Our Wildwood, Volume 51

ALUMNI REFLECTION Hanami Wexler ‘24

From Player to Leader My Journey Through Wildwood’s Athletics Program

teammates and thrived in the positive, community based environment Wildwood creates. By high school, I was able to transfer these leadership skills I learned to volleyball. I was taught to persevere through every setback, create team camaraderie, and by 11th grade, our Athletics Director Billy DuMone asked me to be a member of the first leadership lunches. Here, I reflected on my role as a teammate, and had meaningful conversations with leaders of all other sports. Billy asked us thought provoking questions to discuss in seminar. I

I CAME INTO WILDWOOD’S ATHLETICS PROGRAM as a basketball player, but quickly felt empowered to try many other sports. I sometimes took jogs around my neighborhood, so I joined track and field. I only joined swimming because my brother was on the team. I played tennis for two years when I was 5, so I joined that, too. Through this process of trying with no judgment or stress of play time, I found a true skill and passion for volleyball. My drive for volleyball only grew throughout middle and upper school. I learned the fundamentals correctly from coach Reo, including the strategic differences between playing indoor and outdoor volleyball, and I joined a club team thanks to coach Adam. However, I believe the most important skills I was taught were not from learning how to play the sport, but were what came from the process. Reo placed equal importance on the mental game as well as the physical. He consistently sent out emails with videos on how to have a strong mentality on the court, and I soon learned to be reflective while playing, allowing me to keep a level head and to not let the stress get to me. By my first varsity year after COVID, I was noticing stark differences between the players on my club team and the Wildwood team. When I played with the Wildwood girls, we pumped each other up, never let a large score gap get to us, and owned our mistakes in a constructive way, rather than self-deprecating. The girls on my club team had a hard time mastering these extremely important skills, probably because it wasn’t as much of a priority as winning was. Wildwood produces athletes that are both competitive and unbreakable, which is a vital combination for any sport, and also for life. I also have the Wildwood’s athletics department to thank for my growth in being a leader. I went into middle school as an extremely unconfident basketball player. In my middle school years of playing, I was thrust into positions that forced me to be the leader on the court, something I was not used to. I went from being the forgotten player in the box to the point guard commanding the court. I cultivated relationships between

“” I BELIEVE THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILLS I WAS TAUGHT WERE NOT FROM LEARNING HOW TO PLAY THE SPORT,

BUT WERE WHAT CAME FROM THE PROCESS.

enjoyed hearing everyone’s perspective and noticed how the core values of leadership and being a teammate were universal across all sports, even “solo” ones like cross country. Because of this empowerment, when asked to be an assistant coach for our 5th graders at our elementary school this spring, I jumped at the chance to pay it forward. Helping our younger Wolves learn volleyball skills and enjoy team-building has been fulfilling in ways I didn’t expect. It felt great to give back and teach a new generation of Wildwood athletes. I think these skills I have built are not unique to me, but a universal experience across all of Wildwood’s teams. I am so lucky to have been able to participate in sports in such a kind community, and would not be the athlete and person I am today without Wildwood’s athletics program.

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