The Silver Lining

Well, the grind did not go as well as planned. We lost a head to head match with the team we were tied for fourth place with in a five set screamer. We had a few chances to seal the deal, but choked in crunch time and have since settled at fifth place in the league. That being said, I don't feel like my team has underachieved. The league in Denmark is extremely divided with the top four teams carrying four or five American professionals, and the bottom three teams composed purely of Danish amateur players. Being that we only have one professional player and this team was nearly bumped to a lower league last season, 5th place is actually slightly above where we were predicted to finish.

I am disappointed we won't have a chance to compete in play-offs but I'm making an effort to keep my glass half full. My coach has been working with me in defense and serve receive for the past few weeks and for our last eight matches or so I will be a four-or-five-rotation part of the serve receive--an opportunity rarely, if ever, afforded to a middle blocker. I've also been playing a lot of right side, increasing my versatility as a player and making me more marketable for next season.

Aside from the technical stuff, I would have to say the silver lining of this gray cloud would be that my team no longer feels any pressure and its making playing with them much more enjoyable. Since we are not competing in play-offs, we must participate in play-outs. In play-outs, the bottom four teams play each other twice, then the two bottom finishers from that tournament are at risk of moving down a league. Because we competed well in the first half of the season, we have put ourselves in a nearly untouchable position in play-outs, giving us the ability to relax and enjoy the last few weeks of the season. We had a Fastelavns practice this past week, which is sort of the Danish version of halloween. Check out my Facebook page for more pictures of our costumes and festivities after practice :)

Still more optimistic, is my free time to travel now that our season ends in mid-April. I will be taking a trip to Germany after the season ends, and potentially a few more places when my dad visits at the end of April. I look forward to showing him how I have lived for the past seven months and helping him tap into his inner European. Expect many more pictures in the coming weeks!