Watching this libero dive after seemingly impossible digs reminds me of Pete Rose sliding into first base. I also found it a little profound that her name is so close to Carrie Fisher who stared as Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars. Every time I would see her float across the hard wood of the court I would get a flash back of Luke’s Landspeeder.
Skimming across the floor after a ball that is in the top of the stands or rolling under the net to bounce up with tears in her eyes says to me that this girl has got heart. She gave it her all time and time again. In one seemingly hopeless game I watched her ignite the entire crowd with her force of effort. Not many can do that with a little bump and pass. The way she plays the game inspires me.
I want to thank Keisha for all her blood, sweet, tears, and heart that she gave on the Crimson Court. She has left a legacy that those who follow her will aspire to obtain. With this as my inspiration I made a necklace with 1608 beads, one for every dig of her career. It is designed with # 11 delica seed beads making eleven gold lined dark red hearts on each side. It is the color of a really bad floor burn but it is not painful to the eyes in any way. Symbolic of every effort she gave for her school, the fans, and for the girls on her team. This is my humble attempt to sum it all up in a single piece of jewelry.
I also want this piece in a small way to tie in with the pieces the other seniors inspired. There are “2” fire polished beads to remind us who the setter was for most of Keisha's senior season.
Stephanie NeeleyTwo events that I remember in this setter’s career. The first was two years back when Kathryn Haynie was on the bench side of Crimson Court in position for a kill. Stephanie was moving out the back corner on the camera side of the court away form the net angling toward the door. She marked the set, across the court, on the diagonal, falling backward, to the opposite front corner for Kathryn with perfection. Kat put the kill down as hard as I have every seen her swing. There is only one word that comes to my thoughts as I replay this event in my mind. That word is: Fierce.
In the last game against New Mexico in 2010 it seemed to me that the whole team had been mentally kicked in the teeth. It was as if they knew that no matter how hard they played they were not going to win. It was in this game that Keisha fired up the crowd. In the stands it is different so I may not be accurate in my assessment of how it felt to play in that game. I only know how I felt watching it. I say this just to set the mood for the second event.
The serve dig was bumbled. The second bump was made at least 5 feet out side the court and it put the ball about seven feet in the air arching slightly away form the net closer to the stands. At this point New Mexico disengages to them the play is over. When Stephanie shoots past the downed teammate bumps the ball. Which by the time she got to it seemed to be about two feet in the air. The ball flies back over her shoulder completely in the opposite direction of her full momentum. It clears the net to the total surprise of just about everyone on the New Mexico side. They manage a one hit return. Utah handles it with a clean pass to the center of their side of the court. By this time Stephanie has reversed her own direction, she comes flying back in under the pass and sets it for the kill. She totally reminded me of Reepicheep the mouse in the movie Prince Caspian. She came out of nowhere just doing what needed to be done. This was a sharp contrast to the somber hopeless mood I felt during that game. Watching her and Keisha refusing to go “quietly into the night” makes me think of another word. That word is: courage.
Fierce courage plus breast cancer awareness is the core inspiration I used to create this piece. I repeated the pattern of 2 and 29. The flower’s major petals are five hearts tied together by passing the string between them like a unified volley ball team passes the ball. Stephanie’s helps link the five other team members together assisting the dig through to the kill. Repeating “Xs” serve a duel purpose. First to indicate the exact execution required to be an excellent setter at this level of play. Second it is Barto’s roman numeral number.
Karolina BartkowiakBarto is the rope on the rudder holding the team on course when rough waters of shifting momentum threaten to sweep them a way. I wanted this necklace to have an Eastern European feel or look. I also wanted to tie it to her 1115 kills. Each twist in the pattern has 1115 beads. The gold, nickel, and copper beads represent the physical act of an individual kill.
Olive green represents the validating effect of each kill. Justifying the efforts of everyone on the team. A kill is the culmination of all the purpose and energy given by any who play for or support Utah Volley Ball.
Burnt Orange is to symbolize the vindicating effect of each kill. Utah’s right to compete and win expressed in a will not to be denied. Karolina’s kills say to the other team we are here and we came to play so bring your game or get off the court.
The best example of all this, that I saw, was in the first game of the Deseret Duel in 2009. Karolina tried to put one down the line passed Kayla Walker and missed just outside. The next set went back to Barto. This time as she swung she looked so fearsome. I think she stunned Kayla. Kayla could not react in time and the ball bounced right off her leg into the stands. Simply put, it was awesome.
The same beads that hold the clasp on this necklace hold Kiesha’s hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment