Gotham Candidate Forum: Power D

Gotham Candidate Forum: Power D

Players in Power D will be voting from October 13th, 2023 through 11:59 PM on October 19th, 2023 to elect a new Power Class Representative to the Training Leadership Group. If you play in Power D and have and do not receive a ballot after 1 PM on October 13th, please e-mail [email protected].

Below, please find the candidate profile of the candidates for Power D Representative:  Johnny Hsieh and Yih-Jen Ku

Johnny Hsieh

Johnny has participated in Gotham Volleyball for 1 – 2 years.

Q: Why are you interested in a Gotham Leadership position?

A: I joined Gotham almost two years ago, Gotham has consistently provided me with a strong source of community and support in NYC which I’ve been so thankful to have. Additionally, the Power program helped me improve so much as a volleyball player as I had never even touched a volleyball before I joined Gotham. I’m running for Power D rep because I really want to give back to the Gotham community and help make sure that everyone has a great experience both in the Power program and in Gotham.

Q: What do you wish to accomplish if elected?

A: If elected as Power D rep, my goals would be to: 1) Make sure that Power D runs as smoothly as possible by taking attendance, sending out our weekly emails, and helping Leah and Ryan however they need 2) Be available as a contact for any feedback/suggestion and work to improve both our Power class and Gotham 3) Make sure that our Power D class gets to know each other and has fun! We’re all choosing to spend 3 hours every Sunday evening together, and I want to make sure that everyone has the best experience possible 🙂

Q: How do you promote community through the sport of volleyball and embody the spirt of Gotham?

A: I love being a part of the Gotham community and engaging with everyone in Gotham. You can find me hanging out with everyone at Gym Bar after class, playing in friendship tournaments, organizing beach or park games, and more.

Yih-Jen Ku

Yih-Jen has participated in Gotham Volleyball for 1 – 2 years.

Q: Please describe your prior Gotham volunteer and/or leadership experience, if any?

A: I do not have much volunteer and leadership experience with Gotham so far, but I’m hoping to get more involved and begin my experience through the opportunity of Power D representative! I have captained a few teams for Friendship Tournaments and Green Apple, and I always try my best to help set up or break down the net at Open Plays and Power classes. I would like to play a larger role moving forward.

Q: Why are you interested in a Gotham Leadership position?

A: As someone who went through PowerPlay and Power E prior to Power D, I have witnessed how Power D is the turning point for many players from a beginner level to an intermediate level in Gotham. I am interested in being the Power D representative because I want to be the leader and advocate that other members of the class can rely on to foster a safe environment for learning and to provide timely feedback to coaches. Furthermore, I want to lend my perspective as a newer member of Gotham to make the entire Training program as efficient and beneficial to the community as possible.

Q: What do you wish to accomplish if elected?

A: If elected, I want to help my classmates take their volleyball play to the next level by being an additional resource they can rely on through each Power D class. This means encouraging my classmates through drills and scrimmages and instilling the confidence within them that they can make the transition from a beginner to a true intermediate and well-rounded player. It also means working with my coaches on a weekly basis to provide feedback on how we can improve drills, identify areas of improvement for individual players, and ultimately elevate the level of the entire class.

Q: How do you promote community through the sport of volleyball and embody the spirt of Gotham?

A: One example I can share is when I helped organize the End of Summer Prospect Park Tournament this past September. A few of us across divisions in Gotham have created a community that gathers in Prospect Park every weekend in the summer to play on the grass. To celebrate a wonderful summer of many volleyball weekends, we planned an end-of-summer tournament that included Gotham players from Division 1 to PowerPlay. I led the creation of the team draft and the overall schedule and format of the tournament. The tournament was a success, and it was one of my favorite experiences in bringing members of the queer community together through the sport of volleyball.

 
arrow-up icon