Kaira's tryout for the USA Junior National Team

 

Waking up at 4am on a Friday is not my idea of fun but I was so focused on the tryout for the USA Women’s Junior National Volleyball Team that sleep deprivation was the least of my concerns. I arrived in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center early in the afternoon of Friday, February 22^rd and two hours later I began the first part of the tryout. Actually two tryouts were going on simultaneously, one for the Junior National Team (WJNT) and the other an open tryout for the National Team (WNT). We started by playing 6 on 6 wave drills. Although doing the same drill for two and a half hours can seem daunting and repetitious, the level of play was fast paced and extremely competitive. Since I haven’t played since September 1^st, it was exciting to play with athletes who understand what it means to compete at a high level.

   

The second day began with physical testing. This included a one-meter sprint, standing reach, block touch, agility test, height, arm speed, and attack contact height. The interesting thing about all of the physical testing was that all the measurements were done electronically and many were recorded on camera to be reviewed later. At our second practice we learned the USA Volleyball blocking system that involves a split step and intense focus on reading the setter. Then after a short break those trying out for the JNT played timed matches with different teams. Even though I was just playing with college freshman and younger the level of play was still so high it felt so good to be playing.

On the final morning we were divided into teams. We played a mini tournament (my team won all three of our games). It was a great experience and I hope to bring back a high level of play to Leede Arena this spring. The hardest part at the end wasn’t the physical and mental exhaustion but trying to return to college. Mother nature has a way of intervening in travel plans and my trip back to Hanover, never an easy place to get to under normal circumstances, was stopped dead in its tracks. A big snowstorm in Denver and the surrounding area caused the cancelation of many flights, including mine. I would have been stuck in at the airport in Colorado until Tuesday if my dad hadn’t been there to drive me home to NM so that I could travel from Albuquerque where the sky is almost always blue.

Observations:

-       the majority of the players at the tryout were 6’ and above, the tallest player being 6’9.5” and the highest reach 11”

-       some schools send a large number of their players to the tryout and they travel in packs and some schools like Texas and Penn State send none at all

-       the Olympic Training Center has an awesome dining hall where we all ate more than 3 meals a day

-       in the end it doesn’t matter how old someone is or what school they come from, just that they are playing their best not only for themselves but especially for the 5 other people on the court and above all USA