As the tallest in her class all through grade school, Kaitlyn’s parents knew that introducing her to a sport that would utilize her height would be valuable to her sports journey. Since the first grade, she was an intense, competitive swimmer and had always put swimming first before any other sport, which included soccer, baseball and basketball. However, in third grade Kaitlyn’s friend Sara introduced her to volleyball, and by middle school Kaitlyn realized that volleyball had her heart. Although she was on track to become a very successful swimmer, Kaitlyn made the big decision to quit swimming in 7th grade and attend tryouts for New WAVE Volleyball Club.
On the first day of tryouts, the athletes lined up by positions. Kaitlyn froze. She had no idea what the different positions were since she played every position at her previous junior program. When the coach asked for her position she weakly replied, “Kaitlyn Thick, 2023, bumper” and saw the confused, but also somewhat amused, look on the coach’s face. Kaitlyn was placed with the middles that day and played that position for the first year of club volleyball. Eventually when she reached 14, she switched to outside hitter.
“Coach Deidre had seen my potential as a strong, go-to attacker whose height could lead to a player with a strong ceiling for growth. And that position switch turned my volleyball career upside down,” shares Thick.
Volleyball has shown Kaitlyn so many sides to herself, specifically with leadership. She has always been the player to lead by example but more recently she’s realized her role as a motivator, especially on her high school team.
“When I step onto the court no matter what position, my goal is to not only do the best I can do but to also make my teammates feel at their best. I’ve learned that my role on the team is to bring some calm and comfortability to the atmosphere. When I feel us second guessing and doubting, I am able to put a smile on my teammates’ faces and bring out their fun and hype side that makes them feel more comfortable and capable,” says Thick.
That desire to help and serve others led Kaitlyn to found the Wellness House Youth Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of people and families suffering from cancer. Her parents were involved in it for years and when Kaitlyn got to high school she decided she wanted to take a step further in her involvement with the organization after her brother’s…
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