FASTER,
STRONGER, HIGHER...
are the words the International Olympic Committee use to
describe Olympic competition. Well let me say that the next
12 months of Olympic qualification will be intense and all
those attributes will be needed to make it to the sands
in Beijing.
It was the first event of the season, the first opportunity
to gain crucial qualifiying points for August next year
and to let the rest of world know about our new team.
So it was so important to get off to a good start, mentally
and emotionally.
First day of competition was nerve racking. Our first International
event together and first up we had a top Brasilian team.
In an epic struggle that lasted 1 hour and 1 minutes we
lost 17-15 in the 3rd set. Disappointing as we had our chances,
but it was a good indication of where we were. Later taht
afternoon we had a to play the number 7 seeds how were upset
in the first fround by Latvia. We played great, defeating
them relatively comfortabley in 2 sets.
We needed a good sleep, after entering the losers bracket
after our first round, we would be up for 3 matches in the
one day to advance. And with all te teams geting stronger,
most matches seem to go to 3 sets. That is an hour average
each game. The day looked as follows -
Cuba (another team)
Japan
Norway
A long day at the beach...but we played great to win all
3 matches and advance to the top 8! This gave us the opportunity
we had been looking for. A game against China in the centre
court, in China. The crowd didnt let us down, neither did
our opponents. We dominated in the first set and then the
see saw tipped and they had the upper hand in the 2nd. The
3rd set was a nail bitter, and we went down 15-13. Therefore
finishing 7th.
This showed us we are close, and more importantly a team
to be respected and feared. With Tamsin at the net she is
and will continue to make a huge impact on the game. We
have a lot to work on I am sure the coach will incorporate
it into our training over te next 2 weeks before the next
event in Singapore.
I am excited about the coming tour and can't wait to get
back out their again. It is great to be back!
Yours on the sand,
PS - THE QUALIFICATION PROCESS - Top 24 teams in the world
will compete in Beijing, maximum of 2 per country and a
mandatory spot for and African country. You count your best
8 results over the next 14 months, over this time there
will be approximately 25 events, even one in Adealide in
February next year!!
|
