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| Serving at a home game |
Coming to London one of my biggest worries was missing out
on volleyball. I have been playing year round since I was 14, and I was worried
that by coming abroad I would miss it and lose some of my skills. This assignment
gave me an opportunity to do something that I already wanted to do: join a
volleyball team. I have been
participating in ULU (University of London Union) volleyball, and have had a
ton of great experiences with it. They usually train on Monday’s so I wasn’t
able to attend (theatre class) but later in the semester they occasionally had
a few Thursday sessions that I could attend. After the first training session I
was invited to play in the games with them. I have played middle hitter in two
games at “home” (Bacon’s College in the
Canada Water area) and have a few more coming up both at home and other
colleges through the end of the semester. I have notices quite a few
differences from what I am used to back home, but overall, it’s been great to
get into the gym and do what I love best.
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| Home game |
My coaches name is Kostas Kikiras, he is Greek, but speaks
English…he isn’t the only one from foreign lands. Every girl on the team is
from somewhere different. I met one girl (Allie) from America, but everyone
else comes from different places including: China, Hungary, Germany, Mexico, and
Poland. I swear I can say “free ball” in 15 different languages now! Everyone
is very nice, and it’s good to finally be around some tall girls for a change! J The atmosphere is very
different than what I’m used to. Training is supposed to start at 8pm, but
people don’t start showing up until 8-then we have to set up the nets before
getting started. Even at the games, Kostas gets there ten minutes before it
starts and I even caught him texting during the game. I am used to a very
competitive and intense atmosphere, so sometimes it can get frustrating when people
are lolly-gagging around. It has made me appreciate the level of play that I come
from even more.
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| Team huddle |
I have gained a lot through this experience, not just
practicing volleyball. I’ve met a lot of great girls from all over the world, I
even ran into one on the tube on day. It’s been great to meet people from all
over the world who are as passionate about volleyball as I am. Not everyone is
in college; some people (including the team captain) are in their late 20s. We
played against a team where half of them were in their 40s, that was different
than anything I’ve ever done before. I have gained insight into British
athletics, including seeing how people’s commitment levels differ. For instance,
I noticed that the other girl from America takes things more seriously than
some of the other girls do. She’s very vocal about getting everyone focused,
and it becomes apparent when she gets frustrated with other players’ lack of
focus…it’s not just me who sees that the level of intensity is different here. I am grateful that I have been able to keep
practicing even though I am away from my team, hopefully that will make the
transition back home easier.
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