Breaking Down August 2014, by Rob McLean (August ’13 Alumni)
Hello Future Teammates,
My names Rob and I played on the BIP August Exposure Tour last year. I just wanted to send out an email to everyone who is coming on the tour this year, whether you are coming on the tour for the first time or you are returning. Personally I had a fantastic time on tour; meeting people who are in the same shoes as yourself is very eye-opening and you get to see a lot of different personalities.
This tour is a great time but it is also a serious opportunity for American players to play professionally outside of the USA. So as you read this email right now, no matter if you are going for fun or to play professionally for many years, you should be continuing to improve your craft (volleyball) and be in condition to play high level volleyball. When you come to the tour all you need is the confidence to execute and to be ready to adjust to your environment. Playing in Europe is just different and you will see for yourself. But one major difference is, if the ball touches the ceiling it is out of bounds; just something to keep in mind.
From my experience last year I’ll just tell you what I’ll be doing this year and what I’m doing differently from last year. I’ll be looking to book a flight to get into Slovenia a day or two earlier than we start playing, and staying in a hotel off the mountain in the city of Maribor. Last year I flew in the day of the tour in the morning and got there just as our first practice was starting. It was good timing, but I also didn’t feel well off the plane and it was a bit too strenuous getting from the airport early in the morning. Just my experience, but that’s what I will be doing.
As far as when we are at the Dras Center in Maribor, we play a lot of volley, so be prepared for two-a-days; morning practice and 5 pm games. Plenty of time to rest and eat and stretch between playing times, so just use your time wisely. We play a lot of volleyball for the first 5-6 days in a row on tour, so we get right into it. Also a couple of times the one large tour of guys split into two different teams with one team playing in Austria one of those times and the other in Croatia. So just be in touch with your email (and the FaceBook Group that will be up and running by then) because that is how Tim will communicate what is going on for the day.
After the day is over we definitely have a good time. You don’t have to drink but there is a bar in the DRAS Center where we play and so you can easily stay within walking distance of the DRAS Center if you want. Also the girls tour is starting to end as ours starts so there are a couple females there to talk to. But they are also there for the same reasons you are, so just keep that in mind. When we leave Maribor after 5-6 nights, we’ll travel to a town called Bled. Bled is a town in the mountains of Slovenia and around Lake Bled, one of the most perfect bodies of water I have ever seen. We relax there for a two nights before we travel to play again and finish up in Nova Gorica (near the Italian border). At least thats how my tour went, but it can change with teams wanting to play us and some other team falling through. So again, just be ready to adjust and be ready to play.
Another very simple tip to make your tour, and especially your after-tour much easier: PACK LIGHT. If you bring a large bag make sure it has wheels but also understand wheels suck with stairs and there are a lot of stairs in Europe, I promise.
Now regarding plans for staying in Europe after the tour, its completely up to all of us on tour. Last year none of us knew each other. Maybe we knew OF each other, but didn’t know each other well. 8 of us ended up going post-tour in Europe to wait out for a contract. We did everything on the fly and just decided to pool food and get cheap hostels and we had a blast. The tour ends in Venice so we saw Venice that day and stayed that night in a hostel just outside of Venice; much cheaper than inside the city.
Traveled to Florence next, by bus, and Florence was awesome. In my opinion some of the most friendly people there, and we stayed at a dope hostel called Hotel Ottoviana and I highly recommend it on pure location and price. Its perfect for what you’ll be looking for. We stayed there for two nights then traveled by train to Rome. We found the greatest hostel of all time called Hostel Ivanhoe in Rome. It is down the street from the Coliseum and the staff is so chill, I still talk with some of them on a monthly basis. Every night they have an event in the hostel and then they bring you out to the club that is dope. We stayed there for almost a week because it was so great but we eventually left because we wanted to see more and we were get a little strapped for cash. We took an overnight cruise from Ancona, Italy to Zadar, Croatia because Croatia is one of the cheapest places in Europe. I ate a 5 star meal in Croatia every night for next to nothing, it’s a must see too; unbelievably beautiful and peaceful. We stay in Croatia collectively around 5 days and it was so cheap. By then we all either had contracts/tryouts or we were planning to head home.
That was more or less my experience from last year. I ended up getting a contract in the end, but mainly because I stayed in Europe and I was available to the European teams to pick me up. So if you really intend to stay in Europe after the tour it would be best to discuss a plan of action so we can all help each other stay in Europe together. My email is mc11lean@gmail.com so if any of you guys have any more specific questions I can help out.
