Hilton HHonors Beach Volleyball Challenge

Good morning Waikiki Beach!

Aloha!

I recently got back from an exhibition event in Hawaii. It was such an honour to be a part of the Hilton HHonors Beach Volleyball Challenge November 15-17. It was an event that invited only one men's and one women's team from Canada, China and the US. But because there were only 6 teams involved does not mean this was a small event! We were totally treated like rock stars as soon as we arrived (which was a little later than expected due to a missed connection at JFK airport... haha). We did interviews, attended a luau in honour of the athletes at the event and met a whole bunch of great people along the way!

The venue was beautiful, the weather was perfect and the volleyball was awesome! What a huge experience for Jamie and I. We got to play two of the best teams in the world. For fun. In Hawaii. Is this a dream?

Yes Guy!

The team from the states was Kerri Walsh and April Ross, the Gold and Silver medalists at the Olympics last year. The team from China had just won the last FIVB event we were at in Thailand... and not to mention one of the girls is the reigning World Champion.
So, you could say we were the underdogs... being Olympic hopefuls and not having nearly as much experience as our competition... but what a chance for us to play at the highest level and put our skills to the test! I feel so lucky to have been able to take part in this tournament. I learned so much about myself and our team, and proved to myself that we really do have what it takes to get to the top level in this sport.


Here are some pictures from our time in Hawaii. I miss it already!

Mom, Ben, John, me, Jamie, Ahren and Chaim. Team Canada at the Luau!

Team bonding

Take me back!

Hello Asia... we meet again

 Jamie and I wrapped up our FIVB World Tour season with two stops in Asia. First we went to Xiamen, China to compete in the last Grand Slam of the year. You might recall we kicked off the season in China this year with some pretty good results! (9th in Fuzhou and 17th in Shanghai) so we were looking forward to working hard and getting some more good finishes. 

Visa, 15hr flight, jet-lag! Getting to China is a process...

China was good to us again! We played in some of the windiest conditions we've ever experienced, and improved our game with each day of playing. The first day of pool play was a little rough, we lost both our matches to USA and Germany. The next day was much better, we beat Japan to advance out of our pool. Then we matched up against Italy in the first round of playoffs. The wind was so strong, but we used it to our advantage and kept hitting the ball hard when we could. We won that game, which took us to the second round vs. another team from Germany. It was close, but we just couldn't quite pull off a win. We came away with a 9th place finish, which we are very proud of!

Our last World Tour stop of 2013 was an Open in Phuket, Thailand. 

Ok, you probably think that as a beach volleyball player, I get to spend all my time on a beautiful sandy beach under the sun. That's definitely not the case, as we usually play at venues that are man-made beach court set up somewhere away from any water... and sometimes it's cold and rainy to the point that we have to wear full-body spandex. Anyway, as the above is all too true, I do have to admit that Phuket is EXACTLY what you'd imagine when it comes to living the beach volleyball dream!! 

The courts are on white sandy beaches, the sun is usually shining and the ocean is at the perfect temperature for you to feel refreshed, yet able to swim all day! We love it there. Such a treat to be able to travel there after a long and gruelling season! I'd invite anyone to come down there and cheer us on :) it's a great spot to travel to. 

The view from centre court.

Pad Thai and other delicious food every day!

In the tournament we lost to Sweden and Brasil but beat Norway to advance to the playoffs. We beat Vanuatu, but lost to Argentina, landing us another 9th place finish.
This has been our third 9th in a row, and our fourth this season. It's really nice to see hard work paying off, but we already have our sights set for bigger and better things next season. We came pretty close to some even better finishes, we know they are within reach, and that's so encouraging and inspiring for us!

Here are some pics from the trip

Apparently snickers will make you younger and clean-shaven....

....because this looks appetizing! A super pig that moo's...

The waitress was as tall as Jamie sitting down! I had to take a picture

My good friend Heather lives in Bangkok and met up with us in Phuket! 

Being cool on Raya Island

Motorcy: the preferred way to get around in Bangkok!

You can never get tired of this view!