by Laura Garber
Volleyball thumps, music and cheers filled the air at the 7th annual Volley4Sound volleyball tournament in Hermosa Beach on Saturday, October, 18. But the point was to hear none of it. Athletes wore ear plugs as they competed to understand the day-to-day experiences of those with hearing loss and deafness.
Volley4Sound, a co-ed 4s tournament, raises awareness and funds for organizations that support individuals who are deaf, or hard of hearing, such as the John Tracey Center, No Limits for Deaf Children, Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) and more.
Teams can bid on elite players prior to the tournament to join their team. Last weekend’s tournament was won by Team Akatsuki: Zoe Almanza, Chloe Brown, Devon Burki, Brian O’Neil, Zac Pittard and John Schwengel.
Volley4Sound was founded by Kelsey Brandin, a Manhattan Beach native, who was diagnosed with severe bilateral hearing loss in kindergarten and afterwards sported hearing aids, much to her dismay.
“I actually grew up kind of in denial,” Brandin said. “I wore my hair down so nobody could see my hearing aids. I never wanted them growing up. But that’s what my parents, fortunately, made me do.”
While in college, Brandin picked up playing volleyball with her dad on weekends in Manhattan Beach. Her volleyball community quickly grew.
When her school’s hearing specialist, Margie Hindenlang was diagnosed with lung cancer, Brandin enlisted her volleyball friends to found Volley4Sound. Hindenlang requested the proceeds go to hearing loss organizations.
Hindenlang, who was deaf in one ear, supported Brandin from her time at Pacific Elementary throughout graduation at Mira Costa, ensuring Brandin was integrated into the mainstream school system.
“She was like a second mom to me,” Brandin recalled.
Brandin initially dismissed accommodations made for those with hearing loss.
“I was old enough to make my own decisions. I didn’t want the teacher to have to use a microphone just for me to hear,” she said.
Hindenlang helped Brandin accept herself as she is.
“Being unique is better than being perfect,” Brandin said Hindenlang taught her. “Hearing loss doesn’t define who you are, but it does help you stand out, and I think it’s pretty cool.”
During her first year at El Camino College, Brandin finally decided to accept hearing loss accommodations.
“I wanted to be the best me and set myself on the correct path and be true to who I am,” she said.
Brandin will compete in Tokyo, Japan, competing with the USA Deaf Volleyball team in the Deaflympics.
“I knew about Deaflympics, but I didn’t think I’d qualify as deaf. Then I applied and it turned out I did qualify hearing level wise,” Brandin said.
She underwent four tryouts at Pepperdine University before making the four-person Deaflympics women’s team.
She and her fully Deaf teammate will need to create unique signs that only they understand for the competition.
Unlike the Paralympics, which offer funding for participants, athletes attending Deaflympics pay their way or fundraise for support. Brandin’s GoFundMe link: www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-journey-to-deaflympics. ER
✨Go, Kelsey, GOOOOO!✨