us in person, but they would email back and they would go watch like I would turn and I would see like one of them seeing softball.
Speaker 3:They can't like at this stage. Like madison can go, she shoots you know 20 emails. Those coaches show up. She can go like, tell them like after her games, like hey, thanks for coming, blah, blah, I mean if it goes right. You know, she's just such a nerve ball with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and they appreciate that. I feel like college coaches really appreciate like saying thank you for coming or anything like that and just talking to them, so yeah. Just make yourself stand out a little bit more than everybody else, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, good advice. What was your mindset going into tryouts and competing at the college level? What was your mindset going into tryouts and competing at the college level?
Speaker 1:I think I struggled with like when I was younger, I struggled with telling myself that I'm here for a reason. So I think now I'm really good at telling myself I'm meant to be here, Absolutely. I worked really hard to get all the way here.
Speaker 3:And I deserve it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, I feel like I deserve it.
Speaker 3:One thing if Barb Madison's pitching coach says and she's one heck of a general coach, but if you can see her, you can be her, and I think that's really powerful, and then we had another coach who used to say with her son who plays he's in professional ball, but why not me?
Speaker 2:Exactly, why not me? Yeah, for sure. Sure, I love that. Um, if you get the libero spot, what's the first thing you will do to celebrate it?
Speaker 1:honestly, the way our like relationships are going with my teammates, probably celebrate with them like I really love hanging out with all them. We've all gotten really close, so yeah, who's your biggest volleyball inspiration? Definitely Lainey Choboy. She is a libero DS at Nebraska Volleyball and I think she's really cool. She's got like a lot of spice to her. So she's not like all like really sweet, but she's very passionate about her, like about her core awareness and everything Like I think she's really cool.
Speaker 2:I'll have to watch her. She's really cool.
Speaker 1:I love her Dream vacation spot if you had a week off and no training. I feel like if you would have asked me that about a month ago, I would have said somewhere beachy or something, but right now it'd probably be home. I would love to come home.
Speaker 3:Isn't that crazy how life changes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, honestly, just after a week of being there, I love coming home now and I know I have to get used to it, but my week would definitely be at home.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and your dad. I've kind of been wondering how's he going to handle you not being around.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I feel like right now it's not that bad for him, but I feel like longer on he'll get a little bit more upset. Yeah, probably Like the months of not actually seeing you.
Speaker 2:I think it's hard.
Speaker 4:Oh that's gonna be rough like right now.
Speaker 3:It's just one week and you know he's busy. Your dad's a hard worker, like through the week, so like when he finally settles down, like that he's gonna realize yeah, the good thing is your dad can just get in the car and drive up to you too.
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean it's not too far of a drive too, and if we wanted to fly we could just fly to Atlanta. So I mean it's only like a 45 minute drive from there. Yeah, I really miss my animals too. Really bad.
Speaker 4:Honestly the other night.
Speaker 1:I was like I may just sneak my cat here, but I'm not going.
Speaker 3:Yes, she got out the day before Friday night, so I had to go get her, and when I picked her up, she just slinks so cute.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she just slinks. I love it. It's so cute. There's no fight to get her.
Speaker 2:We caught her last night. Oh yeah, she was in the front yard last night. She was in the front. Gosh, she's so bad.
Speaker 3:She's so hard to catch at night. She's so cute, though, but then when you do get her she's like Just slink.
Speaker 1:She's just like whatever you got me, I guess.
Speaker 2:It's actually really funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is. She's so cute. I love her. They're both adorable though.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's something people don't realize about being a student athlete.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of people think about the cons of it but they don't realize how many pros there is to it, because I mean, obviously it is time managing, and it I mean time, time consuming. But I think the way you meet so many people and how many friends you gain from it and just like not popularity but just hanging out with more people, I feel like it, it means a lot to me and I think it's really fun.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know you're going to build sisterhoods here.
Speaker 2:that will last forever yeah exactly yeah, finish this sentence for me.
Speaker 1:When I step on the court, I feel Okay, when I step on the court, I feel at ease because I feel like I'm at where I'm supposed to be. I'm at home. So it just means like I don't know how to explain it Like I just feel like I'm supposed to be there.
Speaker 2:So yeah, like you're in the moment.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly In the moment.
Speaker 3:Wow, I like that.
Speaker 2:I love that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, cause that's truly how it is Like for you coming on. It's our very first non-softball podcast. Yes, very first. You will see more of this. We really want to empower women, women's sports and things like that. It just means a lot to me. Now I've said this to many people If I wouldn't have had daughters, I can't tell you I would have had the same stance, but now that I have daughters, it's so important to me to have, so thank you for coming on. We do have another volleyball player coming up. You might know her Hadley Kelly.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I do know her, so she's like 17 foot tall. Yeah, yeah, we're going to back the cameras. Put Hadley over here sitting down in the Indian style.
Speaker 1:She plays basketball too, doesn't she? Yeah, she, yeah, she's a junior.
Speaker 3:She's 16. I think she might not be 16 yet.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But Hadley played for me in baseball.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 3:But y'all's world. Does she play for Storm also, maybe?
Speaker 1:I think she plays at LAV. Okay yeah, they're really good too, yeah.
Speaker 3:And LAV is like more like that's your McGill-Tulin right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, basically they're from.
Speaker 2:McGill to Lansing.
Speaker 3:Cool, but we are very thankful for you and we love you.
Speaker 2:Ever since we met your dad, we've been big fans of yours and we're so proud of you to like use your chance. Yeah, and it's so funny because, like, I think we've spoken, maybe like two words to each other, but I feel like I know you now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, I mean yeah, anytime with your dad. It's to become really good friends too, you know. So, yeah, uh, but again we're so thankful for y'all.
Speaker 2:Shout out to you, mike, thanks for raising this beautiful girl you have and uh yes, y'all have anything for them, don't suck. That was cute.