Credit to Jasmine Dong

Sophomores Jobanjit Dayal, Noah Rowland and Danny Shi pose together tangled in a thread that represent their strong bond.

Three threads. Three simple threads that hold these stories together. Three abnormal threads that don’t split nor fray. Three resilient threads that hold bonds worth lifetimes. Three sophomores: Jobanjit Dayal, Noah Rowland and Danny Shi whose friendship and lives are comfortably tangled within the threads.

It began with two similarly unraveling spindles: Dayal and Shi. The two met as kids and were neighbors. They grew up alongside each other. In 2020, quarantine caused the two to drift. However, they found a new passion for volleyball together.

“I stopped talking to Danny during quarantine,” Dayal said. “Randomly, I saw some pro-athletes playing volleyball on TikTok and it looked really fun. I took a chance and rang Danny’s doorbell for the first time in a while and asked if he wanted to play volleyball.”

Shi also remembers their long practices.

“We spent at least 100 hours outside,” Shi said. “When we started we could not pass the ball well or really do anything. We would just be outside, during summer, in the heat, passing to each other. We’d go out at around 12 and not come back until nine.”

It continues with a separate spindle with no prior connection to the duo. A lone spindle which carried its own thread: Rowland. In 2022, he was put under familial pressure to get active. Looking for a sport to play, Rowland took Shi as inspiration.

“I wanted to fit in with the cool kids, which was Danny at the time,” Rowland said. “I looked up to Danny because he was so popular and got along with everybody. I wanted to be like him.”

To sharpen their skills, Dayal and Shi would practice at volleyball open gyms hosted by the St. Peters Rec-Plex. Rowland, hearing of this, asked the two if he could tag along. At last, the three threads intertwined.

“I remember Joban saying every Sunday ‘I’m going to the Rec-Plex for volleyball’ and that sounded like a lot of fun,” Rowland said. “I texted Danny and Joban, and asked ‘You guys mind if I come?’ and they were apprehensive, but said ‘You can come if you want.’ I ended up going and bonded really well with both of them”

A duo turned into a trio. One pre-existing conjoined strand in combination with an admiration turned to friendship. Dayal, Rowland and Shi’s past as strangers to their present as a tight-knit trio stemmed from their love for volleyball.

“Individually, all three of us had the love for volleyball,” Shi said. “That’s what brought us closer. It solidified why we love volleyball.” Dayal agreed. “Our love for volleyball grew as well as the love for each other,” Dayal said.

The trio’s well threaded bond shows in their athletic performance.

“I don’t have to look back to know that Joban digs every single ball,” Rowland said. “I don’t have to look back to know that Danny is gonna run for that ball. I have a lot of trust in them and they have a lot of trust in me.”

Challenges arise and threads aren’t guaranteed to neatly lace. Dayal, Rowland and Shi tried out during the 2024 volleyball season. Rowland and Shi made JV, while Dayal made C-team. The boys were disappointed. They wanted to play a season together. But, this setback only fortified the trio’s work ethic.

“It made us all want to try to be better at volleyball,” Dayal said. “It gave us something to work towards. For me, especially, it pushed me to practice harder to guarantee I have a chance to play with Noah and Danny.”

This wasn’t the only trial that faced the trio. While playing against Francis Howell Central, Rowland tore his ACL and dislocated his knee. Rowland was out for the season, but their threads didn’t fray nor split. Their threaded bond withstood, despite Rowland’s absence on the court.

“I hung out with them a lot because I wasn’t on the court and this made us even closer,” Rowland said. “I’m never gonna forget my injury because Danny and Joban were always there for me. The scar I have on my knee is a reminder that they were constantly there supporting me”

Dayal, Rowland and Shi’s resilient connection empowers the belief that their threads will continue to weave far beyond high school.

“Our thread is just going to get bigger and bigger,” Shi said. “It’s going to wrap the world.”

As the boys’ stories continue to spin and someday find their end, the trio will forever keep this friendship worth lifetimes sewn in their hearts.

“I was a rock with Danny and Joban,” Rowland said. “I feel like our bond has transcended generations. They’re like family and I genuinely love these guys so much.”