Homeschooled sophomore Jackleyne Racedo is already taking her place in the world of volleyball. She has three years of experience and is now taking her talents to the schools team.
Before Racedo ever started playing or finding interest in volleyball, she played different sports: soccer and gymnastics. Despite this, she never seemed to find a passion for them. Once she entered middle school she saw girls playing volleyball, that moment is what sparked her journey. After that game she went down a rabbit hole of volleyball videos, growing her knowledge on the sport. She idolized the collegiate player Harper Murray due to her overwhelming influence. She is a big source of inspiration and is a very inspiring player to look up to. This influence has helped Racedo become the person she is today on the court.
Racedo wasn’t always homeschooled, she started online education first in 8th grade. This decision was to primarily focus more on volleyball since she was preoccupied with other school and travel teams before entering this school. This limitation of not attending the school has not stopped her from making friends and having an amazing social life. She heard about our school because of her friend, senior Samantha McMillan.
Racedo has been welcomed to the team with open arms. “Every player on the team was very understanding, there were no complications,” Racedo says, “we are all like a big family.” Her relationship with all the teammates is like a sisterhood, at the games you can see they are always laughing and have become each other’s best friends since they spend a big portion of their week surrounding each other.
Ms. Harwell, volleyball coach and journalism teacher here, has welcomed Racedo beautifully. This is the first time in Harwells 10 years of coaching that they have had a homeschooled player apart of the volleyball teams family. “I was completely open to this idea because there are specific laws that allow homeschooled individuals play a school sport even if they don’t attend the school. She went through the process before trying out so all I needed to see was the effort and passion from her.” Harwell says, “The only complication there has been is the fact that all the other girls attend school. So when they come to practice they usually talk about their days and she can’t relate to the other girls, leaving her left out. This does not seem to affect her since regardless of their academics their friendships go way beyond the court.”
Racedo’s transition into our home has been a great addition. Despite not attending the same school as her teammates, their friendships still grow stronger on and off the court. Racedo’s commitment to the sport and her ability to overcome challenges show that she has a bright future in the volleyball ahead of her.
