Team Bonding

From where I left off on the last post, we had just arrived to the camp in the woods near a huge lake. The camp was called Vettra. We settled in to our rooms, with three teammates per room. There was plenty to do at the camp, for example we were given a tour of the entire campus which included a game room, disco room, arts and crafts, sports room, boats, canoes, sauna, etc. While there, we practiced some team building activities, some included being blind folded which helped us to listen to one another while performing the task. It was almost like we were on the show Survivor :) We were split into groups and were given a meal to prepare over the weekend. My group prepared dinner on saturday night which we decided would be tacos. Sondra, our strength coach made a visit to talk to us about what we need to do to stay in shape through out the season and also to whip our butts for about an hour. I hadn't run all summer so what do you think was one of the things we did? Yes, you guessed it, we ran around the woods for about 20 minutes. Needless to say, I was dying by the time we got back to camp. The last night at camp we treated ourselves to some sauna time and some of the girls made the 10 minute trek down to the lake for a dip. I appreciated the time spent with the team without phones or computers. It was a good way to really connect with and get to know the girls a lot better.

As some of you may know I am living in another apartment this year that I absolutely love. I am on the top floor of a three story walk up. There is a beautiful garden in the back courtyard equipped with a small fountain, apple tree, rose bush and sitting area. I pictured my grandparents sitting back there in the middle of summer sipping coffee and eating cake like a real pair of swedes. I love this apartment so much that I am actually buying things to contribute to it to make it seem more like home.The neighborhood is fairly quiet. However, if someone comes home, you can hear them every step of the way in the building. I guess that is what happens with old buildings, the doors and walls are thin. There is a park across the street for kids and often times I also see dogs and their owners visiting the area as well. There is a giant tree in front of my window which is starting to turn with the first signs of fall and winter close behind. There are patches of yellow and red leaves that are beginning to cover the trees in the park. That being said, if you were to sit in direct sunlight with out wind (like my kitchen), you will feel the summer lingering for a moment.

This week we had a friendly match against a division 1 team from Karlstad. It was a good match and nice to kick some butt. We lost one set but figured out quickly what the problems were. Even though it seemed a bit up and down here and there, I felt good about the direction our team is heading in. What we have this year that we lacked last year is height and hitters. This upcoming weekend we will be involved with a tournament in Lindesberg and play against some other teams in the league and possible some from Norway and Denmark. I hope that we will have a good turn out so that we will be ready for the season which starts in the beginning of October. Until then, wish us luck this weekend and have a good one yourself, take care all.

Sweden x3

Hey all! Its that time again, volleyball season! I arrived in Sweden last Tuesday morning, groggy and with very few hours of sleep to run on. I was even more distracted then I usually am on a regular basis, if you can imagine. The flights were pretty smooth and I must say that I wasn't as scared or nervous as I have been in the past. Go me! I was picked up at the airport by the manager of the club, Olle, then driven to the train station in Stockholm to take the train to Orebro. There I met Maddis at the station and then driven to my new apartment. I met our new setter and back up setter at the apartment. Hopefully I was not to out of it to make a good first impression. That night we had a practice, however I sat out this time since I was nervous of hurting myself or anyone else on the team in the condition I was in. Getting zero sleep doesn't exactly make things easier on your motor functions.

The next morning we had the entire day off, which would have been great if I hadn't woken up at 6am wide awake again. I took my time through out the day and was able to go grocery shopping (carrying 4 full bags does a number on your neck and shoulders). My new place is situated in a perfect location. I am around the corner from an ICA (grocery store), a very cute and cozy cafe, a bike shop and on the corner is the second best pizza place in Orebro. I have three teammates in the area as well, Angie, Hanna and Elsa. All with in walking or biking distance.

Thursday we had morning practice at 8am, which was easy for me since I was awake at 6am again anyway. After morning practice Angie, Kris, Maddis and I decided to try out the cafe around the corner from me. We spent a good 2 hours there during lunch and found that the place was in fact cozy and the food was great. I will definitely be making visits occasionally through out the season. That night we had a scrimmage match against Lindesberg (the team who won the championship last season). There I also finally got to talk to/see Brittany Brown. She played at Northeastern University as well. We never played together but I had seen her play a couple times in my 5th year. The scrimmage was a good time for our team to get it together somewhat and also find a rhythm with one another. It was a good time for me to shake off the jetlag and get in a few swings. It was a good learning experience for us all and showed us that we still have things to work on individually and as a team.

Friday we had a practice and then set off to a summer camp that our coach works during the summer. Although, we did not know this getting in the bus for the trip right away. When we got there, everything was revealed.

(To be continued...)