An illustration shows former Sports Editor Liya Taylor surrounded by sports equipment. Taylor has played a variety of sports throughout her life, most prominently volleyball and golf, and reflected on the lessons she has learned going into her senior seasons. “For me, sports were never about playing at the next level. They were about the process, the people and the personal growth that came with it,” Taylor wrote. Illustration by
Tess van Wagtendonk
As former Sports Editor Liya Taylor looks ahead to her senior volleyball and golf seasons, she reflects on the lessons and opportunities for growth that sports have given her, even without pursuing college athletics.
The gym is loud: volleyballs hit the floor, teammates call out “mine” and everyone is moving.
The golf course is the opposite: quiet, still and the only sound heard is a club swinging.
Throughout high school, I’ve moved between these two worlds, and now, going into my senior season, I know they won’t last forever.
According to a 2025 article from The University of Olivet, only around 6% of high school athletes go on to play a sport on a collegiate team. This number puts things into perspective as I look towards my senior year.
I have never wanted to be part of that 6%, and I’ve felt that way for a while. But that has not made my years of playing sports feel any less meaningful.
Although I danced and played soccer as an elementary school student at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School, the first sport that stuck with me was volleyball. I started playing in sixth grade, and it quickly became more than just something to do after school. Volleyball is a team sport in every sense of the term.
When playing, I rely on the people around me throughout the whole game, whether that’s trusting my setter to put the ball in the right spot or knowing my teammate will cover if the opposing team blocks my attack. Over time, the sport has taught me how to communicate, how to lead and how to be a part of something bigger than myself.
While volleyball taught me how to lean on others, golf taught me to trust myself.
Golf, which I picked up during my sophomore year, has impacted me in a completely different way. There is no one to rely on, and every good or bad shot is on you. It has forced me to be patient and stay composed, teaching me
to be accountable, to quickly shake things off and not to get in my head. While volleyball taught me how to lean on others, golf taught me to trust myself.
Those lessons might not result in playing collegiate athletics, but they will stick with me.
It’s easy to measure sports by what comes next, like scholarships or Name, Image and Likeness deals. But most high school athletes won’t play at the next level, and that doesn’t make the hours they spent practicing, the long bus rides and the early mornings and late nights any less valuable.
Because when the game ends, what they’re left with isn’t a record or a title. It’s the discipline to keep showing up, the ability to work with people who are different and the mindset to push through challenges even when no one is watching.
That’s what I’ll take with me when my senior year ends.
I don’t know exactly what role these sports will play in my life a year from now, but I know they won’t disappear completely. Maybe it’s playing beach volleyball on a trip or playing a round of golf on a random Saturday. It won’t be the same as my high school playing days, but it doesn’t have to be.
For me, sports were never about playing at the next level. They were about the process, the people and the personal growth that came with it, and as my senior seasons start, that feels like more than enough.
