Over Thanksgiving (November 15 to 25, 2018) A5 volleyball traveled to Japan with Bring It Promotions. The team was comprised of a select group of 16 players from three different age groups within the club. They played 4 matches and trained with local high school and college teams. Click here to view the team’s full trip itinerary in Japan. And check out the “Key Takeaways for Coaches and Directors” on JVA’s website. Here’s how Bob Westbrook described the club’s experience, “Life changing. This phrase is how our staff and players describe our recently completed Japan experience.There are simply no other words that capture the quality and depth of what this trip meant to us as individuals, as a club and as a team. Our athletes represented us in the highest possible manner. On the court and off the court, the girls made us proud of their representation of the sport, A5 and the United States.
The competition level on the court was the highest level we have ever faced. One of the teams we played — the number one high school team in Japan — practices 34 hours a week. 7 hours twice a week and 4 hours a day on the other 5 days. They all play in the same system. All over the country. They have all played together with their teams since junior high. Hard to imagine and even more unbelievable to see. Our athletes made steady progress in the face of a pretty challenging schedule as they competed throughout our stay.
Off the court our experiences were just so amazing. We traveled by train everywhere. Ate unusual food. Started in everything from a hip, millennial hotel in Tokyo (the Moxie-highly recommended) to one of their Olympic Training Centers in a very small room with shared showers and communal dining rooms.”
Check out A5’s vlog coverage of their trip. The videos below are the 5th and 6th video in a video series which includes volleyball coverage and sightseeing.
