“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

LIVE IT!

As long as I can remember, my life has revolved around sport. Some of my earliest memories are playing T-ball or chasing my dad around the track on my tricycle. In 1984, the Olympics came to Los Angeles with several events held down in Orange County where I liv. I was fortunate enough that my parents took me to attend a few competitions. I had no real understanding of what I was watching at the time. I was mostly fascinated by the bald eagle mascot, but even more than that, I was captivated by the energy, excitement, and possibilities surrounding the Games.

It was then and there that I decided I wanted to become an Olympian. I had no idea what that truly meant or how someone even got there, but I knew I was willing to do everything within my power to chase that dream. I started with Brownie (Girl Scout) and elementary school Olympics. I joined the local track club and played in community leagues like NJB and AYSO. Sport became my lifestyle. It shaped my routines, my friendships, and the way I viewed the world.

Volleyball came later, almost by accident. An injury to the middle blocker on my high school team led my teacher and coach to ask if I would be interested in filling in. I was between basketball and track seasons and figured, “Why not?” At first, my role was simple: block the serve. Once the ball got past me, I honestly had no clue what I was supposed to do next. But I quickly fell in love with the camaraderie, the competitiveness, and the sense of possibility the sport carried.

What started as a chance opportunity became a lifetime of travel, relationships, growth, and fulfillment through volleyball. Volleyball became life.

LOVE IT!

Volleyball has allowed me to stand on some of the biggest sporting stages in the world alongside elite athletes and coaches, learning not only what drives them to succeed, but what sustains them through challenge, pressure, and adversity.

The game has shown me what people are truly made of. As the case of my 2008 Olympic team facing tragedy mere hours before our first match, volleyball has allowed me to witness athletes rise in difficult moments, push beyond fear and exhaustion, and fight for something far greater than themselves. Love of the game teaches you quickly that success is never about one individual. It is about trust, sacrifice, connection, and the willingness to give everything you have for the people beside you.

That is why I believe volleyball is the ultimate team sport. Every touch matters. Every role matters. Every person matters. The beauty of the game is not just in the wins or championships, but in the relationships, resilience, and collective belief built along the way.

For me, loving the game has never only been about volleyball itself. It has been about the people, the purpose, and the lessons the sport continues to teach me every single day.

COACH IT!

Being on the USAV staff for LA28 has given me time to reflect on the full circle moment from spectator to participant to now coach.  I have had both great coaches and not-so-great coaches throughout my career, and each of them helped shape my own coaching philosophy. The coaches who brought out the best in me were the ones who saw me as a person first and not just an athlete. They met me where I was, challenged me with purpose, and guided me toward my highest level of performance with care, belief and discipline.

That is the kind of coach I aspire to be, the type of coach I needed when I was an athlete. Someone who saw potential beyond performance and valued the person as much as the player. I strive to lead authentically: bold, brave, creative and caring, while helping to create spaces where female athletes and coaches feel empowered not just to succeed, but to confidently grow, lead, and thrive.

Sometimes coaching means lighting a fire in an athlete and challenging them to push beyond the limits they have placed on themselves. Sometimes it means being a steady voice in moments of doubt, a source of accountability, or their loudest supporter when they need confidence the most. Other times, it means understanding that some athletes do not leave their personal lives at the gym door.  That the challenges, pressures, and experiences outside the court inevitably shape how they show up in practice and competition.

To me, coaching is about far more than developing skilled players. It is about helping build confident, resilient people who learn to trust themselves, face adversity with courage, and grow both within the game and beyond it.

One of the greatest lessons sport has taught me is this: don’t let someone else’s limiting beliefs become your reality. Too often, athletes (especially young women) are told who they are, what they lack, or what they will never become. Great coaching is helping athletes learn to separate other people’s fears, biases, and limitations from their own potential. It is helping them build the confidence to trust themselves, take up space, lead boldly, and pursue goals that may seem impossible to others.

For me, coaching means trying to see every athlete who crosses my path as a person first and an athlete second. Because when athletes feel seen, valued, and believed in, they are capable of far more than they ever imagined.

Coach Tayibba Haneef-Park is an assistant coach with the U.S. Women’s Volleyball Senior National Team.

Click to view other stories in the LIVE IT! LOVE IT! COACH IT! Stories From Volleyball Series.

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