A lot to cover...

Well I don't really know where to start. A lot has happened since the last post I made so I will just start naming things...

• Turkey has been cancelled
• Found out some vital behind the scenes issues with indoor vball in Europe
• I played in my first beach tourny
• I got 2 camp jobs back from the 4 that I cancelled

So yeh, the Turkey dream is over. I really don't want to document all my feelings on the situation because I have talked about it so much with family and close friends so I will summarize. The trip was paid in full. July 15th is the date I was told my partner and I would have our tickets in our emails. It came and went and no ticket. We both got a message the next day from the director saying that the sponsors would not agree to pay for our tickets until we got to Turkey. So that means that we were asked to pay for our ticket and they "promised" to pay us on arrival. Even if I did believe them I nor my partner have $1500-$1800 to just pull out of our back pocket to make the initial step. So the 8 month long dream is over. And I was crushed for a bit but I'm getting over it. I try to focus on the positive when things go wrong, and if I get anything out of this experience is that I can see beach in my future sometime.

I had a very intriguing conversation with the girl who was going to be my partner in Turkey and learned a lot of dirt on the indoor volleyball scene in Europe and it has disgusted me. It has almost completely turned me away from even wasting my time trying to make it in indoor and just started on the beach scene right now. I love the indoor game and I always will but maybe I will do something with it when America has an established league because it's just a waste of money and time and hope.

I played in my first beach tournament this last weekend in Siesta Key, Fl, at the Corona Light Wide Open. The only categories for coed were A and Open which meant a lot of sandbagging. It was ok though. I feel jumping into A in my first beach tourny went well as I did not feel like I was too far behind in the competitive level. If only I could find a serious female partner to start competing with on a regular basis.

And for some good news. On first notice that Turkey was cancelled I sent an email to the coordinator of the UF Vball camps in order to see if a position was still available. This summer would have been my 5th year working and my 3rd year working all 4 sessions. Since I stepped down I jeopardized that and all that has opened up so far has been 2 sessions which is more than I expected. I was really looking forward to continue working all 4 sessions since I was the only under grad working all 4 and invited back to do so.

Picture from my random 42 mile 5 hour bike ride the other day.

Well i must get ready for my brother's birthday party. Thanks for everyone who has followed my training. I am keeping this blog open since my dream is not dead and I WILL play professionally one day or another.

Progress is progress.

So it has been a productive weekend and start of the week. Saturday I was invited to play at this bar called Skinny's. It had a court in the back and was fairly clean so we played a good amount of games. There were  5 of us so the 3 girls rotated in an out. We played a few coed games and then guys vs. girls because the guys had a tournament the play in the following day. They ended up getting beat in the semi final round, but were happy with their performance. I played very well myself. My serve was dead on and I was nailing my usual outdoor spot (or so I'm calling it since it developed the first time I played beach and has stuck around). I was playing a lot smarter, placing the ball but also swinging away when it was a good set. Met some more girls from the area that will be looking for partners when I return from Turkey which is good.

Sunday I was out in Tarpon all day on the Frank Howard Beach. My friends and I packed our kayaks and our other friend had 2 jetskiis along with a wake skate and a knee board. I spent the day towing the guys until they learned how to use these....so naturally it was a long day lol. We got there at 10:30 AM and did not leave until 7 PM, so needless to say I got some sun. I did find time during the day to kayak from beach to beach which I realized was quite a journey when I reached my destination. So I got a good workout in.

Last night, Tuesday, I drove to Club V to play with my college teammate Becca. It was a nice change. My usual partner is fine, she just hasn't been in the game for a while. So her sets are a little inconsistent. Becca on the other hand was dead on and I was able to really play for the first time. I was swinging hard every other ball and doing well. I initially was worried with the size of the court when it came to hitting. In indoor I am so used to hitting the line when I cut, and so naturally I assumed I would be hitting the same spot which would be out in beach. But I was hitting the line on the beach court so something in my head adjusted without my knowledge haha. Had a few good blocks. And I really got to work on my sets. It was overall a great night of volleyball training, and I can definitely feel it today! I dove for a ball and landed on the side of my neck. It's a little sore today but so is the rest of my body. The owner of club v let us play a little later than normal last night, so I did not get home until 1 AM. I'm gonna be taking it easy today since I'm exhausted.

Apparently yesterday the staff of Epirden Volley met about purchasing the Americans tickets to fly to Turkey. I was told I would get an email soon after with the E-Ticket. I have yet to do so but I will keep everyone informed! :]

Until then, peace!

Learning a new game.

So I have gone to Club V twice now and I am really getting the hang of this new game. My partner and I are both learning so it's nice to be on the same page. I was supposed to be playing in a tournament today and tomorrow, but for today it was basically cancelled and for tomorrow I can't afford it. This weekend would cost me about $70 just to register and gas and food etc. Probably more. I just can't do it with me about to go to Turkey. I know everything will be paid for but I'm not trying to go there with no money. It just wouldn't be safe or smart.

I am really enjoying the environment that we are playing in. The other girls use it as practice time, and although they are very serious about what they do its a situation where they are still willing to take a few moments to give some advice which is what I really need. Yesterday my partner and I started using the hand signals more strategically. The first day we just kept it simple and kept blocking line on both sides so we could just get used to it. It takes a few seconds for me to figure out that if my partner is blocking line on the left and cross on the right that means I have to dig cross on the left and line on the right...which means I'll be digging right back for both hitters. Confusing right?

Yeah, well it's second nature for those who have been playing for a bit, but I'm sure with a little more practice I'll be able to compute it all just as fast as they do! =]

Being able to be put in game time situations so many times a week is really making me feel a lot better about competing in Turkey. I really didn't know where to start because I literally had not had the opportunity to play in the frame of mind needed to learn. The girls at club v have it all down. There are certain girls that come out every tuesday and thursday. They have a good system going with a top court and bottom court. If you win your match to 21 you move up, if you lose you move down. Either way there is still a lot of playing going on. There is enough pressure to play your best but without the stress of losing and being done. It's just overall a great environment to learn. Some of the girls are very talented and it's very good to be able to watch them during the breaks. And the guys are right next to us so I can always watch them as well.

One thing I have learned about playing outdoor is that it is a lot simpler to figure out how to score. Not saying that points come easier, but the process of trying to figure out how to score is easier. In indoor I've always had to worry about things in this order:

1. see the block
2. prepare to hit where the block is not
3. look at the defense
4. hit in front of the defense if they are too deep or hit behind them if they are moved up
5. avoid the other defense

now it's literally just

1. hit the area the block is taking away if possible OR
2. hit in front of the defender if they are deep, or hit behind them if they are short.

Once again not saying it's easier to score, but having to do all I had to do to score in the indoor game with 6 people on the court, the scoring strategy is much simpler in the outdoor game. I just have to execute. I just LOVE IT.

=]

Club V = Success

So I finally made it to Club V in clearwater (http://www.tampabayvolleyball.com) and I had a great time. I played with someone I met at a local park the other day. We both had our reasons to be rusty but it went a lot better than I expected. We played a handful of games and came out 50/50. I learned a lot just from one night of playing.

I'm headed back to the local park to play with my new friends tonight. Hopefully I will learn some more new things! :]

A small set[back].

Well, I am sorry to say that I have not been blogging as active as things have been happening. Last week on return from my trip to texas I started working out again. No lie, less than an hour into weights I picked a 40lbs weight up, apparently the wrong way, and did something to my back. I couldn't walk or stand up straight for 2 days, but thanks to Dr. prescribed pills I am feeling a lot better.

The question being, am I really better or am I just feeling better?

Well I should know this week. Authorization for an MRI was sent to my insurance company last week, and now I am just waiting for the appointment to be scheduled. I took a few days off from physical activity but I have been feeling so well that I have gotten back to do some things. I went kayaking for a few hours yesterday up the river, and then I swam for about an hour when I got home. It was the swimming that did me in because my back was being used so much. So now I am sore again, but it's not unbearable.

Tonight a friend of mine and I will head to the local park to do some ball work in the sand. I really haven't touched a volleyball in what seems like forever, and I will be participating in a beach volley tournament in Clearwater this friday if everything works out. It will be my first real test where I stand as it will be my first *official* beach tournament I will be participating in. I know right...I'm playing in a beach tour but I've never competed in beach. It's a challenge I have set up before me and I plan on succeeding. I'm just hoping I have the support of my partner since we still have not spoken about a game plan or even just getting to know each other. I fear she is not aware of my capabilities and I do not want to disappoint her.

When I got to college to play ball I was SO not ready. And yet, I still stepped up to the plate and I think I did pretty well. So I am not so weary about being able to step up to the plate. I just would feel a lot more comfortable knowing that I have all the advantages that I can.

Until next time, peace!

Back to work!

Well I just got back from seeing my boyfriend in Texas for the first time since valentine's day. It was bittersweet. We really needed to see each other but we don't know when we see each other next as he is deploying when I get back from Turkey. I am trying my hardest to see him before he leaves, even if it is just a day or two.

Anywho, today starts the day that I get back to work. I only have 27 days to get ready for the biggest step of my career thus far! Playing in Turkey was a great opportunity that came up, but I took the deal knowing that I was already very much short-handed. Beach volleyball is not my sport and I have a lot to learn about it and its movements before I try and compete in it.

I am trying my hand in some tournaments in these next few weeks down in Clearwater. They have a place called Club V. It is the largest outdoor volleyball facility in North America. They have 20 pure white sand beach courts with football stadium lighting, so people play into the late hours of the night. They have tournaments every Friday and my teammate from college is actually working in St. Pete so she will be able to play with me. I am very excited because she is a great player and will give me the support I need to get better. Her senses about the game are very sharp, and she will be able to pick up things that I need to improve to better my chances of success in Turkey.

Well, time to get to work!

Working on working out.

I started doing the beach workout again yesterday. I plan on doing it as much as possible, and the days I don't make it to the park or the beach I will be doing it at the high school on the track. It won't be in the sand but atleast I will be doing it. I'm a little sore but it went better than I thought. Even though it was about 90 yesterday, we found a shaded spot and it wasn't too bad. Next week I will be taking a break since I'll be visiting my boyfriend in texas, but after that it is full throttle! 4 weeks of hardcore training. My weeks filled with sand training and playing, and my weekends with kayaking, since I got a brand new kayak for graduation! :]

Markers, markers.

They come at various times in life.  They seem to come in multiples of 4s. 4 years ago, 4 hours before high school graduation - i decided not to follow the path I had set out on when I was 8 years old. I decided to play ball in college when I had dreamed all of middle school, and worked all of high school towards the purpose of starting my career in the Army at the highest point possible. I was already guaranteed 2 pay raises higher than the average signee for my 4 year commitment spent to the AFJROTC FL-952 corp at Springstead High school, and then I would be commissioned as an officer soon after receiving my BA that was paid for by the Army. I had it all planned out. And it all changed with the signature of a name on "the other" paper.

My letter of intent replaced my enlistment contract.

4 years later I stand here today, a college graduate. First in my family to have a BA after being first from my HS to receive a volleyball scholarship in its existence. I hope for many more "firsts" as I live to choose the path less chosen.

I received a message about markers not too long ago, and I took note to pay attention. I say it to myself all the time - I am so excited for my future, and if you are not about yours it is not too late.

Iyi aksamlar.

Hellooooooo!

Sorry for the lack of updates, it has been a while! I need to recap on some things for the last few days.

On Sunday, May 2nd, I attended the Western North Carolina Sports Banquet at the Grove Park Inn (Where Obama and his family took their vacation just last week) in the Grand Ballroom. I was nominated for the WNC Female Athlete of the Year and was one of 7 finalists from all divisions and all sports. I lost to a girl from UNCA which is fine because she is D1 and if I lost to another D2 then I would be mad haha. Any who, there that night was also the Superbowl Quarterback Brad Johnson who led the Bucs to the Superbowl win in 2002? He was being inducted into the Hall of Fame and gave a great speech about turning points in your life. I can't help but see coincidences as a marker to pay attention, but he won the Superbowl the first year I lived in Florida and here he is right in front of me during my next big turning point of finishing college. I spoke with him afterwards and he gave some great advice on keeping your head in the right place and chasing your dream. It is one of those moments I will remember for a long time.

Moving on to Monday, May 3rd, was the Brevard College Sports Banquet here on campus. Once again I was up for female athlete of the year and lost to a two-time national cycling champion, part of our national championship cycling team this year. I believe she deserved it last year and unfortunately lost to a freshman who made first team all conference, which I honestly do not think merits a win over a national champion, but that's just me. What I didn't expect was an award from my coach since I have not recieved anything over these past 4 years I kind of stopped getting hopeful. I recieved the "Chasing Excellence" award which was nice.

At our college we have a tradition of Watches for 4 year senior athletes. Students who transfer in get a senior award. But it is always a joke since freshman year that you are doing it for the watch! haha. It's not bad, it's a bulova watch customized with our school logo.

Now onto bigger things. A week from tomorrow my parents will be flying in from Florida for my college graduation, which is only one more chapter in my book done!

Adios! Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

A long weekend of volleyball...

...and I'm still walking, somehow :) On friday we played three D1 schools, taking 2 sets throughout the day. It was a lot better than I expected and if was good to see that level of performance from the girls. They have all made their strides during the spring season, and with so much talent coming in next year I am hopeful for their success.

On saturday we played a handful of D2 schools, and a few other levels. We didn't play as well as I had hoped but we finished well, and it was my last college competition so there was a bittersweetness to it. My coach got a little emotional and said she would miss me, I wasn't expecting that since my "formal" goodbye from the team was on senior night. But it was an interesting time to say the least.

With the tournament over on saturday, a lot of the girls were preparing to head back with their parents or head to columbia, sc for the night to participate in the clash coeds grass volleyball tournament. My assistant coach had asked me if I was playing and I informed him that I had been busy and didn't think of playing, and also that nobody asked me to play so I didn't bother. We have always had a tournament the weekend of the clash and were never really able to participate. He then asked if I wanted to play with him and at first I wasn't sure since I had played already 2 full days in a row of over 10 games, but eventually I got a little excited and decided to play :) We had a blast and made it to the playoffs but lost in the first round. We were up and down since we both had barely any experience in outdoor. But like I said we had fun and that made it worth it.

So now college ball is OFFICIALLY done, and my next step is continuing to play at the next level! I'm so excited for this summer in Turkey, but at the same time I'm nervous. But it's the same feeling I had in my gut when I was heading to college clueless of how I measured to the competition, and although there was a lot of work to be done I kept my head straight on the goal and I met it. My dad reminded me of this determination yesterday, and now I'm focusing on it in the same way to carry me forward!

Iyi aksamlar.

50% done!

This morning I woke up at 9 to eat breakfast, and then I head out to the sand court. One whole half of the sand court is completely refurbished! :] 4 hours 3 hours later: new edges, weeded, leveled, and raked. I'm so happy that these small changes have made it look SO MUCH BETTER. Come tuesday I should probably have the whole thing done! The other side still has a lot of work to do but as far as strength needed it's the easier side. The grass that is growing in on that side still has sand under it. The side I finished today was so overgrown it was all dirt. After the whole thing is done I will be putting the new lines down (and praying that nobody messes with them). But I have faith that my fellow students will realize all the work and sweat put into this project and not mess anything up :]

But for now, I must sleep. I play 3 or 4 D1 schools tomorrow and it will be last taste of competition at that level. So I'm pumped of course because I have nothing to lose!

Hoscakalin!

More work done...

...on the sand court today :) I was only out there for an hour but I got to get started on cleaning some of the overgrown grass on one of the corners. This is the worst part of the sand court so once I get this done it will be just a matter of cleaning up the actual sand and the area around it (there are a lot of pine cones and sticks that are very unpleasant to step on). My hope was to have more people helping out but with everyone's schedule I'm just going out there and doing it by myself when I can. I have nothing against doing it by myself, and actually I like doing the work. I just know that everyone will enjoy the court when it is all refurbished ;)

Hoscakalin!

So it's raining...

...which naturally ruins all my plans that I had for the day. I wanted to get out to the sand court and do some more work on cleaning up the edges and the sand. But luckily we don't have any classes tomorrow since it is honors and awards day. So I will probably be on the court after I attend the mandatory fine arts thingy...and then a teammate from cali flew in today to see her boyfriend and I think we are going to be playing some indoor pickup. So at least I will get a taste of volleyball tomorrow :] I am still recovering from yesterdays workout! haha

Iyi aksamlar.

Start to a new beginning....

So I started my new beach workout, courtesy of http://www.beachdig.com/, and my god it's demanding! I knew it was going to be but my breathing has been oh so bad thanks to my allergies. I was sucking air within minutes.

We kind of modified the workout because we needed a little more than 15 seconds of rest in between each workout lol. If anyone else tries the workout please let me know how it goes. I'm trying to get a group of people together doing it because it is something that is easier with other people pushing you.

Hoscakalin! :]

Beach court cleanup: phase 1.

So I organized a cleanup of the sand court here on campus since it desperately needs one and nobody showed up. haha. So I begged 4 guys to help me and they all donation between 30-60 minutes and I did the rest lol. Today the main thing was to get the new edges marked since it is very badly overgrown with grass. I'm looking into getting some sand donated since there will be a lot of new surface area to cover. But I will probably just have to spread the sand from the middle. Anywho, that is what I did today.

Bed time. Up at 6:30 tomorrow morning and then 6s tournament all day here at the college! :)

Iyi aksamlar!

So I found some new gear...

that has caught my eye. The Nfinity series...http://www.nfinity.com/

Nfinity Volleyball Shoe

Signature Nfinity Shoe Case

Ultra Lightweight. The LIGHTEST shoe in its category – 8.4oz

BIONIQ™ Technology to help protect knees

QChannel™ technology to help center the foot & weight when playing

More Gum Rubber on the sole than any performance shoe for best traction

3D NfiniMesh™ keeps the feet cool and dry

NfiniGuard™ around the toe box extends life of the upper

NfiniLock™ keeps the arch locked in position and the foot secure

NfiniFit™ forefoot for a natural fit around the toes and impact area

20 interchangeable color cards for team or style customization

Sizes W 6-12, 13

Nfinity Volleyball Shoe - $99.99
I can deffinately see this being an investment I will make in the future. =]

iyi akşamlar.

It's been a long day. Had a good practice with the team :] Tomorrow ends another week, and that is another week closer to graduation. And of course, Turkiye!

hoşçakalin!

Günaydın!

I started practicing with the team again yesterday and I'm so sore after not playing for a few days. This weekend we have a 6s tournament and we are playing against a few colleges, so I should get a good workout in :) As I get closer and closer to finishing up school and arranging the details for this trip to Turkey I am getting even more excited. I'm trying to learn as much Turkish before I go so I have a slight understanding of what the heck is going on.

Like I said to a friend, I could get by in Argentina with knowing a little bit of spanish, but you can't really fake Turkish. LOL

Hoşçakalin!

Selam!

 Benim adim Brooke. Nasilsiniz? Iyiyim, tesekkurler. Iyi aksamlar. Hoscakalin!

That is what I have learned in one night! I'm excited to learn a new language. I will have to practice it though so I am hoping that I can find a friend on campus that will learn with me so I can speak it often and get an understanding for the actual words and not just memorize them. :]

To new beginnings!

What language is spoken in Turkey...?

Well it seems like the most obvious answer would be Turkish, but you know how some countries have languages that have nothing to do with the name of the country. I thought this might be the case but Turkish is the official language.

So it dawned on me today that it is probably going to be a language unlike any other language I have even attempted to speak before. When I travelled to Argentina it was a lot easier than I anticipated to get around due to 5 years of education in Spanish that I had forgotten and remembered when I needed it the most.

I did some research, and I found a free Turkish lessons online class thingy, http://www.turkishclass.com/, so we shall see how this goes :] If you have nothing better to do feel free to learn along with me!

New pagesss

I updated the about me page and added some purty pictures :) And I also added a page explaining my trip to Turkey. Enjoy =]

So how do you train for beach...?

Well, I really didn't know, but I have done some research ;]

I found this website called www.beachdig.com and it has some workout videos. I plan on attempting to follow the 2 videos to get ready for my adventures over the puddle. Here are the videos if anyone is interested :]

So what's ahead...?

2 months in Turkey playing beach doubles is what's ahead! I have been offered to play in a 9 tournament long tour around Turkey this summer between the months of July and September. I am super pumped, and although I do not know much about the sport of beach volleyball, OR the country of "Turkiye" I plan on doing a lot of homework and training within these next few months! I hope you will all enjoy watching the journey. I have set this blog up for friends and family to keep in touch so feel free to send words of wisdom through comments whenever you would like!

Hellooooo

New blog. I am so excited to document these next few months. More info soon! =D