Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Leonard Weston | 190206-N-KO533-0021 Norfolk, Va (Feb. 2, 2019) Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Johnny...... read more read more
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The crowd is cheering, the court is riddled with sounds of shoes squeaking and the thud of balls hitting the court. This is how Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Johnny Castro, assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) spends his free time. When life becomes stressful nothing is more appealing to Castro then to getting on a volleyball court with his team.
A New York native, Castro migrated from Bogotá, Columbia as a young adult. As a child, Castro’s up bringing kept him moving around a lot, so he quickly learned how to make new friends, which he applies to his life in many ways especially when making friendships through his volleyball career.
Volleyball means the world to Castro. He sees himself as being free of burdens when he steps foot on the court.
“When I play, there is no better feeling in the world to me. All the stress that I had is thrown away as soon as my feet hit the court,” Castro said. “I could be worn out and tired, but when I play volleyball that doesn’t matter, I get energy to do it because of the love that I get from being on that court with my team.”
Throughout all his accomplishments from playing volleyball, he actually started off despising the game and not wanting to go near a volleyball let alone a court. His first experience on the court wasn’t a fond memory of the sport as a seasoned and skilled player embarrassed a novice Castro early on.
“The first time I played volleyball I was in gym class during high school. I never saw the game before, it was all new to me,” said Castro. “The minute I got my chance to return the serve, it unfortunately was to someone who knew how to play. This player had spiked it with such force that when it hit my arms all I felt was immediate pain. At that moment I gave up on volleyball and said I would never play again.”
Little did Castro know, his failed attempt to return a serve, would propel him to a greater love for a sport he once disdained. At first, Castro would sit patiently on the gym sideline bleachers and study how the game was played. He learned the rules of the game and how to strategizes against an opposing team. Then a fondness of the game developed and replaced a bitterness spawned from a bruised ego. Castro began to have change of heart for the game after seeing how much fun his classmates were having in gym class.
“One day, my friends were sick of me watching all the time and forced me to play. At first, I was being difficult. But when I actually got out there and started playing,the ball hit me again,” exclaimed Castro. “The one thing I was scared of, but after that [sensation of being hit], I found out it wasn’t so bad after all, that’s when I first realized, I would be playing the sport a whole lot more.”
Despite Castro’s physical statue at five feet six inches, he is a natural when he steps onto the court. His vertical leap is okay, but his dexterity and speed allows him to cover ground deceptively quick, earning him applauding cheers from his teammates.
One day, a friend of Castro invited him to play volleyball in city park in Bogotá, Columbia. That’s when he was approached by a spectator who was impressed with his talents.
“The man asked me to play on his youth volleyball team as part of the City League of Bogotá. For me this was a great honor, so naturally I said yes,” expressed Castro.
Playing in a youth league with other skilled players, allowed Castro to gain more experience. He later tried out with an adult league, but the man who first approached him at the Bogotá city park a few years earlier, said that he would not be able to compete in the adult league due to his height. The man offered to continue coaching Castro, however that news broke Castro’s heart and he decided to step away from his beloved sport of volleyball.
“I left the league after that and decided to go to college, I ended up trying out for college volleyball team and making varsity as a freshman,” Castro explained. “Making the team as a freshman and taking up room on the court for the other players didn’t make for a great team environment. The other players resented me being there, so after two semesters playing with the team I decided to quit.”
Castro stepped away from the game only this time to assist is ailing mother who was diagnosed with cancer in New York. He packed up and relocated from Bogotá to New York City. He found a serious of odd-and-in jobs, but those stints of employments prove futile against mounting expenses and the daily grind of living in New York City. He decided to make another life changing decision by joining the military.
“I wanted more for myself and something that was going to be stable, so I started doing some research and found the military to be my best option,” Castro expressed. “ I wanted to join the Navy originally to be a pilot. It was a childhood dream, but upon doing the medical screenings I found out I was unable to because of an eye problem that couldn’t be corrected.”
Although Castro’s hope of becoming a pilot fell short, he still enlisted in the Navy as a Gunner’s Mate. Stationed aboard the Bataan, Castro brought his passion of Volleyball along for the voyage as he began looking for places to play and leagues to join. He ended up making the command’s team while the ship was competing during the 2018 Naval Surface Forces Atlantic Surface Line Week, which brought in a first place trophy.
“When our team won it was one of the most proudest moments of my life. I never thought we were going to win, I thought we would just go out and have fun,” Castro explained. “When we got there we showed up as a team who wanted to win and I knew we wouldn’t settle for anything less. I am so proud of the Bataan team and what we accomplished together!”
Participating in the Surface Line Week volleyball tournament, reinvigorate Castro’s desire to compete competitively in a sport that once embarrassed, shunned and ostracized him. He now challenges the nay-sayers through a series of vollies and slamming spikes. His love for the sport carried him through the jeers, sweat and tears to a roaring ovation of applauds, but he wants more.
In January, Castro was selected to the All Navy Volleyball Team and has another opportunity to compete with top players around the country.
“When I found out that I made the team I was ecstatic,” said Castro. “I saw the email and a sense of nervousness came over me and when my eyes came over the words congratulations and I screamed at the top of my lungs YEEEEAAAAAHHHH and banged the desks with two fists!”
Castro will join his new team in Jacksonville, Florida and eventually be heading to North Carolina for a tournament in a few months. If he does well with the All Navy team he has a chance to be selected to be part of the U.S. Olympic volleyball team .
“When I get there the first thing I will do is make sure everyone knows who I am, not as a volleyball player, but as a person,” Castro explained. “I believe this to be the best way to bring a team together, not only be a team, but become friends that you can rely on.”
This is the moment Castro has been working hard for ever since being a young teenager. From being scared of a volleyball, to getting a chance to represent the Navy, and maybe someday the entire United States in China for the Olympics.
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2019 15:35 |
| Story ID: | 311308 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Hometown: | NEW YORK, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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