Cal Michaelsen ’25 is a new junior at FWCD. Michaelsen stands at 6’7” tall and loves to play volleyball.
“He is a shy person, but once you get to know him, he is very energetic,” Gage Zoota ’26 said.
Michaelsen came to FWCD because of the friends he already had here, but the school’s rare men’s volleyball program and the advanced education definitely made his decision to come here easier.
Starting at a new school can be tough, although this transition was a little bit overwhelming, Michaelsen found support in his friends who were also new to Country Day and received help from ones who are returning students.
“They’re all pretty nice,” Michaelsen said.
Michaelsen also participates in many forms of volleyball. Being tall helps him as he plays middle blocker in indoor volleyball with Fort Worth Fire. His team will compete in many tournaments throughout the year. He is very excited to travel with his teammates.
“We compete in a lot of travel tournaments, and we get to participate in team events,” Michaelsen said. “I like celebrating with my team.”
It was his experience on Fire this season that helped him make varsity volleyball at FWCD. His favorite part of his first season at Country Day was the Casady tournament, where the team got second place. Michaelsen and his team created the title, “the taller middle,” to describe him. His teammates have also reported a lot of improvement on his part throughout this past season.
“Yeah… he’s improved,” Zach Pakis ‘25 said.
Specifically, Pakis was referring to Michaelsen’s improvement in hitting, blocking, and overall awareness and understanding of the game of volleyball.
To stay more active while not in the school volleyball season, Michaelson has also participated in rock climbing at the Summit Gym to stay in touch with his friends from his old school, Keller High School.
Additionally, he started playing sand volleyball on the weekends with Grind Lab. This institution is a sand volleyball program focusing on volleyball skill improvement for both indoor and outdoor volleyball players that practices every week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at the GameOn sport complex near All Saints.
“I think he really appreciates the sport and what it’s been able to do for him. He’s always seeming to look for an opportunity to go out and play,” Lucas Callahan ‘25 said.
