Family

As the team returned to the US early this week from Europe, I also returned home from the beach. Although I had a great time with my family, it definitely was not the easiest task to follow my team while they were away. No, not because we didn't have internet or because I was too busy (although I was pretty busy!), but because I'm not used to being at home while the team if off playing.

With that being said, I am not bitter or upset about not going on tour. It was in my best interest to be at home, staying fit and resting in preparation for the our upcoming schedule, including the Pan Am Games. I just wasn't used to it, so it was a weird feeling for me supporting my team from afar. BUT, I cannot wait to get back out to California next week and hear all about their travels as well as how the games were in more depth. I know some it was a good opportunity for some other players to get some experience internationally and it will only strengthen our team and training's to come.

With as much as we train and travel throughout the year, we often don't get to see our friends and family back at home very often. I definitely took full advantage of that opportunity this past week! My aunt drove up from Florida, my cousin, his wife, and their daughter (Makaela, shes 7), as well as my parents and my brother all made the trip to Arapahoe, North Carolina to spend the week at the "beach". (The house is actually on a creek off of the Neuse River, so it's not really the beach- but it's on the coast of NC so I still call it the beach!)

Anyways, it was a fun-filled week of jet-skiing, boat riding, tubing, water skiing, wakeboarding, rowing, kayaking, hot tubbing, pick up soccer, darts, swimming, and crabbing. Not to mention all the amazing food my dad cooked up! We had shish kabobs, pork ribs, rotisserie chicken, chicken wings, and of course crab! Thanks dad for all the delicious food! Good thing I worked it all off on my early morning runs and all-day water sports!

Although I don't get to go to the creek house very often, I love it there. Most days consist of a little sleep in (which I didn't get this trip because I had to wake up early to do my workouts, but that's ok), a morning on the water (kayaking, jetskiing, or boating), a break for lunch, an afternoon nap, some more water time (always boating!), then dinner and a movie. If that doesn't sound like a great day to you, then I think you're crazy! :)

I would say the absolute best part of the trip, besides spending so much time with my family, occurred on the last morning. Everyone was a little slow getting ready to go Sunday morning because all the activities of the week had finally caught up. But it was my last day there for the summer and probably the rest of the year, so I wanted to make the most of it. I jumped on the jetski (my favorite toy there by far!) and took it out for a ride. The water was so calm and there were no boats in sight (well, besides my mom out on the row boat!). I soon found out that my mom had been following a dolphin around, so I went to check it out. I came in close and I almost ran over it! Don't worry, he was fine and just kept on swimming. At this point, I had to go get my little cousin Makaela because she loves dolphins and had been wanting to see them all week. She hoped on the jetski and we set off to find them! At first, I didn't think we would see them since they could have gone any direction, but she spotted them out of no where and there was a pod of around 10 dolphins all swimming together. We followed them along the river for about a mile, just watching them come up out of the water and swim along. It was a pretty amazing sight. One dolphin even took a liking to us. He kept swimming towards us, swimming under us, and circling us. Now I know dolphins are friendly and I think he just wanted to play, but after Shark Week just airing, there being a whole pod, and I almost ran over one minutes earlier, I wasn't too sure what his intentions were! So we just kept moving a little away, but so where we could still watch them swim. Every time though, the one dolphin seemed to keep finding us! It was the funniest thing. I really think he just wanted to play! Silly little dolphin! Although I have seen the dolphins before at the creek and I have swam with them in captivity, this was a completely different experience. They are amazing creatures and I have a new interest in them! Let's have a DOLPHIN WEEK instead (or maybe as well as) Shark Week! Come on Discovery Channel!

Well, this is my last week at home for a while and I am definitely going to enjoy it! Especially since training is going to really pick up when we get back- Pan Ams are right around the corner! :) Check back in a few days for another update on what I am up to!

Team Behind the Team

This video is so true. I just wanted to give a quick thanks to all those that have supported me and team USA on our journey. Without the support you have given us and will continue to give us, we would not be where we are today. So thank you for all you sacrifice, and understanding how much we sacrifice in return!


GO USA!

Self-Discipline

I was recently asked the definition of self-discipline. My explanation went something like this: Self-discipline is being accountable for yourself before anything else. You must take care of your own responsibilities and tasks before you can be concerned with others. In regards to sport, it means you do your workouts on your own, work on skills that you are weak at, and ask questions when you don't understand (just to name a few).

According to the dictionary, self-discipline is: the act of disciplining or power to discipline one's own feelings, desires, etc., esp with the intention of improving oneself.

It is no secret that all successful elite athletes have very high self-discipline. They would not have gotten as far without this ability.

Self-discipline comes into play in all factors of your life, but can be more prevalent in certain areas than others. Although you have to be self-disciplined in training, for those that play team sports, this may be an easier task when you have a coach and teammates helping to direct what you do and push you day in and day out. It becomes much more difficult for individual athletes and when workouts must be completed on the athletes own.

Our coach made a very interesting statement the other day. He said, "How successful would you be if you were an athlete in an individual sport?" His point was that when every part of training, success and defeat all depended on ourselves, and when our own performances day in and day out are highlighted, would we make it at the top level?

My answer to that question was an unwavering yes. But I saw his point and right now, I especially see how important his point was. Since I have been back and forth between the US Team and my club in Holland, I have not had much of a break the whole year. Therefore, I am taking some time away from hockey to relax, while still staying fit. This basically entails working out/running every day, but getting away from my hockey stick and the field. A sort of a refresher.

So for the next couple weeks I will be at home in North Carolina with family and friends. My self-discipline will be tested with the temptation of going to the pool and the beach and missing my workouts. BUT with the Olympics around the corner, I know this is the MOST important time for my self-discipline to be rock solid. Maintaining and improving my fitness level now is the most important thing I can be doing. So bearing the scorching temperatures of the East Coast heat wave, I will be out running around nonetheless!

Keep following my blog for all the adventures I get into while I am back home! Including a little family reunion that is sure to bring out some funny stories!


and of course... GO USA!!!! even though I can't be in Germany and Belgium with the team... I'm cheering them on and following them every step of the way!

The one and only Michelle Vitesse

One of the funniest things I have ever seen on the hockey pitch... she is going to make history... Watch and enjoy!



or watch it (and share it) on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nvhDN3_VJE



GO STATES!!!

DUBLIN

Greetings from Dublin, Ireland!!! We made it here safe and sound yesterday morning after a fairly uneventful day of traveling. Everyone and all of theirs bags arrived on time bright and early at 8:30am Irish time. Running on few to no hours of sleep, we checked into our dorm rooms on the campus of University College Dublin.

Of course one of the first things we want to do is sleep and eat! Sleeping mid-day when you are trying to adjust to a new time zone is always a bad idea, so we went to eat! We are eating in the dorm cafeteria, but the food is pretty similar to what we would find at home in the States which is always good! After lunch, we had a little down time to settle in before practice. Power naps of less than an hour were all that were allowed. I got a good 45 minute one in! Practice was our usual travel day practice: get a good run around and stretch, get used to the turf, and always have a little fun. Day 1 concluded after dinner, as we all pretty much showered and were in bed around 8!

Day 2 began with an early morning practice. We did some short and sharp drills to get our touch going on the new surface and ended with a few corners. Nothing too straining as we had another practice planned for the afternoon, which was a bit more intense with quite a bit of game situation play and scrimmaging. The highlight of the day was without a doubt getting bicycles! That's right, bikes! The field is about a mile away from our dorm, so our coaches decided that is way too much walking that will take away unnecessary energy from us which we need as this important tournament moves forward. Their solution was to rent the whole team bicycles for the week! Personally, I love riding bikes (maybe it's all that time spent in Holland...), but a few girls are not as comfortable on them and were a little unsure of the new adventures and obstacles riding a bike might bring. Oh yeah, and they drive on the left side of the rode, so we have to remember to ride on the left as well! So far so good, no mishaps or casualties... yet! haha...

Off to Ireland

As I finish up my packing for our departure tomorrow to Ireland, I am happy that the Champions Challenge has final arrived! This past week of training was only a week and a half long, but it seemed to be one of the longest weeks ever!

With one of our shortest preparations ever before a big tournament, we had to fit a lot into a short period of time. Most of our team were returning players, but with a few new additions, we had to quickly catch them up to speed tactically. This included quite a few scrimmages and full practice games. We also focused a lot on corners because it is a very important part of scoring in today's game.

What this week really made me realize though, was just how important rest is my success. I always have known this fact and often when we are not in training, you can find me watching movies or even taking a nap. But every detail with regards to rest, hydration, and nutrition is highlighted in such a short, sharp preparation. Even one night's sleep (or lack thereof) can affect multiple day's of performance. Although it may seem like we are lazy or wasting our down time, for us, resting is a huge part of our recovery and is a necessary to success. It comes as part of the job.

So although it would be nice to get a job on the side or further my studies, the energy those things would take out of me physically and mentally would detract from my successes on the field. It may sound strange, I know, but to be the best at something, you have to put all your time and energy into that (on and off the field). So if anyone wants any movie reviews or has a good book suggestion to keep me occupied, just let me know!

Anyways... time to leave California and the great USA once again. With a full day of travel ahead of us, I'm sure there will be some funny stories of our adventures- there always are.

See you in Dublin!!
GO STATES!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Everyone was ready and geared up to go for the final game of National Championships 2011. The South had returned to the final to see the defending champs from the previous year. We came out strong, taking the momentum from the first whistle. With multiple chances early, including two 1v1’s with the goalie (which we failed to finish) we knew our goals would come. Then against the run of play, New Jersey found the back of the goal. We were down 1-0 after dominating the 15 minutes. We kept fighting and got the equalizer shortly after. With the continuing momentum into halftime, we knew the game was without a doubt within our grasp. We added another goal off a corner to take the lead midway through the second half. We could see the championship within sight. New Jersey wouldn’t give up though and again found a way to put the ball in the back of the goal despite our strong play. With a few more chances before the final whistle, we found ourselves headed into overtime. We remained confident that our momentum and dominance would surely give us the golden goal in the following minutes of extra play. Just minutes into the first overtime, New Jersey found a shot, and as it hit the backboard, we all stood in disbelief. None of us could believe that we just lost the game. We all had an empty reaction. Confused more than we were hurt by the loss. Disappointment set in because we had the chances to win and we played the game exactly how we had wanted to. Those losses are the most frustrating: the games where you were the better team, but somehow managed to let it slip away.





Despite this feeling of let down, many of us were quickly picked up with the announcements of the National Squad and Developmental Squad for 2011. We had 5 players make the National Squad (Jakie Kintzer, Katelyn Falgowski, Mel Brill, Jesse Gey, and myself) as well as 5 players make the Developmental Squad (Meg Dawson, Caitlin Van Sickle, Steph Fee, Marta Malmberg, and Kelsey Kolejejick). This was pretty much our entire starting line up!! Obviously, we proved ourselves throughout the tournament. I want to give a big CONGRATULATION to all of those on team South, as well as all others that made selections this past week. The level at the tournament was much higher this year, and I am very excited for the rest of this year and the future of US Field Hockey!

It was a long week and a long tournament and we all left exhausted. I was fortunate enough to head down to the little town of Arapahoe (right outside New Bern, on the North Carolina coast) to visit my parents at their beach house. My brother, my best friend from home- Sterling, and our good family friends (the Henry’s)- Nat, his mom Mareth, and her boyfriend Drew, all made the trip for Memorial Day weekend as well. It was absolutely an amazing weekend with even more amazing people.

On Saturday morning we got a little hot tub time before Sterling and I took the kayaks out amongst the dolphins that had swam into our creek. It is pretty unreal to be within 5 feet of dolphins in the wild. There were approximately 30 that came into the creek that morning, and they weren’t fazed by our presence in the kayaks. Only when the motor boats came for a visit did they decide to head back out to the river. Some of the others were out on the jetski at this time and we decided to let Mareth and Drew take a turn on the kayaks. Shortly thereafter, it was time to take the motor boat out for some wakeboarding and tubing! Nat and I took our turns on the wakeboard, but a storm began to roll in before we could throw some people off the tube! It was perfect timing though because we headed in for lunch just in time for the FC Barcelona vs. Manchester United UEFA Champions League Final. Sterling and I enjoyed the buttkicking Barca and our favorite player, Messi, gave to ManU! After this we squeezed in a little tubing time before dinner. Our neighbors Drew and Kathy joined us for kabobs and a lovely Saturday evening catching up with old friends. But the night wasn’t over yet! In nearby Oriental, the band was playing and the people were dancing. We headed over to join the fun. Under the star covered night, with a Corona in hand, the band played some oldies and for one night, I forgot all about the crazy whirlwind of travel and training that is my life.





As Sunday morning rolled around, I anticipated the many options that the day could bring! With fresh blueberry muffins in my stomach, I headed out on the water. Although the dolphins did not make another appearance this morning, we decided to make a little trip in the dinghy across the creek to the little beach in which we rightfully named “Shell Beach” since they cover the entire beach. We laid out for a bit and did some shell hunting as well. Yet again, a few stormy clouds rolled in and we headed inside for lunch and movie time. We watched Hall Pass which was hilarious! When the storm finally cleared, we went out for another trip on the boat! Everyone took a turn on the tube and my dad proceeded to throw each and every challenger off! Exhausted from the sun and water sports, we retired in for dinner. My dad made his AMAZING ribs in honor of Memorial Day with brownies and ice cream for dessert, and a belated birthday celebration for me. (My birthday was on Thursday, the 26th at National Championship). We sat on the couch again for another movie, this time Limitless. A very good movie, I recommend it if you haven’t seen it!



Finally Monday arrived, our departure day and Memorial Day. Sitting down by the water in the morning, while checking the crab pots (which sadly only had two baby crabs), I saw a Bald Eagle fly over head. I have never seen one in real life and it only seemed fitting for it to happen on Memorial Day. After spending a a long morning riding up and down the Neuse River on the boat along with a little jetskiing, it was time to head home.

This past weekend was one of the best weekends I have had in a long time. It was just perfect. A nice blend of fun and relaxation, with amazing food!, and even more amazing company. To be with my family and good friends whom I haven’t seen in ages made it an ideal couple of days. Especially with the hard week before and the definite tough weeks to come. It is a weekend like this that really makes me appreciate all that I have. How lucky I am to have these people in my life that support me no matter how little they get to see me, but enjoy every second we do get to spend together.





So a big thank you to them for everything they do and such a wonderful weekend.
But now, back to CALI and preparing for DUBLIN!!!

As always, GO STATES!!