Amare: There can be only one

Some may think kindness and weakness are synonymous.

“Some” haven’t met Amare Hernandez, who gains her strength from that exact kindness she bestows.

I’ve known Amare since I dubbed her, Leah Garcia, Madisyn Sosa and Gaby Torres as the Fab Four Freshmen on the McAllen Memorial volleyball team. On Wednesday, that amazing foursome officially lost its first member as Hernandez signed to play volleyball at Texas A&M. The rest will follow shortly at three different schools, ending the era, but never the accomplishments and memories.

The signing was the first at the Texas A&M Tres Lagos campus in north McAllen. The production looked more like the Emmys, with political, athletic, educational and Aggie stars jam-packing the illustrious conference room for the ceremony.

And the main star was the newest Aggie, Amare. Amare is one of those special student-athletes, one where you don’t have to say her full name — like Tiger or Jordan — one name alone is sufficient, because everyone knows her.

Her signing with Texas A&M ends one dream and starts another for the 5-11 outside hitter with the arm of Thor’s hammer and the swing of a wrecking ball — powerful, precise and destructive.

During a camp at Texas A&M — a camp where she had no expectations, but Valley Venom coach Todd Lowery said “what’s the worst that could happen” in convincing her to attend, Texas A&M head coach Jamie Morrison was in his office and kept hearing the thump of a ball, louder and crisper than most. Instinctively, he assumed it was one of his girls.

That’s when one of his assistants called out to him “Coach, you have to come see this girl.”

This girl was Amare. The dream that just a few days earlier felt unrealistic was alive.

When one of my writers went to cover one of her matches, he came back and said the first time she hit the ball it sounded like an explosion. If that’s the case, she’s the human version of Fourth of July fireworks.

Now, she’s an Aggie, a place her father attended, and where her grandparents still live. She was an Aggie at birth and she is an Aggie now.

I asked some people who have known her to describe Amare in one word as a player. I was told “exceptional,” “composed,”impactful” and “beast.” I asked them to describe her as a person. I was told, “phenomenal,” “determined,” “phenomenal” and “heart-filled.”

I would say she’s that sweet, innocent person with a joy-filled smile that turns to an assassin once the whistle blows. The only difference? An assassin hides and attacks from under cover — with Amare, you know she’s coming. You know what she’s bringing. Good luck stopping her.

My daughter played a few times against Amare and graduated more than a year ago. I remember one time she came to me, beaming with pride — “I blocked Amare,” she said. Nothing else mattered. Amare smiled and agreed. That’s another thing about Amare, her kindness exudes to everyone around her. Her smile is pure, and nothing is hidden behind it.

Amare broke a nail at the East-West All-Star Game a couple of weeks ago. She left it with me as she went back out to play. The other day I told her I was going to use it to make Amare volleyball clones.

She laughed. Then texted: “OMG. There can be only one.”

She’s too humble to realize how true that is.

Congratulations Amare. Gig ‘em.

To see more, view staff photographer Delcia Lopez’s full photo gallery here: 

Photo Gallery: McAllen Memorial’s Amare Hernandez’s amazing journey to A&M