Basin Life

As the mellow lyrics of "Don't worry be happy" drift through a local coffee shop, Holly Hutchinson folds her 6 foot 3/4 inch barefoot frame onto a chair. Laughing easily, she masks some of the uncertainty that the future is about to hold.

She will soon leave for college. Like many other graduates, she is leaving to embark on a journey that she will talk about for the rest of her life.

Her destination is George Fox University, a small Christian college in Oregon, where she will be playing a sport she has discovered she "can't get enough of." Volleyball.

Hutchinson discovered volleyball her sophomore year at Ephrata High School when a friend talked her into playing. Thinking volleyball would keep her in shape for tennis, her love at the time, she decided to tryout.

The day after tryouts Hutchinson remembers going home and telling her mother she was going to play volleyball for the rest of her life. In an effort to make up for lost time, Hutchinson absorbed everything about the sport.

When her high school season ended in the fall, she continued to play for a local club volleyball team and grew stronger in skill and knowledge.

She impressed her coaches with her willingness to learn and her dedication. Practices led to late nights in the gym with lots of one-on-one time. On these nights her mother could be found sleeping under the basketball hoops at Big Bend Community College. "I'd have to say my mom is my hero. For putting up with me and falling asleep while I played volleyball," said Hutchinson.

All the hard work paid off when the Lady Tigers headed to state playoffs in Hutchinson's senior year. Though knocked out early in the tournament, Hutchinson walked away with a Second Team All-League honor.

Hutchinson also excelled in doubles tennis, winning second in state her sophomore and junior years. As a senior, Hutchinson and her partner took first in 2A tennis doubles. Regardless of her success in tennis, Hutchinson sacrificed practices to attend tryouts for several different colleges.

Hutchinson chose George Fox University on a campus visit because she says, "it smelled like summer camp." Hutchinson recalled excitedly, "It's all evergreens. You have to walk down a canyon to get to my dorm and a creek runs through the campus."

Besides the beautiful campus Hutchinson "just clicked" with the George Fox volleyball team and coaching staff. "They put up with my jokes," smiles Hutchinson.

When asked what items she has to have with her at school, she paused for a while to contemplate the answer.

"Well, up until a couple hours ago, one of those items would have been my hamster," Hutchinson said. "I found a home for him."

"He was going to stay in the coache's office," she said eyes twinkling, "I told him I came with some extra baggage."

During the summer Hutchinson continued striving for excellence, by once again spending the majority of her time in the gym.

She was also riding her bike 20 miles a day in effort to stay in shape for her college debut. Hutchinson's goal for this volleyball season is to be starting as a freshman.

When asked what she does in her free time she responded by saying, "You mean when I'm not playing volleyball?"

Hutchinson attributes her success in volleyball to everyone who has taken the time to teach her, whether coach or teammate.

"I just glean little tidbits from everyone. Like younger players and older players," said Hutchinson. "The more I learn, the more well rounded I become."

"I'm excited," Hutchinson said about her upcoming adventures in college. "I'm really excited … and a little bit nervous."