Country Girl's Dorm Room

UKC Volleyball ROCKS!!!

This past weekend was fantastic! We left on Friday via coach, and headed East! For the first time, I took the Chunnel train for cars. Who'd a thunk that a massive coach could squeeze into a train?! It actually didn't take as long as I thought to get into Lille. Before even getting to the Hotel, we stopped at the University caf for a little dinner. Sometimes, fancy isn't even an option. We just wanted sustenance. I had pasta with Carbonara sauce and a fudge sundae. Once we set off, for hotel and had settled in, we sat around in the hall way (some 'till the wee hours of the morning) chatting, having a few beers, and tossing the volleyball back and forth, without maiming the ceiling. I on the other hand decided to be very boring, and not drink, and go to bed at 10:50, France time (...yes that's right...9:50 GMT). Saturday was game day! Up at 7:30, and in the bus at 8:45, we were all ready to go. By this point my brain was slowly starting to get into French-mode. Due to the fact that we hadn't been staying in town, I kept forgetting where we were. My second language did come in handy, when the reffs were explaining the rules. I had a few people around me who would ask: "what did he say?!". There were 3 or 4 others on the team who spoke French, so I wasn't alone. We all came into this tournament thinking that these teams were going to wipe the floor with us. But once we got our groove on, it was all good. We stayed cool, and calm; remembered the basics, and remained undefeated in the prelims. Thanks to the guys as well, you make awesome cheerleaders!!! Despite the fact that some of our players were a little on the sleepy side, we all played to the best of our abilities, and came through! At the same time, the guys were putting up a hard fight. We were all proud to cheer for our teams, and were the letters UKC on our jerseys. The competition came down to a 3rd vs. 4th place game, and a 1st vs. 2nd place game. Both the UKC teams were placed first, and fought hard to keep it that way. Only having one judge, and having 10 people trying to cheer over at least 50 French supporters aside, UKC stole the show, and claimed 2 1st places. It's been a while since I've been on a team, and competed in a tournament, but I could still feel the adrenaline pumping hard! What a rush. There's no better feeling than knowing you've won a game, and rushing onto the court to celebrate! In the evening, after a quick shower (!), we had dinner and partied and Bacumbas, a very funky place, that certainly gave the day a great ending. By Sunday, of course we were more tired than ever. After a stop in a wine depot in Calais...(!?), we made our way back to foggy England, proud, and exhausted. We've been invited to Dunkirk in June, so I'm looking forward to that!!! Now...back to work. xoxox