WOODBURY – When upcoming 8th graders start their freshman year at high school they start their journey into joining the sports family. Kids make most of their friends when they play a sport. They start to get close with their teammates and they start to build a bond. A sport bond isn’t like a normal bond; it’s a bond where athletes go through the tough days of the sport and the good days.
“Yes, this sport definitely feels like a family. It definitely forces you to become close with the people on your team, more than other sports,” said Macey Chmiel , a multiple-year starter on the NHS volleyball team. “It feels like a family because we all are there to show our skill and play since we all have the same passion. I’m really going to miss playing with these girls and the sport in general.”
Volleyball is the kind of sport athletes need a family for. Everyone on the court is working together and communicating with each other in order to play the sport.
“When you are playing on the court you do need to be able to get along with everyone on the court,” said Allison Hardwick, NHS volleyball’s middle hitter. “Mainly because of the fact of getting the ball up and getting a successful play.”
Coach Marty Malispina has been coaching the Nonnewaug volleyball team for 11 years.
Many of the girls have graduated from this volleyball family and moved onto college and life. From girls being on the team from their freshman year all the way to the end of high school.
For Malaspina, Senior Night isn’t merely just another game, but rather the culmination of the end of this familial chapter.
“Senior night is extremely bittersweet,” said Marty Malispina. “It’s extremely rewarding to reflect on how much each senior has grown yet sad knowing they won’t be with us next season.”
