- 2016 Highlights #2
Personal Statement
Hi! Welcome to my recruiting page! Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my profile! I hope this will give you a quick insight of the type of person and athlete I am.
My name is Lexi Kruse, and I am seventeen years old living in McAllen, Texas. I am a setter for the grad year of 2018. Firstly though, I would like to tell you about myself and my work ethic. I guess you can say I’m a kid who was born into the world of athletics. Now growing up, my parents never forced me to be in a sport for which I didn’t have a passion, but they have and will always support me in whatever decision I make. They have taught me right from wrong, especially doing the right thing when someone isn’t looking. This is very, very important to me and something that I strive towards. I have always been taught to fight my own battles, whether it be talking to a coach about a concern or simply asking them for help. If I wanted something, I was the one that had to go out and get it. I am very persistent in everything I do, and I give 100% of myself and effort because personally, the worst thing is wanting something and not going out there and giving everything you’ve got and fighting for it.
I started playing club volleyball in the sixth grade, where I was constantly learning and growing as an athlete and a person. I was originally a middle and outside/back row, but transitioned to setting. Out of all the positions I’ve played, setting is by far my favorite position! I have learned through setting that it is a very humbling and selfless position. I have taken the many lessons from setting and volleyball as a whole and have applied them to my life. It is a vigorous and highly demanding position, but it has taught me many valuable lessons that I probably would not have learned anywhere else: self-discipline, time management, humility, focus, and dedication. Being a student athlete is a job, but it is by far the most rewarding job I’ve ever had in my teenage years, and I hope to maintain this job at a collegiate level. As much as I would love to play volleyball at the next level, my number one priority is academics. Throughout my entire life, it has always been centered around strictly school and sports. That means no parties and no boyfriends…. even though I’ve always wanted one. But as I like to say to myself, “ Is a boy going to get you a college scholarship? Is a party going to get you into college?”. The answer is simply “NO, I AM!”. Although it’s never fun at times to be left out of those things, there is a bigger purpose, my future. Academics are deeply important to me because I aspire to one day go to medical school and become a pediatric oncologist. I have always had a love for people in general, but children hold a special place in my heart. I love to serve people, knowing that serving and giving is part of something that is bigger than myself. And I believe being part of a team, is being part of something that is bigger than anything you could ever be on your own. This brings up a memory that my dad has always asked me. "Would you rather be a small part of a big thing, or a big part of a small thing?" Answering this question can tell you a thing or two about a person’s character, however they decide to answer it. For me, I would want to be a small part of a big thing because like I said before, it would mean I was serving for a bigger purpose than myself alone.
Now that I’ve told you about my aspirations for the future, I would like to talk about my deep passion for volleyball! Outside of volleyball, I am a very laid back, fun spirited person, but when I step on the court, I have a get the job done attitude that is ready to play hard. As a setter, I have taken on the leadership role. As a varsity starting setter for the past three years, I have learned to quickly develop my role as a leader on the court. As much as a setter is supposed to lead vocally, it is just as important to lead by example. Whether this means sprinting as hard as you can to get a ball that everyone has given up on or maintaining a positive attitude when faced with adversity. Another thing that I have learned is to always keep my cool like the iceman. If I remain cool, I can calm or motivate a teammate that may be having an off night. Applying all those attributes will push me out of my comfort zone, which in the long run, will make me more of a versatile athlete.
I am continuing during this summer to enhance my athletic ability and grow/learn as a setter. I am training hours on end every day, with coaches that I am blessed to have. They were professional Serbian and Brazilian athletes/ coaches, who have now decided to take part as our club coaches. They push us extremely hard physically and mentally. As much as volleyball is a physical sport, it is just as mental. I am learning to play smart, read the defense, and look at my hitters and passers. I also reflect on myself to see and learn from what I am doing right or wrong. Now most people may not think of all this as fun, but I do! I love being on the court...in a gym...and playing volleyball! I hope you will continue to follow me as I still have two years of varsity high school and two years of club season to continue to grow and develop in skill and athleticism. And trust me I will be working even harder these last two years! I do look forward to playing collegiate volleyball. Thank you, Lexi Kruse.
