Volleyball is a great sport. It should not be limited to those who can afford it.
My name is Arissa Shepherd. I started this movement during my junior year at Dacula High School (Class of 2022) because of my love for the sport of volleyball. However, it has been on my mind for many years. I have played club volleyball for A5 Gwinnett (formerly GA5) since age 13. While I am blessed to have access to the sport, I have been concerned about possible barriers to accessibility for some families due to costs associated with club sports (see Motivation section below).
How You Can Help In the Fall of 2020, I launched an initiative to raise funds for girls to play club volleyball. I also started giving lessons to young girls in my community to introduce them to the game. I eventually hope to start a nonprofit organization to broaden my mission but for now, here's how you can help me:
Why am I doing this? Mission Statement: I feel compelled to help other girls play volleyball because of how much of a well-rounded person it makes you. In volleyball, you learn to be a great teammate, respond to adversity in tough situations, make quick adjustments and apply flexibility. All of these are good traits to have outside of volleyball. Volleyball has also provided me with some of the most influential mentors and best friends in my life. I want everybody to be able to have this experience who wants it." ---Arissa Shepherd (DHS Class of 22, A5 Gwinnett Volleyball Club) Motivation Volleyball is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation. According to a recent report of the National Federation of State High School Associations1, volleyball was the top team sport for girls for a fourth year in a row with over 446,583 student athletes. Boys volleyball also made significant gains and is the fastest growing sector at the collegiate level. According to a 2018 press release issued by AVCA, “Release of participation and sponsorship reports by various governing organizations confirms that volleyball is an increasingly popular sport in colleges and high schools from across the country. Women’s court volleyball continues to lead the way with 1,755 colleges and universities sponsoring programs across various organizations.” Even as volleyball continues to grow rapidly, it remains a very expensive sport. While school programs offer low-cost entry, travel and club programs are the gold standard for volleyball exposure and recruitment in the United States. Collegiate seasons overlap with high school programs so many college recruiters use the spring and summer club tournament circuit to see players. Here’s the problem. According to data published by USA Today3, the average cost of club volleyball can range from $8,000 to $10,000 per year (club fees and travel). Less competitive regional programs can still exceed $1,500. My parents tracked our household costs for the 2018-2019 club season, and it exceeded $12,000. For many families, these numbers make the sport inaccessible. Cost is not the only factor hindering broader exposure to the sport. Bopp et al. (2017) published a paper in the International Journal of Exercise Science4 entitled, “Are You Welcomed? A Racial and Ethnic Comparison of Perceived Welcomeness in Sport Participation”. They found that volleyball ranks lower on the scale of perceived inclusiveness for certain racial groups (Table 1). Unfortunately, many of those same racial groups are found in lower income brackets in the United States. My Volleyball Story |
Once I discovered volleyball after playing competitive soccer as a small kid, I knew that it was not just an extracurricular activity. It was my passion. I was first exposed to the sport at a summer camp in my hometown of Dacula, Georgia at age 8 or so. This led to a 5 year period of volleyball training at Suwanee Sports Academy where I typically trained with high school girls even as a middle schooler. I moved on to Club ball at age 13.
Both of my parents are college-educated so my brother and I are very aware of the importance of college education and the advantages it provides moving forward. I am interested aspects of law, international affairs, and sports management. I maintain a 4.0+ weighted GPA, participated in the DUKE T.I.P. academic program, and was recently elected as a freshman to the Dacula High School Student Council. I am on the Honor Roll, in the German Language Honor Society, and have credit for 3 college courses based on 3 AP tests taken so far. I am active in various leadership positions within my Girl Scout troop, Dacula Leadership Team and have been fortunate enough to experience different cultures through international travel. In 2019, I was inducted into the Beta Club and National Honor Society. I was elected Junior Class President in 2020.
I have played Club volleyball with the highly competitive GA5 (now A5 Gwinnett) Club based in Suwanee, Georgia. I was a starting outside hitter on the 13-1s and 14-1s team. I consistently led the team in most hitting and serving statistics. Because I also played all-around, I was typically second in "digs" statistics only to the libero. In addition to performance, I was also one of the team captains both years. In the summer of 2018, I made the varsity team at Dacula High School as a rising freshman, which is somewhat rare at the school. Our team made it to State, and I led the team in Kills. I also made All-Region Team (Georgia 8AAAAAA - honorable mention), All-Gwinnett County Team (honorable mention) and was selected MVP of my varsity team as a freshman in 2018. I was one of 3 team members the also received a Dacula High School Scholar Athlete award.
I was captain of my GA5 (now A5 Gwinnett) 15-1s and 16-1s club teams during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons and led the team in several statistical categories including Kills. I also played all 6 rotations. I am currently a returning member of the Dacula High School varsity team. In 2019, I made 1st Team All Region, 1st Team GHSA All-County, 2nd Team Gwinnett Daily Post All-County and became the 2nd all-time in Kills at my high school. In 2019, I surpassed 550 Kills and 600 Digs as a sophomore. I was also voted the 2019 team MVP, for the 2nd year in a row and was selected MVP of the MVP School of Sports High School All Star game.
In 2020, I have been named one of the Gwinnett Daily Post's Super 6 in the county. I recently broke Dacula High School's Career kill record early in my junior season and was selected to the 2020 8AAAAAA All-Region Team. I end my junior year just shy of 1000 Kills and 1000 Digs and look forward to the 2020-2021 17s club season.
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc5yWPuKymhcLhI54XeJeFQ
My Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/profile/12562026/Arissa-Shepherd
On Twitter: @arissashepherd.
Both of my parents are college-educated so my brother and I are very aware of the importance of college education and the advantages it provides moving forward. I am interested aspects of law, international affairs, and sports management. I maintain a 4.0+ weighted GPA, participated in the DUKE T.I.P. academic program, and was recently elected as a freshman to the Dacula High School Student Council. I am on the Honor Roll, in the German Language Honor Society, and have credit for 3 college courses based on 3 AP tests taken so far. I am active in various leadership positions within my Girl Scout troop, Dacula Leadership Team and have been fortunate enough to experience different cultures through international travel. In 2019, I was inducted into the Beta Club and National Honor Society. I was elected Junior Class President in 2020.
I have played Club volleyball with the highly competitive GA5 (now A5 Gwinnett) Club based in Suwanee, Georgia. I was a starting outside hitter on the 13-1s and 14-1s team. I consistently led the team in most hitting and serving statistics. Because I also played all-around, I was typically second in "digs" statistics only to the libero. In addition to performance, I was also one of the team captains both years. In the summer of 2018, I made the varsity team at Dacula High School as a rising freshman, which is somewhat rare at the school. Our team made it to State, and I led the team in Kills. I also made All-Region Team (Georgia 8AAAAAA - honorable mention), All-Gwinnett County Team (honorable mention) and was selected MVP of my varsity team as a freshman in 2018. I was one of 3 team members the also received a Dacula High School Scholar Athlete award.
I was captain of my GA5 (now A5 Gwinnett) 15-1s and 16-1s club teams during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons and led the team in several statistical categories including Kills. I also played all 6 rotations. I am currently a returning member of the Dacula High School varsity team. In 2019, I made 1st Team All Region, 1st Team GHSA All-County, 2nd Team Gwinnett Daily Post All-County and became the 2nd all-time in Kills at my high school. In 2019, I surpassed 550 Kills and 600 Digs as a sophomore. I was also voted the 2019 team MVP, for the 2nd year in a row and was selected MVP of the MVP School of Sports High School All Star game.
In 2020, I have been named one of the Gwinnett Daily Post's Super 6 in the county. I recently broke Dacula High School's Career kill record early in my junior season and was selected to the 2020 8AAAAAA All-Region Team. I end my junior year just shy of 1000 Kills and 1000 Digs and look forward to the 2020-2021 17s club season.
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc5yWPuKymhcLhI54XeJeFQ
My Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/profile/12562026/Arissa-Shepherd
On Twitter: @arissashepherd.