Football, soccer, basketball, and swimming are the sports most popular among boys. Though we’re seeing a rise in popularity among boys in one sport- volleyball. Gregory Zhdanov, a senior at Nelson, started his athletic journey playing tennis, but became burnt out after a while and decided to branch out into volleyball during covid. He has been playing volleyball for three years now, and says “As an extrovert, boys volleyball has really helped me gain a lot of confidence- I went from tennis, a sport where there are only two people on the court, to volleyball, where there are six people on each side. That helped me work with others, because it’s a really good team sport, really great social interaction. Having that experience, that interaction, with the people close to you is really fun.” He explains that volleyball was able to offer him a better sense of community, and increase his love for the sport.
A senior from Clackamas High School, Isaiah Preuitt, shares a similar story about volleyball. Coming from a family of volleyball lovers, he had been practicing since he was three years old, saying “ I always enjoyed playing the sport, and at the age of 11, it became my passion.”
However, he explains it wasn’t an easy road for him to get into volleyball. Preuitt acknowledges that “Oregon doesn’t have the biggest selection of opportunities for boys to play. Which means in order to get recognized by colleges or even the national level, you have to be willing to sacrifice and put in a lot of work behind the scenes.” Extra work is something that Preuitt has definitely done, as he is now committed to Long Beach State Volleyball. Preuitt adds that, “In my experience, not many people ever anticipate that volleyball is my sport, and I often get confused as a basketball player. But overall, I am given endless support from my community.”
Zhdanov can also attest that it hasn’t been easy. He plays under the Columbia Empire Volleyball Association (CEVA), and says that more people are trying to start up boys volleyball but are finding it difficult. The amount of boys participation is still low, despite its growing popularity. There are currently over 30 boys teams playing this season. He says, “I know so many guys from various high schools that are willing to play, wanting to start a team up…but a lot of them don’t really have a place to train.”
Zhdanov himself is trying to get Nelson to provide boys volleyball, but is facing what he believes to be a bit of sexism, revealing, “There is kinda that stigma and that sexism surrounding boys volleyball. I’ve noticed a lack of cooperation from some people. I’m trying to start boys volleyball here at Nelson, and some people (staff, faculty) are not really willing to cooperate.” He credits this lack of cooperation to boys historically getting more opportunities in sports, and the staff wanting to focus more on the girls’ sports as a result.
On the bright side, Zhdanov notes, “The clubs here that do have boys volleyball are really welcoming and not as strict and selective as girls volleyball, because girls volleyball around here is really competitive.”
Participating in volleyball seems to have really improved the quality of both Zhdanov and Preuitt’s life. They had a three day tournament over the weekend, November 10th through 13th. Preuitt says, “We played well- it was the first tourney of the year, so leading experience for the team.” They hope that boys volleyball will become more normalized as it has benefitted them both.