I did have a good night’s sleep. Got up at 9a and went to breakfast. Then at 10:30a, we had a coaches meeting and at 11a, a team meeting. We had a film session watching the Dominican team when the US played them the last time in the Pan Am Cup in Mexico.
Here’s the rest of the day’s schedule:
1p lunch
3:15p depart for practice
4p-5:30p practice
Practice went well. We practiced for 90 minutes. The girls seemed better today...getting their legs back. They are adjusting to the time change well and are also acclimating to the playing venue.
After practice, we came back to the hotel and had dinner. The food here has been very good. I’m sure when you’re with the National Team, you are treated very well. We had grilled turkey, baked cod, salad, caprese, steamed green beans, rice and an assortment of deli meat and bread. The desert tray had mini tarts...yum!
Then after dinner, we broke up into position groups and watched film. 2 more days before our first match vs. Dominican Republic...they’ll be ready. Until next time...Dobranoc (Goodnight) from Gdansk!
Just in case you were wondering ... here is the Team USA Roster and our schedule for the upcoming weeks!!
U.S. Women’s National Team Roster for FIVB World Grand Prix
# - Name (Pos, Ht, Hometown, College)
1 - Ogonna Nnamani (OPP, 6-1, Bloomington, Ill., Stanford)
2 - Alisha Glass (S, 6-0, Leland, Mich., Penn State)
5 - Stacy Sykora (L, 5-10, Burleson, Texas, Texas A&M)
6 - Nicole Davis (L, 5-4, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
7 - Heather Bown (MB, 6-3, Yorba Linda, Calif., Hawaii)
8 - Cynthia Barboza (OH, 6-0, Long Beach, Calif., Stanford)
9 - Jennifer Tamas (MB, 6-4, Milpitas, Calif., Pacific)
11 - Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Hooper, Neb., Nebraska)
14 - Nicole Fawcett (OPP, 6-4, Zanesfield, Ohio, Penn State)
16 - Foluke Akinradewo (MB, 6-3, Plantation, Fla., Stanford)
17 - Nellie Spicer (S, 5-9, Barrington, Ill., UCLA)
18 - Megan Hodge (OH, 6-3, Durham, N.C., Penn State)
19 - Destinee Hooker (OPP, 6-4, San Antonio, Texas, Texas)
Head Coach: Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand)
Assistant Coach: Karch Kiraly (San Clemente, Calif.)
Assistant Coach: Jim Stone (Columbus, Ohio)
Technical Coordinator: Jamie Morrison (Dana Point, Calif.)
Athletic Trainer/Medical Support: Jill Wosmek (Silver Lake, Minn.)
Team Leader for Poland/Thailand: Reed Sunahara (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Team Leader for Hong Kong/Japan: Laurel Iversen (Kalaheo, Hawaii)
Pool B (Gdynia, Poland * Gdynia Competition Hall)
Aug. 6: USA vs. Dominican Republic, 5 p.m.
Aug. 6: Poland vs. Germany, 8 p.m.
Aug. 7: Poland vs. Dominican Republic, 4:15 p.m.
Aug. 7: USA vs. Germany, 7:15 p.m.
Aug. 8: USA vs. Poland, 4:15 p.m.
Aug. 8: Germany vs. Dominican Republic, 7:15 p.m.
Pool D (Bangkok, Thailand * Keelawes 2)
Aug. 13: USA vs. Italy, 3 p.m.
Aug. 13: Thailand vs. Puerto Rico, 5:30 p.m.
Aug. 14: Puerto Rico vs. Italy, 2 p.m.
Aug. 14: USA vs. Thailand, 5:30 p.m.
Aug. 15: USA vs. Puerto Rico, 3 p.m.
Aug. 15: Italy vs. Thailand, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Reed/Team USA - Day 1
My day started with me flying from Cincinnati to JFK then to Frankfurt then on to Gdansk. When I got to Gdansk, I was greeted by a team host for the tournament. On my flight were the coaches and members of the Dominican Republic team. So after we got our bags, we all got on the bus to check into the hotel. I then got a quick workout in at the hotel’s fitness center then went immediately to eat a late lunch. Lunch consisted of pasta, chicken and a bunch of deli meat and bread.
After lunch, I came up to the room and had a few hours to wait until the US team arrived so I read and took a little nap after a long night/day of traveling. When I got up, I met Kasha (host) down in the lobby and went to the airport on the bus to meet the team.
The USA team finally arrived. They had a long flight from Los Angeles to Frankfurt to Gdansk. We greeted them and got on the bus and headed straight to the hotel. They quickly unpacked and got ready to leave for practice. Once we got to the gym, they did their warm-up routine and handled the ball for a little bit and did their serve/pass routine. It was good for them to get the blood flowing after a long trip.
After practice we went back to the hotel, had dinner and called it a night. It was about 12:30a by the time I got to bed.
After lunch, I came up to the room and had a few hours to wait until the US team arrived so I read and took a little nap after a long night/day of traveling. When I got up, I met Kasha (host) down in the lobby and went to the airport on the bus to meet the team.
The USA team finally arrived. They had a long flight from Los Angeles to Frankfurt to Gdansk. We greeted them and got on the bus and headed straight to the hotel. They quickly unpacked and got ready to leave for practice. Once we got to the gym, they did their warm-up routine and handled the ball for a little bit and did their serve/pass routine. It was good for them to get the blood flowing after a long trip.
After practice we went back to the hotel, had dinner and called it a night. It was about 12:30a by the time I got to bed.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Sunahara Selected as Team Leader for Upcoming USA Volleyball Tournament
Prior to the start of the 2010 University of Cincinnati women’s volleyball season, head coach Reed Sunahara will head overseas to serve as a team leader for the USA Women’s Volleyball Team as they compete in the 2010 Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) World Grand Prix.
Sunahara will accompany Team USA in its first two of three preliminary weekends to Poland and Thailand before returning to campus.
In Gdynia, Poland, Team USA will play the Dominican Republic on Aug. 6, Germany on Aug. 7, and host Poland on Aug. 8 during the first weekend of preliminary round matches before traveling to Bangkok, Thailand to meet Italy on Aug. 13, Thailand on Aug. 14, and Puerto Rico on Aug. 15.
Since taking over UC’s women’s volleyball program in 2000, Sunahara has led the Bearcats to unprecedented success posting an overall record of 232-93 (.714), six NCAA Tournament appearances, and a share of the BIG EAST regular-season championship in 2008.
Even more impressive is Sunahara's record at Fifth Third Arena, which is 106-14. From 2003 to the present, Sunahara has a winning percentage of .892 (83-10) at UC, which is tied for the fifth-best winning percentage at home nationally during that stretch with Stanford's John Dunning. The only coaches ahead of Sunahara are Penn State's Russ Rose, Florida's Mary Wise, Nebraska's John Cook, and Texas' Jerritt Elliott.
Entering the 2010 season, Cincinnati has won 28 consecutive home matches, the second-longest active streak in the country behind three-time defending National Champion Penn State, who has reeled off 72 straight wins at home.
Stay tuned for updates from Reed throughout his trip!!
Go Bearcats!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Day 12
Good morning! It's Annie again. It is our last day in Brazil. Tear! Lindsay, Turner, and I woke up at 10:30 and rushed around and packed. We were in a bit of a hurry only
because we wanted to go to the beach one last time before we had to check out and leave. Lucky for us it was the weekend and the hotel was still offering breakfast. Lindsay
feasted on the sausage and I ate almost every kind of fruit they offered. Then we hit the beach and met up with Jordanne, Karen, NIemer, Myanna, and Reed. They had already
taken on the ocean and were ready to make their last purchases. They went off and Lindsay and I stayed. We waded in the ocean, laid in the sun, and enjoyed watching the
people of Brazil for the last time. At 1pm we checked out of the hotel and packed our bags into the bus. Then we were told to grab something to eat. Lindsay, Bruce, Jeff
and I went to Bob's Burgers. It is Brazil's version of fast food. Bruce had the biggest burger I had ever seen and Lindsay and Jeff had burgers that were not even comparable
to White Castle. Gross. My chicken was decent ;) Then Lindsay and I got frozen yogurt with strawberries and kiwi! We boarded the bus at 2 and headed to see Christ Redentor Statue.
We bussed to the bottom of the Corcovado mountain. There we switched from the bus to a 15 passenger van. We rode that half way up the mountain then switched to another 15
passenger van. This time we made it all the way to the top. Unfortunately the clouds were out and we couldn't see anything. After some time the clouds started moving and we
got to see Christ a little more clearly. At one point the sun shined on Christ and everyone cheered and whipped out their cameras. We went to the very base of the statue and sat
at a little deli where some of the girls ate some chicken rolls and mango juice. Then we all decided we wanted to get rid of our centavos so we piled it all together and
bought three rolls of cookies. We were very unimpressed with their cookies. Right before we got on the vans to make our way down the mountain the clouds cleared. We could see
all of Rio! It was beautiful!! We could see the city and the ocean! Amazing! We rode back down the mountain and at the halfway mark there was a little building and a tiny tv
with the antenna taped to it. Obviously the world cup games were playing, a bunch of people were huddled around it. The image was terrible and you could see two of everything.
One of my favorite parts of this trip is the amount of tvs everywhere playing the World Cup. The next van we got in had a tv in it too! These people are obsessed! At the bottom
we boarded our bus and said our goodbyes to Camila. She was incredible this trip! She really showed us a good time! Thanks Camila :) We got to the airport at 6:30, said
goodbye to Reed, and ate the only food they offered at the airport. We all had chips and a panini. Not too bad! Now some of us are watching a terrible movie on the plane
and the rest are fast asleep. Lucky little Niemer behind me has two seats to herself! Well Ladies and Gentlemen it has been quite a trip. An experience of a lifetime. Tchou!
because we wanted to go to the beach one last time before we had to check out and leave. Lucky for us it was the weekend and the hotel was still offering breakfast. Lindsay
feasted on the sausage and I ate almost every kind of fruit they offered. Then we hit the beach and met up with Jordanne, Karen, NIemer, Myanna, and Reed. They had already
taken on the ocean and were ready to make their last purchases. They went off and Lindsay and I stayed. We waded in the ocean, laid in the sun, and enjoyed watching the
people of Brazil for the last time. At 1pm we checked out of the hotel and packed our bags into the bus. Then we were told to grab something to eat. Lindsay, Bruce, Jeff
and I went to Bob's Burgers. It is Brazil's version of fast food. Bruce had the biggest burger I had ever seen and Lindsay and Jeff had burgers that were not even comparable
to White Castle. Gross. My chicken was decent ;) Then Lindsay and I got frozen yogurt with strawberries and kiwi! We boarded the bus at 2 and headed to see Christ Redentor Statue.
We bussed to the bottom of the Corcovado mountain. There we switched from the bus to a 15 passenger van. We rode that half way up the mountain then switched to another 15
passenger van. This time we made it all the way to the top. Unfortunately the clouds were out and we couldn't see anything. After some time the clouds started moving and we
got to see Christ a little more clearly. At one point the sun shined on Christ and everyone cheered and whipped out their cameras. We went to the very base of the statue and sat
at a little deli where some of the girls ate some chicken rolls and mango juice. Then we all decided we wanted to get rid of our centavos so we piled it all together and
bought three rolls of cookies. We were very unimpressed with their cookies. Right before we got on the vans to make our way down the mountain the clouds cleared. We could see
all of Rio! It was beautiful!! We could see the city and the ocean! Amazing! We rode back down the mountain and at the halfway mark there was a little building and a tiny tv
with the antenna taped to it. Obviously the world cup games were playing, a bunch of people were huddled around it. The image was terrible and you could see two of everything.
One of my favorite parts of this trip is the amount of tvs everywhere playing the World Cup. The next van we got in had a tv in it too! These people are obsessed! At the bottom
we boarded our bus and said our goodbyes to Camila. She was incredible this trip! She really showed us a good time! Thanks Camila :) We got to the airport at 6:30, said
goodbye to Reed, and ate the only food they offered at the airport. We all had chips and a panini. Not too bad! Now some of us are watching a terrible movie on the plane
and the rest are fast asleep. Lucky little Niemer behind me has two seats to herself! Well Ladies and Gentlemen it has been quite a trip. An experience of a lifetime. Tchou!
Day 10
Oi! It's Annie here. We are officially on vacation now that the volleyball is over! We started the day bright and early with breakfast in the hotel.
It was an entire buffet of fruit! Delicious. We were all dressed in our Brazilian gear and headed to the beach for the Brazil-Netherlands soccer game. On the beach
they have a FIFA Fan Fest which is an area blocked off just for watching World Cup games on a HUGE screen. We got in line at 8:00 for an 11:00 game. People are soccer
crazy here, it is basically a religon to them. I loved being a part of it. They let us in the Fan Fest at 9:00 and we settled near the stage and took naps and enjoyed
the entertainment before the game started.
As game time approached the area filled up with hundreds of people, it was a sea of green and yellow! The game started great and Brazil scored relatively quickly. The
place went wild :) It was really an incredible experience being there and feeling the spirit of the people of Brazil! However, it was super crowded and really hot
so at halftime the team went out and grabbed a bite to eat at a local cafe. Reed, Myanna, Camila, and I stayed back to watch the whole game. The girls were walking
around the streets and noticed that absolutely no one was out and about and every place they walked by people were huddled by a TV watching the game. They hit up the
beach right outside the FIFA Fan Fest, got some good rays, and bought cute jewelry from the beach vendors! The beach vendors were selling anything and everything from
beer and ice cream to henna tattoos. WHich Becca and Turner took full advantage of, Becca is currently sporting a Puma on the back of her shoulder and Turner is rocking
the fish on the wrist. We have really cool freshman... Back at the game the Netherlands took control of the second half and scored twice. Ending Brazil's run in the
World Cup. Everyone was in complete shock and disbelief. It was really sad to see everyone so hurt from a loss that meant so much to them.
After the game Reed, Myanna and I grabbed some delicious food at a cute cafe and met up with the team at the beach. The Brazilian beaches are a sight to be seen.
The men are not ashamed to be in a white speedo and the women sometimes let their butt cheeks hang out. Myanna, Lindsay, and I played in the ocean for a while! We were
enjoying the waves until the very end when we went to get out and the waves just rocked our world. Myanna kicked me in the face, we were losing our suits, and I tackled
Myanna under the water. After a long struggle we finally we made it to land safely. Quite a hysterical journey. We all split up and went shopping or got ready for
dinner. A few of us bought churros filled with chocolate that were delictable.
We all got pretty and headed out for dinner at 7:30. We walked a few blocks down the beach and went to a outdoor restaurant that had great music!Some of us ordered
off the menu and others got unlimited pizza! The food was great as usual. I had beef, vegetables, and rice! Bueno! We caused quite a scene because the little man
playing his guitar and singing at the restaurant kept playing classic jams and our table would bust out in song each time. After dinner we walked across the street
and enjoyed beverages on the beach from one of the little huts. Around 1030 we went back to the hotel and grabbed some cabs to a club. It opened at 11 and we got there
relatively shortly after, it was basically empty and we were a little nervous. Fear not though it picked up! Camila and her husband were teaching us to dance the
Brazilian way and halfway through the night American music came on! We went nuts! Julie, Becca, Turner, Missy, Lindsay and I were dancing machines! We made a ton of
Brazilian friends!
At 4:30am we left the club and decided to take a stroll along the beach instead of taking a cab! Julie, Jeff, Becca, and Lindsay stopped at one of the huts on the beach
with Camila and her husband for fries and beef. Julie and Jeff ended up staying awake until the sunrise! Champs! That finished today!
It was an entire buffet of fruit! Delicious. We were all dressed in our Brazilian gear and headed to the beach for the Brazil-Netherlands soccer game. On the beach
they have a FIFA Fan Fest which is an area blocked off just for watching World Cup games on a HUGE screen. We got in line at 8:00 for an 11:00 game. People are soccer
crazy here, it is basically a religon to them. I loved being a part of it. They let us in the Fan Fest at 9:00 and we settled near the stage and took naps and enjoyed
the entertainment before the game started.
As game time approached the area filled up with hundreds of people, it was a sea of green and yellow! The game started great and Brazil scored relatively quickly. The
place went wild :) It was really an incredible experience being there and feeling the spirit of the people of Brazil! However, it was super crowded and really hot
so at halftime the team went out and grabbed a bite to eat at a local cafe. Reed, Myanna, Camila, and I stayed back to watch the whole game. The girls were walking
around the streets and noticed that absolutely no one was out and about and every place they walked by people were huddled by a TV watching the game. They hit up the
beach right outside the FIFA Fan Fest, got some good rays, and bought cute jewelry from the beach vendors! The beach vendors were selling anything and everything from
beer and ice cream to henna tattoos. WHich Becca and Turner took full advantage of, Becca is currently sporting a Puma on the back of her shoulder and Turner is rocking
the fish on the wrist. We have really cool freshman... Back at the game the Netherlands took control of the second half and scored twice. Ending Brazil's run in the
World Cup. Everyone was in complete shock and disbelief. It was really sad to see everyone so hurt from a loss that meant so much to them.
After the game Reed, Myanna and I grabbed some delicious food at a cute cafe and met up with the team at the beach. The Brazilian beaches are a sight to be seen.
The men are not ashamed to be in a white speedo and the women sometimes let their butt cheeks hang out. Myanna, Lindsay, and I played in the ocean for a while! We were
enjoying the waves until the very end when we went to get out and the waves just rocked our world. Myanna kicked me in the face, we were losing our suits, and I tackled
Myanna under the water. After a long struggle we finally we made it to land safely. Quite a hysterical journey. We all split up and went shopping or got ready for
dinner. A few of us bought churros filled with chocolate that were delictable.
We all got pretty and headed out for dinner at 7:30. We walked a few blocks down the beach and went to a outdoor restaurant that had great music!Some of us ordered
off the menu and others got unlimited pizza! The food was great as usual. I had beef, vegetables, and rice! Bueno! We caused quite a scene because the little man
playing his guitar and singing at the restaurant kept playing classic jams and our table would bust out in song each time. After dinner we walked across the street
and enjoyed beverages on the beach from one of the little huts. Around 1030 we went back to the hotel and grabbed some cabs to a club. It opened at 11 and we got there
relatively shortly after, it was basically empty and we were a little nervous. Fear not though it picked up! Camila and her husband were teaching us to dance the
Brazilian way and halfway through the night American music came on! We went nuts! Julie, Becca, Turner, Missy, Lindsay and I were dancing machines! We made a ton of
Brazilian friends!
At 4:30am we left the club and decided to take a stroll along the beach instead of taking a cab! Julie, Jeff, Becca, and Lindsay stopped at one of the huts on the beach
with Camila and her husband for fries and beef. Julie and Jeff ended up staying awake until the sunrise! Champs! That finished today!
Day 11
Oi! It's Annie here. We are officially on vacation now that the volleyball is over! We started the day bright and early with breakfast in the hotel.
It was an entire buffet of fruit! Delicious. We were all dressed in our Brazilian gear and headed to the beach for the Brazil-Netherlands soccer game. On the beach
they have a FIFA Fan Fest which is an area blocked off just for watching World Cup games on a HUGE screen. We got in line at 8:00 for an 11:00 game. People are soccer
crazy here, it is basically a religon to them. I loved being a part of it. They let us in the Fan Fest at 9:00 and we settled near the stage and took naps and enjoyed
the entertainment before the game started.
As game time approached the area filled up with hundreds of people, it was a sea of green and yellow! The game started great and Brazil scored relatively quickly. The
place went wild :) It was really an incredible experience being there and feeling the spirit of the people of Brazil! However, it was super crowded and really hot
so at halftime the team went out and grabbed a bite to eat at a local cafe. Reed, Myanna, Camila, and I stayed back to watch the whole game. The girls were walking
around the streets and noticed that absolutely no one was out and about and every place they walked by people were huddled by a TV watching the game. They hit up the
beach right outside the FIFA Fan Fest, got some good rays, and bought cute jewelry from the beach vendors! The beach vendors were selling anything and everything from
beer and ice cream to henna tattoos. WHich Becca and Turner took full advantage of, Becca is currently sporting a Puma on the back of her shoulder and Turner is rocking
the fish on the wrist. We have really cool freshman... Back at the game the Netherlands took control of the second half and scored twice. Ending Brazil's run in the
World Cup. Everyone was in complete shock and disbelief. It was really sad to see everyone so hurt from a loss that meant so much to them.
After the game Reed, Myanna and I grabbed some delicious food at a cute cafe and met up with the team at the beach. The Brazilian beaches are a sight to be seen.
The men are not ashamed to be in a white speedo and the women sometimes let their butt cheeks hang out. Myanna, Lindsay, and I played in the ocean for a while! We were
enjoying the waves until the very end when we went to get out and the waves just rocked our world. Myanna kicked me in the face, we were losing our suits, and I tackled
Myanna under the water. After a long struggle we finally we made it to land safely. Quite a hysterical journey. We all split up and went shopping or got ready for
dinner. A few of us bought churros filled with chocolate that were delictable.
We all got pretty and headed out for dinner at 7:30. We walked a few blocks down the beach and went to a outdoor restaurant that had great music!Some of us ordered
off the menu and others got unlimited pizza! The food was great as usual. I had beef, vegetables, and rice! Bueno! We caused quite a scene because the little man
playing his guitar and singing at the restaurant kept playing classic jams and our table would bust out in song each time. After dinner we walked across the street
and enjoyed beverages on the beach from one of the little huts. Around 1030 we went back to the hotel and grabbed some cabs to a club. It opened at 11 and we got there
relatively shortly after, it was basically empty and we were a little nervous. Fear not though it picked up! Camila and her husband were teaching us to dance the
Brazilian way and halfway through the night American music came on! We went nuts! Julie, Becca, Turner, Missy, Lindsay and I were dancing machines! We made a ton of
Brazilian friends!
At 4:30am we left the club and decided to take a stroll along the beach instead of taking a cab! Julie, Jeff, Becca, and Lindsay stopped at one of the huts on the beach
with Camila and her husband for fries and beef. Julie and Jeff ended up staying awake until the sunrise! Champs! That finished today!
It was an entire buffet of fruit! Delicious. We were all dressed in our Brazilian gear and headed to the beach for the Brazil-Netherlands soccer game. On the beach
they have a FIFA Fan Fest which is an area blocked off just for watching World Cup games on a HUGE screen. We got in line at 8:00 for an 11:00 game. People are soccer
crazy here, it is basically a religon to them. I loved being a part of it. They let us in the Fan Fest at 9:00 and we settled near the stage and took naps and enjoyed
the entertainment before the game started.
As game time approached the area filled up with hundreds of people, it was a sea of green and yellow! The game started great and Brazil scored relatively quickly. The
place went wild :) It was really an incredible experience being there and feeling the spirit of the people of Brazil! However, it was super crowded and really hot
so at halftime the team went out and grabbed a bite to eat at a local cafe. Reed, Myanna, Camila, and I stayed back to watch the whole game. The girls were walking
around the streets and noticed that absolutely no one was out and about and every place they walked by people were huddled by a TV watching the game. They hit up the
beach right outside the FIFA Fan Fest, got some good rays, and bought cute jewelry from the beach vendors! The beach vendors were selling anything and everything from
beer and ice cream to henna tattoos. WHich Becca and Turner took full advantage of, Becca is currently sporting a Puma on the back of her shoulder and Turner is rocking
the fish on the wrist. We have really cool freshman... Back at the game the Netherlands took control of the second half and scored twice. Ending Brazil's run in the
World Cup. Everyone was in complete shock and disbelief. It was really sad to see everyone so hurt from a loss that meant so much to them.
After the game Reed, Myanna and I grabbed some delicious food at a cute cafe and met up with the team at the beach. The Brazilian beaches are a sight to be seen.
The men are not ashamed to be in a white speedo and the women sometimes let their butt cheeks hang out. Myanna, Lindsay, and I played in the ocean for a while! We were
enjoying the waves until the very end when we went to get out and the waves just rocked our world. Myanna kicked me in the face, we were losing our suits, and I tackled
Myanna under the water. After a long struggle we finally we made it to land safely. Quite a hysterical journey. We all split up and went shopping or got ready for
dinner. A few of us bought churros filled with chocolate that were delictable.
We all got pretty and headed out for dinner at 7:30. We walked a few blocks down the beach and went to a outdoor restaurant that had great music!Some of us ordered
off the menu and others got unlimited pizza! The food was great as usual. I had beef, vegetables, and rice! Bueno! We caused quite a scene because the little man
playing his guitar and singing at the restaurant kept playing classic jams and our table would bust out in song each time. After dinner we walked across the street
and enjoyed beverages on the beach from one of the little huts. Around 1030 we went back to the hotel and grabbed some cabs to a club. It opened at 11 and we got there
relatively shortly after, it was basically empty and we were a little nervous. Fear not though it picked up! Camila and her husband were teaching us to dance the
Brazilian way and halfway through the night American music came on! We went nuts! Julie, Becca, Turner, Missy, Lindsay and I were dancing machines! We made a ton of
Brazilian friends!
At 4:30am we left the club and decided to take a stroll along the beach instead of taking a cab! Julie, Jeff, Becca, and Lindsay stopped at one of the huts on the beach
with Camila and her husband for fries and beef. Julie and Jeff ended up staying awake until the sunrise! Champs! That finished today!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Day 10
Oi! Hayden here :)
Soooooo, this morning we woke up nice and early and walked to the dining hall ate yet another amazing breakfast consisting of bread, fruit, bread, cereal, juice,
and oh yeah, bread. Then we prepared for our last match of the trip, the 3rd one against The Brazilian Youth National Team. We made the short walk across the
"volleyball resort" to the gym a little before 9.
Our last match of the trip was a fun and victorious ending. We took our last pictures with the girls from the team, receieved an awesome thank you from their coach,
and then said our goodbyes to all of them. We then enjoyed another great lunch at the dining center and then got some time to hang out by either the beach or the pool.
Then, sadly, around 2:30 our group of bronzed beauties had to say "chao" and leave the brazilian volleyball paradise. We then came back to Rio and checked into yet
another hotel, possibly the 27th one of the trip? We hiked our "extremely light and easy to carry" luggage up two flights of stairs and received our rooming assignments.
After "settling in", Missy and I discovered that the length of our room is about the same as my armspan plus one of Missy's arms, and the width.... let's just say that
Missy and I can still shake hands even when we're across the room from each other. Nice and cozy, just the way we like it :) Almost seems as if they just took the rooms
off a cruise ship and plopped it into a hotel!
So anywho, after enjoying the hilarity of our final hotel, we got a little time to walk around, shop a little, and get ready before dinner. For dinner we went to a
restaurant about a two blocks away and enjoyed, dare I say the word I hate, beef, and other great food we got to cook ourselves on our tables. We sat and talked and
had a fun night all together, even getting the chance to do some fantastic people watching.
After talking, laughing, and goofing around, everyone finally ended up in their LOVELY COZY HOMEY beds for an INCREDIBLE night's sleep.
Soooooo, this morning we woke up nice and early and walked to the dining hall ate yet another amazing breakfast consisting of bread, fruit, bread, cereal, juice,
and oh yeah, bread. Then we prepared for our last match of the trip, the 3rd one against The Brazilian Youth National Team. We made the short walk across the
"volleyball resort" to the gym a little before 9.
Our last match of the trip was a fun and victorious ending. We took our last pictures with the girls from the team, receieved an awesome thank you from their coach,
and then said our goodbyes to all of them. We then enjoyed another great lunch at the dining center and then got some time to hang out by either the beach or the pool.
Then, sadly, around 2:30 our group of bronzed beauties had to say "chao" and leave the brazilian volleyball paradise. We then came back to Rio and checked into yet
another hotel, possibly the 27th one of the trip? We hiked our "extremely light and easy to carry" luggage up two flights of stairs and received our rooming assignments.
After "settling in", Missy and I discovered that the length of our room is about the same as my armspan plus one of Missy's arms, and the width.... let's just say that
Missy and I can still shake hands even when we're across the room from each other. Nice and cozy, just the way we like it :) Almost seems as if they just took the rooms
off a cruise ship and plopped it into a hotel!
So anywho, after enjoying the hilarity of our final hotel, we got a little time to walk around, shop a little, and get ready before dinner. For dinner we went to a
restaurant about a two blocks away and enjoyed, dare I say the word I hate, beef, and other great food we got to cook ourselves on our tables. We sat and talked and
had a fun night all together, even getting the chance to do some fantastic people watching.
After talking, laughing, and goofing around, everyone finally ended up in their LOVELY COZY HOMEY beds for an INCREDIBLE night's sleep.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Day 9
Hello everyone! This is Niemer. Today was a great day in Saquarema, Brazil. This morning we woke up for breakfast at 9AM
and surprisingly...MORE BREAD! However, the breakfast at the training center is the best we have had so far. Other than
just bread, the team enjoyed requeijao on the bread, which is a spread that tastes like butter, but looks like melted
cream cheese. Fruit was also offered at breakfast, along with these cookie-like crackers, granola, and cereal that
resembled Frosted Flakes. The thing I enjoyed the most at breakfast was the Brazilian form of yogurt. It was served in
a pitcher so I poured it in a glass as my drink. I saw some of the girls on the Youth National Team pour it in a bowl
and sprinkle granola over it. It tasted like a strawberry banana smoothie--it was delicious!
The most interesting part of breakfast was that we mingled with the girls on the Youth National Team. I was very
impressed with the amount of English some of them knew. Some of the girls did not know any English, which obviously we
can relate to. However, the girls that knew English have been learning the language for 2 years. We asked them a lot of
questions about their schooling, training, and culture. In return, they also asked us many questions about the United
States. It was fun interacting and talking with them outside the gym.
After breakfast, the team walked to the sand volleyball courts to play in a sand tournament, amongst ourselves. We split
into pairs of two and played for about 2 hours. By the end of the tournament, Reed and TK were undefeated, but chose not
to play in the championship against Myanna and Camila (I think they were too tired to play, or maybe just too nervous to
play the agile pair of Myanna and Camila). Once we were finished playing, we were given 2 hours to go to the beach or the
pool. The beach was beautiful and everyone spent some time there today. Everyone ended up at the pool around 1PM and
sunbathed until 2.
At 2 o'clock, the team ate lunch at the cafe. They offered chicken, beef, salad, mangos, rice, and many other choices.
After we ate lunch, we were given time to do whatever we wanted, as long as we were not in the sun. My room, which
consisted of Annie, Upton, and I, napped from 2:40 to 4:15PM. The sun is pretty powerful here and it drained a couple
of us, so it was good to get some rest before the match. At 4:30, we walked back over to the cafe for a pre-game snack.
There was fruit and juice available, but I headed straight for the strawberry banana yogurt/juice.
Our match began at 6PM and the match went to 5 sets. The Youth National Team took the fourth set to make it 2-2. We went
down early in the 5th set but came back and ended up winning 15-11!
We then went to dinner and had another great meal of chicken, beef, vegetables, rice, beans and more! It was delicious!
Now it's shower time and off to bed as we play at 10a tomorrow! It's our last match for the trip so send us some good luck!
-Stephanie Niemer
and surprisingly...MORE BREAD! However, the breakfast at the training center is the best we have had so far. Other than
just bread, the team enjoyed requeijao on the bread, which is a spread that tastes like butter, but looks like melted
cream cheese. Fruit was also offered at breakfast, along with these cookie-like crackers, granola, and cereal that
resembled Frosted Flakes. The thing I enjoyed the most at breakfast was the Brazilian form of yogurt. It was served in
a pitcher so I poured it in a glass as my drink. I saw some of the girls on the Youth National Team pour it in a bowl
and sprinkle granola over it. It tasted like a strawberry banana smoothie--it was delicious!
The most interesting part of breakfast was that we mingled with the girls on the Youth National Team. I was very
impressed with the amount of English some of them knew. Some of the girls did not know any English, which obviously we
can relate to. However, the girls that knew English have been learning the language for 2 years. We asked them a lot of
questions about their schooling, training, and culture. In return, they also asked us many questions about the United
States. It was fun interacting and talking with them outside the gym.
After breakfast, the team walked to the sand volleyball courts to play in a sand tournament, amongst ourselves. We split
into pairs of two and played for about 2 hours. By the end of the tournament, Reed and TK were undefeated, but chose not
to play in the championship against Myanna and Camila (I think they were too tired to play, or maybe just too nervous to
play the agile pair of Myanna and Camila). Once we were finished playing, we were given 2 hours to go to the beach or the
pool. The beach was beautiful and everyone spent some time there today. Everyone ended up at the pool around 1PM and
sunbathed until 2.
At 2 o'clock, the team ate lunch at the cafe. They offered chicken, beef, salad, mangos, rice, and many other choices.
After we ate lunch, we were given time to do whatever we wanted, as long as we were not in the sun. My room, which
consisted of Annie, Upton, and I, napped from 2:40 to 4:15PM. The sun is pretty powerful here and it drained a couple
of us, so it was good to get some rest before the match. At 4:30, we walked back over to the cafe for a pre-game snack.
There was fruit and juice available, but I headed straight for the strawberry banana yogurt/juice.
Our match began at 6PM and the match went to 5 sets. The Youth National Team took the fourth set to make it 2-2. We went
down early in the 5th set but came back and ended up winning 15-11!
We then went to dinner and had another great meal of chicken, beef, vegetables, rice, beans and more! It was delicious!
Now it's shower time and off to bed as we play at 10a tomorrow! It's our last match for the trip so send us some good luck!
-Stephanie Niemer
Day 9
Hello everyone! This is Niemer. Today was a great day in Saquarema, Brazil. This morning we woke up for breakfast at 9AM and surprisingly...MORE BREAD! However, the breakfast at the training center is the best we have had so far. Other than just bread, the team enjoyed requeijao on the bread, which is a spread that tastes like butter, but looks like melted cream cheese. Fruit was also offered at breakfast, along with these cookie-like crackers, granola, and cereal that resembled Frosted Flakes. The thing I enjoyed the most at breakfast was the Brazilian form of yogurt. It was served in a pitcher so I poured it in a glass as my drink. I saw some of the girls on the Youth National Team pour it in a bowl and sprinkle granola over it. It tasted like a strawberry banana smoothie--it was delicious!
The most interesting part of breakfast was that we mingled with the girls on the Youth National Team. I was very impressed with the amount of English some of them knew. Some of the girls did not know any English, which obviously we can relate to. However, the girls that knew English have been learning the language for 2 years. We asked them a lot of questions about their schooling, training, and culture. In return, they also asked us many questions about the United States. It was fun interacting and talking with them outside the gym.
After breakfast, the team walked to the sand volleyball courts to play in a sand tournament, amongst ourselves. We split into pairs of two and played for about 2 hours. By the end of the tournament, Reed and TK were undefeated, but chose not to play in the championship against Myanna and Camila (I think they were too tired to play, or maybe just too nervous to play the agile pair of Myanna and Camila). Once we were finished playing, we were given 2 hours to go to the beach or the pool. The beach was beautiful and everyone spent some time there today. Everyone ended up at the pool around 1PM and sunbathed until 2.
At 2 o'clock, the team ate lunch at the cafe. They offered chicken, beef, salad, mangos, rice, and many other choices. After we ate lunch, we were given time to do whatever we wanted, as long as we were not in the sun. My room, which consisted of Annie, Upton, and I, napped from 2:40 to 4:15PM. The sun is pretty powerful here and it drained a couple of us, so it was good to get some rest before the match. At 4:30, we walked back over to the cafe for a pre-game snack. There was fruit and juice available, but I headed straight for the strawberry banana yogurt/juice.
Our match began at 6PM and the match went to 5 sets. The Youth National Team took the fourth set to make it 2-2. We went down early in the 5th set but came back and ended up winning 15-11!
We then went to dinner and had another great meal of chicken, beef, vegetables, rice, beans and more! It was delicious! Now it's shower time and off to bed as we play at 10a tomorrow! It's our last match for the trip so send us some good luck!
-Stephanie Niemer
The most interesting part of breakfast was that we mingled with the girls on the Youth National Team. I was very impressed with the amount of English some of them knew. Some of the girls did not know any English, which obviously we can relate to. However, the girls that knew English have been learning the language for 2 years. We asked them a lot of questions about their schooling, training, and culture. In return, they also asked us many questions about the United States. It was fun interacting and talking with them outside the gym.
After breakfast, the team walked to the sand volleyball courts to play in a sand tournament, amongst ourselves. We split into pairs of two and played for about 2 hours. By the end of the tournament, Reed and TK were undefeated, but chose not to play in the championship against Myanna and Camila (I think they were too tired to play, or maybe just too nervous to play the agile pair of Myanna and Camila). Once we were finished playing, we were given 2 hours to go to the beach or the pool. The beach was beautiful and everyone spent some time there today. Everyone ended up at the pool around 1PM and sunbathed until 2.
At 2 o'clock, the team ate lunch at the cafe. They offered chicken, beef, salad, mangos, rice, and many other choices. After we ate lunch, we were given time to do whatever we wanted, as long as we were not in the sun. My room, which consisted of Annie, Upton, and I, napped from 2:40 to 4:15PM. The sun is pretty powerful here and it drained a couple of us, so it was good to get some rest before the match. At 4:30, we walked back over to the cafe for a pre-game snack. There was fruit and juice available, but I headed straight for the strawberry banana yogurt/juice.
Our match began at 6PM and the match went to 5 sets. The Youth National Team took the fourth set to make it 2-2. We went down early in the 5th set but came back and ended up winning 15-11!
We then went to dinner and had another great meal of chicken, beef, vegetables, rice, beans and more! It was delicious! Now it's shower time and off to bed as we play at 10a tomorrow! It's our last match for the trip so send us some good luck!
-Stephanie Niemer
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Day 8
Hi people this is Karen :) Today was such a long day. We got up very early to leave Sao Jose de Campos and go to the Brazilian training center for volleyball. We spent over 6 hours on the bus watching all sorts of movie from Avatar to Forest Gump!
The training center here is AMAZING. There is an ocean on one side (well right across the street)and beautiful montains when you look the other way. Everything is super close together from the dorms where we are staying to the gym, to the cafe area, nothing is more than a 15 second walk! The volleyball courts are really nice too and they have pictures of their players on the wall which adds a nice touch!
We played the Brazilian Youth Team today. We played 5 sets and won all 5! All the players for their youth team are 16 years old. They are such a young team but they have power and speed. They were great at serve receive too. We struggled a bit at times, especially in the first set, but then we started to get better on defense which helped a lot.
Tomorrow, we will play some doubles on the sand court here and everyone is so excited!!! Hopefully tomorrow is going to be a great day again!
Tchau!
The training center here is AMAZING. There is an ocean on one side (well right across the street)and beautiful montains when you look the other way. Everything is super close together from the dorms where we are staying to the gym, to the cafe area, nothing is more than a 15 second walk! The volleyball courts are really nice too and they have pictures of their players on the wall which adds a nice touch!
We played the Brazilian Youth Team today. We played 5 sets and won all 5! All the players for their youth team are 16 years old. They are such a young team but they have power and speed. They were great at serve receive too. We struggled a bit at times, especially in the first set, but then we started to get better on defense which helped a lot.
Tomorrow, we will play some doubles on the sand court here and everyone is so excited!!! Hopefully tomorrow is going to be a great day again!
Tchau!
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