Finding the Right Fit

What’s good NARP fam! 

It’s Payton Chang here and I’m stoked to share my story with you all. Let me give you a quick background on me before we dive into the fun stuff. I’m from Newport Beach, California, and a proud former bench captain of 2 Natty Champ teams with Stanford Volleyball. I luckily had an extra year of eligibility and grad transferred to Northwestern for my super senior year. I recently graduated with my Masters in Sports Administration and I’m now the Social Media Coordinator for Athletes Unlimited, a new fantasy-inspired pro sports league for a variety of women’s and underrepresented sports. We just finished our inaugural softball season and are now getting ready for our first pro volleyball season in Nashville next February. Follow us on social media: @auprosports for daily content posted by yours truly 🙂

NARP Clothing is doing an amazing job connecting athletes with fans like never before and I wanted to build off of that by giving advice to younger athletes who aspire to play college athletics someday. Those 4 years (or 5 if you’re lucky like me) you’ll have as a college athlete will truly be some of the best years of your life. There will for sure be hard times and you’re going to spend a LOT of hours in the gym or field, but don’t let your sport take over your identity. A major deciding factor in my recruiting process was if I suffered a career-ending injury and couldn’t play my sport anymore, would I still enjoy being a NARP at that university? For me, I always wanted to attend a big football school and use my sport to get into the best academic school possible. You’ll need to do your research and make a list of what you’re looking for. Does this school have your major? Is this school in a college town? Is a scholarship available and what will my playing time look like? Unless you’re the top recruit in the nation, schools will not just show up and offer you on the spot. You’ll need to be proactive, contact schools you’re interested in, go to camps over the summer, and tell coaches to come watch you play at tournaments. It will be tough finding a school that checks off every single box, but find the school that checks off most of them. Coming into Stanford as a freshman, I knew I was going to be the backup for all 4 years but I was willing to go through that in order to play for one of the most prestigious programs in the nation. 

While at Stanford, I had the chance to play both indoor and beach volleyball, study abroad in Florence, and meet some of the coolest well-rounded people around. From pro athletes and Olympians to NARPS creating their own start-ups, I wanted to take advantage of everything Stanford had to offer. I learned what it truly means to accept your role, how to be the best team player possible, and make the most out of any situation you’re in. The lessons I’ve learned and relationships I’ve built through my teammates, coaches, and everyone I met on The Farm helped me in my transition to Northwestern and even now working for Athletes Unlimited. Looking back, the championships won were obviously major highlights but nothing will beat those off-the-court moments with your teammates like the pre-game bus rides and locker room jam sessions. Time flies so savor every opportunity you get. 

A wise man once said “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretzky” – Michael Scott. I could’ve gone somewhere else and immediately started as a freshman but I knew that my volleyball career would end someday. I took a shot at attending my dream school and I have zero regrets in the decision I’ve made. 

Go Card! Go ‘Cats!  

Signing off, 

Payton 

(IG/Twitter @paytonchang)