So, I was a 5’11” all-around athlete in high school. As a freshman I was practically a natural athlete. So why wouldn’t I join the volleyball team?

Freshman year was my first year playing volleyball. My parents literally had to fight with my basketball coach to allow me to play because he refused to let his athletes play more than one sport. My parents weren’t having it. I was a multi-athlete.

Volleyball was something I was into. My parents thought it was important to either do that or ballet so that I could get my balance together, but to them, I was completely out of balance all the time.

Freshman year, I was on the JV volleyball team. The first game of the year, I started off with the serve. Now, technically, I had no clue what I was doing, but I figured the practice I’d put in and my natural ability would carry me through. It was a no-brainer.

Well, that was until the first game. So here we are, game one. I’m doing well, I made a couple of serves that scored a few points. I’m up in front and I’m guarding. I’m in defense mode. The ball comes up in the air, and I push it back down and score, but the whole net comes down with it.

The crowd goes wild, laughing. “Damn” is all you can hear in the background. Oh my God, she’s like Godzilla. And there, my nickname was given. A 5’11” basketball player back in the late 1990s didn’t want to be called Godzilla. I was just trying to be a girly athlete, whatever that means, and now my name is Godzilla. Honestly, it was not my favorite time, but it’s still a funny story, and therefore I share.

Love Chels.