|
|
Angela Covington
by Amanda Shoupe, Staff Writer
Angela Marie Covington first started to play volleyball in the sixth
grade. Angela grew up in Playa del Rey watching her idol Misty May
play in the AVP tournaments. She wanted to be an amazing volleyball
player like Misty. However, Angela says, "I hated volleyball, when I
started I wanted to quit, but my mom wouldn't let me; I grew to love
it by like 8th grade." Never in her wildest dreams did she ever
think she would be as good as she is now. Sophomore Matt Covington,
Angela's little brother says, "Angela progressed each year until
now. Now she is the best I've ever seen. I'm very proud of her."
Angela has put in hundreds upon
thousands of hours into volleyball, not only on the court but off
the court as well. Angela spent a lot of time during the previous
summer contacting schools to get her name out there, and she it
wasn't really necessary because she has already received many
letters of recognition from colleges like Stanford University, Texas
Tech University and Wright State Ohio. Some of these colleges have
even offered Angela scholarships but she has no idea which one to
attend. She says "Well I definitely want to play in college but the
issue is what college. Colleges have been looking at me scholarship
wise, but I am still not sure which one I am going to."
Angela's first club team was Southern
California Volleyball Club (SCVC), where she played for two years.
"Last year I was on Sunshine Club team, with my teammate Tara
Hovland." In addition to playing on a club team, she also has played
for the high school team all four years. She started of freshmen
year on JV and sophomore year went onto varsity. Senior Andrew Pelc
says, "Angela is probably one of the most dedicated players on the
team, and from what I have seen she is also a key player." When
asked about her coach Rick Arce, Angela said, "Rick is a tough
coach, but a good coach nonetheless. I was scared to be on varsity
as a sophomore because he was coach, but I grew to appreciate his
criticism."
Throughout all her years of
volleyball Angela has remained dedicated even when times were rough.
She says "I've sprained both ankles, sprained my right pinky, and
have minor back pains." Those are just a few of her injuries
throughout her volleyball career. As of this moment, she says "I
tape my left ankle because it is still sprained, and I have to
stretch and ice my back after and before I play." She has always
tried to play through her pain, and tried not to let her opponents
see her weakness Senior Kelly Barnard says "Angela Covington is
pretty amazing. She spikes that ball super hard ... Let's just say I
wouldn't want to be on the other side of the net. Her offense is on
lock … She is such a strong player … I often see her playing through
injuries and pain, but she sucks it up and somehow finds the
strength to play harder and stronger, and I look forward to see her
playing in college!" Hopefully Angela will not let the pain get in
her way this year,
and she will be able to lead the girls' varsity team to victory.
|
