Ainsley Wade has spent her life chasing wins.
Not just in organized sports fields either. Before she was a two-sport star at Las Positas, she remembers breaking paddles in celebration over winning family ping-pong tournaments. She’s a born athlete who’s lived a life defined by competition. She’s become so good at it, she could continue at the next level.
But Wade has no interest in playing beyond community college. Las Positas is it. She won’t be chasing scholarships. She won’t be moving to another state for a tougher challenge. It’s not because she’s burnt out. It’s because she finally has something more valuable. Peace.
For Wade, competing has always been second nature. But so has pressure. The fear of failing. The cutthroat nature of competition. The black-and-white valuation of winning and losing. The constant need to earn. Playing time. Respect. Accolades. Being taken out of the game for the most miniscule mistake. When it comes to advancing to a higher level, maybe even Division I, Wade has now been turned off.
Raised in a family intimately familiar competition, led by parents who were accomplished college athletes, Wade learned early on what it meant to be victorious. More importantly, she learned what it cost. She grew up striving for perfection, working to maximize her potential in whatever sport she played. First gymnastics. Then volleyball. Then diving. She pushed herself to meet every expectation.
But somewhere between the long seasons and endless demand to deliver an impeccable game, she began to question what she really wanted from sports. After a high school experience went wrong, she concluded she didn’t want sports much at all.
Sports are hard. Competing requires all of an athlete. Something about the feeling of being “replaceable” became less and less appealing to Wade. She’d come to see an issue with her worth being tied to wins and losses, and to stats, and medals. She no longer wanted to transfer to a higher level, where she’s potentially less special, more replaceable. She doesn’t want to be just a commodity anymore.
So the game no longer defines her. She is ready to say goodbye. As a result, in what may be her last season, Wade is rediscovering the pure joy of why she started playing. The positivity and support from coaches. The bond with her teammates. The calm that comes from now knowing she’s finally playing for herself. A game simply played for fun is the reason Wade excels and succeeds.
At Las Positas, she found something deeper than wins and trophies. She found belonging and the freedom to simply love the sport again. That’s why Wade plays now.
“I think I have to remember that this is just a sport that I’m playing,” she said. “I am doing this for fun, and it doesn’t matter in the end. Like what happens? I’m still going to be living and breathing, you know? So I think just reminding myself of that.”
A MULTI-SPORT ATHLETE Ainsley Wade spent her life chasing wins in competitive sports. Having found peace at LPC, the dual sport athlete is ready to leave the competition behind. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/Special to The Express)
When the hair goes up and the kneepads slide on, a different side of Wade arrives. The one that likes to soar.
Her drive only started once she got on the court. And she gets a thrill in the air. She lifts off the court, getting high enough to tower over the net. That’s her happy place.
“When I go up,” she said, “and I see the ball and I know I’m going to kill it. That’s where I’m like, ‘I love this feeling.’ ”
Outside hitters are known for being strong, well-rounded players on the court. Jumping into powerhouse mode when needed and staying low and strong on defense.
Wade’s game is power.
She leads the Hawks with 189 kills. Her average of 4.19 kills per set ranks sixth in the state, according to the 3C2A statistics. Her 4.7 points per set is tied for seventh in California.
Wherever Wade plays on the court, she delivers.
“She’s a tough server,” Head Coach Jamie Hadenfeldt said. “Her defense has really gotten a lot better. She can swing out of the back row, out of the front row. The element of her range and her timing with her attack helps with the power of it.”
Wade says volleyball is different from all the other solo sports she’s played. The camaraderie off the court is also a big part of her investment.
The vibe this season on and off the court is pure enjoyment. Relishing in their wins and each other. Practices full of hustle and laughter. From blow out wins and nail-biting loses. The connection this year is sturdy.
“I’m learning more about these girls every day,” she said. “It’s the best because you get to kind of hang out with your friends all the time.”
Coach Hadenfeldt said people gravitate towards Wade. The coach said the sophomore keeps a positive spirit and always exudes confidence in her ability. Her approach is contagious.
“You know, it’s magnetic energy,” Hadenfeldt said. “And she passes that off to everybody else.”
In 2015, Wade discovered her first love in athletics: Gymnastics. But the athlete in her didn’t let her stop there. She also ran track and played volleyball. Her two brothers took a more focused life both on one sport, being swim.
Wade started competing harder when she got to Granada High. There, she focused on volleyball.
“When I was in high school,” she said, “I didn’t want to not have gymnastics in my life. So I moved to the trampoline because that was easier on my body.”
Wade’s competitive spirit pulled her even further out of her comfort zone as a Matador.
“Then I saw that they had a diving team,” she said, “and I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I should try that.’ I tried it, and then I loved it. I fell in love with it.”
But the transition to team sports inspired Wade. Unlike in gymnastics and diving, where she did a routine and received a score, team sports added another element. Success was also measured by how she interacted with her teammates.
That’s partly why she fell for volleyball. The strategy. The variety of skills. The different positions. The game within the game.
“It’s not like I’m just getting a score,” she said. “It’s a progressive game.”
The layers of competition, that’s what pushes her. The need to push came from her upbringing.
Both of her parents played in college. Her father played baseball and football and wrestled. Wade’s mother, the best athlete in the house, played basketball and wrestled.
“If I beat my mom,” Wade said, “I’m like, ‘Yes! I’ve won!”
AINSLEY WADE was also a bronze-medal winning diver at the 2024 state meet, this spring, she goes for gold. The dual-sport athlete dives into the pool in this photo at the LPC aquatic Center on Oct.7. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/Special to the Express)
Wade feels secure way up there. So high, the air feels different. She takes a deep breath when she stands on the diving board and lets go of the fear. She puts her trust in her body, the muscle memory from all the training.
The peace she is overcome with when she flings herself off the board keeps her going back.
“I think the satisfaction I get when I have a really good entry,” she said, “and when I’m diving in, and it’s a really hard dive that I’m doing. And then I come up for air, and I hear the scores and they’re good scores. That’s probably my favorite part.”
Wade’s diving last season set her up for potential wins this season. She took third in the state championships last spring. She racked up 222.95 points in one-meter diving, finishing right behind her teammate Sarah Dorn’s 229.10.
But Dorn has graduated. So has Los Angeles Valley’s Ciera Center. The field is wide open for Wade to win state.
Last season, at the San Mateo Coast Conference, Wade took first with 216.65 points. This moment for Wade meant that she has what it takes. Wade awaits the grind eagerly.
“I love how technical it is and how hard it is, and it makes me want to do better.” Wade said of diving. “It’s like a challenge.”
But with all the joy she has and will experience this year, she’s still ready to walk away. With all of the growth and inspiration she received, she’s still done competing athletically.
Wade maintains she is done after LPC. She loves the game when it’s just that — a game. But when it consumes her life, she doesn’t love it as much. Fighting to be seen and worthy on the court or in the pool is not something Wade wants for her future.
“I don’t like that kind of uncertainty,” she said. “So I think I’ve decided for myself that it’s not the best thing for me, even though I love the sport.”
She has the support of the most competitive woman she knows. Her mother.
“She sees how I play when I play for fun,” Wade said, “versus when I’m like in my head.”
This kind of consideration is exactly why Wade feels safe packing up her duffel bag of sports gear and tucking it away in the closet. She’s ready for the next step in her life.
Oddly enough, the next step she plans is even more daunting and demanding.
“So I’m going into the police academy when I’m 21,” she said. “I feel like I would thrive in that environment.”
The end goal for Ainsley Wade is to be a detective.
With her obsessive nature to succeed, she has no doubts she’ll get there. She may no longer compete against opponents or for scores. But she will still be competing against herself. The list of what’s stopped her this far is short. That, she knows.
“I’ll always tell myself, ‘You’re strong enough to do whatever in your life.’ “
In that sense, she isn’t quitting competition. But she found enough healing at Las Positas that she’s ready to compete for something even greater.
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TOP PHOTO: Ainsley Wade spent her life chasing wins in competitive sports. Having found peace at LPC, the dual sport athlete is ready to leave the competition behind. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/Special to the Express)
Camille Leduc is the Managing Editor of The Express. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @CLeduc7603.
