From balancing practices, projects, tests and tournaments, one may think student athletes struggle to find room in their schedule for anything else. But in reality, it is a matter of balance and prioritization — a difficult skill to master. Vaughn Fu (’28), a captain and setter on the Junior Varsity girls’ volleyball team, puts this theory into practice in order to set up for the future.
Vaughn has been playing volleyball with club teams such as MOJO and Virginia Juniors for four years, but she also has an extensive background in other team sports, including soccer, basketball, swim and tennis. This is her second year on the Junior Varsity (JV) team and serves as one of their team captains. Both on and off the court, she, along with fellow captain Olivia Harris (’28), helps lead their team to victory, and so far, their hard work is paying off in the regular season.
“Our JV is so competitive… Right now we are undefeated, and last year we were as well,” Fu said.
Being the leader of a team, even alongside impressive and hard-working teammates, is no undertaking. A significant amount of responsibility is given to the captains. They help those new to the team, or new to the school, get adjusted to the schedule, practice regiments and volleyball traditions. But these are not her only responsibilities on the court. As a setter, Vaughn almost always interacts with each play, strategizing with teammates and doing her part to score each point. Both roles foster skills such as responsibility and communication.
“It has helped me learn how to be a leader. If I was on Varsity, I would be an underclassman, so it would be a different experience,” Fu said.
The team does not take it easy. With practices every day of the school week, plus games on the weekend, it can make it difficult to be involved with other activities. They are still students, with a checklist of assignments to complete and tests to study for. These time-consuming sports make for a tight timeline.
“I’ve really learned how to schedule myself around my practices and stop procrastinating,” Fu said.
Not only does Vaughn have to fit both her vigorous volleyball and school schedules together, but she also has other large commitments which require a lot of her time.
“I am an officer for DECA…[and] I just went to the first flag football practice yesterday…” Fu said. “Extracurricular wise, I have hobbies. I like to bake, do art and play piano.”
Given such a jam-packed schedule, at some point you have to pick and choose which activities you move forward with. As Fu anticipates her future at Madison, she plans to stick with the team and continue to grow as a player. But as she hears from upperclassmen, the year ahead will not be easy, nor will the fall season of the next.
“I know junior year is definitely hard, applying to colleges and everything… but I think I can do it,” Fu said. “Hopefully.”
With her high school aspirations in focus, everything beyond that remains uncertain, as it does for many. This decision transforms into a more difficult question when thinking about the transition to college and what you want to do for the rest of your life. Given her love for volleyball, she is considering playing in college at an intramural or club level, but at this time does not intend to pursue a highly-competitive team. Rather, she has another passion she intends to pursue.
“I’ve always wanted to be a doctor… I want to be a dermatologist or work in pediatrics. I definitely want to go into pre-med,” Fu said.
Each of her high school activities, ranging from Madison girls volleyball to baking to DECA, teaches her unique skills. But as a whole, her commitments have served as a way to learn how to schedule events, organize deadlines and develop time management skills. It also has taught Vaughn how to work with a team — an experience vital to many future aspirations.
“To be a part of a team is a really important skill to have,” Fu said. “Giving and taking.”