"Shadowland" (THE LION KING)

Well, another season of play has started and my calendar tries to work in as many games as I can. It's only week three and luckily I've been able to catch several games taking place at the same gym. I've also been talking to the referees at the Urban matches and asking questions like where one had gotten this particular whistle because it gave off such a distinctive sound. I made the call to the assigner for Urban but haven't heard anything. They might be full for the season so it might take some time to get me on the schedule.

As spring winds down and summer begins, plans start to take shape and excitement is in the air for anyone to catch. As I look at some of the volleyball group, there's this amalgamation of colors, backgrounds, careers, and personalities that I'm very blessed to have--this volleyball family. We call the group our own United Colors of Bennetton ad, and the group has a depth and emotional connection for each person to help them in some sort of way whether it's a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, a face to complain to, or just to laugh.

Sometimes a stranger or someone we just met will ask how we know each other and we just simply put it--"volleyball." Over the years, I've heard that question many times and though the faces may differ, each one has contributed a little to my life, my existence. My existence is still learning to let go and be more open, but I've conditioned myself to distance and darken my pain. My goal always is to not interfere with the happiness and laughter of people around me. Laughter is my medicine and the more I receive, the better. That is how I deal with life in general. Also I pour myself into some hobby and I'm so excited about the idea of playing tennis this summer. It goes along with that other hobby, theatre, well sort of. Theatre is an excitement completely unmatched in my life and some may call it obsessive but I call it love. And tennis involves another form of joy because it allows me to compete against myself on the court because it's an individual's sport, it's only you against the competition.

"Too Darn Hot" (KISS ME, KATE)

One of the most inspirational people I've encountered in my volleyball meetings is a vibrant, young lady named Ruth. She has been a regular at Brandeis for about as long as I've been there. She has always been a powerhouse on the court with an amazing attitude to go along with it. She's an encourager on the court and off and always there when you need a hug. We're probably around the same age bracket yet the energy this woman gives off while keeping her hectic schedule is amazing, something for me to aspire to. In addition to her career as a nurse, she has two cute daughters that sometimes play around on the side of the volleyball court and has a supportive husband especially when she started competing on the Masters level of track and field. The last time she competed was on the college level at Penn State. She started training and competing just in the last few months and it has pulled her away from volleyball but we are so proud of her accomplishments. She went to the USA Track and Field 2007 National Indoor Masters Championships last month and won a gold medal, successfully becoming the 2007 National Champion in the Women's Triple Jump. She also won a silver medal in the Long Jump. She's currently ranked #1 in the US in the Women's Triple Jump and earned All-American status in both the Triple Jump and the Long Jump.