Name: Amanda Rodriguez
Grade: 10
Sport: Girls’ Volleyball
1. How long have you been playing volleyball?
-This is my fourth year playing.
2. Do you have any plans for college?
-I’d like to get a volleyball scholarship for college, as well as study medicine.
3. Do you have a different feeling playing in front of an audience than in front of your family & close friends?
-There’s not much of a different feeling. I don’t get nervous before a game, no matter how large the audience is. I enjoy playing with a big audience because it boosts up energy for my teammates and I.
4. What is your biggest accomplishment?
-I made All-County and All-Division 2nd teams as a freshman.
5. How do you set your goals?
-I think of the biggest dream or goal I want to accomplish, then think of the small steps I need to take every day in order to get there.
6. Do you have a saying or motto that you live your life by?
-“If you keep looking at where you came from instead of where you’re going, you’ll trip over any obstacle in your path.”
7. What got you started?
-I used to play tennis, but I decided I wanted to play a team sport. The first sport that came to mind was volleyball, because it was big in Texas.
8. How much do you practice each day?
-I practice every day at school, 3 days a week for club, and almost every day in the summer. I believe the quality of practice is much more important than the quantity.
9. What is the best advice you were ever given?
-As a short volleyball player, it is often times difficult to feel like I can compete with all of the other tall players. But I was told that I have to work with what I was given and play to my maximum potential. I can make up for my height difference with things I can control, such as my vertical jump, speed, and even attitude.
10. What are your other hobbies?
-I enjoy working out and playing other sports, helping other people throughout charity, and studying medicine.