Journal Entry #5, Jacksonville/Birmingham Teams
Prague, Czech Republic
April’s Team Journal Day 7 and Day 8
January 2 and 3, 2008
Kendall W (Tallahassee, FL) and Kendall P and Sam (Coral Springs, FL)
January 2: We woke up at 8:30am and packed our belongings and brought them out to the bus. We had to quickly eat breakfast and board our double-decker bus and head for Vienna. It was a three-hour trip and we mainly slept the entire way. Once we arrived there we walked around the town and shopped a little. We got a fast bite to eat at a little pizza place and got a slice and dipped. After a while of walking around and sight seeing we had to board back on the bus for what felt like 5 hours of a long boring ride. Finally we reached Praha (Prague) which is where we got into our rooms and slept.
January 3: We woke up at 6:30 to be down at the cafeteria by 6:50 and we all went and ate together. We got onto the bus at 7:15 and arrived at the gym for our first match around 7:45. We played Olymp Praha Jrs in their gym and lost the first two games but won the third. Our excitement level in the third game was much more intense than the first two. The Olymp Praha team was strong and very well skilled. The girls jumped served and passed very well, leading us to believe that our coaches do know what they are saying when they say “it is a serve and pass game”. We were then able to scrimmage Blake’s Team and played very well, it was a lot of fun.
After we played we watched Blake’s team play an excellent team with some unbelievable hitters. They did really well and kept up with them the whole time though so it was a great match to watch.
After leaving the gym, we came back to the hotel for a quick hour to shower and change before heading into the city for a little shopping. We ate lunch at TGI Fridays and walked around Prague site seeing a little. We saw the clock tower, a few churches and shopped some. At five we stood at the clock tower and listened to the bell and saw the There are really cool old statues of saints that revolved around in the clock. The clock is very old built in the 1500’s. It was really cool to see. We also went to see the famous Charles Bridge. Then we headed back to the hotel for dinner and a little R and R.
January 4, 2008
Blake’s Team, by Elyssa, Birmingham, Alabama
Today we had a great day! We woke up and ate a delicious breakfast consisting of bread and water. Then we took the bus to the gym to play our match. The team, Olymp Praha, was late arriving to the gym so we warmed up and scrimmaged April’s team to a game to 25. Once the team got to the gym and warmed up we started to realize how big these “girls” really were. These so called “girls” were actually in their early 20’s except for the setter who was 27. So, us 17, 18, and 19 year-old girls were playing very talented adults.
We started warming up and they kept slamming the ball in front of the 10 foot line which was a little bit of an intimidation factor. We finally started the game and we were off to a great start. We played together and were having fun. We hung with these girls who are more experienced and have played a very high level of volleyball. Personally, I believe this will help us individually as most of us wish to play in college. The scores were: 19-25, 15-25, 17-25, and 22-25. It was one of the best games we had played this entire trip.
After the match, we cleaned up and went downtown. We ate at T.G.I. Fridays, real AMERICAN! Then, it was on to shopping. We all found outfits to wear for our night out on the town Saturday. After shopping it was on to site-seeing. We went and saw the Old Town Clock Tower. We got there just in time to see the clock strike 5 and watch all the saints and skeletons move about. This is quite a popular thing for the Czech people as it is part of their history. We began to freeze our butts off so we walked up to the horse statue, and met the bus to go back to the hotel.
We got back, ate dinner, and chilled. We had a fun, exciting day and enjoyed every minute of it! Prague is by far our favorite city on the trip and we love every minute of it! Love you all and see you soon!
Day 9, January 4, 2008
Florida Delegation, Comprehensive Update
Today our delegation was going in two different directions again. Team Blake went and toured the Prague Castle and Team (Rico) Bubba and Team (April) Rico started their day down town but played two matches in the late afternoon.
Team Blake went to the Prague Castle, St Vitus, and the Parliament area. The sites are magnificent we took way too many pictures and enjoyed learning about the history of Prague. Stanley, our tour guide whose father is the Czech National Volleyball Team Coach, was amazing! THANKS STAN THE MAN! It was very cold, but not too windy and that made for better photographs. The Castle was built in the 9th century and the Premyslid dynasty ruled there for over 400 years. During the 14th century Charles IV built St Vitus Cathedral and the famous Charles Bridge. We were able to visit both of these places on our way to old town and we ended up at Wenceslas Square in the heart of the city center. We had lunch and shopped for presents. Blake was in awe of the sites and sounds of the historical bustling city. We, in turn, thought he was a dork.
Team (Rico) Bubba was coached today by Bubba-aka-Jay. And Team (April) was coached by Rico and CJ. Coaches sometimes switch teams to give the players a different view of the game and to experience coaching diversity. This also allows each coach to become better acquainted with the players on the tour. It is also a lot of fun. Before they went to the gym, both teams went to Wenceslas Square to get lunch and shop. Several of us ended up at the TGI Friday’s down town for an American lunch of chicken fingers, chicken tacos and burgers. Utterly delicious! Off to the matches on the other side of Prague…
Our bus driver was really nice but spoke no English so we were always in need of our trusted, loyal and ever ready Czech Guide and Translator Jirka. He had a smile and joke for us and made sure we were all well taken care of. We got to the gym in about 40 minutes and went in. It looked like a school from outside but we believed it was a community center of sorts as it had several gyms and locker rooms, but no toilet paper. So the saga began with searching the premises for the Charmin paper! (Or any kind would do) After asking several coaches, custodians, parents and random onlookers we came to the conclusion we would have to enter the MENS ROOM. Kamryn was nominated by her lovely best friend teammates and so off she went with high hopes of returning with some necessary paper work. None was to be found. Finally a cleaning lady noticed our delegation all 18 players, 4 coaches and some parents needing something so with hand signals and grunts and groans we managed to get some lovely Christmas printed paper to share! It was a blessing for many of us.
Team Bubba and Team April played at the same time in two different gyms. April’s team coached by CJ and Rico won their first set 25-21 vs Sportovni Klub Jrs but then lost the next three 20-25, 23-25, 18-25. After discussing this loss, the team decided to focus on serve receive and ball control. Team Bubba won their match in 3 and played very relaxed. They played Sportovni Klub Youth and won 25-21, 25-11, 25-17; Katie, Julia and Taylor all played well. Bubba’s team was ON and feeling good. Next, we had a short break and the USA Teams switched gyms. Both teams were cheered on by Blake’s team while the old man himself slept in a corner of the gym preparing for the night’s festivities.
The next matches were victories for both teams! Team April was on fire, Kendall W, Kristen and Christina contributed with blocks and digs. Sam crushed a few key kills and the scores were 25-21, 25-20, 25-21. While this exciting match was going on Team Bubba was pounding out another win vs Sportovni Klub Jrs 25-21, 25-19, 25-20 lead by Kamryn, MaCall, Shelby, Molly and Lexi. We shook hands got photo’s and packed up to head back for dinner. NOTE: Bubba was 6-0 in sets and 2-0 in matches the only undefeated coach on tour!
Back at the hotel our kids had made friends with a hockey club from Ontario Canada, so they began playing cards, talking, exchanging t-shirts, hats and scarves. Fun was had by all.
Day 10
Blake’s team had to get up to play today so off they went to the Olymp Praha gym to play two very talented teams. Teams Rico and April got to sleep in and caught the bus at noon to go back into the city for one more shopping spree.
Blake’s team played the tough U21 Olymp Praha team and lost the match in 3. However they pushed through the next match vs. Olymp Praha Jrs and lost in 4. Blake was impressed with his team’s adjustments and focus.
Team’s April and Rico were brought to the “horse statue” and told to meet at the New Yorker at 4:50 so off everyone went to get lunch, sight see, take pictures and shop. The mission of several coaches and parents was to get Bubba to the Charles Bridge and to Wenceslaus Square to see the clock tower and watch it chime. Missions accomplished as well as stopping to buy gifts for friends and family back home.
We met at the New Yorker at 4:50 and the teams and parents went to the Pizza Coliseum for a great dinner of Pizza, Pasta and fun. The Coaches went with Cory and CJ to the infamous Czech Pub for a traditional dinner of sausages, kraut, dumplings, potato pancakes and cheese. We met back at the Top Hotel for a night of cards, pictures, and good-byes.
Several of our kids decided to stay up all night with the Canadian Hockey teams and it paid off with a delightful 9-hour sleep on the flight home. |
