How I've Grown this Year

Regarding my blog, I think I've gotten much better on planning out what I'm going to write. On the night of the very first blog assignment, I turned it it at exactly 10:30, not because I wanted it to be perfect but because I had invited my friend over after volleyball to write our blogs together. Bad idea. We ended up by saying we had "writers block" and need to go to the park. This was all at about 6:30. So we went to the park, attempted to play some more volleyball then saw my other friend, Sophia. She goes to the Winter Sports School but played volleyball with me on the high school team this year and in 7th grade. We ended up by talking to her for way too long and didn't get home until about 9:30ish. This little excursion did not cure our writers block, instead stressed us out even more because we didn't have topics for our blogs.

I've also gotten way more comfortable writing blogs and thinking of topics is easier for me. I don't know if getting more comfortable is a good thing or not! I changed my background to fit the blogs theme more and the pictures fit in better too. They are bigger now.

Regarding my life outside of school, a.k.a, volleyball. As you may know, in high school, volleyball is a fall sport but it doesn't last for only one season. Club starts a week or two after high school ends and goes on for about 7 months, starting at the end of fall and going until the middle of May. 

During high school volleyball, we had practice every weekday and games about once a week. Getting in the reps was nice but you would think I would get a lot better but I didn't. I might have even gotten worse. My coach wasn't every strict and never paid that much attention to detail. She wouldn't tell us what we were doing wrong so I was kinda just on my own. I developed some "lazy" habits because she wouldn't discipline us. After high school, we went straight into club, and practiced less times per week but it was much more intense and the coaches were stricter. We had a dress code that everyone had to follow at practice which consisted of, a grey, red or black Club V t-shirt, depending on what day it was (Friday-grey, Wednesday- black, Monday- red), black spandex and black socks. They said if you didn't follow the uniform you wren't allowed to practice but that never happened to anyone on my team. As far as real volleyball goes, I think that I've really improved.

This is not me or anyone else on my club but it is a really good hit and she is playing my position. AND the lady who is hitting, plays for the school my sister goes too :)
Photo courtesy of Kansan

The Last Hurrah

Yesterday was our final tournament. It was Friday/ Saturday tournament at Club V but since we haven't talked about volleyball in a while I'll catch you up. We had a tournament at the LA Convention Center right in downtown Los Angeles. Going into the first game, I thought we weren't going to do very well because a lot of the teams their were local which means they were really good. We ended up by taking 15th out of around 150 which is good, especially for our team. But volleyball is pretty boring to listen to if you don't play so I'll tell you something actually interesting about our tournament. The convention center was right next to the Staples center so walking to our car we got to see all the fun things happening every night. Most of the time it was basketball games or something like that but one of the nights was the MTV Moive awards. After a game, me and three other teammates walked to a restaurant. On the way, we were right next to a HUGE line of people and a bunch of security guards. It was really cool!

Photo courtesy of: VolleyballMag

Our next tournament, the Triple Crown Sports Salt Lake one, we took second. It was a pretty small tournament at the Salt Palace but I was fun to win-ish. Not a lot of teams traveled to this tournament especially not in my division but there was some really good teams who came from California and Texas. When my team wasn't playing, some girls and I watched this really good club, T-Street, play. Their 18s one team had a 6'6 setter who was amazing! She's on the USA youth national volleyball team and she's only a junior. Back to my team, we were the runner ups and got a really cool trophy. They even wrote an article about my team! Read it here.

This past tournament, the AAU power league championship, wasn't a great one but we did okay. We took first in our pool the first day then second the second day. During single elimination play, we took third over all.

I'll miss my team and it will be really weird not driving down to Club V three or more times a week. However for some of my team, we will be together by doing Project V. Project V is a three hour session everyday starting this Monday and going until the end of summer. I would do it too but that would mean I'd have to leave right when I got home and wouldn't get back home at about 8:00.

It was a good season and I''l miss playing with my teammates.

My Volleyball Schedule.

So right after practice I was walking up the stairs at Club V brainstorming what I would write my next blog about. As I saw the big Club V logo upstairs, I thought to myself, why don't I write about my volleyball schedule. I've already told you all about some of my tournaments and games, tryouts, and the teams I've had so it's only normal to say what I do at/ after practice!

Photo Courtesy of: Club V Volleyball

I don't do a lot of super exciting and different things at practice so this is going to be very detailed.

2:25-The last bell rings at school and I go pick up my volleyball bag and sometimes my friend, Audrey's too because she's a lot slower than I am! ;)

2:30- Usually the time when either one of my or Audrey's parents picks us up, usually behind the school so we don't run into too much traffic and it's easer to get on the highway from there.

2:30- (about) 3:10- Wait in the car for a really long time driving through "the land of semi trucks" as we like to call it because there are SO many of them.

3:11-Waiting in a long line behind all the other girls who need to change. There are only two bathrooms and at least, AT LEAST, ten girls who need to get changed.

3:13- Still waiting....

3:14- Waiting, Waiting Waiting...

3:15- I'm usually in the bathroom right now changing for practice!

3:20- All of my team is on our court, warming up. Usually just serving and passing.

3:30- PRACTICE STARTS!!!

5:30- When practice is supposed to end...

5:45- When practice actually ends

5:50- My team waits in the workout room for Whitney, the coach, to start our workouts and re-hydrating.

5: 51- Doing the workouts!

6:15- Our workouts are only after-practice ones to we don't typically go for very long. Done by around this time.

6:16- Goes upstairs and I take off my knee pads and volleyball shoes and changes into sweats and jesus sandals :)

6:20- Finally leaving Club V!

After all that, I get home pretty late, shower, eat dinner, finish homework, then (my favorite part) going to sleep!

Repeat every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Actually, Mondays and Fridays are a different story. On Monday, we usually get there really earlier because of early release. This means I don't have to wait in line and I do a little homework before practice actually starts. Now friday is really different. Practice isn't really practice but more of a big scrimmage. All of the select teams play each other for a couple of hours. Before that starts, I like to go to position training. That is just getting reps on your specific position for about two hours. On Fridays I get home later than usual which is totally fine because it's FRIDAY!!! and all I really need to do is catch up on my Pretty Little Liars episodes.