Adam Gordon '17 Recruiting Profile

I am a 6 foot 3 inch, 190-pound outside hitter from San Diego, California. I have been playing club volleyball for over six years and have had the pleasure of being consistently exposed to a higher level of competition through playing with older athletes in five of those six seasons.  As a result of playing up by at least one year every season, I have learned that in order to earn time on the court, I have had to be the hardest working athlete in the gym.  I have tried to lead by example and always want to be thought of as respectful by my coaches and teammates. I constantly strive to learn from my mistakes, be coachable, and to be the best teammate possible. Currently, I am a starter on the COAST Volleyball Club 17-1 Team under Coach Darrell Dilmore. I am very excited about the opportunity to train under Coach Dilmore and I have included his contact information below for your reference.  The four prior seasons I was starter for a Seaside team that played in the Nationals Open Division each season. Three years ago we won the Silver Medal, losing in close third set tie-breaker to Puerto Rico. I have loved learning to perform under pressure and the overall experience.   I have also really enjoyed training with a great group of coaches at Seaside Volleyball Club and have included contact information of the Seaside club director (Russ Bird) for your reference. I encourage you contact him. 
 
In addition to playing club volleyball, I have been fortunate enough to attend Francis Parker School and play under the direction of Coach John Herman.  Coach Herman’s teams have won 17 CIF championships in volleyball, including a California state record 11 straight CIF titles in Boys’ volleyball.  Prior to coming to Parker, Coach Herman spent three years as an assistant coach at Long Beach State and was an assistant with the 1996 USA Olympic Men’s Volleyball Team.  He is a true ambassador of the sport that I love and I am so grateful to have him as a mentor and role model.  Under Coach Herman, I have been the starting Varsity outside hitter during both my freshman and sophomore seasons. As I freshman, I was honored by being selected to the 2nd Team All-Conference. Our team finished 2nd in the Western Conference and Southern California Region.  As a sophomore I was the team leader in kills and was again selected to the 2nd Team All-Conference. This past season, we were eliminated in the State Semifinals. In addition, during my sophomore year, we competed in and won the Orange County Championship Tournament for the first time in the history of Francis Parker School.  Again, please contact John Herman for a reference.
 
I feel that one significant advantage to living in Southern California is the opportunity to play year-round beach volleyball.  I have found that my beach time, in addition to just being fun, has helped nearly every aspect of my indoor game, from communication on the court with my teammates, to speed and jumping.  Francis Parker School has Varsity Beach Club Team and I have started on that team since my freshman year. I have also had the opportunity to participate in multiple High Performance USA Beach Volleyball Camps at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. Finally, I have participated in and won several California Beach Volleyball Association Tournaments with various partners and in different age brackets.
 
When I am not in the volleyball gym or on the beach, I am usually studying.  Francis Parker is well known in Southern California as a rigorous college-preparatory institution.   I have been a student at Parker since second grade and balancing academics with other activities has taught me the importance of being organized with good time management skills. I do not ultimately know what I want to do as a long-term career, but I envision myself getting a graduate degree. I enjoy math and science, but also can see myself in the business world. I am currently in my 6th year of Honors Mandarin Chinese and was recently inducted into the National Chinese Honor Society. I hope to be fluent/proficient in Mandarin by the completion of high school.  I am also taking a full load of additional honors classes.  My GPA entering my junior year is 3.61 (non-weighted) and 3.94 (weighted).  I am presently studying for the SAT and ACT examinations.  In addition to being an excellent school for sports and academics, Francis Parker is well known for having an active community service program. Through this program, I have been involved in multiple projects, including The Build A Miracle Foundation and The Ladle Fellowship. Through these organizations, I have spent many hours over the last two years building homes in Mexico and feeding underserved populations in San Diego. From this experience I have learned to appreciate what a wonderful life I have and how extremely fortunate I am.  The community service really helps put my life into appropriate perspective and keeps me grounded.
 
Additional activities that I enjoy include photography, travel, hiking, winter sports (skiing and snowmobile riding), weight training, and Tae Kwon Do. I started martial arts training when I was five years old and currently hold a 2nd Degree Black Belt.  I find however, what really relaxes me when I need a study break or after an intense match, is my music. My primary instrument is the piano, but I also play guitar, trumpet and sing. I have been studying music both privately and in school for as long as I can remember. I practice one instrument or another on average one hour per day.  On the weekends I play for hours.
 
Success in school, sports, music, and community has helped me to learn the value of discipline and hard work. I’ve learned that nothing truly worthwhile comes easily. I’ve learned how to work as a teammate and as an individual.  I do not yet know where I ultimately want to end up for college, the size of the institution I want to attend, or what region of the country I will live in. I do not yet know what profession I will pursue. I am open to explore any opportunity that I am fortunate enough to have come my way. I do know that excellence in academics is of primary importance to me and I know that I love volleyball and being part of a team. I intend on being a scholar athlete at the college level, and if I am on your team, I will continue to strive to be the hardest working athlete in your gym.  Beyond that, I will have to see what doors open up in the future with hard work.