Hi everyone! Kelsey and Kelley here!
Today was a very busy day. The team ate breakfast at the hotel and headed off to finally do some shopping! Our tour guide, Iggy, told us about an enormous outdoor market only a few blocks away from our hotel that happens every Sunday here in Rio. It was a beautiful day and we soaked up the sun while we shopped. There were many stands set up along the sidewalk, each one selling something different. We saw purses, dresses, bathing suits, jewelry, and little knick-knacks. The best part was, almost everything for sale had a negotiable price so many of the girls got a great deal on their purchases! After everyone bought what they wanted, we all headed back to the hotel to lay by the rooftop pool and enjoy the gorgeous day before we left for our first clinic, at the beach!
The beach we would be playing at, called Niterol, was about a 45 minute drive. When we arrived, we knew we would be in for a challenging learning experience! Our instructor for the clinic was Jimmy, a Brazilian national volleyball player. Although he spoke little English, he managed to get his point across through example. We started the clinic at 3:30 p.m. and by 5:30 p.m.; he showed no signs of stopping. The team quickly found out that playing beach volleyball is much more difficult than playing on a court. We played until dark and only stopped when Iggy mentioned the time to Jimmy, but then we found out we would be having another clinic tomorrow before our match… and Jimmy would be our instructor. Although playing in the sand was a challenge, Jimmy was patient and energetic and taught us everything he could in the short amount of time we had with him.
By the time the team got back to the hotel, we were very tired. We are looking forward to a relaxing morning on the beach tomorrow before our second clinic before the game. Miss you all! We’ll have more updates later!
Tchau!
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