John and I recently found out about an open-gym volleyball night down in Edmonds, through our friend Coire King. We checked it out two weeks ago and were thrilled to find out it was competitive enough for us to enjoy it. Tonight we went again. I LOVE VOLLEYBALL. I have missed this.

It’s seriously pure delight to feel myself getting into familiar grooves of motions I learned in high school and realize they still work. I am so impressed with muscle memory. I am so thankful for that German Volleyball camp we went to the summer before Grade 12. Peter (pronounced Beta in that part of Germany) was a phenomenal coach even though I remember hating it at the time. At the end we (Jess and I) knew that we had improved tremendously. He taught us fundamentals that we hadn’t learned, like the exact run up for a spike in order to get the most power into your hit, he taught us to move our feet not our arms for the ball, he really drilled us on the technique required to be skilled.

Maybe I want to coach volleyball someday. It felt so good to be back on a court, in motion, I was beaming as I played. Everyone is talented enough to make the play competitive but not impossible. The people are wonderful.

James is the leader. He’s one of those guys who earns your respect as soon as you meet him. He’s gracious, mild, and tough. Pierced ears and a mohawk, he used to be in the Marines. He’s a powerful player, easily the best and I think he tones it down on purpose sometimes. He’s a great coach, gives praise quietly, gives pointers and coaches you without ever being condescending or angry about mistakes. He makes you play your best without being pushy or demanding.

It’s really fun for John and I to play sports together. It’s something we had in common when we were first learning each other’s histories, but we never have really played sports together, except for some indoor soccer which doesn’t really count. I love being a team, passing to each other, executing good plays.

Anyway . . . enough raving about how much I love this sport. It’s time for bed and I want to finish drinking this delicious smoothie John made me.