From the golden state to city of steel

It's been an intense time in Sheffield with tryouts. 2 weeks of players leaving and GB players coming back from their respective clubs in Europe. We had a total of 24 loyal Brits fighting for a spot on the Great Britain National Team. This is more than we've had in the past. With the Olympics just over a year away (438 days!) our preparation as a team is so important. Reality is setting in as teammates are being cut that have been part of the program since 2006/07. Everyone is vital part of our success as a team. Each person has sacrificed everything they can to take part in developing the GB team. We don't have funding, we're not being payed to play (we had in the past but this was just enough to get by), well to put it simply, our National team has so much heart and determination to be our best by 2012, that we are doing whatever we can to support each other and find ways around the things we don't have. So those teammates and friends that have left the team, are still and always will be a huge part of our success.

This past week, we've had training twice a day (2 hour sessions), lifting, and testing. Testing included jump tests, sprints, and the yo-yo test. If you ever want a fun workout, do the yo-yo test. The test starts of with a run then turns into a sprint, and you are done when you physically cannot run anymore. As volleyball players, we love this test! We finished our weeks of tryouts with a 5 hour meeting covering information for the summer and future. Sunday and today have been wonderful days off. Lots of coffee dates, relaxing and a great Sunday roast.

I'm traveling in a few hours to South America. For 3 weeks I will be in Lima, Peru and Buenos Aires, Argentina. We will be playing against Peru, Argentina, Thailand, Chile and another team tbc. You can follow the team on our website:

www.gbwomensvolleyball.co.uk

and like us on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/GBWomensVolleyballTeam

Adios!