Volleyball
Favorite athlete: I don’t have a specific favorite athlete. I draw my inspiration from all different athletes. If they have a strong work ethic and strong personal character with the right mindset, then they are someone I will look up to. When they aren’t afraid to take risks, fail and are constantly working on themselves and achieving success - I am following their process.
Favorite team: I love my hometown teams! Phillies and Eagles are what I follow the most. Nothing beats us Philly fans! My dad is a big Phillies fan and with his season tickets we’re at a lot of games. I do follow the Sixers too but I should start to follow the Flyers more, my uncles are big hockey guys who still play.
Favorite memory competing in sports: My favorite memory in volleyball is when we go into five sets, and the adrenaline kicks in. It becomes a test of who has the most drive and power left in them to come out on top.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: The most embarrassing thing that’s happened to me was when I thought the ball was on the plane of the net. I was really confident and jumped up to get it, but it was actually behind me and hit me in the head.
Music on playlist: I listen to country music and oldies
Future plans: Have my private pilot’s license before starting College of Charleston next year!
Words to live by: “Be the change.”
One goal before turning 30: Become a commercial airline pilot
One thing people don't know about me: I had a boater’s license before I had a driver’s license
By GORDON GLANTZ
Amanda “A.J.” Busk, a versatile senior on the Plymouth Whitemarsh volleyball, is the definition of perseverance.
Despite a broken ankle that initially derailed her recruiting process, she was able to land a place with the College of Charleston in South Carolina.
Given the fact that we are talking about someone who had her boating license before her driver’s license and who plans to be a private pilot before starting college, this should not come as a surprise.
“My dad always wanted to be a pilot, and he never really did it,” said Busk, who is planning on working on her private pilot’s license at Northeast Airport in Philadelphia in the hopes to be done in June. “There is an
airport (Wing’s Field) right by my house that did ‘Discovery Flights.’ My dad went the first time. He asked me if I wanted to go the next time, and I loved it up there. It was something I just loved to do. I did a few more, and I just fell in love.”
Among Busk’s biggest supporters is PW head coach Dave Stewart, who watched her maturation process – her personal discovery flight -- from a raw all-around natural athlete to a high-end volleyball player who has received numerous All-League and All-District accolades.
“A.J. is a player who entered high school with only a little experience playing the game and, over her career, has blossomed into a force to be reckoned with,” said Stewart. “She is a strong silent type who leads by example, both on and off the court.
“She has been so resilient, coming back from an ankle injury that happened at the worst possible time. She has put in many long hours training and working to get back the time she lost and, thankfully, it has paid off.
“We talk, all the time, about getting rewarded for the effort exerted, and no one deserves it more than A.J.”
Aha Moment
As for the late start with volleyball, Busk explained that some CYO experience really didn’t have her close to being prepared for the pace of the high school game.
“I started in 8th grade,” she said. “I didn’t fully start until my freshman year (at PW). I played for my CYO team, but the ball wasn’t really coming over the net and stuff. I had no idea how to play. I didn’t know any of the rules.
“They would make fun of me. I would just run up to the net. I had no approach. Everyone said it looked like I was dancing.”
But then came that aha moment. A switch was flipped and she was on her way.
“At the end of the year, we had a big tournament in Florida, the AAUs, and my mom hired a trainer,” said Busk. “He helped me with everything, and that’s how I got to be how I am today.”
That trainer was Chris Smith, who is now her club coach/director for East Coast Power, which puts her all over the map when the high school season is not happening.
“Personally, I love it,” said Busk. “I love what I do. I have been to almost every state. Just last year, I was in Texas and Florida and Indianapolis and Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. I was all over.
“I never really got to see the actual places, because I was always in a convention center or something, but it’s just so much fun to just be traveling with all of your friends. It’s cool to me.”
The Worst of Times
When Stewart, known as “Stew” to Busk, says the injury was at the “worst possible time,” he is not exaggerating.
“She broke her ankle in the spring of her sophomore season, which is when she should have been spending time visiting potential schools that she could have been recruited by,” he said. “Therefore, a lot of athletes in her class were recruited before her.”
The youngest of four daughters of Erica and Patrick Busk, recalled that time of darkness before the eventual dawn.
“It was really hard,” said Busk, an avid fan of all Philadelphia sports teams. “When I was injured, it was right when coaches are allowed to speak to you, and I was injured throughout that entire summer. Kids my age were being recruited while I was in a boot and crutches.”
Busk got back onto the court for the Colonials that fall, but the comeback was short-lived.
“I worked back to finally play in my high school season, but the doctors missed a front ankle sprain,” she said. “My original injury wasn’t full recovered either. They put me back in a boot for a few more months, and I missed a lot of my club season. The whole team was being recruited, so I was really far behind.
“During the summer, I was kind of stuck. During the school year, I put myself out there to coaches, but I didn’t really know where I wanted to go. I wanted to be far away. I was emailing coaches in Texas, Florida and Arizona.”
When Busk visited some of these schools, she said they “just didn’t feel like home.”
However, the saying that good things come to those who wait is not lost on Busk.
The College of Charleston was like false advertising to her.
“It actually just reminded me a lot of being down the shore,” said Busk. “You always see pictures, and you see other stuff, and you think it’s going to look that way. Then, when you step on a campus, it doesn’t look that way.
“But this was exactly what it looked like in their pictures. I stepped on the campus and I was, like, ‘Whoa.’ It’s beautiful.”
But it was more than just the optics.
“The coaches were great,” added Busk. “I love them. I can’t wait for the season to start.
“I think they are doing well right now, and I think that they are going to be on the rise and will go very far in the future.”
Sky is the Limit
As excited as she is to play at the college level, the 6-footer has big goals for her senior season.
“Individually, I just want to leave a mark for the team,” said Busk. “I want to leave them with something they can hold onto and bring up to the next level of varsity.”
As of the start of this week, Colonials were 13-2 and ranked 7th in District One and were second in the division (behind Upper Dublin).
“As a team, I just want us to win districts,” said Busk. “I want us to get as far as we can in states.”
Added an optimistic Stewart: “We have a good core of varsity players, with A.J. being one of them, and five first-year varsity players who are gaining experience as the season has progressed.”
As the season intensifies for the Colonials, Busk will be right where she wants to be.
As a boater and aspiring pilot, she invites and thrives on the pressure.
“I find it thrilling,” she explained. “It just goes to show who puts in the most effort and who is not scared. I think that is when I perform best, most of the time.”
Be the Change
Busk has a core belief that has guided her over hurdles.
“I feel that with every obstacle I have ever been through, you have to be the change,” said Busk. “Everything that is happening to you is happening for a reason. It’s what you do to get out of it. It’s what you do to change and to be the best version of yourself.”
Still, she hasn’t done it alone. She will be the first one to say it.
“For starters, I’d like to thank my parents,” said Busk. “They always believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. They were just always there.
“My sisters (Brooke, Courteney and Madi) were huge. Two of them went to college for sports.”
A special shout out goes to family friend, Matt White.
“He has always been in my corner and taught me the mentality of being a wolf, not a sheep,” said Busk.
Meanwhile, she singled out Stewart and PW assistant Rachel Glass for their guidance.
“My whole journey started out with them,” said Busk. “My main goal was always just to make the varsity team and play underneath them.
“Once I did that, I just wasn’t done. There was just more to go.”
