"Vires Acquirit Eundo"

Basketball has a saying, "The ball has energy." Teamwork multiplies effort.

Each day challenges us - putting food on the table, paying bills, doing our best in school, competing in sports.

"Competing and completing" well and ethically has never seemed harder.

The ancients shared wisdom. "Vires acquirit eundo" literally translates to "It gains Strength as it goes."

Shakespeare has a different take on life's pace in MacBeth,

Macbeth's soliloquy, spoken in Act 5, Scene 5 upon hearing of Lady Macbeth's death, is:

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Shakespeare says life "creeps in this petty pace" and Virgil says we gain strength as we go. It's a matter of perception. 

Let's get an AI consult on "Vires acquirit eundo." 

Volleyball rewards motion. The Latin phrase Vires acquirit eundo - “It gains strength as it goes” - comes from Virgil’s Aeneid, describing how Rumor grows faster and louder as she spreads. In our gym, that idea isn’t about gossip. It’s about momentum - how belief, effort, and communication amplify once a team starts moving in the same direction.

Momentum Is Real

Momentum in volleyball isn’t imaginary; it’s earned. A clean pass, a solid set, a decisive swing change fortune. One good sequence feeds another. The bench rises. The energy doubles. Every play becomes fuel for the next one.

The message: we gather strength by playing the next point, not the perfect one.

Keep the Ball Flying

“Vires acquirit eundo” is volleyball’s ancient version of “keep the ball flying.” When we serve aggressively, pursue every ball, and talk through mistakes, the game gives something back - rhythm.

Motion creates confidence. Confidence creates conviction. And conviction wins long rallies.

Leadership in Motion

Leaders don’t wait for energy; they create it. A captain’s fist-pump, a coach’s calm timeout, a teammate’s quick “next ball” - everything moves us forward. Our culture thrives on that action.

Melrose Volleyball earned its legacy the same way: one rally, one rep, one season at a time. Each generation adds its own layer of strength — by going.

The Lesson

When a match tightens, we remember the phrase:

“It gains strength as it goes.”

We forge our momentum. Generate strength through effort, communication, and trust. Gather strength and become more.