Bowling Green State University Athletics
Day Three in Egypt with Coach Van De Walle
April 25, 2008 | Volleyball
April 25, 2008
Photo Gallery from Egypt
ISMAILIA, Egypt - BGSU volleyball Head Coach Denise Van De Walle journals about her third day in Egypt as the USA Natioanl Sittting Team prepares for competition at the WOVD Intercontinental Cup.
Coach Van De Walle is in her fifth year as the assistant coach of the USA National Sitting Team. Van De Walle and the USA National Sitting Team are currently in Egypt competing in the first ever World Organization Volleyball for the Disabled Intercontinental Cup. The WOVD Intercontinental Cup is a pre-paralympic event bringing both men and women of nine nations together, Netherlands, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, Iran and host Egypt.
The USA National Sitting Team has already qualified for their second appearance in the Paralympics after finishing fifth at the 2006 Sitting Volleyball World Championship.
Day 3
After a tough night of sleeping on the "boards" as we call them, we had a breakfast of beans, bread, jelly, hard boiled eggs and orange juice. The orange juice was really orange pop. We had practice at 11:00 on the competition floor. It's air-conditioned there (thank goodness). We ate lunch and then let the team have some free time at the pool (just one hour since the sun is so strong here.). We as a staff watched some of the other teams practice and we still feel we are one of the best teams here. We had a video session in Mike's room and watched all of the swings Lithuania took against us when we played them at the World Championships in the Netherlands in 2006, the last time we played against them. We are a much improved team since then. We were scheduled for a second practice today at 6:00 p.m. with a departure time of 5:00 p.m. at an off campus site. We stood outside waiting until 5:45 p.m. and the bus never showed up. We talked to our assigned interpreter and she went in to talk to the boss, came out and said there was some confusion and the bus driver didn't want to go. So we quickly found a way to practice again on the competition floor. Right as we were leaving to go to the new practice area our "companion" as she calls herself came up to me and told me the bus driver was in the restaurant eating this whole time and was now ready to take us. As I look back on it, it's kind of funny but at the time it wasn't. There really isn't the same regard for time and structure here as there is at home. Our evening practice was pretty good but not great, lots of biting flies in the gym and birds flying around in the rafters. After practice we headed to eat right away and found a really good meal. We had spaghetti and of course, french fries, baklava and jello. Team USA is ready for our match with Lithuania tomorrow. We are the first match of the day at 9:00 a.m., which will be 2:00 a.m. in Ohio the night before. We set our clocks ahead tonight so we are 7 hours ahead of Ohio now.
Thoughts of the day: I am amazed at how athletics bridges all kinds of gaps. We sat right next to Iraq's men's team in the restaurant while I know we're at war with them nearby. It's incredible. I was so happy when the women's coach from Iran came running up to me in the gym covered from head to toe in her black wrap and pulled me aside to show me she was wearing a BGSU Volleyball t-shirt underneath! She couldn't wait to show me! I had met her in China this past summer and gave her one of my T-shirts there. It brought tears to my eyes. We are friends through volleyball and yet we come from such very different backgrounds. I find myself thinking about BG and wishing our team could experience something like this. It's amazing! Good night
For more updates on Coach Van De Walle's travels with the USA National Sitting Team visit www.BGSUFalcons.com as Van De Walle continues to check in with journals on her travels.
