Jan. 31, 2007

Senior Shannon Farrell recorded 1,099 kills and 1,003 digs during her Yale career. The three-time All-Ivy selection took her talents to Europe during the winter break, playing against top club and professional teams from the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia. Below is a diary she kept about her experiences:

After almost 10 years on the volleyball court, I found myself still not ready to pack away my kneepads, even after beating Harvard in the final game of my Yale career. So, like a handful of other college athletes, I thought I would try to postpone the "real world" a little longer, and explore a professional volleyball career in Europe.

I reserved my spot on the 2007 European Exposure Tour, organized by BringItUSA Promotions, and flew to Prague, Czech Republic, in January to meet up with 25 other girls. Some were hoping to stay and play professionally mid-season; some, like me, just wanted to play a little more volleyball, and take advantage of the tour's schedule to experience different and beautiful cultures.

The 10-day trip was filled with sightseeing, sampling fantastic European foods, and playing various club and professional European teams. An example of some of the sights we saw: During the three days that we were in Prague, I visited the historic Old Town, the Jewish Quarter with its moving Jewish Cemetery, and the Charles Bridge--as well as the largest nightclub in Central Europe! As for the volleyball, it was completely different from anything I have ever experienced. Europeans play in a less-structured atmosphere, both from the standpoint of a more relaxed mentality, as well as facilities that vary, match to match. Coming from the competitive collegiate programs that we all hailed from, my teammates and I found we had to adjust to inconsistent gyms, rudimentary techniques, and a serious lack of fans -- - something we had really grown to love in college.

It was different, but it was great. After Prague, we traveled to Maribor, Slovenia, with a slight detour to Vienna, Austria, for the afternoon. As a city, Vienna has a pedestrian-only town center, with contemporary shops and restaurants juxtaposed with a cathedral from the Middle Ages and the Hapsburg Palace. The blending of old and new was just beautiful. After a long day of traveling to Slovenia, it was a little tough to play in Maribor, but we got our act together and managed to play well against one of the Division 1 professional teams.

Maribor was much more of a relaxed ski town, nestled in the Slovenian mountains. However, with the warm winter, there has been little-to-no snow! Our hotel was the usual site for the Women's Slalom World Cup, which unfortunately, had to be cancelled this year due to lack of snow. That being said, the weather was still beautiful and allowed us to truly explore the intricacies of the small town and its surrounding environs. My team traveled to Ptuj and Rogla to play local teams, and we initiated the pre-game ritual of cappuccinos or espressos to get us pumped up for our games - another drastically different routine than one would find in college volleyball.

Our final stop of the trip was Innsbruck, Austria, where we met up with some girls who had been signed to play from the previous trip. Innsbruck was the site of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics, so one can imagine the picturesque mountains that provided the backdrop for the city. Again, we went sightseeing during the days and played volleyball at night, the Tour's attempt to let us experience the true, professional European volleyball players' lifestyle. Now I'm back at Yale, full-tilt into my final semester. I'm going to wait to see what develops regarding my prospects for a professional career. In the meantime, I know that whatever I ultimately decide, the 10 days I spent in Europe provided me with a whole host of new friends and, perhaps, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play the sport I so love, in some of the most beautiful parts of Europe.