In this edition of Student Blogs, Year 12 YCIS Beijing veteran and volleyball team captain Phoebe Cramp discusses the team’s recent successes and the influence volleyball has had on her life.

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Phoebe Cramp. I’m in Year 12 and have been at YCIS Beijing since 2003.

How long have you been playing volleyball? What inspired you to join the team?

I’ve been playing since Year 7, so five years this year. Before I started playing volleyball, I joined sports just because I was encouraged to play them, then just continued playing them out of habit. When I started playing volleyball, it felt different. I found that the sport was a lot more teamwork-oriented, and I found friendship through volleyball. It was something that I really truly enjoyed.

Why do you think the Scorpions have experienced so much success so far this year?

I would definitely say a large part is thanks to our coach Mr. McCabe. He puts in a lot of time and effort into making sure the new girls understand the sport and catch up with the more experienced girls. This year we have a really good team; we work hard to work together and help each other out. I think we talk a lot more than last year and have a stronger sense of community.

How does your team plan to maintain that success moving forward?

One important thing is to teach the girls to not get too negative when we lose. We need to focus more on positivity and communication on and off the court. Once you start getting bogged down with negative energy, it’s easy to lose your streak.

What influence have your coaches had on both your volleyball career and life in general?

They have a very big influence. In Lower Secondary, our coach Ms. Moore was very firm and technical on court, but off court she’d encourage us and give positive feedback. By Upper Secondary, the coaches had already built a foundation for our technical skills, so they work more with us off court; they bond with us and sacrifice a lot of their own free time for weekend practices and are very inclusive in group chats. It’s all about the close community.

What has your experience playing volleyball at YCIS Beijing taught you?

Playing volleyball has taught me to appreciate my teammates and everyone around me. It’s a really great community we have here. It’s also taught me not to be afraid to ask for help and to actively look around and fix things around me. This has translated into my academic career as well, making me less afraid to make mistakes.

Anything else you would like to add about your experience playing volleyball?

Anyone who is thinking about playing sports at YCIS Beijing should definitely do it! It’s a whole new world and helps out with everything else at school as well.