10th in the NSIC? I Think Not.

The 2010 volleyball season has officially begun, and the future of our team is looking brighter and brighter each day. We went to the University of Nebraska Omaha over Labor day weekend where we faced some important regional opponents and other tough competition. We lost our first match of the tournament to Emporia State University in five sets, but we were able to redeem our tough loss by beating the University of Nebraska Omaha in five sets for the last match of the evening. We started off strong early Saturday morning by crushing Chadron State College in three sets, and we ended the tournament with a huge win over Adams State College in four sets. I thought that we played extremely well as a team this weekend, and it was the debut of a new offense and team personnel for the Wolves. Our new offense is called a 6-2 because it consists of six hitters and two setters, and I think that we have the perfect combination of players to run such a threatening offense. The weekend was a good start to what is going to be an even better season, and I hope you all look forward to the great things that are yet to come from this NSU volleyball team.

Fall Camp Wrap-Up

With fall camp coming to an end, we all wanted to get in some last-minute team bonding before the upper classmen moved out of the dorms. On Monday following practice and a quick supper at Shenanigans, the team went to Murleys. There, Murley had apples and caramel waiting for us. After a couple showings of the movie 212 degrees, he talked to us about a major area we as a team want to focus this year, making each others day. An idea that came from the book Fish, make your day includes engaging in meaningful conversation with one another, as well as any other kind act that is unneccesary. We believe it will bring us closer together and allow us to be the best team we can be! Following the movie and discussion, we headed outside to a small bonfire Murley started for us and made giant smores. It was a wonderful night.

Tuesday came and all the upperclassmen moved out of the dorms. The freshmen and sophomores moved into the rooms they will be living in for the remainder of the year. It was nice for most of us to get back to air conditioning!

Wednesday marked the last day of the fall camp team bonding exercises. These exercises were aimed at "being present". The first activity entailed getting the entire team across the basketball court, using only scooters, jump rope, hula hoops, and hockey sticks. Sound easy? It wasn't. No one was allowed to touch the floor. In the middle of the floor there was an "island" where each of us were safe to stand on. We were all divided into two teams so needless to say, the game got a little competitive. It started out with both sides only trying to get their own people across the floor. It ended, however, with pushing, shoving, and some biting (Kaili) to get the other team off the island and into the "lava" so they would have to start all over. It was a close game and luckily no one got hurt. The last team bonding activity was Catch Phrase. Here one teammate describes a word to the other teammate and she tries to guess what it is. We had some good laughs.

The start of school means the end of the preseason. We are excited to scrimmage Moorhead tomorrow and to go to Omaha this weekend! Go Wolves!

Team Bonding

Practices have been going pretty good and the coaches decided we needed a little time off. This past weekend the team had little break to rest our bodies from all the work we have been doing. Friday night most of girls went to check out the brown county fair where we ate some good healthy food and enjoyed some carnival rides. Drake and Sami became best friends with a carnie. Saturday we all enjoyed breakfast at Kessler’s. After breakfast we were assigned teams and told to go find two outfits for Sunday, one had to be what not to wear and the other elegant. Sunday, the coaches had something planned for team bonding, all we knew was that we needed to find a blow up bed which meant that we were sleeping somewhere other than the dorms. After practice on Sunday we all ate at the Barnet Center for dinner and were given fifteen minutes to go dress in the brightest cloths and head back to the BC. The workers and costumers at Twist Cone were pleased to see all of us of course. We had two people judge who had the brightest team, one was a random customer and the other was George, the man who housed Paula and Fessi for the summer. Both of course picked the best team which consisted of Kayla, Steph, Paula, Megan, Katy, Claire, Sami and I. The next couple of things to do consisted of finding the oldest person you could who had graduated from Northern, a bike race were Ella and Paula had to be the last person across the finish line (Paula won, blowing up a balloon till it popped without using your hands (Katie Bloom won), eating a apple with no hands (Ella eating the entire apple won). After that we had an egg relay, a candy find in a bowl of flower which was very hard when creating doe in your mouth. Running up 4 flights of stairs finding a boy on the football team who weighs the lightest was very tiring but both teams got the job done and everyone on our team probably weighs more than both boys. There was also a karaoke contest were the teams competed against each other on who knew the lyrics better. The next thing on the list to do was the fashion show were each teams pick to wear an elegant outfit and what not to wear strutted down the volleyball court while being judge by the coaches. The most elegant was Jordan Shafter and a tie between Ella Campbell and me for what not to wear. We had a dance off to choose a winner but they still couldn’t choose one so we split the stop as top what not to wear. My team which consisted of Megan, Sami, Claire, Paula, Steph, Katy, Kayla, and I won the whole contest and the losers had to be baptized in the northern swimming pool. We all ended up in the pool, even ligia, Kelsey and coach Schriver ended up getting in. The night was spent on a pole vaulting pit in the Barnet Center gym floor. It was a great bonding experience and the team really enjoyed it.

by Britlyn Sturlaugon

FALL CAMP :)

Fall Camp officially started this past Sunday, August 15th, with everyone joining together at Jerde Hall for moving into the dorms. All players move into the dorms during Fall Camp so that everyone can REALLY get to know each other (sometimes whether they like it or not). So the Ysteboes, Morschings, Gilbraiths, Sturlaugsons, Oelkes, Blooms, Kopfmanns, Campbells, Drakes, Petersons, Nygaards, Adens, and George Dell enjoyed another great home cooked meal from Coach Schriver. After we were good and full, then we worked together to move all 16 of us girls in! Mary Campbell took lots of pictures of all the good work we were getting done.
The next day we began our two-a-days which have been really competitive. All of us are experiencing some soreness but at least we get in some extra team bonding in the ice bath. Dorm life as a senior is a little interesting but im glad we have the team we do because its fun! We are spoiled this year because instead of eating food at the dining center we get to dine at Shenanigans Woooooooooooooooo!
So far camp has been a blast getting to know all the new players, especially my roommate Paula :)

Grounded and reflecting by Lisa Schriver

Friday evening/Saturday morning was an airport day. We flew out of Rio at 8:00pm. Everyone made it thru security and bags met the weight requirements (were never weighed). We landed on US soil in Miami at 3:30am. I am sure this is the quietest the airport is so it was a good time to have to go thru customs. We were a little worried as some have never gone thru this process but was fast due to the system being done. Comforting on how many illegals made it into the USA. (This has been a joke with us and Ligia). From Miami we boarded to Dallas and then to Minneapolis. We had a couple of gate changes but all in all the trip back was smooth.

While at the airport in Rio, we asked our group to write their best moment/memory of our 12 days. Here is what we had to say:

Kayla - "My favorite part of the trip was working with the kids in Sao Paulo. It was amazing to see how happy they are despite the hardships they face everyday. It was inspiring to see to say the least

Steph - "My most memorable experience was the second day of volleyball clinics for the kids. There were a couple of shy little girls when we first got there who I noticed when we were done, were smiling, and running around and having fun. It was cool to see".

Megan - "Having dinner with the Paulistana volleyball girls at the club".

Amber - "Coaching all the elementary and middle schoolers' and seeing how excited they were to learn about us and how much we learned about them".

Whitney - "My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Statue of Christ in Rio. I have always loved it. I even have a poster of it in my room. It was beautiful and the views from the top of the mountain were spectacular".

Katy - "I think my memorable part of Brasil would have to be Rio. From the flight in to the flight out, I was shocked by the sheer beauty of the city. Sugar Loaf and the Statue of Christ are views that can't be mimicked but won't be forgotten".

Claire - "My most memorable moment is when we were at the school (the second day) and after we were done tutoring them 3 girls came up and gave me a hug and said "you are beautiful we love you". They were giving lots of hugs and were just happy to receive one back".

Kelsey - "My most memorable moment was the first clinic we did. It was awesome to try to communicate with the kids. The attention that they craved and gave stood out. It made me feel very thankful for the things I had growing up. It also reinforced how much I want to work with youth".

Kaili - "My most memorable moment was the coaching clinics. Those kids were so amazing for having so little. I know what it is like to come from a family with no money and I can honestly say that every bit helps. Those kids were so grateful for a miniature volleyball and I couldn't help but love each and everyone of them for their energetic spirits. It was a priceless experience".

Ella - "My most memorable part of the trip was going to the school and teaching the kids how to play volleyball. I thought it was a great opportunity to work with kids who may not have much and make them feel loved and appreciated in just an hour of our time".

Lynn - "Being at the volleyball clinic at the school. Watching those volleyball kids play was so fun".

Jackie - "Christ Statue"- the size and the beauty and the view from the top".

Greg - "Going to the schools and working with the kids. I really realized how good we have it".

My reflections - Meeting Ligia's parents and Paula (our incoming freshman from Rio) were great moments for me. Ligia and I have spent lots of time in the car recruiting and lots of talking and getting to know each other. I have heard many stories of her family and formed pictures of them in my mind. I was able to see pictures of Terea (mother) so I knew what she looked like but was able to see what a wonderful woman she is. She has American likes from being in the States for two months. She is a shopper so Nike, Calvin Kline, TG Maxx - all brought smiles to her face. Orlando was taller than I pictured but skinny like Ligia said. We had a hard time finding a belt at the market for him as they were all two long. He was a wonderful 4th coach (behind Murley of course). Lots of good information from him when we played as he would listen to the other teams huddle and transfer the information to us as they must have thought he was American. We were always amazingly one step ahead of our opponent.

Paula came to the beach and hotel to meet us in Rio. She couldn't stay as they had a practice the following day but we got a chance to finally meet her and introduce ourselves in person and not just over the internet. The next day we wanted to go and watch her practice and spend a little more time with her so we hopped onto the city bus, traveled across the bay in a ferry and took another bus to her gym. We were able to meet three other players and two coaches and picked up some good drills. This is great to be able to spend a bit more time around her and we are looking forward to her arriving in Aberdeen the first of July.

Things that stood out: the hospitality of the people (Steve thinks other countries hate Americans - not the case in Brasil with us) - the traffic - how well they utilize space - the great food - how safe we felt at all times - how fortunate we are and how much we have in comparison - the love of the game from the players and coaches - how we stood out and drew attention everywhere we went - how people wanted to come and communicate with us when they heard we were from the USA - how few American's we saw in Sao Paulo but how many we had in our hotel in Rio - the beauty of the country - how Soccer is more than a passion it is everything - how a beach in Rio is like our YMCA or Parks and Rec program, all kinds of activities and lessons take place on the beaches in Rio - how a speedo swim suit can be worn on all ages and actually looks OK on 70 year old's (with no belly of course)

and finally how proud I was of our players and group on how well they represented themselves, Northern and the USA in Brasil.

I will never experience a trip like this with such a great group of people. Thanks Ligia for pushing us to Brasil and thanks to all of you who helped us make this possible.

We are back!!! by Ligia Zobolli

We are now back in the States after spending 12 wonderful days in my home country. We all had such great time in Brasil and this trip was very special to me. Being from Brasil, I was able to help the team with the language, ordering food, shopping, sightseeing, and so on. I was also able to spend 9 out of the 12 days with my parents as they came to Sao Paulo to stay with us. I am from a city called Cuiaba, close to Brasilia, and since I was not going to be able to go home after the trip, they met us in Sao Paulo. Even though my parents don't speak a word of English, they were able to communicate with the team through hand gestures and body language. let's just say it was very interesting:) I did my best to translate, but after a couple days doing all the translation my brain started to get confused and I would speak Portuguese with the girls, English with my parents and it was a mess. It got better toward the end:)Unfortunately, I did not get to see my sister this time due to work, but hopefully I will get to see her soon.

Seeing my parents after one and a half year was very remarkable to me, but going to those two high schools to run the volleyball clinics really touched me. So many things reminded me of my time growing up and going to school in Brasil. The outdoor courts in very bad shape where we had our PE classes, sharing my snacks with the kids who didn't have what to eat at home, the classrooms with broken chairs, etc, etc. After leaving the schools, all I could think of was how blessed and lucky I am to be where I am today. Going to those two schools was also an eye opener to our girls as well. I could see on their faces how shocked they were when they learned about those kids' lives. We for sure made those kids' day by just giving them attention, hugs, and love.

Brasil was great and I already miss it! Can't wait to go back! Everybody is invited to come home with me :)