By Joylynn Lee
Staff Writer
After the initial COVID-19 outbreak in March of 2020, junior and Costa varsity girls volleyball player Isabel Wilmot decided that she wanted to teach younger children how to play beach volleyball.
At 17 years old, Wilmot has been playing volleyball for seven years. According to Wilmot, ever since she began playing at the age of 10, Wilmont has had a passion for the sport. After the lockdowns began last March, Wilmont was watching her neighbors play volleyball in their front yard, and she was inspired to teach lessons of her own.
“I wanted to teach kids how to play volleyball during quarantine to help them get outside and learn the basics of the sport,” Wilmot said. “I thought it would be fun for me to teach a group of kids at a time.”
In November of 2020, Wilmot began teaching beach volleyball lessons to children in person. According to Wilmot, a lot of volleyball programs and clinics were canceled due to COVID-19, so being able to help kids get outside and practice was very rewarding.
“I talked to one of my neighbors who has a child that was interested in volleyball,” Isabel said. “She liked the idea of me giving lessons, so she told her friends about it and that’s how this group found out about me teaching volleyball.”
To keep the lessons COVID-safe, Wilmot has been teaching groups of six kids on Tuesdays in Manhattan Beach. She has mainly been teaching kids that she already knew, or had mutual connections with. According to Wilmot, she has made her lessons interactive and fun so the kids can become closer as well.
“I initially started teaching elementary school students last year,” Wilmot said. “So far, I’ve been teaching them the fundamental and basic techniques of volleyball so they can gather a good foundation for the sport.”
She first teaches these students the most basic techniques in volleyball, like passing the ball and staying focused. She is now trying to teach these children in ways that they can easily comprehend.
“I teach on the times I’m free,” Isabel said. “I earn some money on the side from teaching kids how to play volleyball.”
According to Wilmot, she always really enjoyed the idea of teaching younger kids a sport that she loves. She hopes that these children will eventually grow to love the sport as much as she does.
Wilmot is currently planning to continue her group lessons at least throughout the rest of the school year. According to Wilmot, she wants the basic fundamental skills she teaches to benefit them as they grow in their education in volleyball.
“I have many goals for these kids,” Wilmot said. “What I want most is for them to have fun in these lessons and for them to learn as much as they can. I can’t wait to see what the future holds”
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