Idaho State Athletics
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A strong support system can do wonders. For Kaia Rhodes, it means every-thing.
Rhodes, who didn’t pick up volleyball until the age of 14, had an unusual motivational experience with her first coach.
“When I was younger I didn’t play any sports,” said Rhodes. “My cousin Natalie played volleyball and basketball. I tried basketball and it did not work. I started playing volleyball when I was 14. I made a club team and my coach told me you suck but we are going to make you better.”
Rhodes took this as motivation.
“That whole year I tried my hardest and was so dedicated,” Rhodes continued. “She had me read this book. After I read the book I said all I have to do is tell myself I have to go to college. I told myself I was going to go to UCLA.”
She first started playing after feeling like there was something missing.
“The older I got the more I wanted to be a part of something,” Rhodes said. “I tried to force myself into things and it was really boring until I found volleyball. A lot of my friends played and one of them invited me to their game with her mom and I was like ‘that looks so fun.’ I found out where they played club and I wanted to go play with them and somehow I made it on the team.”
When sophomore year of high school hit, her dreams of playing at UCLA were overshadowed by her new goal of playing in the Big Sky and being close to family.
“My grandma lives in Idaho Falls and my grandpa passed away a year before I committed,” Rhodes said. “When I got here I really liked the coach and the recruiting process and the small town feel. I knew I would get distracted if I went somewhere big. I wanted somewhere where I could focus on school and be near my family. ISU just felt very homie, tight knit and very family oriented.”
Rhodes thanks her strong support system for helping her achieve her dreams of playing Division I volleyball.
“My coach always told me I could do it and that I just have to get better,” said Rhodes. “Somebody believing in me was super big for me. My dad played football at BYU for a while. So I admired him and my mom is a very hard worker. My parents’ support kept me going. I wanted someone for my little sister to look up to. My coach was adamant in telling me positive things and giving me positive feedback and helping me set realistic goals. That was something I was thankful for.”
Despite growing up in a big city, Rhodes finds comfort living in a small town.
“I grew up in Las Vegas,” Rhodes said. “My family lived in Utah for a lot of my life. We would drive back and forth. I liked that I got to see more than I think I would have if I would have stayed in Utah with my family. I appreciate the fact that I don’t want to stay there. I like slower paced life.”
Rhodes’ childhood was unique in its own way.“I grew up in a split household” explained Rhodes. “My dad for most of my life lived in Seattle and I lived with my mom in Vegas. My mom started school, she is an engineer. She started school a few days after I was born. I watched my mom study and study. She is the hardest worker I ever met. My mom and my step mom are two people I admire because of their work ethic. My dad as well. He is from Florida. He always taught us how to be appreciative of things we have and take care of the things we have. He is very family orientated.”
Rhodes’ has taken away those same virtues from her parents.
“My parents are two very hard working family loving people,” Rhodes said. “Now that I am older that is what I learn to value.”
The hard work her parents taught her has paid off as Rhodes’ takes on being a student-athlete.
“I did know college was going to be a really big time commitment but I didn’t know it was going to be the way it is” Rhodes explained. “I knew I was going to have to go to weights, have practice and go to class but it is hard because we make our own schedules. You have to be a grown up now. I did not know I would have to do so much on my own right away but I appreciate that but it was an adjustment for sure. I got home sick a little bit but if I hadn’t got-ten home sick I wouldn’t appreciate home the way I do.”
Despite the time consumption, Rhodes feels grateful for the experience.
“It’s for sure a job,” said Rhodes. “And sometimes I forget how lucky I am. I am grateful for every second of time I put in because when I put in the time then I see the result. I didn’t think it would be as big of a time commitment as it is but I’m okay with it.”
Rhodes’ is known to keep it positive off and on the court.
“I have always been pretty positive,” said Rhodes. “When I first came to school, that went down the drain because I was like ‘I don’t know how to deal with all of this.’ But over the past four years I’ve had to figure out when I’m positive about something then I feel better about it. If I’m just negative and I’m like ‘I have to do this’ then I don’t want to.”
Her positive mindset has been developed thanks to those she surrounds herself with.
“My mom never let me make excuses for things,” Rhodes said. “I couldn’t just wallow in my sorrow and have a bad attitude. My mom was not with that. So I like to say that I’m pretty positive and I think that I have got better for sure but it’s because I was never allowed to sit and be negative all of the time.”
Not only family, but friends have helped her along the way, too.
“The people I surrounded myself with actually really ingrained something into my brain,” Rhodes said. “The fact that I get to be here, I get to play a sport for four years, and I get to go to school is an opportunity that not a lot of people get and I need to be grateful for it. I was told by a person that doesn’t have school paid for and someone that works really hard and I was sitting there complaining ‘I have to do this or I’m tired of doing this’ and this person wakes up every day without any obligation and does the exact same things that I do so to me that was a big wake up call.”
After her volleyball career, Rhodes hopes to help those in need.
“I think about life after college all of the time,” Rhodes said. “I want to have a job in a community where I can help and reach out. Eventually I want to get to the global level where I work for a bigger company that has the money to help other countries and build schools, give aid and technology.”
Although she knows what she wants to do, getting there is another story.
“A big thing for me is I’m worried I’m not going to have enough work experience to get the kind of job that I want,” said Rhodes. “I’m at this point in my life where I’m going to be an adult soon and I don’t know what I’m going to do. I think all of the time, this is the job I want, now how am I going to get there and what do I need to do to get there?”
When figuring out these life questions, Rhodes turns to her family.
“I go to my mom first for sure,” Rhodes laughed. “My dad is probably going to tell me what I don’t want to hear but I also value that because he is very honest with me. My mom is also very honest but she is a look-on-the-bright side kind of per-son so she’s like ‘honey whatever you do it’s the right decision’ whereas my dad is like ‘okay, think about this.’ I do go to them both.”
Not only does she have family to turn to, Rhodes has made a family of her own in Pocatello.
“I go to people that I know have experience,” said Rhodes. “There is a family here who kind of took me in. I talk to the Lacey’s about a lot of stuff because I’m like ‘you’re close to my age so you can understand why I’m trying to make this decision, so help me make the right one.’ I go to people that I trust. I don’t go to people my age much because we’re all on the same boat.”
Looking back, Rhodes has some words of advice for herself.
“I would tell myself to not be so self-critical,” Rhodes said. “I think having that motivation from my coach was very important but also in that process became so self-critical that nothing was good enough. I brought that into college and as a regular person. I am way too self-critical because of athletics. Nothing is good enough. To a certain extent that is healthy but then afterwards I think that we have this hustle culture of you have to do better every single day, which you want to, but to a certain extent. You have to love yourself and be happy with the things you’re doing. Not never accepting anything that you do.”
Despite being too self-critical in the past, Rhodes continues to strive to live life with no boundaries.
“If I could go back and not be as hard on myself on highlight film or in a game when getting over a play,” Rhodes continued. “I could have had more success and more growth rather than holding back and being who I thought I wanted to be and what kind of player I thought I wanted to be. I would have rather given myself no boundaries, no limits, and reached further. Which I’m doing now, it’s never too late.”
