Nov. 2, 2006

By Lara Boyko

	Lara Boyko Lara Boyko covers a variety of sports for CSTV.com. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- BASKETBALL 1/16: Horsing Around 1/09: All Is Forgiven 1/02: Star Power 12/26: The Women's Basketball Holiday Song 12/19: Tennzaga 12/12: Scrubbing-in 12/05: Aussie Posse 11/28: Big-Name Buffs 11/21: Turkey Tourneys A Way Of Life 11/14: Summer Touring 10/30: Sophomore Jinx? 10/22: Texas A&M Locked And Loaded 10/18: Cardinal Law In Pac-10 10/18: Superwoman Ready To Fly Once More 4/3: Parker Leads All-Tournament Team 3/31: Changing It Up 3/28: LSU Surviving Whatever Comes Its Way 3/22: Playing With Heart 3/21: How Sweet It Is! 3/14: It's Showtime in L.A. 3/7: Viva Las Vegas and the MWC 2/28: Running Down A Dream In San Jose 2/21: Thanks For the Memories 2/14: And The Award Goes To… 2/7: A Long Day 01/31: Mrs. College Basketball 01/27: Putting In Overtime 01/26: ASU Comes Up Smelling Like A Rose 01/23: Traditional Values 01/17: When Things Go Bump In The Night 01/10: It's A Family Affair 01/03: Go West, Young Woman 12/31: UCLA Lights Up Firecrackers to End 2006 11/2: Wiggins Is Hungry For A National Championship SOFTBALL 5/20: Hawai'i Says 'Aloha!' To Their First Super Regional Trip 5/19: LMU Upsets Balance of L.A. Regional 5/18: Hawai'i, UCLA Win With A Little Drama 4/17: Arizona: College Softball's Hotbed State 2/16: Opposites Attract At ASU VOLLEYBALL 12/8: Powerhouse Regional Final Matchup Shaping Up 12/8: Big Ten Comes West 12/8: Getting Back to Omaha 12/8: L.A. Showdown In Hawai'i Looming 12/2: UCLA Has Edge To Get To Hawai'i 12/1: Staying Focused in Crunch Time 12/1: Experience Tops Emotion 11/30: Women of Troy Come To Play 11/30: BYU Libero Serves Up a Shift 11/30: Finding Her Voice 11/7: Handle With Care 11/2: Playing With A Purpose 10/26: Back to Basics in Albuquerque 10/21: USC Re-Closes Chapter in History 10/12: Stanford Crashes the Party 10/6: Packing Again? Not Yet at Least 9/29: Striking A Pose 9/29: Game Notebook: Washington at UCLA 8/21: Nittany Jackpot 8/16: Huskies Are Still Hungry WOMEN'S WATER POLO 5/13: Stanford Advances to Championship Game 5/13: USC Runs Out of Time and UCLA Moves On 5/12: LMU Is Livin' The Dream With Win 5/11: Bruins Drown Sagehens 5/12: USC Swims Into Winner's Bracket 5/12: Stanford Advances, But Wagner Surprises 5/12: Aztecs Use Confidence To Move On

Special To CSTV.com

Since arriving at Stanford in 2004, 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter Franci Girard has taken coach John Dunning's advice to heart.

"One thing that Dunning always tells me is that when you do something, do it with a purpose," Girard said, who loves to indulge in cheeseburgers and french fries from Burger King. "This means that every time when stepping on the court or touching the ball, have something in mind and think about what the consequences of your actions will be. Don't do something just to do it, always have a purpose."

Girard, who is majoring in international relations, may not have heard these words of wisdom until arriving at Stanford, but it is how she has been handling herself on the court since getting a late start in volleyball.

"I was in ninth grade and it was during the preseason when my school was holding tryouts for junior varsity and varsity volleyball, so I decided to try out just because it was fun," Girard explained, who is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., and still close with her high school coach today. "This was also the year my school got a new coach, Colin Henry, who was from the Jamaican National Team. He was very serious about the sport and after that first tryout, he explained to me how much potential I had and how I should take sports a little bit more seriously because I could go really far. At first I didn't really believe him because I thought he was just trying to get me excited so I could help the team. As the preseason went on, I realized he was serious as I started to get better. He was the one who really persuaded me to get serious about it."

Along with staying serious about her grades at The Fieldston School (Bronx, N.Y.), Girard became serious about volleyball which has helped her find her way to a campus full of students living with a purpose.

"There have been times when I felt overwhelmed being at Stanford as there are freshman here who have been published or invented something before they got here," Girard said, who was a member of the 2002 and 2003 USA Girls Youth National Team. "At the same time, I have a talent too. I am a great volleyball player and intelligent. I don't feel out of place at all. I feel like at Stanford it is about over achieving, but not just in one area as everyone excels at something different and that is valued. Now in retrospect as a junior, you come to realize that people are valued for their different talents."

The Cardinal women's volleyball program has been valuing Girard's talents since her freshman year when she came into the program and made her purpose known immediately by earning a starting role.

"Surprised is not even the word to describe how I felt about earning a starting role during my freshman year," Girard said, who finished her freshman year as a Pac-10 All-Freshman selection. "To play next to some of the women that you have watched on TV, look up to and admired was insane. Then to go on and win the national championship was unbelievable. It was truly one experience that I will always remember and value."

Following that breakout year, Girard had to learn another aspect of living with purpose - patience.

"Last year, I played right side and outside, so I had to learn a lot about patience," Girard said, who also suffered from plantar fasciitis in both feet and underwent two non-evasive surgeries. "The coaches were willing to work with me, so it was really about patience and putting my own feelings aside to do what is best for the team."

Along with playing with a purpose while at Stanford, Girard has also been living her life off the volleyball court with a purpose.

"I am very conscious about where I came from and where I am going so I feel like it is important for me to help as many people as I can," Girard said, who enjoys mentoring and participating in community service activities in her spare time. "It is fun for me as it makes me feel like I can share all of the experiences I have been exposed to and help someone else be successful. I am also a part of Delta Sigma Theta and enjoy public service activities where I can help kids who haven't had the same opportunities I have had."

There's one experience that hit closer to home for Girard than any others.

"I went to a soup kitchen and as it was closing, this woman came in with her two kids," Girard said. "She pulled me aside and started talking to me about how I must have so much else going on in my life, but how she appreciated me being there. It made me feel so good to know that my work had been appreciated and recognized. It motivated me to do more."

Girard, who would love to be able to have superpowers of flying or invisibility, also has more to do on the volleyball court in the time she has left.

"I feel like there is so much left to do," Girard said, who is a shopaholic and would love to go to Tokyo for the ultimate shopping experience. "First I want to try to win another national championship this year. I also want to graduate next year. With as much as I have done, there is so much more left to do."