An exceptional team in the making requires three elements for its success: a knowledgeable coach, a hard-working team, and a worthy captain. The high school’s boys’ varsity volleyball captain James Rudolph, more commonly known as Rudy, is certainly deserving and qualified for the leading of this year’s team. “I became a captain my junior year after my entire varsity team graduated, minus me. I figure that everyone aspires to become a captain, but I never really thought that I would end up being the only captain of any varsity sport,” said Rudolph.
Rudolph has been playing volleyball since his freshman year, but he never thought that he would be playing this sport before that. Rudolph claims that it was actually his sister that got him into the game from seeing her play when he was in middle school. He plans on making this year count with the expectations of having a talented team. “Last year was a rebuilding year, having me be the only person on varsity [returning]. We had many sophomores move up to the starting positions such as Jake Modesto, Tyler Moriarty, and Aidan Burke. We slowly built our team up, and [have] many of [those] same players returning.”
Aside from his experience on the volleyball team, Rudolph isn’t expecting that being the captain won’t take any effort. “Being a captain is more than being an example for everyone because that’s the typical response to what someone’s responsibility is to their team,” said Rudolph. “As captain off the court, I need to display respect for both my teammates and my coach. Helping out my teammates as much as I can is another aspect of being a captain, while keeping a positive attitude no matter what.”
Sounding wise beyond his years, Rudolph doesn’t expect to do any slacking just because of his title. He knows that to be a flourishing team this season, he has to attend all of the practices because that is what makes the perfect season become a reality. Rudolph has his “own expectations to the game” in which he plans to fulfill.
Being a captain has more responsibilities than most players could imagine. In being a respectable leader, intelligence of the game is definitely a must-have. “I have to make judgments on bad calls made by the ref, because I’m the only person allowed to talk to him on the court,” said Rudolph.
Rudolph also has to keep his teammates on track and point out to them their strengths and weaknesses. “It’s my responsibility to keep everyone in high spirits regardless of us winning or losing.”
Keeping the team psyched for playing is probably one of Rudolph’s easier jobs. Everyone keeps each other’s vitality going. Team unity is important, and each player keeps it plentiful. “Tyler Moriarty’s infamous pasta parties seem to unite the team every time we have them,” said Rudolph. For Rudolph in particular, just the thought of the game approaching keeps him energized.
The beginning of the season brings hope to Rudolph and to the rest of the volleyball team. Looking forward to what this year’s team has in store, Rudolph is hoping to bring his team to victory. “To be perfectly honest, I have never been a leader or captain of anything previous to volleyball. I hope I can lead my team to another successful year. It’s really all about the team; everything each person puts in isn’t a reflection on just them or me. It’s what the team has done,” said Rudolph.