I wrote in Planning an exciting volleyball team trip about the process of planning an international team trip. I have also been working on an individual volleyball trip. This one will happen a bit sooner than the other – next month, in fact.
I’m going to Poland, one of the true hotbeds of volleyball. Alas, I won’t be able to experience much of that this time (though I did back in 2014). Unfortunately, the Polish professional season will be over then.
No, this trip will not be about being a spectator.
Instead, I’m going to observe a national team training camp. My friend, and Volleyball Coaching Wizards partner, Mark Lebedew is running his first camp as Australian Men’s National Team coach. He’s doing it where he currently coaches in the Polish PlusLiga – the club Jastrzębski Węgiel.
More than just watching Mark coach, though – I’ve done that before – this camp will actually see a bit of a coaching gathering. Mark is expecting a number of visiting coaches during the camp. It could make for a really interesting gathering. We may use the opportunity to record some Volleyball Coaching Wizards podcasts featuring show guests. Be assured that I’ll report back on what I see and hear.
I’m also using the trip to Europe to visit Husum in Germany (north of Hamburg on the coast near Denmark). Fellow volleyball coaching blogger Oliver Wagner is part of a group looking to form a new men’s professional club team there to join Bundesliga1 – Germany’s top professional league. It’s called WattVolleys. They hope to have everything in place for the 2018-19 season. I’m going see what’s they are up to.
Of course I can’t make a trip across the Atlantic without returning to my old stomping grounds in England. I plan to visit with my coaching friend Alex Porter, who runs the program at the University of Essex. Unlike my situation at Exeter, Alex has a full-time job at Essex. He runs the volleyball performance program. Basically, you can think of that as being similar to a US college program in that he’s got scholarships to offer student-athletes, and other support. Essex is also one of Volleyball England’s Senior Academies. I look forward to learning about the set up there.
The trip won’t be all about volleyball, though. I expect to meet up with friends in England, and maybe connect with my PhD supervisor as well.
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