Getting to share the joy of the finishing touches on the Stadium 🏟 seats 💺 today allowed me to spend more time with Eric but a bonus came in the form of a conversation with Seth Gravley ! I should also that their quiet friend actually saved the day with the Trax solution…
Seth has an understanding that is beyond his years and I appreciated getting to tap into it for a bit !
Then there was the extended chat with Stephen Puckett. Stephen is a man 👨 of many talents and wears many hats 👒.
This next photo 📷 will have special meaning to Vern…
Tammy Quesenberry and I share a number of characteristics, maybe enough to fill a chapter in a Book 📖.
Neat, Neat Lady 👩 that will remain part of the OneofUs.Care story for a long, long time.
Speaking of Vern, Congratulations 👏 are in order for the Varsity Football team after they rallied late to defeat visiting James River tonight. Allen is hard at work, typing away on his gamer !
App State Field Hockey 🏑 moved to 4-0 in the MAC today and Madison Stockners EMU team fell in straight sets at Guilford College.
Hoping that Allyson Taylor and her group have a great event in the Morning 🌄 and I will be in the Gymnasium at Noon to set up for Volleyball 🏐 vs Gate City….
Aza Faith Petty #7 Height – 5’5 Senior Parents – Jason and Christina Petty Hometown : She was born at Twin County Regional Hospital 🏥
Let’s start out with Assistant Coach Maleah :
Lots of different words come to mind, fearless, leader, bright, Christina Jr. The one word that sticks out the most to me is fighter.
Aza has fought from the time she was born and has carried that same fight to the volleyball court. She is just about as tough as they come, and she does not complain, she just works. She has absolutely been the heart for this years team and pushes us daily to be better.
She is not the most physically dominating player, but she is one of the smartest and reads the court very well. Just the other night, she had a sweet shot to the back corner and when I asked her she said something along the lines of, I don’t know I just saw the middle back go cross court, so I hit it where she wasn’t. Her court vision is incredible and she continues to impress me with her volleyball iq. She is not just doing things all willy nilly, she has a purpose to what she does on the court. Coming up through the club program, Aza was often one of the smallest players on the team – playing up on average 3 years. Her size made other teams ooh and awwwww because of how cute she was, but it was quickly replaced with “how did she get that ball” and “she is so good”. Her work ethic is unrivaled and she has made herself into an all around solid player that anchors us when games get chaotic.
Aza is the last one standing from my very first 12s team that included seniors from last years squad. That year, we won a tournament we probably should not have, but Aza is accustomed to doing things people probably think shouldn’t happen, like flying in from the back row to get a pancake on a ball, or even continuing to fight through every battle that comes her way.
She is the epitome of a fighter and just by knowing her, it makes you want to be better.
______________________________
Head Coach Cindy Edwards :
Aza Petty is such an amazing young lady who has worked extremely hard in every aspect of everything she’s done. She is such a fighter from the start of her like to on the court.
She has put everything into her volleyball career, starting with a club at the age of around 9 or 10 to known as a senior. To being a true leader She is the first one in the gym and the last one out.
Has worked with her day in the weight room and hardly ever takes a day off. Would take a million of her. I have so much respect for her words can’t describe what an amazing your lady.
____________________________
From Jason Petty :
As long as I can remember Aza has been playing volleyball. It started when she was 9 , she asked if she could play travel ball for Rampage. I told her she could not do gymnastics and volleyball and she said volleyball very quickly. We had put her in gymnastics 3 years earlier to build her confidence.It worked but after following her sister around 1 year playing volleyball she caught the passion for competition with a team. This was a major personality shift because before she did not like people due to growing up with cleft lip and palate. She was not always accepted by children or adults more so the latter. When she started playing volleyball she had to open up to coaches and peers. They soon learned how competitive she was. My favorite quote from her in 4th grade was when she said daddy ” I want people to remember me when, we play I want to be there nightmare”. Fast forward almost 10 years and she has been a nightmare for many teams from starting as a libero to playing right side to outside.During her freshman year she had to have surgery on her ear (one her many over the years total around 17) ,where they removed a bone in her middle ear. It made her very dizzy and could barely walk , but she showed up first day of tryouts and stayed everyday for 3 weeks till she was cleared. Talk about tough no one will ever match her. I can recall her sophomore year when she was starting right side , when the varsity libero got hurt (Cordy Gardner) and she had to take that spot. She was so conflicted and talk to her and said she didn’t want to take her spot unless her friend was ok. She said yes but it bothered her the rest of the season. Aza played her heart out and received defensive player of the year for district. The next year she moved to outside on a very good team but she got hurt.
She strained her shoulder and she got sick. It slowed her down and she could not swing overhead for 3 weeks. As usual she fought through it and worked hard this summer to come back stronger and faster. This is her final season and she worked hard all year on and off the court.She started by helping the younger players years before they made varsity.
She is like a guardian and a mother figure to all the of her team. In closing Aza is my daughter and I am so proud and honored to the a small part of her life. She will always be my hero.
__________________________
Next Up : Aza Petty shares her thoughts :
I played on Rampage Club Volleyball 12U team. I got into volleyball because my older sister, Skyler Petty, started and of course I wanted to follow in her footsteps.
I have grown to love the sport of volleyball and the people that has been there through it all. Volleyball has always and always will be a special thing, that has taught me how to get out of my comfort zone and try new things.
In life you will always make mistakes but I have learned through volleyball to shake it off and move on. I am so thankful for my family and friends that has been there through my highs and lows. If it wasn’t for them I would not be who I am today. I would like mention one thing that I live by is “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7. Through my life this verse has shown me that I can go through anything and I will still always have Christ in my life.
One last thing, I would like to thank my family, coaches, and former/past teammates for always supporting me when I was struggling.
_____________________________
Momma Petty :
Aza is so strong and independent and she makes me proud of her every day. Most people probably doesn’t know that she was born with cleft lip and palate, and with this she had her 1st surgery at 3 months and I feel like that has made her super strong in every think that she does. She has been a leader on and off the volleyball court. She makes my heart happy the way she loves to take care of all the younger girls and she tells me all the time that she feels like a Mom 👩 to all of them!
A few weeks back I received a message from Kayla about the upcoming Bingo Night 🌙 that will be taking place tomorrow night on The Hill.
The request was about offering up something in the way of prizes. I happily offered up one of everything that we have created in the way of promotional items.
All that is left is to remember to pack up one Logo Volleyball 🏐, a Basketball 🏀 Book 📖, a Frisbee and a few other trinkets we have around.
While I have never participated in one of the Basketball 🏀 Bingo nights 🌙, I hear that they are a vital part of the program. Here’s hoping that the evening 🙏 is an unprecedented Success !
A.S.P.N on The Hill 