Boys Volleyball
Cody Howard
Cody Howard has been playing volleyball for four years, starting in middle school. After seeing his sister play in a few WCI games, Cody became interested. “I would always go to their games at WCI and I thought the game looked really fun and interesting.” After that Cody started teaching himself how to play in eighth grade, before he tried out for the freshman volleyball team. Since then, Cody has learned much about volleyball and how important teamwork is in the sport. “It’s so fast paced that if a mistake is made by you or one of your teammates, you have to move on and can’t dwell over that one play because there are more points to be played,” he says. Volleyball for Cody is a big stress reliever from school and life. “There is so much more to life than just school. When I play volleyball it’s almost like a break from all the other things going on in my life and it takes my mind off of things.” Cody has decided that he will not continue playing volleyball after high school, but wishes to coach in the future. “My goal eventually in the future is to coach at a major division one school for a well known program.”
Tony Dambaryenchin
For 11-year old Tony Dambaryenchin, volleyball was never love at first sight. “...At first I really didn’t like the sport because it was so hard at that age being short and playing on a regulars men’s net.” Tony’s parents played volleyball as well, so he was encouraged heavily to not quit and continue playing. Tony plays club volleyball for Pacific Rim during the fall and summer seasons. Apart from club volleyball, Tony also plays with his close friends on a team for a Mongolian league that participates in a big tournament held in a different state each year. Tony believes volleyball is different from other sports because each player has their own responsibilities, but everyone has to work together like a well-oiled machine. “The team would not compete well with other teams if everyone isn’t doing their job”, said Dambaryenchin. Throughout his volleyball career, Tony has learned valuable life lessons from the sport. “I grew a lot as a person in volleyball because I’ve been able to control my emotions more,” says Tony.
Khashayar Moradpour
Khashayar Moradpour has been playing volleyball for two years. During his time in the U.S., Khashayar attended Westmont High before coming to Las Lomas. At Westmont, Khashayar played on the Badminton team, but his interests eventually drifted to volleyball. “After hearing from friends of mine [my interests] all changed,” said Khashayar. Soon after, he tried out for the Las Lomas volleyball team his junior year. Khashayar plans to play volleyball in college to get his mind off the heavy workload. In his experience, Khashayar learned that volleyball is a game based heavily on teamwork. “In the sport of volleyball, teamwork can have a major influence during the games. Other sports that are played are mostly individual based.” Khashayar also mentions that playing volleyball at Las Lomas has helped him gain skills that will help him in the future.
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor first became interested in volleyball in P.E. From this, Mark learned that volleyball was a sport completely different from the others. “You’re always doing something whether it’s hitting, serving, passing, blocking, or calling out where the other team’s defense is. There’s no down time”, said Taylor. After he discovered his passion for volleybal, Mark decided to attend some open gyms. “When I first came to an open gym, a lot of the seniors then cheered me on and the environment was really positive.” As the years went by, Mark continued to develop as a player and learned valuable life lessons. “Volleyball taught me that hard work can always beat talent. I’m short for my position, but since I worked to become a smarter and more versatile player, I can go up against much taller guys and still contribute positively for my team.” After high school, Mark wishes to play volleyball in college. “I’m definitely going to try to continue to play volleyball wherever I go to college. Playing on a school’s club team is probably my best bet to continue playing.”
