21st March 2018.
Hey GMVA Crew,
My journey over here in the US started in the American summer, Australian winter of 2017. At my volleyball program at the University of New Mexico, we are required to be here in Albuquerque by the start of July to help out with volleyball camps, take classes for summer school, begin lifting, and have ‘open gym’ where we just get some touches on the ball with our new team mates. Getting here and seeing where I was going to be living was exciting and interesting as I had never been to Albuquerque before. The first task was getting my dorm sorted and meeting the people I would be living with for the year. Turns out I ended up rooming with a bunch of Arizonian freshman. There are 9 total freshmen living in the dorms this year with 4 of them being my roommates. Luckily, we are on meal plans at our dining hall which is open 24/7. We are conveniently located on campus, so it is a short walk to all of our classes. Summer overall was a good time to get acquainted to the area, the people around me, and a glimpse into life at college.
Then came preseason. Two full weeks of not much other than eating, sleeping, practicing, lifting, and repeating. I’m not going to lie to you and say it was sunshine and rainbows because it wasn’t! It was hard and the definition of the grind. Each day was set out with 2-3 practices a day, at around 3 hours per practice, plus team meals in-between. We had one day off in the two weeks that I gratefully took to rest. At the start we began with fundamentals, before gradually building and working towards scrimmages. This was my first glimpse of Division 1 college volleyball and what was ahead of me in the weeks to come with our season starting immediately. By the end of it I was very sore and tired but had seen an improvement in the short span of two weeks.
We were considered quite a young team, around the 3rd youngest in all of Division 1, but our expectations for the season were still high. For me, as a freshman I was just hoping to get better as the season went on and if I got the chance to take the court, to make the most of it. The first time I hit the court was during our non-conference schedule and I was a nervous wreck! The level over here is so high with abundant athletic and powerful young women taking the court and playing for their respective colleges that each contest weighs heavily on who performs well on the day. We travelled to Ames Iowa, El Paso Texas, Toledo Ohio, and hosted our home tournament for our non-conference schedule. Due to injury and other circumstances, I saw my court time improve greatly and began playing front court as an outside hitter in certain line-ups but was ready to go in as any position depending on what was needed.
After the first 4 weeks of school and our non-conference schedule, we began Mountain West play consisting of a generic home and away schedule. I received good court time throughout the season playing in every match, hoping to make an impact out on the floor. My most memorable contests would be our match against the ranked Colorado State Rams at home where we took them to 5 sets. It was a high energy game with a good crowd to cheer us on, very similar to our non-conference match against Portland. Overall, we finished the season with a 16-16 record mostly due to our inconsistent and fluctuating performances, but this Spring have worked on trying to find that happy medium that we can consistently play at.
Right now, I am actually in the middle of beach volleyball season. Previously I had only trained a little bit with GMVA but was asked if I’d like to play and said yes! It has been a learning experience that started a little rough but in the last week on our trip to Florida, I’ve had a breakthrough of sorts, capturing my first win and bringing things together as a whole. I have loved every second of it, enjoying the different style of volleyball with new strategies and skills to be learnt. With not much time being spent in the outdoors during indoor season, the chance to get out in the sun has been enlightening. In our first 3 weeks, we have played 6 ranked opponents and visited world class facilities at the University of Arizona (Tuscon, AZ), Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ), and at the Stetson Lake Bash (Tavares, FL). This opportunity has opened a new door for me with volleyball that has helped improve my control, technique, and overall game.
To be a student-athlete has been an amazing experience and a culmination of all the preparation I have had over the years. With so much going on, organisation is vital. You miss so many classes whilst travelling, staying on top of your work and scheduling out your day is important to keep stress levels low and deadlines met. There are times where you get overwhelmed, but you push through it and just get it done. There are lots of people around to help you out, with resources at study hall, the coaching staff, or your teammates to provide you with support. Despite the times that are a little harder, the amazing experiences you get to travel the world, play high level volleyball, make friends, receive an education, and experience a different lifestyle are all worth it. I am looking forward to the next few months in the US with many more adventures ahead of me.
Thank you for your time,
Yasmin Tan
Hey GMVA Crew,
My journey over here in the US started in the American summer, Australian winter of 2017. At my volleyball program at the University of New Mexico, we are required to be here in Albuquerque by the start of July to help out with volleyball camps, take classes for summer school, begin lifting, and have ‘open gym’ where we just get some touches on the ball with our new team mates. Getting here and seeing where I was going to be living was exciting and interesting as I had never been to Albuquerque before. The first task was getting my dorm sorted and meeting the people I would be living with for the year. Turns out I ended up rooming with a bunch of Arizonian freshman. There are 9 total freshmen living in the dorms this year with 4 of them being my roommates. Luckily, we are on meal plans at our dining hall which is open 24/7. We are conveniently located on campus, so it is a short walk to all of our classes. Summer overall was a good time to get acquainted to the area, the people around me, and a glimpse into life at college.
Then came preseason. Two full weeks of not much other than eating, sleeping, practicing, lifting, and repeating. I’m not going to lie to you and say it was sunshine and rainbows because it wasn’t! It was hard and the definition of the grind. Each day was set out with 2-3 practices a day, at around 3 hours per practice, plus team meals in-between. We had one day off in the two weeks that I gratefully took to rest. At the start we began with fundamentals, before gradually building and working towards scrimmages. This was my first glimpse of Division 1 college volleyball and what was ahead of me in the weeks to come with our season starting immediately. By the end of it I was very sore and tired but had seen an improvement in the short span of two weeks.
We were considered quite a young team, around the 3rd youngest in all of Division 1, but our expectations for the season were still high. For me, as a freshman I was just hoping to get better as the season went on and if I got the chance to take the court, to make the most of it. The first time I hit the court was during our non-conference schedule and I was a nervous wreck! The level over here is so high with abundant athletic and powerful young women taking the court and playing for their respective colleges that each contest weighs heavily on who performs well on the day. We travelled to Ames Iowa, El Paso Texas, Toledo Ohio, and hosted our home tournament for our non-conference schedule. Due to injury and other circumstances, I saw my court time improve greatly and began playing front court as an outside hitter in certain line-ups but was ready to go in as any position depending on what was needed.
After the first 4 weeks of school and our non-conference schedule, we began Mountain West play consisting of a generic home and away schedule. I received good court time throughout the season playing in every match, hoping to make an impact out on the floor. My most memorable contests would be our match against the ranked Colorado State Rams at home where we took them to 5 sets. It was a high energy game with a good crowd to cheer us on, very similar to our non-conference match against Portland. Overall, we finished the season with a 16-16 record mostly due to our inconsistent and fluctuating performances, but this Spring have worked on trying to find that happy medium that we can consistently play at.
Right now, I am actually in the middle of beach volleyball season. Previously I had only trained a little bit with GMVA but was asked if I’d like to play and said yes! It has been a learning experience that started a little rough but in the last week on our trip to Florida, I’ve had a breakthrough of sorts, capturing my first win and bringing things together as a whole. I have loved every second of it, enjoying the different style of volleyball with new strategies and skills to be learnt. With not much time being spent in the outdoors during indoor season, the chance to get out in the sun has been enlightening. In our first 3 weeks, we have played 6 ranked opponents and visited world class facilities at the University of Arizona (Tuscon, AZ), Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ), and at the Stetson Lake Bash (Tavares, FL). This opportunity has opened a new door for me with volleyball that has helped improve my control, technique, and overall game.
To be a student-athlete has been an amazing experience and a culmination of all the preparation I have had over the years. With so much going on, organisation is vital. You miss so many classes whilst travelling, staying on top of your work and scheduling out your day is important to keep stress levels low and deadlines met. There are times where you get overwhelmed, but you push through it and just get it done. There are lots of people around to help you out, with resources at study hall, the coaching staff, or your teammates to provide you with support. Despite the times that are a little harder, the amazing experiences you get to travel the world, play high level volleyball, make friends, receive an education, and experience a different lifestyle are all worth it. I am looking forward to the next few months in the US with many more adventures ahead of me.
Thank you for your time,
Yasmin Tan
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