Zoe Hobson: Queen of the Court

BY SOPHIA WENGIER

The walls of Cooper City High School’s gymnasium are covered with posters cheering on our beloved volleyball team and the stands are full of excited fans, waiting in anticipation for the game to begin.  Zoe Hobson stands huddled with her team, looking into the eyes of her best friends, her craving for success making her more focused than ever.  Everything around her seems to melt away and, with determination in her eyes and the win in her mind, Hobson prepares for yet another incredible victory.  

Zoe Hobson grew up in a family that was all about sports.  With a mother who played volleyball in highschool and a father who was a travel soccer coach, it was clear that Hobson was going to have a very active childhood.  As a child, Hobson could be found in her driveway passing a  volleyball with her mother.  She began playing volleyball at the YMCA but then switched to club teams (teams based on age groups and talent) where she played until entering high school.  

“I’ve always had a volleyball in my hand from a young age so I’ve always been comfortable playing,”  Hobson said.

As a freshman Hobson was placed on the varsity volleyball team.  She also won various awards such as most offensive player her sophomore year, most valuable player her junior year and leader of service aces her senior year.  Although she would never describe herself as the star of the team, no one can deny that she’s essential to its success.

When Zoe entered high school, she felt her happiness and comfort in her own skin slipping away with her childhood.  The importance that society places on weight and body image took its toll on Hobson and she began to lose her confidence.  She was bullied for her weight and felt isolated and different from those around her.  The despair Hobson felt caused her to lose something that had always kept her going: hope.  

With her decreasing self esteem and all the stress of a new school, she needed an out.  She soon realised that while playing volleyball, the only thing that goes through her head is what she’s doing and how she can win.  Volleyball gave her the courage to overcome her struggles and find her happy place.

“When I get stressed out or I have problems, I get on that court with my teammates and I forget about everything,”  Hobson said.  “The game is my life.”

After finding her family and her safe place, Hobson decided she wasn’t going to let her hardships hold her back;  she used her struggles as way to improve herself and her health, making the decision to become a vegan.  Although this began as a way to get healthy and lose weight, it soon became her way to make an impact on the world by helping animals and the environment.

“When it stopped being about losing weight and I was at my goal weight, I kept being a vegan and vegetarian,” Hobson said.  “I stayed in the culture and I started to realize how much of a difference I’m making in the world.”   

Hobson also took charge of her health by beginning to train for and run marathons.  After hearing of her mother’s passion towards running and the way it makes you feel, Hobson ran her first half marathon in February 2015.  Now that the volleyball season is over, Hobson has the time to train for another.  

It’s clear that Cooper City’s volleyball team has done a great job not just this season but the past few years as well.  This year, they made it all the way to districts where their season finally came to a close.  Hobson has attributed this success to the chemistry of the team.  

“The thing about our team is that we’re all best friends,”  Hobson said.  “A lot of teams can’t say that.  My teammates are my best friends and I couldn’t have asked for a better sport to join.”

Hobson believes that one of the reasons the team works so well is their coach.  Coach Smitherman has been like a role model and a mother to Hobson and the whole team.

“She’s taught me and my teammates so much,” Hobson said.  “I’m just really thankful for her.”

Hobson is loved by many at Cooper City High; however, she is not seen very often since her decision to dual enroll full time her senior year.  Although she misses her friends, this choice has contributed greatly to her academic success.  It has allowed her to have more free time to study as well as knock off some credits for college.  Dual enrollment allows her to take care of her academics and still come back for volleyball practices and games.  

As a senior, Hobson has been working hard for college for four years and it has finally paid off.  She was recently accepted into the University of Chicago in Illinois. While Hobson loved the culture of this school and city, her final decision was to attend Florida State University.  

Hobson is planning on dual majoring in communications and marketing.  She has always loved the creative aspect of journalism but would also like to be a business woman. This choice of majors is a perfect way to set herself up for her dream job as a film journalist.  

Contrary to what many advised her to do, Hobson made the decision not to try for a volleyball scholarship as she wanted to go to a school for academics.  However, because volleyball is her one true love, she is planning on joining either a club or travel volleyball team when she begins college.

As Zoe Hobson continues to make it over her hurdles and push to be the best she can be, it’s certain that those who love her will be there no matter what she pursues.  During everything she has been through, Hobson has managed to come out victorious as an athlete, a student, and a person and will be known to all as someone who never gives up.