Throwback to the summer with Team Canada. It was the busiest, most tiring, and most exciting summer I have ever had with the team. In five months we traveled to Calgary, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Toronto, Mexico – competing in an exhibition series, Champions Cup, Pan Am Cup (placing 5th - our best finish since 2004), Grand Prix, Pan Am Games, and then the NORCECA Championships.
When I first started telling people I was going to Azerbaijan, I pretty much had the same response across the board. Where on earth is that? Is that a real place? When I pull out a map to show them, the shock value increases. Ohmygoshhhhhhh it's like - the middle east? Is it safe? So far it's been nothing but safe.
I know you’ve lost someone and it hurts. You may have lost them suddenly, unexpectedly. Or perhaps you began losing pieces of them until one day, there was nothing left. You may have known them all your life or may have barely known them at all. Either way, it is irrelevant – you cannot control the depth of a wound another soul inflicts upon you.
Tammy Mahon has played a huge part in my career with Team Canada. When people find out that I play for the National Team, it is often followed with “oh yaaaa – I know Tammy! She’s the captain, right?” She clearly had a lasting impression on all staff, players, and fans.
It’s crazy to me that a professional season can seem like it’s crawling by when you're in the moment… but looking back it can be fully described in a few short sentences when you’re home. How was your season this year? “It was good – started off in Italy but switched to a German team in January due to some financial issues with the club. But yeah, it was good!”
Oh the adventures continue. It’s pretty clear that this life is the most unpredictable one I could have chosen for myself. One moment I’m waking up in Trasanni (aka Urbino, aka Italy) with little baby Zeus and the next day I am in Germany practicing with a brand new team. A casual three hundred and sixty degree change. Whaaaaaat????
After talking about my own life and experiences here Italy in my last blog, I decided it was time to write about my lovely teammates. This year, we really are spread from one end of the earth to the other, but that just makes things all the more exciting. I wanted to give everyone a mid-season, halfway-point-update on where the girls are and how their teams are doing thus far.
Now that the first half of the season is completed, we can all take a little breather. Having organized my apartment, got used to our small town, and figured out how to drive standard in a foreign country, it finally feels like we're into the normal swing of things. Usually after the first few weeks you’ll understand how your new club functions but it’s always such an interesting time.
Since I started writing these player blogs I was excited to eventually get the opportunity to write Dana’s. Not only is she a wonderful teammate to me and everyone else, she is also one of my dearest of dear friends. For those of you who know Dana, you are well aware that she is one of the greatest human beings on this earth. The NICEST individual you will ever meet.
Alrighty then – World Championships recap time! It’s a little delayed but I hope you pardon all my excuses which include running around Italy with my parents, getting settled into my new club in Urbino, and then coming back to Canada to get my visa (but more on that later). World Championships was again (and of course) a wonderful experience.
Ready, set… on the road again! Back to the extremely long trips to the other side of the pond. Sleep deprivation, questionable amounts of legroom, and multiple Starbucks while it’s still around: we’re getting used to it. After Grand Prix we had a few weeks off to regroup and refocus at home with family and friends.
Oh Shanis. This girl is a champion through and through. I would say majority of you reading this, if not all, have already heard of Shanice – she’s been everywhere and wins EVERYTHING. I first really got to know her when she came to UBC... and it took about 42 seconds for us to become really good friends. She was a year behind me so I got to play with this girl for 4 years
Let me introduce you to one of our amazing liberos: Janie Guimond. I’ve been playing Team Canada with Janie for the past 7 years and we still have at least 2 more to go after this! We’ve been through so many team changes, transitions, ups and downs, and luckily I’ve had her by my side thru it all. I’ve been all over the world with this girl which is a pretty special thing. Janie really has an incredible zest for life; wherever she is in the world she wants to gain the best experiences
And just like that, Grand Prix (and our break) is over! It seems like so long ago when we first touched down in Lima, Peru to start this crazy adventure. Leaving Winnipeg I didn’t feel totally prepared and I actually thought the past three weeks were going to be a lot more difficult than they actually were. I assumed the jet lag would be unbearable (and it was a few times… but flying from South America to Europe back to South America s
The first three words that come to mind are passion, dedication and hard work. Like Stuart, he competed in every single sport, and did it the best. Connor was the flashier player; always had the brightest sport shoes, would pull all-star status moves around 3 defenders before sailing the soccer ball over the goalie,
We definitely had a much more successful weekend in Leuven, Belgium. Many girls had only been to Europe once or twice before so everyone was pretty excited to mix up the travel itinerary. The flight from Lima to Madrid was as good as it could be; somehow Brittney and I scored the exit row and Byron smuggles us a few pills that we took without question. Bliss. We woke up in Madrid, had a quick layover, and then departed to Belgium.
I really got to know Beeks in my 2012-2013 season in Potsdam, Germany. Luckily, her and Janie were playing on Kopenick SC, which was just on the other side of Berlin (Berlin was about a 40 minute train ride from Potsdam). I met them in Berlin very often on our days off to grab coffee (and a treat) and explore some major parts of the city. She’s definitely my Starbucks buddy and our obsession grew a bit more after spending so much time in the city; chilly Berlin days made us (me) take the leap from Grande’s to Venti’s….
