Snow Day!

The forecast called for "Toronto's biggest snowfall in years".... and I have to say I was a little bit skeptical. It seems that people tend to over-exaggerate a predicted snowfall these days. I had planned a road trip to visit a friend in Ottawa this weekend, so I was really hoping the weather man was wrong with this one. 

When I woke up, the city was covered in snow and it was actually coming down pretty steadily. Our coach cancelled training, so I enjoyed my first real snow day since being back in school. It was great! 

I decided to hit the streets and take some pictures.

 At the end of the day, the amount of snow that hit Toronto wasn't completely ridiculous. I guess the city panicked because of the amount that got dumped in such a short time. Over a foot of snow fell today and it did give drivers a hard time on the roads. I think I made the right call by postponing my road trip for another weekend.

I am missing the sun and sand more than ever!

March Break Indoor Volleyball Camp

I have some exciting news! 
I will be helping out with a really cool week-long March Break volleyball camp. If you are a kid, you DEFINITELY want to get in on this opportunity to meet and work with current Canadian National Team members. 

I will be coaching alongside my partner Jamie Broder, Olympian Josh Binstock and his partner Maverick Hatch. 

Here is what you need to know: 

This camp aims to deliver the full range of skills necessary to compete and excel in volleyball as the certified, elite level instructors will expose you to new methods and tactics while taking each individuals knowledge of the game to the next level.

Within the 5-days/30 hours of camp, athletes will work to improve techniques, physical and tactical aspects of the game as well as decision-making abilities. Mental training, strength and conditioning, & nutrition guides will be incorporated into each daily session, as these commonly overlooked aspects are imperative when striving for excellence and consistency.

Also, Julie Bednarski, RD, MHSc - Vega Nutritionist and East Coast Rep (myvega.com) - will be at the camp educating campers on nutrition as well as providing Vega sample products! 

Register early if interested in attending as space is limited!

This March Break Camp will be divided into two divisions, however athletes will be moved up or down if necessary (based on skill), and all athletes will work with every coach.

Ages 11-14:
Athletes here will gain valuable technical knowledge allowing them to build a strong foundation in all skills. The drills and focuses are designed for athletes to find quick success and a desire to continually improve. Along with base techniques athletes will be exposed to a high intensity environment allowing for maximal benefit and learning opportunities.

Ages 15-18:Athletes in this group will be introduced to volleyball on a deeper level; learning what makes elite athletes perform at their best on a consistent basis. This will include the fine-tuning of developed skills, the introduction of new skills, as well as situational theory that will teach athletes how to successfully perform during high-pressure situations.

This is an OVA sanctioned camp, for further information and registration details you can visit the OVA website  or see below…  Hope to see you out during March Break!

Location: Havergal College – Upper School, 1451 Avenue Rd., Toronto ON M5N 2H9

Date: March 11-15, 2013

Time: 9AM-4PM (1hr Lunch Break)

Ages: 11 – 18 years

Cost: $300 total (includes HST)

Registration Payment: Cheques payable to Maverick Hatch or email transfer to promotions@maverickhatch.com.

Any questions? Contact Maverick!

October update

After a deliciously large turkey dinner at Thanksgiving, we only had a couple of days to recover before having to perform the best we could at the National Team tryouts and physical testing. Along with ball control and skill testing, we had to hop hurdles, throw med balls, run an agility course and do the yo-yo test, among other tests.

All this went down at our Full-time Training Centre at Downsview Park.

Jamie and I then had a week at home to train for our upcoming tournament in Thailand, the last stop of the year on the world tour. We trained with the other Canadian team that would be traveling, Vee and Sophie, since everyone else had decided to start their break a little early.

Thailand is always one of my favourite stops on tour. Instead of being held in Phuket like the last couple of years, this FIVB took place in Bang Saen, a town just one hour outside of Bangkok.

Since the timing is kind of weird for this event (it's almost a month after the previous event) and especially because it's an Olympic year, a lot of the usual teams decided not to come to this tournament, and Jamie and I took advantage of this situation. We'd accumulated enough points this season that we were the top-ranked team in the qualifier. And because so few teams showed up, we got a bye into the Main Draw, which was pretty awesome. On qualification day, we went to cheer on Vee and Sophie. It was pouring rain on the day of their game, and unfortunately they could not pull out a win against Norway. 

A view of the venue

We played the next day, and the weather had cleared up by then so it was sunny and hot. Our first game in the Main Draw was against a team from the Netherlands. We took the match in 3 sets (19-21, 21-19, 15-12). It was really exciting to win such a tight game! We played a decent game, staying aggressive and attacking whenever we could, but there are definitely still things to work on. The win was so exciting because it meant we were guaranteed to at least match our best ever result at an FIVB. Such a great feeling!

Next we played Brazil, a familiar opponent, as we had just played them in Finland a few weeks ago. This time around we played much better, almost taking the first set, and probably catching them off-guard. We lost in 2 (20-22, 11-21) but felt like we had improved since our last match against them.

Finally, we played Vanuatu. This is a team that we have gotten to know through training sessions at many FIVB events throughout the year. I personally had a bad game that day, I'm not sure if it was the heat, fatigue or just an off-day for me. I was really disappointed with the loss (15-21, 15-21) because I know this is a team we are capable of beating, but I will just have to keep training hard and wait until our next match up to prove it! That loss took us out of the tournament with a 17th place finish, the same as in Finland and one that I am proud of, but believe we can continue to improve!

I was lucky enough to have my parents come to this tournament and cheer us on. It was their first time attending an FIVB and I think they had a pretty good time!

This bad boy was lent to my parents by the owner of their hotel. Yes, it has flames. And yes, it is called the Phantom.

After the tournament, my parents and I planned to travel to an island called Koh Samui together. We arrived in the morning, rented motorbikes (for a daily rate of $5 each!) and toured around in search of a place to stay for the night. I'd say we found a pretty awesome spot. I still can't get over how beautiful Thailand can be! 

$65/night goes a long way in Thailand! We had our own villa by the beach.

 Later that day, we swam in the ocean, hiked up a trail to check out a waterfall and started to head up a mountain to take in a sweet view of the island. Unfortunately, my mom had an accident and crashed her bike on the way up the mountain. The rest of the day was spent in 2 hospitals getting stitches and x-rays. Turns out she broke her humerus bone. She spent her first night on the island in the hospital, a huge bummer! However, armed with her recently purchased new iPad from a shopping day in Bangkok, she was a trooper and managed to return to the hotel in a cast and sling so she could enjoy the last couple days on the beach as intended.

After a few days on the island, my parents flew home and I stayed with my good friend Heather in Bangkok, just as I did last year. This was such a great way to end my trip. I got to do some Bangkok essentials before I left (you know... thai massage, mani, pedi, another massage, shopping, etc). I am so grateful to both Heather and her boyfriend Greg for letting me share their space! Thank you for being such wonderful hosts, it was such a treat to be able to spend time with you!

I have to say, I really didn't want to come home. When I arrived, the weather was cold and rainy and brutal! The one good thing about coming home though was that I got to hang out with my brother for a day. It was one of those rare times when we're both at home. He came to get me from the airport, and he next day I dropped him off there for his flight to Sweden. But in between we got to hang out and get caught up in each others' lives. Just as my beach season ends, his ski season picks up! The timing is pretty funny.

Now that I'm home, I've had a week to rest before training starts up again. Still feeling some of the effects of jet lag too. My roommate thinks I'm crazy, unable to keep my eyes open past 9pm and waking up at 6:30 every day. Oh well, I guess I'm a morning person now!

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Autumn is definitely the best season of the year (even if it's a little too cold to keep hanging out and training on Canadian beaches)! This thanksgiving weekend, like every year, I headed up north to our cottage with my family. 

Just look at the colour of the trees! And this is just the beginning....

So when it's 7 degrees outside and you're about to put the boat away for the winter, 

what better to do than go for one last wake surf ride of the year!

Gangnam Style!!

Oh yeah. That was awesome. Next up, turkey dinner! That is the best part of the weekend, after all. 

Looking forward to stuffing my face with delicious food.

Gobble Gobble!

San Diego NORCECA

On the second day of our tournament we beat Guatemala in our last game of pool play. Later that day we took on Trinidad & Tobago in the quarters to make top 4 in the tournament.

San Diego was experiencing a heat wave this weekend, so each day was hotter than the last. It didn't help that most of our games were played in the middle of the day either! 

On the final day, we were matched up with another US team in our semi final. They got off to strong start both sets and we couldn't manage to hold a lead against them. We lost in 2 sets and had to face Mexico in the bronze final. We started off great, dominating the first set, but then the momentum shifted and we ended up losing in 3. SO disappointing!

On a happier note, the Canadian men did great! Ben and Chaim won the tournament while our second team of Mike and Cam took the bronze. They both beat American teams in the finals. Way to go boys!

We managed to do some sightseeing before heading home. The day after the tournament, Mike, Cam, my mom and I decided to hit up the World Famous San Diego Zoo. We wandered around for hours, it was a really great time! We also managed to squeeze in a quick visit to the beach on Coronado Island. I hope I get to come back to San Diego, this has been a pretty fun trip! 

My mom, so pumped to be at the beach! Coronado Island, CA.

I love Vancouver. 
 

...so it's no surprise that I came back! We decided to have a week of training out west before our next tournament; a NORCECA down in San Diego. The weather has continued to be sunny and clear in Van since I left at the end of August. We've trained almost everyday (sometimes twice!) with Chris Densmore, an awesome coach that has helped us out so much. 

  
On our day off, we decided to hike The Chief in Squamish. Such an incredible view! (You just can't get this in Toronto!)

Always up for a training session!

Kits Beach was pretty quiet this week, now that summer is winding down, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. The week of intense training was much needed. I think it successfully set us up for the NORCECA.







We're in California now and loving it! We played our first pool play match against a US team yesterday (W 21-11, 21-14) and we have two games today. The venue is pretty incredible, it's an Olympic Training Centre for many different sports and it has housing and food and laundry on site. Not to mention a sweet athlete lounge with pool tables, xbox, computers and board games. Our moms also decided to come down and watch the tournament, so we have a cheering section too!
Our next game is against Guatemala this afternoon. Let's keep it rolling!

The awesome venue in Chula Vista, CA.