Justine Martinez '21 Recruiting Profile

My name is Justine Martinez, and I am in the class of 2021. When I was about 5 years old, my father introduced me to the world of sports and physical activities. I began to play soccer, which I had a passion for until my sophomore year of high school. I played in AYSO for about 7 years, then club soccer at AVFC for 2 years.  The reason why I decided to stop is because I had to make a choice between education and sports. Normally, a person would be able to do both without an issue, but I have different circumstances. I am currently attending SOAR High School,  which gives students the opportunity to earn college credits at our community college (Antelope Valley College) while taking high school courses. It was suggested by my parents to start dedicate my time to focus on school because of the huge work load.  Also, there are no sports at SOAR, as it solely focuses on STEM. Instead, there is a sports club which I have joined since freshman year. Joining this club has allowed me to take part in activities such as soccer, volleyball, dodge ball, and ultimate frisbee with other competitive students.  I was able to  earn a position as secretary of sports club for my senior year. This way I can share ideas and inspire students to play sports. Other clubs that I am in includes Key Club, CSF, Earth Club, Game Club, and Dance Club. Along with being secretary for sports club during my senior year, I am also president for Dance Club. In addition to my interest in playing sports, I love to dance, appreciate music, culture, nature, and paint. As of right now, I am extremely passionate about volleyball. In middle school, I played for my school's volleyball team, where I learned that I liked the sport.  I played well enough to be in a leader position and receive awards like "MVP" and "Most Defensive Player". In my junior year of high school, my friends grew interested in playing volleyball, which also influenced me to play once again.  I truly wish that I had realized that I loved volleyball earlier. Unfortunately, I do not have the resources such as money to join a club at this time, although I want to. Instead, I have been auditing volleyball classes and practicing with friends during break as my way to gain experience and do what I love.  Despite my lack of being on the court, I still contain multiple skills that I believe are suitable to be on a team. First, I am a player that is willing to take both offensive and defensive positions.  But, I focus more on defense.  That being said, I believe that the Defense Specialist or Libero would be position that I am best suited in. I am willing to dig for the ball to get the play in action. Second, I have high endurance.  My stamina allows me to keep playing  for a long time. Third,  I am a hard worker- in education and in sports. When I am given a new technique, I want to practice until I have it down.  For example, if I were to be given lessons on how to rotate my body when hitting the ball, I would make sure to practice enough until the movement becomes almost natural.