May 31, 2007 -- Airport in Buenos Aires
By Charlie Wade
We came, we competed, we learned. After ten days of long bus rides, cold gyms and some heated matches, I am confident the tour was a positive experience for all involved. Early in the trip it was apparent the players and coaches would have to learn some different skills to be competitive. At the top of the list for the players was recognizing the importance of bringing your best effort constantly. For most, there is always a bit of a feeling out process before they fully commit to competing. Here it was critical to be your best early and often. The next reality we realized, was in international competition the emphasis is on scoring. In the US collegiate game we focus a lot on errors. The US formula for computing a hitting percentage is: kills, minus errors, divided by attempts. Internationally it is only about scoring. The errors are not as emphasized. The Argentinean (ARG) National Team would score against us at more than 80% if we gave them a ball which was easy to handle. We had great incentive to try and score every chance we had. Reducing errors has an obvious advantage, but the emphasis is on scoring. The reality is, if you don¹t score, your opponent will. It was fun to watch the team recognize this philosophical difference & see how quickly they could change their mindset to help accomplish this goal. If you touched a second ball it had to be deliberately put in position for someone to attack. If you touched a third ball you had to try to score.
One of the greatest things about coming on a trip like this is watching and learning different ways to do what we do. Having the opportunity to be around the ARG NT was educational, but also getting a chance to interact and listen to the insights of Oscar, David & the players on this tour was great source of insight. I am thankful for the time I spent learning from those involved.
Another cool thing about this tour was how much Oscar and I were able to focus on the Volley. The coordination between Bring It USA & the ARG Federation had every detail planned and choreographed so the players could play and the coaches could coach. They really made every effort to give the tour a big time feel. There were press conferences at almost every sight, and we traveled literally, cross country with a police escort. Everywhere we went we had first class accommodations.& each community made us feel welcomed and appreciated. Very cool.
It was as a rewarding ten day adventure as I could have hoped for. No real drama, not much whining and nothing left on the court. (or table!) Thank you to the players for being open to new ways of looking at our sport. Thank you to Oscar, David & Pichu for sharing your wisdom. And finally thank you to the ARG NT, federation and people for making this a great trip for all of us who visited from the good ol US of A.
Ciao
"May 29, 2007 -- USA/BIP Select Team Arrives "Home" to Buenos Aires with the Argentinean National Team"
Link to Official Argentinean FEVA Page
