Today’s guest on my blog is Mechell Daniel – a young tall woman who has started her career in HR and plays for Tendring Volleyball Club. She is 6”2.5’ to be exact, excluding her hair that adds a few more inches! [huge_it_slider id=”12″]

Hello Mechell, and thank you for being a guest on my blog! You are a stunning young woman. Do you get lots of admiration, or envy, or evil looks? How do you feel about standing out of the crowd and attracting attention just because you are who you are?

I definitely get stared at a lot because of my height. When I was younger it made me feel embarrassed, it took a few years to get used to it. In England strangers in the street usually don’t say too much or make a big deal about it. However, in other countries people seem to love it. When I lived in America, people commented about my height ALL the time. I have also caught people taking pictures of me behind my back because they were so amused about my height!

Some tall women absolutely love it and are proud of it, while others are conscious of their height. How do you feel about your height – do you like it or not so much?

I used to really dislike my height when I was a teenager. However, I think playing sport helped me embrace it, because being tall can have many benefits. If it wasn’t for my height, I wouldn’t have experienced all the amazing countries to play the sport I love. Throughout the last few years I have accepted it and wouldn’t be who I am today without the height. There are also many disadvantages about being tall, to name a few; finding clothes that fit is a nightmare as I need 38” length bottoms, making sure I don’t bang my head on ceilings and lights and sitting behind someone that reclines their chair on a plane!

Did you feel under pressure to play a height related sport, or was it your choice to do so?

It was always my choice to play sport, as from a young age I always wanted to try all sports possible. My height definitely helped me stand out as an athlete. It made it much easier to stand out and be selected over shorter players who maybe had the same skill level but not the height. I had to make use of my height, as I was pretty tall from a young age. I played a variety of different sports during secondary school, my favourite sports were netball and volleyball.

How do you feel about people asking you if you play basketball?

It does not bother me at all, as I used to play basketball at secondary school. I really enjoyed basketball, but I did not have the strength physically to pursue it further. I must say I was pretty decent at getting those rebounds!

Why did you choose volleyball as opposed to other sports (e.g., basketball)?

I reached the age where I was participating in a lot of different sports and decided I had to specialise. I choose volleyball as I realised it could take me all over the world. After representing England numerous times throughout my teenage years, I decided to play college volleyball in America. I was lucky enough to get a full athletic scholarship at the University of South Alabama for 3.5 years!

What do you want from your life in the future? Do you see yourself as always being a volleyball player, or is this more of a hobby nowadays?

I have played volleyball to a high level, in America, representing England and playing professionally in Finland. While being a student or playing volleyball full time, you have enough time to train and lift to compete at that top level. Unfortunately, when working full time, you do not have those facilities and opportunities at your door step anymore. Therefore, nowadays I play volleyball as a hobby. Since playing volleyball as a hobby I have more fun, rather than feel stressed and under pressure.

What are your best achievements in sports and life?

My best achievements so far have been representing England in volleyball and being able to live in America to be a student athlete. Once I graduated from University, I decided that I wanted to try and pursue my dream of playing professional volleyball. I managed to get a contract out in Finland for Oriveden Ponnistus which was located in a small village called Orivesi. I joined the team half way through the season and managed to win bronze in the Finnish League. This was an amazing experience and achievement, however, I decided I did not want to pursue volleyball as a career. Following playing professionally, I decided to study for my Masters in Human Resource Management at the University of Essex. I represented Essex University in BUCS and Tendring Volleyball Club in the top league in England. I am now out in the working world working in human resources, but still playing for volleyball for Tendring!

Tell us more about the team you play for at present, Tendring Volleyball Club.

This is currently my second season playing for Tendring Volleyball Club. This club has grown and expanded throughout the last few years. We had a very successful first half of the season and finished 2^nd in the league. Throughout the next two months we hope to maintain our performance to reach the top of the league. I would also like to say thank you to all our sponsors and volunteers which help our club succeed!

What does sport give you – as a person and character, skills, etc?

Volleyball has really enabled me to grow as a person. In my teenage years I was pretty shy and stayed in my comfort zone. It wasn’t until America where I really think I was able to grow as a person and become the person I am today. I began playing volleyball as being a shy individual to being one of the captains of South Alabama’s volleyball team my senior year. When you play in a team sport you also have to accept that everyone is different and has been raised in different ways. You realise that you cannot speak to everyone in the same way, especially in stressful situations. Therefore, being in a team environment has made me an adaptable person who is able to work with a variety of different people. Being put in stressful and tense situations has definitely helped me become a resilient and strong person in the outside world. Even if you are not playing sport at a high standard I definitely would recommend participating as it teaches young people so many different skills that are essential for life. To support Tendring Volleyball Club, go to http://www.tendringvolleyball.com/lotto and join their lottery!