Relationship U

By Tyler Lindgren

There is nothing quite like the world of recruiting. 

It is a brutal and time-consuming process that comes with lots of excitement and, sometimes, even heartbreak. 

It combines hopeful teenagers/parents seeking the best opportunities for their future and high-level coaches weighing how each prospect will contribute to their success. 

It is a business – no doubt about it. As a 15-year-old club volleyball player, I didn’t quite understand this. I took it personally every time a school denied me or told me how great I was and then cut all communication.

As a fragile high schooler, I remember feeling hopeless after being the #2 option for my dream school and losing the position to a girl I didn’t know. Sadly, this has or will probably happen to most recruits out there.

However, looking back I’m thankful for experiences like these. I learned more from these experiences than I would have gained from going to what I thought was my “dream school”. 

I learned how to have really hard conversations, ask important questions, and how to accept the denial, and move forward. 

The list goes on.

I guess my recruiting process wasn’t scary enough…

Because I went back and did it again after 3 years of Division 1 collegiate volleyball at Temple University.

After making it to our conference championship this year and graduating a year early, I decided it was time to chase another dream I’ve always had. Pursuing collegiate beach volleyball.

With our season being pushed from the fall to spring and the upcoming season is only 4 months later, I had little time to waste if I was going to enter the transfer portal. Adding onto that, covid-19 had made a mess of scholarships and rosters as all current athletes got an extra year of eligibility.

I knew it was a high-risk decision with less-than-ideal circumstances.

However, I entered the transfer portal shortly after my indoor season ended in April. 

Several fears loomed in my mind during this process. 

Unsure of what opportunities were going to arise, I was nervous to tell my teammates, coaches, support staff, and friends. I felt like I was letting them down and abandoning the program I had poured into for 3 years. 

I thought people would be disappointed and upset with me. I was expecting many bridges to be burned.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. 

After individually meeting with the coaches, athletic trainers, strength staff, and teammates to break the news, I had never felt more supported than I did that day. Everyone responded with unexplainable understanding and appreciation. No one questioned my decision or made me feel bad about my choice.

They all asked what they could do to help and wanted to maintain contact after I left.

By the end of the day, I had past managers, academic advisors, equipment staff, and teammates texting me telling me how much they appreciated what I had done for the program and wished me the best. 

Prior to this day, I hadn’t realized what I was building during my time at Temple.

Relationships. 

How you treat those around you matters, and the cool thing is that you have 100% control over that. 

Whether it’s someone shagging balls for you during practice or the director of sports performance, your day-to-day interactions are building relationships.

As I reflect on my indoor volleyball career and look towards my new journey competing on the sand, I can’t help but notice the maturation and growth that I have experienced.

I had some really high highs and some really low lows, but I wouldn’t go back and change them even if I could. I can now see all the work that God was doing, and I’m so thankful for it. He has a plan for each of us, and life is so much better when we can just trust Him.

As I prepare for this next chapter, there are 3 lessons I am taking with me:

1 – Take risks & seize opportunities.

2 – Treat people well along the way.

3 – Learn from the hardships.

With love, Tyler.