Our first day on the road:
The group arrived in Amsterdam early Thursday morning. We started out minus one as Anna Ramos missed her flight. So we packed into the bus and were dropped off in downtown Amsterdam. Left to fend for ourselves, 12 amazing volleyball players mastered the language of the locals (Dutch), bargained with shopkeepers, and wined and dined with only ten Dutch Guilders each (about $4). OK, so maybe we didn’t master the language (most speak English very well), and I may have exaggerated the bargaining part, and well if you count USA Pizza as fine dining –then I wasn’t too far off. But in all seriousness we had a great time exploring the city. Part of our group was able to get our pictures taken with Bill Clinton or Sean Connery or other famous people at the Madamme Tussod Wax Museum. And we also learned quickly to visit a Café if you wanted a hot drink and a not a Coffee Shop. A Coffee Shop is where the locals and tourists smoke marijuana, which is legal in Amsterdam. Even though it is a part of the culture here, parents and friends worry not, we are athletes and will not be participating in all of the customs of the city.
After the tough day, the American players decided to take a side trip to Charleroi, Belgium
Check out What Happened
After an eventful day in town, we headed to the gym to play. We were not allowed to sleep during the day so we would have an easier time adjusting to the new time zone. We practiced for about an hour and a half before our fist match as a team. We all fought our fatigue and were able to come together as a group. The match was played best out of five, comprised of 25 point rally-score games. We also used a libero player. This was new to a lot of us, but it was nice to have a back-row specialist who could play all the time. We lost the first two games of the match to AMVJ Amstelveen (currently 1st place in the Dutch Top Division), but we were able to fight back and win games three and four. The match ended in a draw…why we are unsure, but game five will be played in the form of a new match tomorrow…winner takes all. We will be playing without the help of two players tomorrow. Michelle Green and Heidi Illustre will be in Belgium trying out with Dauphine Charleroi – home of Belgian National Team coach Sacha Koulberg and American Molly Stark (who visited us at the match tonight). They will rejoin us on Saturday. Also, rumor has it that Brandi Barratt will be heading for Spain tomorrow to see learn about contract opportunities there.
Well, that is it for now. It is time to hit the hay. There will be more tomorrow on day two of our adventure! |
