Conclusion, by CJ (Ceej) Sherman
Having toured with Bring It USA on each of the New Year’s Bash events I have to admit this year was the best ever! The parents were awesome and very low maintenance, absolutely hilarious and real troopers. The coaches, Rico, Blake, April, and Bubba were amazingly fun, super energetic and easy going. The players continue to surprise me and this year the biggest surprise was all of them wanted more volleyball. I have never been with a more focused, athletic group of kids who love volleyball so much.
We started off in Venice touring the city and freezing our booties off, eating lunches in small fast food stands to sitting and having great pasta. The trip evolved from driving to Izola to learn the lay of the land, walking from gym to gym, getting coffee, medicine, and ice cream and trying to find the Moby Dick. Watching Elyssa’s bag swim in the Adriatic and having four coaches work together to rescue it. Getting to Maribor and playing in the snow the first night was about as much fun as I have ever had. Hiking the Pohojre Mountain (several parents conquered it and at the top celebrated with tears and beers) on New Years! The long bus ride to Vienna and then onto Prague to tour a cold busy city and shop till we dropped. The kids, parents and coaches made this a most remarkable and memorable tour! THANKS to all of you for making my job and this tour so much fun! Ciao for now and see you on the next tour, CJ
Conclusion & Parents'
Perspective"...
Lanie M. (Ft. Myers)
A holiday in Europe playing volleyball, making new friends, and learning about the history of Slovenia, (Maribor and Izola) and Prague, Czech Republic! What could be better? Maybe being 15 or 16 years old again! As a mom of a player on Team Rico, I can only share my impression of this awesome experience! CJ prepared us all vey well in advance with logistics- details of each day and her past adventures with previous Bash tours. What I can share is that no amount of CJ “telling” us what to expect can compare with actually taking in each day’s adventure with open eyes and enjoyment. I can truly say that this experience was one for the “scrap book” in all of us! How we will ever forget the first volleyball matches in Slovenia when our “girls” were up against a “line up” of 6’4’’ hitters and blockers that looked like a pro football team. Despite the size of the other teams- Team Rico held their own and delivered each match they played with enthusiasm, skill and a winning smile! There are so many memories of this trip that will forever be part of our lives. A few choice adventures included the New Years Eve “hike” up the “little” mountain. Yes-it felt like Mt. Everest to me! But once at the top- –the most spectacular view I had ever seen for a fireworks display! The evenings were fun just relaxing, hanging out playing cards and talking about the days events. I have to say that sharing all this adventure with my daughter, Katie, and getting to know all the wonderful fun loving players-coaches and other moms made this trip for me. Would I do it again! Absolutely! Thanks to CJ for pulling this team and group together- and to our coaches for coaching our team every match!
Kathleen (Windermere)
New Years Bash IV has proved to be everything CJ said it would be and much more. CJ couldn’t have prepared us any better for this trip; from clothing, shoes, currency, phones, to the “pillow case” packing for the plane - you can’t go wrong following her advice. We went from Orlando to Milan to Venice arriving at our first destination, Izola, Slovenia, one of the most quaint, charming places I’ve ever visited and probably my favorite stop on the tour. This town is a definite recommendation for anyone who might be travelling in this part of Europe. Next stop Maribor, Slovenia for our New Years Celebration and some frolicking in the snow and relaxation in the Spa. Now, the European “Spa” experience is quite different than what I’m accustomed to. I’m not exactly a seasoned spa customer, but I can definitely tell you that it is a different experience than what we are used to in the USA and after the initial shock and embarrassment, a very refreshing and relaxing spa experience for a group of tired moms. The ski lodge atmosphere of the Hotel Arena in Maribor was reminiscent of many ski vacations in Colorado. The views are spectacular, the sledding, skiing and “hiking” were incredible. The New Years Eve hike up the mountain to see the fireworks was an experience of a lifetime. The drive in the minivan/bus up the back road to the top of the mountain with the crazy Mullet-Haired Slovenian driver was an experience we could have done without, especially when we got stuck in the snow and he repeatedly backed up and started forward again trying to get “a running start” we presume. That didn’t work, instead we had to back up down the very narrow snow packed road alongside the cliff overlooking Maribor with the back doors open so the driver could find his way. Many of us text messaged our loved ones just in case. Needless to say we are all here and Tim was the hero, as he said he was never ever scared one bit! (Ah, ha, ask the rest of us about that) This was another precious moment for the memory book. On to Prague, Czech Republic with a pit-stop in Vienna, Austria for a few hours of sightseeing and shopping. The churches, cathedrals and food were awesome. Just enough time to break up the long bus ride between Maribor and Prague. Prague is a beautiful city with an abundance of culture and history to explore for a few weeks so we crammed a lot into our 3 days. All in all, I would highly recommend this tour for both players and parents. It is an incredible experience both athletically and culturally. The volleyball experiences and the life experience gained on this trip should provide memories for a lifetime. The Coaches and Tour Directors made sure fun was had by all, but more importantly that everyone had a safe experience. I thank everyone affiliated with Bring it USA from Cory and Tim to CJ and all the Coaches who put the New Years Bash IV Tour together. Hopefully both Molly and I have made some friends for life and will enjoy catching up at all our Volleyball Events! |
