After receiving three national championships playing volleyball at the University of California, Los Angeles, Tom Stellwell, who is 6 feet and 8 feet-few, knows a few competition and commitment to sports excellence.
Nothing, though, is compared to his joy as a girl’s girl.
“This is a full -time job, and being a father of volleyball is the best,” said Stelwell, an American at the University of California, Los Angeles.
It was never planned for his daughter, Maya, who is among 6-4 senior, and Lucy, a 6-0 student, who will become volleyball players at Harvard and Telestik University. Stelwell and his wife Jolie met at the University of California, Los Angeles. It is 5-6 and she was not thinking how long their children are. But it happened. They were raising giants.
“We felt that they needed to participate in something, and while they started getting tall, I started talking to friends who have a long female and their recommendations are to involve them in sports because it will turn into a length to cool,” said Stelwell. “For them, whether it was tennis, swimming, basketball, or volleyball, it was not really important to us. All they had been linked to it. Both were trips.”
Maya was not a great interest in sports.
“I was not sportsman,” Maya said. “It was originally a way to move my body. I was in art and music. I started in the club when I was 12 years old and I hated it. It was not for me. When Kofid happened, we had to move to another club and loved my teammates and my coach and started to like it.”
It has become a medium better, and plays in the National Championship Club team and receives a scholarship to Northwestern. She took advantage of a miniature stadium in the backyard of the family and her father’s experience after she turned from basketball to volleyball during his high school days in Sherman Ox Notre Dame.
Lucy followed her sister to volleyball after other sport experience. It is a backup copy at Harvard Witkeliks, which started season 7-0 to walk in Marimaont. Team 10-2. Both have a point average above 4.0.
Except for their mother, Stillwells shared a common experience – the stars are receiving because of their height.
Maya said: “People at school are used to that, but walking outside, it is like,“ You are very long. Do you play basketball? “I never get,” Do you play volleyball? “
“It is very funny,” Tom said. “I think all the tall people have a similar experience with people coming to you and ask,” Do you play basketball? “When you play sports, it helps in getting this community because of many people in the club.”
But who gets the additional leg room when flying?
“I am older and longer,” Maya said.
“She is doing,” Lucy said.
“Let me tell you who gets the worst seat. Jolie, my wife,” said Tom. “It is like, I am my mother. I was born for you. Get the worst seat?”
Girls were unable to meet their legendary grandmother Liz Shapiro, who was always in Tom games in Notremam and UCLA. Its generosity will not be forgotten for both schools in terms of support. She died due to cancer after the end of his volleyball career.
Tom said, “She was a fanatic admirer,” Tom said. “It would have been in every game, every tournament, club, secondary school, you may try to see the practice.”
Tom, 51, was useful to provide advice whenever his daughters asked, but he tried to allow them to listen and learn from their coaches and not to impose their sporting beliefs.
“The volleyball is only linked to them. It was fun watching it,” he said. “I told them that they do not do this for me or my wife. They have to enjoy it, and if they do not, they should not do so. This is their journey, and not mine.”
As my father’s girl, Tom adopted a specific philosophy regardless of what he sees or hears.
He said: “All I try to be their father.” “This is my focus No. 1. They are not their volleyball coach, not their volleyball teacher. It is difficult enough for these teenage girls. They don’t need to hear the screams of the fat.”