How it took me 4 days to find the complimentary computer at our hotel is as mind-boggling to you as it is to me. Regardless, plenty of things are worth discussing as we're at the half-way point of Nationals!
First, let's discuss the venue:
* The stadium itself is fantastic. The convention center has 3 domes which makes for a cool interior. As a spectator, this has been the best in regards to set-up out of the 3 I've been to now (Austin and Atlanta being the others). Ample seating at each court, with the stands for the Open courts being much more spectator friendly, as you can view all four courts from any of the "grandstands". Last year, the open courts were cut off from each other, making viewing all the games somewhat difficult.
* As a player, it is not the friendliest of setups. First off, the netting in between courts is 9 feet at best, so players are constantly bouncing balls over them in warmups, causing for an overwhelming amount of replays. Courts seem to have more deadspots than in previous years, and although it doesn't get much better at most big centers, the lack of padding underneath the sport court causes for aches and pains. Even with a two day rest between co-ed and Men's ball, my body is needing more and more care before/after matches.
* The city itself is interesting... I will try to not hold a grudge that virtually every food vendor was shut down on Sunday/Monday. Construction right now is BRUTAL. I never thought I'd see more construction than I do in Chicago, but Minneapolis is certainly trying to one-up us. The nightlife isn't nearly as entertaining as it was in Austin, but there are some nice hotspots like Brit's and Bootleggers, and the homeless population obviously is a bit less aggressive compared to Atlanta. I'd put it behind Austin but ahead of Atlanta.
As for volleyball, I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the Open level. I realize that some of these players are professionals (the women's A2 teams being there/a few men on the National Training Team Roster included), and maybe they use this for socializing more than competing, but watching players with physical ability mail it in is depressing. One match you'd see some absolutely fantastic ball, an example being the Paul Mitchell/Creole 5-setter where Paul Mitchell overcame a 2-0 deficit, winning the 5th 21-19. Later in the day, Creole's players are goofing around, half-assing their swings and getting smoked by a much weaker squad that simply wants it more. Too many matches lacked passion from both teams, and I honestly enjoyed watching AA/A ball much more. Although the physical ability wasn't as good, these players wanted it, leading to much more exciting volleys.
Individually, I had fun playing co-ed with friends, we weren't the most competitive team, but we gave it our all and most importantly we had a lot of fun. We took 5th, losing to a team that lost in the finals. The people that organized the team hadn't won a set in the previous two years they had competed, so they couldn't be happier with how we played! I don't get to play with them too much, so I'm glad that we had a chance to hang out both on and off the court.
Today was the first day of our men's team competition, and despite our best efforts we went 2-0. Still working out the kinks, but I'm confident that we'll come out strong tomorrow now that we've gotten our nerves in order. Great comeback in the 2nd match from being down 7-3 in the third set, so hopefully we use that momentum to continue our success tomorrow!
8 AM games, so I'm watching the Lakers/Nuggets game then getting to bed early. More updates tomorrow!
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