"BECOME 1 % BETTER EVERYDAY" by Jackie Kingsbury

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Jackie Kingsbury

District: 32-6A

High School: Los Fresnos HS

College: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Sports: Volleyball

Honors/Awards HS: 4 Year Varsity, New-comer of the year, Four time 1st Team All District Selection, District Senior MVP, All District Valley MVP

Honors/Awards College: 3 Year Deans List, Team Co-captain and Captain.

I chose to play at UTRGV because I felt it was the appropriate fit for me in terms of style of play, location and opportunity. Before getting the offer to play volleyball at UTRGV I had been coached all my life to play a certain way. Knowing that UTRGV, a rising division 1 institution; played with the same style was very comforting. The UTRGV Campus is exactly one hour drive away from my hometown Brownsville, Texas. Being able to attend college and play my favorite sport while also being so close to home was such a blessing not many get to experience. Playing at UTRGV gave me the opportunity to make lifelong friends and meet so many great people from all over the country. Being a home grown role model to all other girls in Real Grande valley is a rare opportunity many others did not get. Many dream of playing collegiate athletics, so being an example or boost of motivation was a role I was happy to play. Most importantly, choosing to play volleyball at UTRGV allowed me to pursue and obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice.

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Being fortunate enough to have played travel volleyball with a club allowed me to be introduced to a high level of play at a young age. I never struggled nor doubted myself with conditioning or workouts, I was very much prepared and stayed prepared all throughout high school and college. However being from a small town the exposure to that high level of play was not always consistent until we played better teams later in the playoffs. The difference between highschool play to the level on the team in college was significant. I had doubted if I was good enough to play alongside my foreign teammates; some having played for their countries national teams. Standing at 5’11” I was not the shortest on the team but I was definitely not the tallest. Ultimately I had told myself that I would not be here If I was not good enough and no one was doubting me other than myself. I had come to terms with the fact that all I could do was work hard and drive to become 1% better everyday and continue to motivate my teammates to be better and when my opportunity presented itself, I was going to be more than prepared, and was.

Growing up I never had a role model in volleyball, although I loved to watch the Olympics and SEC and PAC 12 schools play on tv; I just never had someone I idolized. I had viewed those athletes as someone just like me, although I did take mental notes of certain things about these players in order to expand my volleyball IQ. I didn’t necessarily want to be just like them, I just aspired to be the best player I could be. My parents were the ultimate role models for me. My parents introduced me to a very strong work ethic and taught me how to work hard and constantly told me if I was not working someone else was going to be better than me, pushing me to work harder. They often referenced “it’s like a bank account, you only get as much as you put in it" not only being sports but life as well.

At the end of my 14 year volleyball career I had experienced numerous injuries. My worst injury was a separated rib from my sternum in high school. I had been hit in the chest by an attack from the other side as I was playing defense. The ball hit me in the chest, I had lost my breath but once I regained my breathing I realized there was still a very sharp pain in my chest and I could no longer raise my arm nowhere near over my head. I was put in a sling to keep my arm stabilized and was not allowed to participate in any physical activity for about a month, not needing surgery thankfully.

One of my most frustrating and puzzling injuries happened my freshman year of college, all I had done was wake up out of a nap. I had stood up off my bed and my foot had been in excruciatingly sharp pain inhibiting me from walking. Every medical professional I saw about it could not give me a diagnosis, there were no answers from there or x-rays or MRIs I had gotten. I was put into a boot for a month with no physical activity. I had been so worried with the season being around the corner but my coach reassured me it was important for me to get healthy for the regular season . A month passed and my foot was healed, allowing me to start my first game as a true freshman against Brigham Young University.

I also experienced very painful shin splints, those were on and off for about 6 years although shin splints did not keep me out of game play it did keep my out of practices and resulted in me needing numerous massages,x rays and tests run because our trainers had thought I had stress fractures in both legs. Luckily, I had made it through my career with none of my injuries resulting in surgery.

The best advice I ever received was from a coach "Certain things are out of your control; however the 2 things that you can control are your effort and your attitude. If you are able to control those things, you are doing all you are able to do. If you fail to control either, you are the one failing yourself, no one else" (Head UTRGV Volleyball Coach Todd Lowery).

-Jackie Kingsbury

embrace-doubt.com 7/6/2023