Hello everyone! I wrote this paper to shine a light on someone special to the Cambridge-Isanti Volleyball
family. Please take the time to read this and get to know about how one person left an impact on a program. Thank you 🙂 -Chloe Smith
The honor of playing on center court is one that nobody takes for granted. When your name is on that varsity roster for any sport, you uphold the legacy of players who played before you. One person who left an impact and legacy on the Bluejacket girls’ volleyball program was Faith Nelson. Faith sadly passed away earlier this year; she was a bright light in this community, leaving a positive impact everywhere she went. Faith was captain of the volleyball team in her senior season. She upheld and exceeded the expectations of being a captain. Faith mentored her teammates and the younger girls who looked up to her.
On September 28th, the Cambridge-Isanti Volleyball team played in honor of her. We wanted the night to “flow Faith” so all girls wore orange since it is her favorite color. Our opponent was Chisago Lakes that night, and they bought and also wore orange shirts. That night wasn’t about winning a conference match or playing a competitive sport. It was about coming together as a community to celebrate one of our own. As a program, our head coach, Colin Dickey, made the decision to present Faith’s jersey, number 2, to her parents. Her number will no longer be worn by a player but will be honored by us all. I remember being on the court and standing on that end line with my team while we all waited for our lineup to be called. Just standing there, I could feel the atmosphere change because of the community. Faith’s family and friends lined the stands while people from all over came to join us that night. When I looked at my teammates, we all had the biggest smiles, even though we had tears streaming down our faces. Our team was stronger than ever that night because we all held each other to one standard: to “play like Faith.” We may not have won that night, but we brought our A-game and did not go down without a fight. Niki, who is our JV coach, and Ellen, who is our assistant coach for varsity, both looked highly of Faith. They both have nothing but love and respect for her. Faith was the kind of player every coach dreamed of. She had hustle, determination, incredible leadership skills, and most importantly, she had heart and passion for her sport. Which is something that cannot be taught.
When I asked our head coach Colin Dickey about Faith, he said, “Faith was the main reason I took the leap of applying for the head coaching position when it became
available. It was at a time when I was questioning my own coaching ability and her “Faith” in me in thinking I was the right person for the job meant the world to me. Even after she graduated, she always stayed in touch. She would be the first person to text me after a tough loss saying, “you got this” and always knew just the right thing to say when I needed a laugh. Because of her, I not only became a better coach, but hopefully a better person. The biggest impact she had was that she is the main reason our program has turned around. She was such a hard worker who led by example and was extremely proud to be a Bluejacket. As a coaching staff, we have worked hard to change the culture of our program. We train, teach, and lead, but ultimately, it’s our girls that have to buy into what we are trying to do. The success of our program didn’t happen overnight, it started five years ago with that group of young ladies, and in my opinion, Faith’s fingerprints are all over our program. Every time we walk into the gym, we think of her. She will always be a part of our program and will never be forgotten.” Our volleyball team is incredibly lucky to have an outstanding coaching staff that cares for us both physically and mentally. As a program, we hope all coaches can lead by example in teaching their athletes the importance of life and putting your mental and physical health first. Our coaching staff is an amazing example as to what being a coach truly is and looks like.
Faith will forever be a huge part of this program, because this program would not be how it is today if it were not for her. Faith lived a life full of adventure, love, and kindness. She lived life to its fullest potential. She may not be a phone call away, but she is always there whenever we need. We love you and miss you every day, Faith. (Also, Kare11 will be doing a news coverage of Faith’s story and night later this week if you are interested in knowing more about Faith’s story and our tribute night for her.)
