It's been awhile since I've written, just haven't had the energy to do so. I'll try to recap the majority of events.
Thursday we played Emerson, which we swept, although it wasn't pretty on our side of the net. I know I personally need to work on coming with the same intensity every match, because I struggle to play with the same fire against weaker teams that I get against the stronger ones.
Coach addressed the team as a whole on this the next day, and pretty much introduced the elephant in the room, as I don't think anyone was shocked by the concept that we weren't exactly burying certain teams the way we should. It seems like it was what we needed to hear, because we proceeded to have one of the best practices we've had all season.
The next morning (Saturday) we leave at 5:30 AM to head to Vermont for a tri-match vs. Southern Vermont and Lesley. Both teams were winless so far this season, but they were important matches to us for various reasons. First, they were conference games, and these are big no matter who is on the other side of the court. Also, it was going to be interesting to see whether we'd do what we did against Emerson, or come out of the gates playing up to our potential.
Which is exactly what we did. All 6 games were strong on our side of the net, and everyone got a little playing time. On a more interesting note to me personally, Tim Cole is the new Head Coach at Southern Vermont. Tim played for Juniata during 3 of their National Championships, and spent 2 years overseas, one in Germany and the other in Holland. After our match, I introduced myself and we talked a bit, seems like a really nice person, even told me to e-mail him if I had any questions on how to start my process of going overseas. Glad to have met him. More on thoughts that followed this later.
Sunday I ended up going with a teammate to watch the Endicott tournament, and it was definitely worth it! Talk about chaos, Emmanuel proceeds to lose to NJCU, then sweep Hunter and beat Baruch in 4. Endicott goes up 2 sets to 1 on Ramapo then loses in 5 (I swear, Ramapo loves playing that 5th game). Also, watching Rivier was nice before our huge match-up on Saturday. I'm doing my best to focus on the Harvard match tomorrow, but Rivier pops in my head every now and then. I'm glad I was able to see a preview of both Endicott/Rivier before our matches, I feel a bit more prepared, and am confident as long as we play as well as we have that we'll be 19-1 at the end of the week!
Back to overseas: I've been really struggling lately in the department of knowing what I want. The good news is, I've got plenty of options, and all of them appeal to me. The problem is I can't quite put my finger on which one wants to go first. The main concern is the ability to pay off my school loans. That being said, the Grad Assistant option (hopping on at a college as a volunteer assistant coach, in exchange for tuition being paid while I get my Master's, get a second job, chip away at my loans while deferring them an additional 2 years), seems to be the safest choice.
However...
If you hadn't figured it out by the title of this blog, I want to play volleyball professionally overseas. Really badly. Although it most likely won't be as fruitful financially right off the bat, I DO feel it would help me long term. Reasons being: The overall once-in-a-lifetime experience. The extra chapter it would add to my story as I'd like to be a motivational speaker (specifically to schools). As I want to give volleyball clinics, it would establish more credibility, and most likely allow me to command a higher hourly rate (or at least look more appealing to the potential client). It would also be nice to add to the resume when looking for coaching jobs. I can go back to school for my Masters, but as Tim told me Saturday, "your skills only get worse once you graduate", which makes me feel like this is a one-shot opportunity.
In general, this is how my mind works. The funny thing is, when I'm on the court, I'm completely focused at the tasks at hand. Nothing else clouds my mind. My success has mostly been derived from the ability to go one play at a time, no matter what has happened, and if there's a change it most likely is for the better (usually a player saying something under the net that fires me up and sharpens my focus even more somehow). Once I step off that court, I can't shut my mind down. I over-analyze, break down gamefilm, and find myself struggling to sleep because my brain won't shut up. It's a blessing that all of my little quirks disappear on the court, because otherwise I would most likely be better off as a waterboy than an actual participant.
Anyways, enough ranting for now. I need to shower and get ready for the first RA interview, as my financial situation has caused me to attempt to sign up for it next year. Although I was pessimistic at the idea at first, I find myself kind of excited, as it'll provide a good experience that hopefully will teach me a lot.
Practice from 7-9, then the big game versus Harvard tomorrow!
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