By Jenny Park
[email protected]
Four years ago, Junior Inoa Fields was just starting to learn the game of volleyball. With her positive attitude and focused mindset, she is now finishing her third season as an outside hitter for the Varsity girls’ volleyball team. Fields believes that fully dedicating herself is the only way to get what she wants.
“I’ve learned that if you really want something, then you’re going to have to push a hundred percent all the time and if you don’t, you’re just going to fall short of what you really want to accomplish,” said Fields.
Her belief goes right along with her personal motto, to “never back down.” Fields exhibits this motto in her life at home, school and on the courts. This diligence as well as her loyalty to friends and family is seen by those around her. Lee Fields, father of Inoa Fields said, “She never misses practice, even if she’s hurt or sore, she still goes to practice and doesn’t complain … She helps keep unity and learning in our family … (and) helps motivate the family to never stop learning.”
Inoa Fields’s perseverance has helped her to achieve her athletic standpoint during her freshman year when she was chosen to play with the Varsity team while competing in States. The experience of playing with the Varsity team has provided a base for her to excel in the sport today.
“After the first JV season I had, (Coach Valerie Crabbe) pulled me up to Varsity for state playoffs. And that actually really helped me get in tune with the game and it got me to get on the Varsity team in sophomore year,” said Inoa Fields.
Junior Alyssa Tanaka, fellow teammate and friend of Inoa Fields, admires Inoa’s enthusiasm and persistence. She said, “When she wants something, she will do whatever it takes to get it, even if it means missing out on certain things.”
Inoa Fields hopes to continue her volleyball career in college and earn a scholarship through volleyball. Her love for the game as well as her positive attitude and great mindset help her excel both on and off the courts, toward her goals.
