Aidan started playing volleyball for his school when he was in 5th grade to see if he would like it. He knew next to nothing about the sport, and his only preconceived notions were that volleyball was a “girls’ sport.” As a multi-sport athlete, Aidan competed in basketball, baseball and track, while maintaining academic excellence. By the 7th grade, Aidan realized how much he enjoyed volleyball and joined a club team at 630 Volleyball. By his freshman year of high school, Aidan was ecstatic to learn that he made the varsity team at his high school, and realized he wanted to commit to being the best volleyball student athlete and teammate he could be.
As captain of his 15-1 team, Aidan participated in The Leadership Academy at 630 Volleyball, where the team captains participate in activities and workshops to learn how to become effective leaders on and off the court. Throughout the Leadership Academy Aidan participated in team building activities, including corporate team building strategies, games and an escape room. The Academy includes sessions with great college coaches such as John Hawks, recently named UCLA Head Men’s Volleyball Coach (previously Head Coach at Loyola University), and Mental Performance Coach, Dan Mickle.
“I do like to see myself as an informal leader. I feel my leadership shows by taking lead roles in meetings and always participating. I balance a lot of activities by making sure that I have good time management skills,” stated Aidan.
Aidan has always looked up to his father as a role model and admired his willingness to learn something new. Although he had a demanding schedule as a police officer, his dad would coach him and his two younger sisters in almost evert sport they participated in. A collegiate baseball player, Aidan’s dad never played organized volleyball. However, he learned the sport because of how much Aidan loved it. “He showed me that it is ok to learn from those younger and more experienced. I have watched him spend many hours with club and college coaches asking questions on how he can be better,” added Aidan.
Last year during his sophomore season, Aidan decided to learn something new and become certified as a Junior Official. To his surprise, the process was quite simple.
“I signed up for an evaluation at a girls’ club tournament, where I observed and was taught how to officiate. Once completed, I was then instructed to complete coursework in order to be certified to officiate and earn my…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Junior Volleyball Association…