CityView Magazine

26 November 2020 D anny Sealy was in a bit of a bind. The Army had brought him and his fami ly to Fayettev i l le at a time of the year when local traveling vol leybal l teams already had picked al l their players. That was in 2017, when his daughter Brianna was 14 and real ly hoping to have a chance to play the spor t she loves. Coach af ter coach told the Sealys there was no room for Brianna on the team. Unti l, that is, Danny Sealy cal led Steven Godbold. "He told me to bring her over on a Sunday," Sealy said. "We haven't lef t since." Welcome to Eastside Vol leybal l Club, where the coach work s a f u l l-time day job at Centur y Link, then puts in hours teaching youngsters the spor t he loves. A nd where, best of al l, players li ke Brianna Sealy, now 17, have always feel welcome. "It's a small club, but it's big in heart," said Danny Sealy, who now serves as one of the club's coaches. "Steve's an awesome coach." For Godbold and his w ife Jack ie, vol leybal l has long been a way of life. A lifelong athlete, he fel l in love w ith the spor t f rom the time he wal ked onto the sand of a beach vol leybal l cour t as an adu lt. "I never had any idea he wou ld carr y it to this level," said long time f riend Bobby Wi lson, himself an accomplished player who helped Godbold learn the spor t. "It became his hear t. He loved the spor t and wanted to see it grow." Jackie is the one who keeps things organized, while both their daughters, 22-year-old Taylor and 13-year- old Mason, were talented players. Taylor, in fact, is the one who nominated her dad for a CityView Power of Giving Community Impact Award. "He'll stay up late nights organizing for practices and tournaments," she wrote in her dad's nomination. "On his days off, he's improving the facilities or helping an eager player get better. Steven Godbold is the hardest worker with the biggest heart and that's something I will always admire about him." Contact Steven Goldbold at eastsidevbc@gmail.com HIS LOVE OF VOLLEYBALL SPIKES A LOYAL FOLLOWING Fascinating Fayetteville

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