Lola King

• Motivated
• Ambitious
• Genuine
• Fearless
• Fun

I really love playing team sports and I thoroughly enjoy being part of a team environment. I would describe myself to be Constantly Communicating with my teammates because I believe that it is important when playing libero. I also try to always be positive on the court and always try and keep the team morale up. Similarly, I always try and lead by example by giving 100% effort in all games and training. It’s great to be part of a team as you get to make new connections and friendships. It’s fun to get to know new people and share new experiences with them. I like to make sure that I am loyal and will always have my teammates back. But most importantly I always want to have fun on the court as this is when I play the best.

• Athletics (Track & Field) 2021
• Overall Junior Women’s Sport 2020
• Netball award 2020

When I received these awards I feel proud and happy.

Outside of sport, I love to spend time with friends and family, hiking and running in New Zealand’s great outdoors. As I live in Nelson, I really love to spend as much time at the beach or around water for as long as I can, this includes the beautiful beaches and rivers around Tasman. Thus, going to places like these with family and friends is important to me, as I can make lots of great memories and can form new experiences. I also just love to spend time with my family, I have two younger brothers that I absolutely adore and even though we might not get along all the time we still love each other very much. I enjoy just spending time playing volleyball with them, helping them with homework or going hiking with them in the beautiful national parks.

One of my role models is Kylie Murr. She is a crazy good and talented player; she is calm but ready for anything. I admire how she plays as she gets everything up and is good at reading the play. I feel like we have similar playing styles. She is one of the best Liberos in the college level and I strive to play like her one day. Another one of role models is my mother, as she played netball at an Elite level and I would love to have the same opportunity as her, she is incredibly hard working and always brings a smile to my face. My mum is genuine and hardworking. She works hard in her job and is incredibly supportive and loves to give me tips on how I can improve. Another one of my role models is my dad, he also is involved in lots of sports as he coaches my brothers in soccer at an Elite level, he is a bright and calm guy. He floods my life with encouragement and support when it comes to me playing volleyball.

I am a person whose life revolves around being active as it makes me happy, and I enjoy it. I think that when you’re young it is important to have diversity in the sports you play as any sport can help you improve. I really love to play netball, like volleyball I have played netball since I was little and have enjoyed playing on a competitive basis, this keeps my fitness and hand eye co-ordination strong. I also enjoy playing basketball for the same reasons. In the summer, as I live near the beach, I thoroughly enjoy doing a little surfing and, in the winter, I love to ski and snowboard when I have free time. I think that doing all these sports has made me into the hardworking and driven athlete I am today. I enjoy doing lots of other sports as I believe it has made me a more well-rounded person and I have been able to make more friends outside of volleyball. I enjoy all weekly training and like to set goals and challenge my fitness.

I am a committed student athlete and love learning on and off the court. I strive to do my best in all aspects of school from the Sciences to English. I put lots of hard work and energy into getting good grades and doing well in exams. I hold myself to a high standard and I expect a lot from myself so when I receive academic highlights, I feel that my hard work has paid off and that I deserve to have gotten them. In my first year of NCEA I was in the top 10% of my year and achieved a 3rd place in Economics. I also understand that I am still improving and can always get better grades.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my school years so far but mostly like the Sciences, English or Sport and Recreation aspect of it. Since I am still deciding what I want to do I am still open to all programs, as I like to keep my options open. I would say that I excel in Science and English enriched subjects and am keen to have a career following this path.

I envision my school life to be the best years of my life that are filled with new adventures, meeting new people from different cultures and hopefully finding people I really enjoy spending time with. I hope that I will be able to make new memories and do a ton of travel. I see myself with more independence and freedom than I do right now and picture myself working hard and being productive. The school I would like to attend would have a healthy balance between my academics and sport as I believe that this is very important. I am excited to take this new chapter in my life and be able to play the sport I love and study the subjects I am passionate about. I am excited for a big change and to make new friends while keeping in touch with family and friends back in New Zealand.