Personal Statement
My name is Max Sellers and I want to play volleyball in college. I began playing volleyball in 3rd grade when I attended a camp run by the coach at my local high school. My mom signed me up to give me something to do in the summer. I wasn’t sure about it. I had never played before or even seen a game. I told my mom I didn’t know how to play. She told me that few boys at the camp would know how to play because it was a new sport at our school. She also reminded me that I had learned to play baseball and basketball and enjoyed those sports. I had so much fun at camp that I decided to try playing at the YMCA that fall and I joined a pre-tryout camp that was 95% girls. I have been playing ever since. My first club experience was when I was 11 and I played with an Illinois regional 14U team. I played pick-up sand volleyball with my brother and his high-school teammates.
I have faced challenges, but I am passionate and determined. I have continued to push through by working hard. When I was younger, I loved playing basketball and was a pretty scrappy guard. Unfortunately, because I was kind of short, I took a lot of elbows to the face and throat and the intense cross-court running was hard with my asthma (I seem to have outgrown this, I haven’t had a problem in a few years). I love volleyball because it is a true team sport. My teammates and I are on the same side playing together. While I sometimes wish I were taller, it is not a huge problem as a libero as long as I focus on improving my communication, quickness, passing, digging and serving. Every week to improve I am pushing myself hard at practice, hitting a volleyball against our garage, lifting weights and eating healthy. I am determined to learn more about my sport and game strategies. I watch matches on TV and video, and sometimes document spray charts for some familiar opponents.
Through club volleyball I have found that you can improve a lot if you put in the work, stay humble and listen to your coaches. You can practice leadership on the court by communicating on court, in the huddle and off court when your team has down time between matches. Teamwork is so vital to this sport and has to be nurtured.
It is my goal after college to continue playing and coaching volleyball. I would like to be a college coach or be a coach or director of a club. Perhaps I could manage a volleyball training facility someday. With this in mind, I want to work hard in high school, get into a good college, and play volleyball while studying Sports Management, Business or Computer Science. I would like to get some experience with internships, so I can be ready for a career after graduation.
