Hi GMVAers or others Reading this hope all is going well back home. So it's about time I write my blog and seeing as I'm just about to start up my second semester at GPRC I thought I may as well while I still have a bit of free time.
I'm not quite sure where to start off, or what to write about as so much has happened and changed in these past 5 months since I left Aus. I guess the major theme of leaving home is changing, and the reality of change is something which I've really started to understand. Before I left people asked me if I was 'excited to leave', 'nervous', or 'scared', but if I'm being honest I never really had any of these emotions, it's always seemed like something that was just going to happen. I thought that worrying about things wouldn't do me any good, and being overly excited was going to make the wait before I left feel like an eternity. It wasn't until I got to Grande Prairie that the nerves, fear, and excitement hit me. for example, my first bit of nerves and fear came from my last plane ride. Edmonton to GP. The plane was small loud and old but It was fine, what made this last leg of the trip fearful you might ask? Well; when you're getting ready to land in turbulent, rainy weather in a small plane with the person next to you gripping the armrest with all his might, and then a couple on the other side looking like they are about to cry and scream while they were trying to take the brace position, causes you to be a tad concerned. But that obviously turned out fine. Once I landed, James Haythorne, who a lot of you would know picked me up. It was nice to see a familiar face in a place which felt so unlike anywhere I've been before. and for the first time, all these emotions started to hit me. Once we got to the dorms I took a look around the place and saw our gym or what we'd call back home our stadium. (which is probably one of the nicest in ACAC North) we came back to the dorms and after 35 hours of not sleeping, I decided to call home, and then fall asleep. After that we begin pre-season training, I started up school, I learned how to shop for myself (an underrated skill), learned how to cook and before you knew it the season was underway and I was studying for the first time in a few years.
Our first semester was pretty rough. We ended up going 2 wins 10 losses, not an ideal and expected result but that's how it went. Now I'm not one to be negative about this situation, mainly because mum always said, "focusing on the negatives is a waste of energy", instead I am trying to focus on how we now really just have freedom to play as relaxed and aggressive as we want with less pressure to win and more energy directed towards fixing where we showed flaws in the first semester. Which will hopefully bring about better results. For me personally, this experience has been so different for me. I'm not playing left side or right side but setter! This change has been crazy, to say the least, I never knew how much really went into the position, and while learning how to execute the skills of playing setter I've had to also learn how to implement game plans, try and make the position my own. Although I've still got plenty to learn I'm definitely feeling more comfortable coming into this semester than the first which I'm excited for.
Just before I sign off, to all of the younger guys and girls reading this who think a college pathway is something you would like to take, my biggest piece of advice would be to really take in what you learn at GMVA practice. People always want to be able to bounce a ball in the 3-meter line, or serve 3 aces a game but skills that I've found that at a college level things that matter are, knowing how to highball set, attack in 'out of system play', and defense. Funnily enough, these are skills which Luke reinforces at GMVA practices, from GMVA youth to GMVA CoE. So, make sure you still learn how to bounce balls, and serves heaps of aces, but remember these skills don't mean a lot if you don't allow yourself to learn the others.
Anyway, that's about all I'll write about for now.
Hope everyone is enjoying the new year and I'll see all of you relatively soon.
- Sean van Oosterwijck
I'm not quite sure where to start off, or what to write about as so much has happened and changed in these past 5 months since I left Aus. I guess the major theme of leaving home is changing, and the reality of change is something which I've really started to understand. Before I left people asked me if I was 'excited to leave', 'nervous', or 'scared', but if I'm being honest I never really had any of these emotions, it's always seemed like something that was just going to happen. I thought that worrying about things wouldn't do me any good, and being overly excited was going to make the wait before I left feel like an eternity. It wasn't until I got to Grande Prairie that the nerves, fear, and excitement hit me. for example, my first bit of nerves and fear came from my last plane ride. Edmonton to GP. The plane was small loud and old but It was fine, what made this last leg of the trip fearful you might ask? Well; when you're getting ready to land in turbulent, rainy weather in a small plane with the person next to you gripping the armrest with all his might, and then a couple on the other side looking like they are about to cry and scream while they were trying to take the brace position, causes you to be a tad concerned. But that obviously turned out fine. Once I landed, James Haythorne, who a lot of you would know picked me up. It was nice to see a familiar face in a place which felt so unlike anywhere I've been before. and for the first time, all these emotions started to hit me. Once we got to the dorms I took a look around the place and saw our gym or what we'd call back home our stadium. (which is probably one of the nicest in ACAC North) we came back to the dorms and after 35 hours of not sleeping, I decided to call home, and then fall asleep. After that we begin pre-season training, I started up school, I learned how to shop for myself (an underrated skill), learned how to cook and before you knew it the season was underway and I was studying for the first time in a few years.
Our first semester was pretty rough. We ended up going 2 wins 10 losses, not an ideal and expected result but that's how it went. Now I'm not one to be negative about this situation, mainly because mum always said, "focusing on the negatives is a waste of energy", instead I am trying to focus on how we now really just have freedom to play as relaxed and aggressive as we want with less pressure to win and more energy directed towards fixing where we showed flaws in the first semester. Which will hopefully bring about better results. For me personally, this experience has been so different for me. I'm not playing left side or right side but setter! This change has been crazy, to say the least, I never knew how much really went into the position, and while learning how to execute the skills of playing setter I've had to also learn how to implement game plans, try and make the position my own. Although I've still got plenty to learn I'm definitely feeling more comfortable coming into this semester than the first which I'm excited for.
Just before I sign off, to all of the younger guys and girls reading this who think a college pathway is something you would like to take, my biggest piece of advice would be to really take in what you learn at GMVA practice. People always want to be able to bounce a ball in the 3-meter line, or serve 3 aces a game but skills that I've found that at a college level things that matter are, knowing how to highball set, attack in 'out of system play', and defense. Funnily enough, these are skills which Luke reinforces at GMVA practices, from GMVA youth to GMVA CoE. So, make sure you still learn how to bounce balls, and serves heaps of aces, but remember these skills don't mean a lot if you don't allow yourself to learn the others.
Anyway, that's about all I'll write about for now.
Hope everyone is enjoying the new year and I'll see all of you relatively soon.
- Sean van Oosterwijck
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