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What have we done with our story? How do champions react to adversity and personal tragedy?Driven by the Jam the Gym movement, and the ongoing efforts of the Vick family, Jaime's memory continues to be honored by the Jaime Vick Moran Scholarship. Two scholarships are given to Kiski Area senior female athletes every year. This year, three young ladies will receive recognition and be awarded Scholarship funds. Gracie McDermott won first prize, and a $1,000 scholarship and Rachel Frye and Morgan Kiebler tied for second prize and will each receive $500.
It is with great pride that I share Gracie's award winning essay here. I hope you find it as moving and inspiring as I did. All three of these young ladies will represent Jaime's scholarship well!!!
I
was a Kiski Area volleyball player during the era of, well, everything. In the six years I spent on the team, I lived
through every defining moment that makes KAVB so special. As a seventh grader, I began my journey by
learning the ropes of the sport and getting a feel for the first real team I’ve
ever really been a part of. Little did I
know, this team would go on to change the outcome of the rest of my life.
When I was in eighth grade, Jaime’s leukemia came back. Jodie
took over the role of coach as her treatment went on, but I remember how she’d
smile when she visited matches every once in a while. Ninth grade was the year of what Ellen calls
the “Y-factor.” I watched as Thad
Paunovich took to the court despite bleachers full of furious spectators across
the WPIAL. In September, we jammed the
gym for the very first time. The stands
flooded with orange that year, and when I was in tenth grade, they were purple
for Jam the Gym 2. When I was just about
to enter eleventh grade, we were gathered into a “team meeting” in Pitt’s
locker room. I didn’t know it yet, but
these gatherings would become all too familiar over the next year.
Jaime was really sick, Ellen told us, and we weren’t sure of
how much longer she had left. In August,
I got the phone call. Dressed in our
purple, my team leaned on each other and mourned the loss of one of the most
beautiful women in our lives. A few
months later, KAVB rallied the community for the third Jam the Gym. This one was by far the most emotional. I will never forget how we stood hand in hand
as we listened to a moving cover of ‘Hallelujah.’
When December came, we lost Jenna. For me, it felt like my entire world was crashing
down. Nothing made sense to any of us at
that point, but we clung to each other as we tried to understand. As we healed, another bomb was dropped:
Ellen’s cancer was back. To no one’s
surprise, my team overcame.
Trials of adversity and tragedy have led me here: my very
last year as a volleyball player. I was
blessed to be chosen as captain of my girls for my senior year and watch them
grow over the season. I guess what I’m
trying to show with this time line is that, looking back, I was directly affected
by everything that has ever happened to our program. To future players, it’ll surely be a story of
the past. But for me, it was my present. It was our
present.
While I could write a book about everything that I’ve learned
through the Kiski Area Volleyball program, I thought I’d save you all some time
by zeroing in on only one topic: strength.
Being strong, as you know as well as I do, is so much more than a
physical quality. After my six years, it
is safe to say that I have learned the true meaning of the word.
As an Iron Woman of Maggie Jones’ summer conditioning
program, I watched myself grow physically stronger. I pushed myself in practice, building
endurance and power for our games. I
have never been the most muscular or the fastest girl on the court, but it was
incredible to see how my performance was enhanced after a summer of dedication.
The lessons I learned
about emotional strength will also always be with me. As you probably know, I am not afraid to
express my emotions. I will admit that I
spent many days out of the last six years crying because that’s just my way of
coping. Through the tears, I have grown
stronger in my ability to realize how both beautiful and fragile life is. I understand that nothing should ever be
taken for granted. Learning to rise
above adversity has given me the strength to overcome absolutely anything that
I will encounter in the future.
I
feel that the social aspect of strength ties together my whole idea of the
word. Being a Kiski Area volleyball
player opened my eyes to the overwhelming power a group can possess. I saw how a bunch of teenage girls (and one
boy) were able to unify when faced with more turbulence than any team should
ever have to go through. Parents,
players, and coaches alike rallied for awareness and support. Together, we proved to the community that strength really is in numbers.
As I start this new and exciting chapter of my life, I am
able to reflect upon the undeniable strength this program has taught me. Physical power is important to the definition
of ‘strong.’ However, taking emotional
and social aspects into consideration has brought me to the most accurate
interpretation of the six letter word.
The true meaning of strength can be found behind every single member of
the Kiski Area volleyball program, including myself. I know that my strength will shine through no
matter where I am in life. I can
attribute how strong I’ve become to the remarkable story of hope and courage
that will be told for generations to come.
Wherever I
go, I will always carry our story
with me.
