I personally feel your blog is a must read for many athletes who are undersized. Size and structure seems to be a common problem for a lot of high school athletes trying to make it to the next level. When I was going through high school I can think of over a dozen athletes who went through the same situation as you did, while trying to go division one. You brought up a very good point when you said; ???size surely doesn???t measure heart, fight or ability???. A lot of the kids who are undersized have amazing skill, heart and ability, and get overlooked. I as well feel bad for athletes who go through these situations.
I have seen in some cases were an athlete was rejected from a big school and still would not give up, so they walked on the team. A lot of walk on athletes become a big asset to the team and become team players. I feel that undersized athletes have more heart then the athletes with perfect structure, because they take things for granted with there structure. Athletes just need to do their ultimate best with the genetics God gave them; the rest will take care of itself.

-Jason Janov

This article really hit at home with me. I know exactly how you feel about having the skill, heart, and ability for the sport but you???re never given a chance to prove that. Now I don???t know volleyball very well, but don???t they need small very quick and agile people along with the 6 foot giants. That???s just my opinion but once again I don???t know volleyball very well.

As for big colleges sending people letters saying your too small. I think this is unfair. If you have a good resume and back round I feel you should still get a chance to tryout or a chance for a scout to come and watch you. I do not think it is right that because you are not in the right place at the right time with a scout that you don???t get a chance to play.

Brian Batko

This would be a pretty standard letter for most schools actually regardless of division. They are more unwilling to say that someone is not skilled enough to play for them Usually it will be something like to small or not recruiting that position. Skilled small players make it at the big time if they are that talented. Look at former Tar Heel Ivory Latta that is a tiny point guard by DI Women's Basketball standards but can she play. Coaches don't want to hurt a kid, do they miss some sure but it doesn't happen to often where someone with incredible talent regardless of size goes unnoticed. I agree for those kids with big dreams to never stop driving and always remember there are many great schools to play at regardless of division. If you work hard anything can happen.

Hello my name is Corinne Berkeley and I am currently a student with the University of Pennsylvania enrolled in the Wellness and Fitness Program. I attended Malibu High school located in southern california for my middle and high school education. All through middle and high school I was invloved in track, basketball, cross country and some soccer. I am 6'3" and I have always been asked to participate in all the sports but one individual can only be at so many places at once. I had to choose the sports I was most familiar with and I stuck with those. I never persued vollyball which was one of the biggest regrets of my life because the few times I could make it to practice I slammed that ball over the net.

But with my expierences in sports and being on teams for many years I have always thought that being tall is not always the best when it comes to maneuverability and quickness. I was always told that I am pretty quick for my height but compared to the shorter stockier players my muscles could not contract as quickly because of the elongation of the muscle fibers. This my sound complicated but it is true. Eevery size person has their pros and cons and without a veriaty of different strengths, speeds and hieghts some sports would not be as intertaining.

p.s
If any one wants to teach a 6'3" women who is very athletic to play volleyball I am here and ready to conquer. I am 21 years old and located in southern CA.
Thank you
Corinne Berkeley
corinne.berkeley@gmail.com

This was definitely a very heartfelt and sincere blog that many individuals unfortunately must go through at some point in their lives. It is very disheartening to know that someone with as much desire as yourself had be let down that way that you did. I as a former college athlete had seen and dealt with this very same issue many times within my career. Although my difficulties were within the realm of high school, and if I would have let them bother me I would have never achieved what I did in playing at the collegiate level, as well as in life.

As you stated so well; ???size surely doesn???t measure heart, fight or ability,??? which hits the nail on the head when it comes to athletics, cohesiveness of a team, achievements of a team, and in life. When you get to the college level or even professional level, many times there are the ???political??? athletes who are playing simply because they knew someone, a family member played, or they were the correct size, shape, and weight. As mentioned above, I too had some struggles within proving myself or ability within my athletic career, however, I did not let it stand in the way of what I knew in my heart and what my dreams and aspirations were. When you make the decision to walk on to a team or finally get picked up or noticed and prove that you have the heart, fight, and ability regardless of what standardized stipulations are in place elsewhere, one can truly flourish as an individual and help a squad achieve a common goal no matter what it may be.

Overall, I feel that nowadays there are too many players who have the ???disease of me,??? which can stem from many sources and in my opinion is the lack of heart and fight. They get by on the same attributes that set you back, and never really have to work in order to achieve what they want. It seems as though you have great character and have probably learned many life lessons from these events and as you stated; ???Continue to battle and play your game. Exude confidence and pride in who you are. Don???t fret the things you can???t change.??? This is truly an important lesson for anyone regardless of age, ability, stature, or current situation to remember and live by in order to achieve what their hearts desire. Once more, you have provided a great blog and a great outlook on life experiences regardless of what they may be and I hope you keep trying to inspire and change the lives of those who may be able to learn from your experiences.

First off I would like to say how lucky are you that you got to go and see a Division I National Volleyball Championship! I just think that is so awesome! Sadley I do not know that much about volleyball except that it is fun to cheer on the team you are rooting for.

But on a more seriouse note i do think that it is really un fair that so many colleges turn down people for athletic scholar ships based on thier size. I actually didnt have to deal with that because I am a cross country/track runner but I had friends in high shcool that were turned down for athletic scholar ships based off of their size. In the end though I do believe that everyone applying to college will find one that they just love, all you have to do is just listen to your heart.