This weekend we traveled to Kuusamo (Norhtern Finland) for a match against a team called Paka. They were currently seeded 2nd in the league with 2 powerful Brazilians as outside hitters. We left on Friday because the trip would take us 7 hours and we were to spend the night at a hotel about an hour and a half from our destination. On our way we were stopped by a dead moose in the road. A smaller car had plowed right into the poor animal, smashing in the drivers side car window and front hood. No one was hurt luckily….except the moose. A man with a shot gun was walking towards the huge animal ready to shoot it if it wasn't completely dead. He nudged its nose and decided that the animal was in fact dead. Steam rose from the animals nostrils, reassuring us all that this was a recent accident. Our bus driver snapped a few pictures and we were on our way.
We got to the hotel around 10pm, exhausted from the trip. The accommodations were a little on the shady side, but I am just going to believe that it was maybe undergoing a small remodel. The rooms were typical european hotel rooms….small and the beds were super close to one another. I was so tired and already used to this sort of hotel living that I could have cared less at that point. I fell into bed around 11pm and my roommate and I were out by 11:30. Unfortunately for me, I was having a very hard time reaching REM sleep for two reasons. One was the consistent clicking noise coming from the unnecessary mini fridge by the desk. I tried to see what the problem was quietly but nothing was getting better so eventually I opted to shoving wads of toilet paper in my ears. The second was my uncontrollable and rogue cough that has been plaguing me since I have gotten here. At first there was something to cough up, but now, I've got nothing, just the constant tickling sensation before the wrath of the ultimate dry cough. I hear it in a few of my teammates as well so going to chalk it up to being a Finland thing for now.
We had a short practice in the morning on Saturday, had some hotel breakfast (so good) and then headed to our final destination. On the road we watched video of the other team, critiquing and contributing our own perspective on how we were going to beat them. It was apparent that one of the brazilian outsides was very powerful indeed and celebrated like a soccer player when she scored, running around the court making her teammates run after her for a high five. I love it when opposing players celebrate like that, gets me even more fired up to block the crap out of them. The other "star" hitter on their team also looked good as well but where they lacked was in their reception. Both Brazilians could not pass and their libero wasn't much help either. So we had our game plan, serve tough and block both star hitters out of the game. While on our drive to the gym we were stopped a couple times because reindeer were either crossing or on the side of the road feeding. I remember them being brown but their fur was changing from the brown color to white. I felt like we were on a Finland safari….kind of a lame safari only seeing one animal but whatever, it was still fun and exciting to see them since not to many are roaming around Manhattan Beach back home.
Their gym was similar to our gym again, having the court on one side and the stands on the other. The match was emotionally exhausting, there were good judgement calls and really bad judgement calls to make it that way. Personally I had a good game, I blocked one of the outsides pretty well, although they were not blocks that went down unfortunately. My hitting was better but I still need to make better contact with the ball and the setter. We are getting there, slowly but surely. By the 4th set we were all about winning the match. We came back from a 3 point gap and won! It was a great feeling but for the other team they looked and acted extremely pissed, I am going to guess it was mostly because of the bad judging calls by the refs. Oh well, a win is a win, which puts us at second place in the league right now. Hopefully we can hold on to that placement for the season and maybe even take the title!
This month is already flying by. This week will be fast as well with the league cup game wednesday against the former Finland Champions (going to be a tough game) and then another match this weekend. Hope for the best! Got to keep a fighting spirit on the team and in my own head. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of our trip because I didn't want to bring my big camera along so there are some pictures that other people took, thanks other people :) Take care all!!
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