Heart Outweighs Talent
Snead State
3/24/2011

Heart Outweighs Talent

By Charlie Potter

Snead State Community College

Talent is defined as a special, natural ability. It is something that every coach wishes their players will possess and hone before joining their program; however, there is one characteristic that dwarfs a player?s talent level, along with any other positive aspect of their arsenal of skills. That characteristic is heart. Not the blood-pumping organ within the ribcage, but a willingness to never surrender. Snead State Community College?s head volleyball coach, Lisa Murray, is a firm believer in the saying, ?heart is better than talent,? and she preaches this method of thinking to her current athletes, as well as past and future players.

Coach Murray considers the 2010 Lady Parsons to have had a ton of heart. She stated that, ?They were pretty talented, but the heart and desire they had in them allowed them to push harder and to make their talent work for them even better.? She considers all of the players on the 2010 roster to have had a lot of heart, but one individual stood out to her the most. That player was Bailey Kimbrough. Murray praises Kimbrough for owning so much heart that it would provide inspiration for her teammates. Murray went on to say that, ?It would then spread like wildfire and you see the whole team fighting [until] the last point.?

On the other hand, Murray describes the 2009 volleyball team to be a little different than the most recent team. Whereas the 2010 team was not assembled with overly-talented players but with players that refused to quit, the 2009 players were the exact opposite. Murray said that last year?s team, ?Had a little more talent than this year's team but they did not have the heart as a whole like this year's team did.? The 2009 squad lacked the amount of heart that the most recent team possessed, and as a result, the 2009 team?s record was not as good. The 2009 Lady Parsons finished the season with a 3-13 record; the 2010 Lady Parsons improved to an 8-13 finish.

Lisa Murray motivates her players before every match, reminding them that heart will always outlast talent. Murray also believes that, ?You?re wasting your time if you?re doing something and your heart isn't in it.? Having a large amount of heart within your makeup goes a long way in any situation.