After graduating from Tufts University, I knew immediately that I wanted to
live in Europe. I flew to Paris at the end of June to improve my French and
potentially look for work. I had a friend, who had been recently signed in
northern Germany, and she recommended that I email Bring It to see if there
were opportunities for me. I quickly received positive responses from Nick,
Cory, and Tim, all of whom suggested that I sign-up for the August Firesale
Tour if I was serious about finding a team. With only three weeks until the
Tour, I did all I could to get back into volleyball shape; going to the gym
in the Marais, peppering next to the Louvre, even just sleeping beside a
volleyball! I was worried that after 6 months out of the gym, I would not be
prepared to play my best.
I flew from Paris to Vienna, took the train to Maribor, and then bused it to
the Dras Center in Maribor, Slovenia. I was the first player to arrive in my
room, so I sat awkwardly by the door anxiously waiting to meet my roommates.
By dinnertime, my four other roommates arrived and we were all getting to
know each other. One of my roommates had done the tour the previous year and
played a year already in Europe, so we all grilled her to see what the next
couple weeks were going to be like. She suggested we all go down to the gym
and hit the ball around, so for about an hour we tried to get some last
minute practice in. We bonded quickly, but were all very nervous about the
days to come.
The next day, some last minute players came and the Tour began. There were
about 26 players, mostly American, on the Tour. There were several coaches
there, mostly from Austria and Germany. Nick and Cory reassured us that the
first practice was just to loosen up and get the rust off; but the coaches
were watching so needless to say, the competitive and nervous atmosphere was
still present. I was surprised at the way the trainings were run; after four
years of college volleyball, I was expecting a very structured and managed
tryout with skill-specific drills, fitness, and maybe even individual
exercises. However, to my surprise, it was very laid-back and fun. We played
queen of the court, threes, and scrimmaged, with some hitting lines and
serving mixed in. By the third day, girls were beginning to leave and the
group was starting to get noticeably smaller. It was emotionally exhausting,
as my new friends were leaving and fewer coaches were coming. By the fourth
day, with almost half the girls gone, Cory and Nick threw a party for those
of us that remained. It was a much needed stress reliever, and also brought
everyone closer as the group dwindled down. Furthermore, the Cameroonian
Men's National Volleyball Team was staying at the Dras Center as well, which
created an interesting dynamic (to say the least). They attended (and kind
of made) the party.
During my ten days at the Dras Center, I was invited to tryout for several
days with the Benedikt Team about thirty minutes outside of Maribor. I was
happy to see what the team would be like and how the practice would be run.
The practice was harder then expected, with lots of fitness and running, and
not to mention almost 3 hours long. The coach was intense, but very nice;
however the town was very, very small (around 1000 people) and I knew that I
personally would not be happy living there. It was hard for me, since I
knew I was lucky to have such an opportunity, but I had to listen to my gut
and turn down the offer I received.
In the last couple days, those of us left on the tour were able to scrimmage
against another team in Slovenia, about 2 hours away. Once again, it was a
great experience to be able to play in such a foreign and new environment.
We also were able to spend some time in Maribor, which is a small city with
lots of history and a surprisingly fun university atmosphere. We went wine
tasting, shopping, and there were some incredible hikes close by the Dras
Center that many explored. Even in the final days, Cory and Nick were
contacting coaches all over Europe to try and place the remaining 8 of us
that had yet to find teams. We all tried to stay hopeful, while still
planning for life post-tour. On the final day, Nick and a small group of us
drove from Maribor to Venice in a van, and spent some time walking around
the city and eating a great Italian meal. We even got to watch some Italian
volleyball on TV in some little bar next to St. Marcos Plaza; strange
coincidence. I took an early train the next day to return to my apartment in
Paris and evaluate my next move. Since my intentions were to stay in Europe
regardless, I was hopeful that another chance might come along.
About 2 weeks later, I received an email from Cory that there was a team in
Ulm, Germany that was looking for an American player. I obviously searched
Wikipedia immediately, and saw it was a medium sized city, close to Munich,
with a big university population and a great central location in Europe.
Cory also mentioned that the club had, in previous years, been the top team
in Europe, and thus had a very established and experienced program. Within
days I was in Ulm, and was happy to find out that I would be trying out with
another girl from the Tour. The two of us spent about a week there
practicing, bonding with the team, and playing in a scrimmage against the
other, rival Ulm team. Although it took several weeks after my visit to make
the final arrangements, I was able to begin playing in the beginning of
October with the SSV Ulm Team. Now, I am living with 5 German university
students, going to language school daily, playing lots of volleyball, and
traveling whenever I have a free minute. It has been a great experience and
I hope to play again next season.
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