VOLLEYBALL CAMP DIARY: Amy Pauly, Senior Libero
8/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 23, 2008
Camp Diary IndexWith preseason camp underway for the 2008 Alabama Volleyball Season, different members of the team are taking turns keeping everyone informed of the journey to the first match of the season. Senior Amy Pauly gets everyone caught up on the end of two-a-days.
It is always exciting to begin a new preseason, but this year was especially different. As most people know we lost four experienced seniors. No one really knew what practice was going to be like without hearing their voices in the gym. We used this preseason to grow together as a new team and find out which people were going to be the influencing voices on the court. Everyday we worked on different skills and team drills to find where each person's role will fit into our team systems. By the last day every player on our team had a voice that was contributing to the success of our practices. We believe there is strength in numbers.
This preseason camp was also different because it was one of the shortest that I have had since being here at Alabama. Because school started earlier than normal our two-a-day practices were cut short. We have had 12 days to prepare for our first competition and our team definitely made the most of it. Since reporting to practice on August 8 our team has improved immensely. The freshman adjusted well and we as upperclassmen are helping them learn the Alabama Way. We are all working very hard so that we can have a strong start going into our non-conference schedule. Our goal is to be the hardest working team in the nation!
Our normal practices are somewhere between two and a half to three hours long. We had two practices everyday and normally got a day off about every three days. Not only were we in the gym but we also continued lifting weights so that we could maintain all the hard work we put in during the summer. The team's favorite part of practice is definitely at the end when we get to scrimmage each other. It is a lot of fun to mix the teams up and play. The games get really intense and you can tell we like having the right of saying that we beat one another.
One of the things I love about preseason camp is the food!!! We get surprised with extra special treats a lot or when Coach Green is feeling generous of course. One of my favorites was the S'mores we got to eat at the campfire the first night of the retreat. Trust me when we get to eat desserts we make the absolute most of it! The worst part of preseason is definitely getting into the cold tank after practice. Yep it is cold! Every day after practice we have to review the goal we set for ourselves before practice, grab a recovery shake from Trainer Jody and then go get into a tub of cold water that is 60 degrees! Just imagine taking a really cold shower for 10 minutes and that is the agonizing pain we all feel at the end of every day. Even though it hurts a little we know we have to make this sacrifice so our legs can recover and be fresh for the next day's practice.
The best practice we had all preseason was our Tuesday night session, which was our last session of camp. We were filled with energy and went all out for every ball. It was a great way to end preseason camp and it was exactly what we needed before our Crimson-White Scrimmage, which is this Saturday at 7 p.m. Hope everyone can make it!!!!!
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!
Amy Pauly #10
