Coasters: This is what fun is all about

Steve Virgen

Though winning matters, the inaugural season for the Orange Coast

College women’s badminton team is all about fun. And that fun couldn’t

have come at a better time for Kelly Overby.

Five months ago, Overby went through a kidney tranplant.

Today, her eyes light up when she talks about the sport she is

learning and the friends she has made because of it.

“We have a lot of laughs,” says the easy-going Overby.

She built her love for sports at Calvary Chapel High in Costa Mesa.

She played four varsity years of volleyball and had been training in

the Orange County Volleyball Club for six years. It was always work,

work, work. Everyday there was a new challenge. But, none came greater

than when she realized her kidney failure in October of 1999. She then

underwent dialysis three days a week.

“That’s when it really hit me,” Overby said of the reality of her

fate. “Before, I really didn’t know what was going on.”

Then, last November, at St. Joseph’s Hospital, she had the kidney

transplant.

She never worried about death, much less her next semester at OCC.

“I just trusted that whatever happened to me was God’s will,” she

said.

Overby discovered badminton when she saw a poster advertising for team

members, while on campus. Yes, she joined for the fun aspect, but she has

come to realize that the sport isn’t like a recreation game at a picnic.

Speed is required. Coordination is a necessity. Intelligence and

technique is what’s separates the elite from the average players. And

like any other sport, courage, the ability to compete without backing

down, is what determines a true athlete.

Overby is no stranger to courage. She wanted to play badminton so she

could maintain her competitive spirit. That’s what’s fun for Overby.

Yet, she takes pleasure in the simple aspects of life. Friends. A new

day. And cookies.

When OCC cruised past visiting San Diego City Friday, 20-1, Overby

brought cookies for everyone. She also shared smiles with her friends.

When it was time for a team photo, she giggled with glee, capturing

the essence of pure joy. Though she is still learning about badminton,

her confident satisfaction causes her to appear as is she were a pro.

This is where she belongs. This is God’s will.

Soon, summer will come and she will experience other activities. She

will take advantage of her new kidney and in the fall she will advance

further in OCC sports.

“I’m going to try golf in the fall at OCC,” Overby said.