Alayna Galeai- $500 DigitalSports.com Applause Scholarship recipient
Kingsley Ah You
www.HawaiiDigitalSports.com Owner
Kahyou@digitalsports.com


Hawaii Digital Sports is proud to announce that Alayan Galeai a recent graduate of Kahuku High School has been awarded the $500 DigitalSports.com Applause Scholarship.  Alayan submitted an essay on her challenges and accomplishments.  She will be playing volleyball for Notre Dame de Namur the Argos who are members of the Pac-West Conference. 


Hard work and Determination Pays-off
Essay by Alayna Galeai

    How does a teenager overcome adversity? It’s not an easy task when you are surrounded by peer pressure, everywhere you turn there is competition. I was in my prime time during Freshmen year with volleyball season. Our team won every game including the championships.

    Than basketball season started and at first I joined the sport to stay in shape. The season was going smoothly and our team proved to be worth challenging.  Our rival was Farrington and we met them at the championships.  That game was the turning point of my life. I got hurt and tore one of the major ligaments in my knee. Being oblivious to the fact that perhaps I just might need medical attention I neglected to put much thought into it until I went to the doctors. I was told that I wouldn’t be able to play for a year and that my knee would require surgery.

    It was as if someone told me that my heart would stop beating for a year! Perhaps the doctor should have said just that, because sitting out one whole year would keep me behind. I would have to sit out my whole sophomore year and I would have to work extra hard to be back up there.  It was a preposterous idea to even try and comprehend, but it was to no avail my knee had temporarily impeded my chances of playing for a year.

    The whole year I was out I had my surgery and couldn’t walk for two months. It was a trying time of excruciating pain and the worst two months of my life. The rest of the year I had to go through rehab to strengthen my knee. The surgery left me with a new found fear for playing.  I was worried and scared to move a certain way in case I make matters worse for myself. The game I once played so passionately became a mental game for me. It took me a long time to get back into the swing of things. Every night for months I went running to try and get back into shape with constant lifting of weights to continue to strengthen my knee.

    Before going to volleyball tryouts for my junior year, I had to get clearance from my doctor. I was told that I had to get a customed-made knee brace that would cost me a thousand dollars.  It was one that I would have to wear every time I was involved in any physical activity. Although the brace made me feel handicapped, I struggled to scrutinize ways of playing with the huge brace that made me look like I had another leg connected to my knee.  However, my desire to play was greater than the feelin