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Katy Troutman
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K.T. - While most people were enjoying their last week before school, our team was beginning its pre-season practices. The first day we were half awake by 7:00 a.m. and ready to complete a seven minute mile that had been expected of us by that first day. No sooner had we returned we were testing verticals and maxing out in the weight room, nothing less than two-a-day volleyball practices and morning weight sessions.
The Green House lived up to its name during the week of over 100 degree temperatures, but we practiced through it. To build communication, trust and other essential ingredients for a successful team, we trekked out to the ropes course where, between the ten of us, we accumulated countless bruises.
We’re friends on and off the court and we have fun with whatever we do. We'll go out to eat and come back with balloons and ice cream and we do the apache dance to Sugar Hill Gang in the locker room.
Though the preseason stage is over we are still up around 7:00 a.m., not for weight lifting but for classes. This past weekend was the start of the SCCC Classic, our first tournament. Our team was adjusting to the long tiring days packed with volleyball and our eight freshmen were adjusting to the new competition.
We all had our moments and those who came to watch got a good glimpse of how good we’ll be and what our team is capable of. The way our team is working now, it’s exciting to see how much better we’ll get and how much more fun we’ll have playing ball.
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Alex Droogsma
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A.D.- Hey everyone! My name's Alex Droogsma, and I'm a sophomore from
Denver City
,
Texas
. I'm so excited about this 2007 season! Pre-season began on August 9th when we moved into the dorms, and really met each other at a team Bar-B-Q later that night.
Those first couple of weeks were a great time to really get to know the girls and their personalities. We were all REALLY quiet the first couple of days which is not a good thing in volleyball because communication is such a key factor in the game. Although recently it seems like everyone has come out their shell.
We love being around each other! It's so fun to see the international girls who speak English as their second language, let loose and joke around with us too. Yang Dan is so crazy! She's full of life and loves to tease. Jelena has also really opened up and shown us more of who she is. She's so funny and sweet! These two girls are such strong players for our team and I love getting to know them more everyday.
This past weekend we hosted our Kick-off Tournament at the Green House and faced some pretty tough competition. The first day we did well and defeated both teams, but the second day we had a couple of setbacks. We played hard and at a quick tempo the first match, but we did not show up to play for our second match.
We have a lot of things to work on in practice, but I know that we'll persevere and push our way through it all. This weekend really showed me a lot about our team. When we play together and give 110%, we can be unstoppable. On the other hand, when we are not focused and make too many mental mistakes it'll come back to haunt us.
Regardless, I'm so excited about our talent, potential and things we can accomplish this year. Thank you to everyone that came out to support us this weekend! You have no idea how much it means to us to see you out in the stands cheering us on! I hope to see you guys there this Wednesday for our first Conference game! I can't believe it's already here.
Hope ya'll have a great week! God bless!
Until next time...
