Fury's Impact on my Life - Fury Volleyball Club

February 28, 2020

Fury’s Impact on my Life

The Fall River Fury volleyball club has had a huge impact on my life. My volleyball career started when I played for Fury at the age of 12 and it ended in this club after two amazing years of coaching. I remember deciding I wanted to get involved with volleyball again close to the end of my second year at Saint Mary’s University. I remember speaking with Dave Davis for a quick minute while I was working a shift at Tim Hortons. I had played for Dave for three years at Lockview High School and knew that if I wanted to reconnect with the sport, I couldn’t do it any other way. At this point, Dave was starting to plan for the Fury summer camp that I had previously attended as a player. By the end of August, I was hooked once again. This led to two seasons with the girls’ varsity team at Lockview, two seasons (u15 and u14) within the Fury club and being part of three Fury summer camps. It is safe to say I loved coaching!

Coaching helped me develop important life skills. It got me over my fears of public speaking, helped me with time management, while balancing school, work and a team of 10-14 young women, and enhanced my leadership skills. I learned that being a leader does not mean being the smartest or the bossiest but involves being a role model and leading those around you to both physically and psychologically healthy lives. The skills I developed and some the aspects of myself that I cherish the most are a result of my fellow coaching staff, the club directors and players I have had the honor to coach and hopefully made a little impact on within the Fury club.

Volleyball is a competitive sport. There is always a rivalry and I remember the thrill my team and I used to get when facing a team we were neck in neck with all season. But to me the best part about it is the bonds that you develop. Whether playing with different people during high school, club and beach you connect with fellow players and coaches on another level. Some of my best friends came from playing this sport together and I will cherish those connections for a lifetime. Much like I have been told about my soon to be career as a nurse, as soon as you meet someone in the volleyball community you share a common bond. This was especially with case with Fall River Fury.

Unlike many others, the Fury club is a family, whether taking part as a coach, player or a parent. The communication and intermingling that takes place from the moment tryouts start to the final scrimmage before provincials only brings players closer together, closer to the sport and provides role models within the club. As many of us know, the sport of volleyball is variable and can change from game to game, set to set and point to point and by no means has everything in my volleyball career been perfect. Teams lose, players bicker, girls quit, and tears are inevitable but the leadership that Dave Davis and Jen Weatherhead show as faces of this club help players and coaches keep fighting. There is a connection that you develop when entering this club that will follow you no matter how far away you are. As mentioned, I am currently in nursing school and without a doubt I know that I got here through the many lessons and abilities I learned while playing and coaching this sport. I will always remember to walk away with memories and not regrets. My heart will forever be part of the Fury family, even in Ontario!

Graham Parlee

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