ENDURE: May 22, 2015

Stronger through Adversity...

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT: Jenna Ferreira

Three years ago, when then HS frosh Jenna Ferreira found us, we knew we encountered a special kid.  Having recently gotten unfortunate news of being cut from the HS volleyball team, she came determined to work harder...get stronger, faster and more prepared for the next year's tryout.  Suffice it to say, we were pretty impressed by the drive of such a young athlete...but maybe more impressive was the upbeat positive mindset she seemed to carry with her day in and day out...most especially in light of the recent adversity she had faced.....entering a new school and not making a team she had been targeting since the 6th grade when she first began playing.  Of course, knowing what we know now...we might just say, "That's just Jenna".

But "just being Jenna" is something pretty darn special...and her story from the last couple years is a great one...but more than that...an important one for us to learn from and share with other young athletes to do the same...and it's earned her our 2nd "Client Spotlight" feature of the year!

You see, maybe unlike typical athletic-related news...this story isn't about titles or championships...it's not about new records or personal bests.....it's a story about lemons and lemonade....one about taking the perceived personal bad and making it an actual community good.  It's about becoming stronger through adversity....not just for yourself...but for the greater good.....and it's about doing the right things for the right reasons.

A girl with "volleyball in the family", Jenna battled through being cut as a freshman and did in fact achieve her goal and earn a spot on the JV squad as a sophomore.  She recalls, "I literally jumped....I think my mom started to cry, and she called my aunt.  We were so happy...I had worked so hard to get stronger here (Pro-Activity) and improve my skills with my club team...it was just great".  But that was just the start of a HS career that's been marked by gaining strength through adversity....

After a solid sophomore season, and training-filled off-season, Jenna was notified entering her Junior year (this past year) that she had again failed to make the team...and just about then, something clicked.  "I have to admit it was very hard and upsetting, but I took a step back, and looked at the bigger picture.  I've always been someone who tries to look for the positive, so I really focused on my mindset and decided that this presented me an opportunity to get more involved in school and community service, and a couple days later Coach (Hissner) asked me to stay on as team manager.  I loved the girls on the team, and being a part of it, so I accepted."

But Jenna didn't just take on the role as team manager.."one day when we were on the bus, coach called me up and asked me if I could lead Spike for a Cure (a charity student volleyball tournament), so of course I said yes.  Sophie (Kerschner) helped me a lot, and we had 80 teams with over 750 participants, and my classmates and I raised over $27,000 for the Jason Schaible memorial fund.  We're so proud of what we were able to accomplish for a great cause."

Jenna with principal Richard Bergacs, Vince Schaible, & coach Kirk Hissner

Throughout high school, and most notably and recently her experience at "Spike for a Cure", Jenna soon found that leadership and serving her classmates, the community, and the greater good is where her true passion and strengths lie.  "It's like I get the same rush from helping others as I would when we'd make a big play in volleyball.  I think it's something I want to do for my career, and if I gave up on volleyball entirely after not making the team last year, I'm not sure I would have realized it this soon."  Apparently Jenna's classmates tend to agree, having just elected her President of the incoming Senior class.

As we wrapped up our discussion, I asked Jenna to sum it all up for me, so that I, along with our staff, and clients both youth and adult, might learn from the 17 year old sitting across from me.  She smiled humbly and said, "It's all about the mindset.  Each set-back can push us forward to get stronger.  I know it sounds cliche but if you keep a positive outlook, you can achieve anything."....I couldn't agree more!

Three years ago, when Jenna found us, we knew we encountered a special kid...which just didn't know how much her story would remind us about the bigger picture when faced with adversity, and inspire us to continually look for the opportunity to grow stronger through it.

Happy Training,

-E