July 27, 2011
Hello Everybody!
It is really hard for me to believe that EIGHT WEEKS have already gone by! The summer training is coming to an end and I couldn't be more impressed and proud of my team. This week is testing week which means we cut back on the conditioning and heavy lifting everyday and just do a few tests each day to see the progress we have made over the past eight weeks. There have been an enormous number of PR's this week with everything from pull-ups to verticals. We even have a couple people that have set team records! The group of girls we have on this team are very hard working and with that being said the freshman class make up a huge chunk of the team. All 7 freshman are here now with us and they all are improving day by day. I feel a really good chemistry with the group of girls that we have here and am so excited to get the season going.
Lately myself and other teammates have had many opportunities to get out in the community and talk to people about the upcoming season and to invite students and adults to attend our matches. Last week Lisa Henning and I along with our coaches, Nick Chaney and his crew went and spoke to a group of golden tigers at the Alumni Center about this coming season. These Golden Tigers are some of our most dedicated and loyal fans so having their support is beyond gratifying. Also last week the team attended Wilson's Beach Club in Columbia Missouri. We went out and invited kids and families to attend our games and to be a part of our youth group "volleyzone." We had half the team playing a little bit of sand volleyball with the kids at Wilson's and then the rest were playing a game of water volleyball. It was a really good time and The kids enjoyed it so much that we are going back again this Thursday July 28th. Friday morning the team met at Hearnes to shoot our new and improved volleyzou video and rap which might I add is AWESOME! We got to do many different shots, some in the locker room, on court, and even on campus. With the help of Iseah Bentley, I think the video is going to turn out wonderful! This Tuesday night a couple members of the team joined Nick Chaney with the science and medicine camp to involve them in some volleyball activities. They got a tour of our facility and then broke up into teams and got some coaching and then were able to play a couple games against each other. We had a question and answer session after and then signed posters for them! I think they all had a really good time!
This week will be our last week of training and then we get a break until August 8th when we have to report back for physicals and drug testing. Two a days will then begin on August 9th. Usually the way two a days work is that we will eat breakfast as a team and then we will have about a three hour practice in the morning followed by lunch and then another three hour practice in the evening. A few days during the week we will have a light lift after practice to keep in shape and make sure our bodies are recovering. We'll eat dinner, sleep and then do it all over again for about two weeks. It really is starting to hit me that this is my last season which means this is the last two a days I will ever be apart of. I can't wait to take this opportunity and make the best out of it. We have a great set of girls with a ton of talent that will go a long way. I'm ready to see what this season will bring and to get started!!
-Pip Armendariz #10