University of Minnesota Athletics
Cassie Busse - U.S. National Team Diary from Japan
11/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sunday, Nov. 20
What an amazing finish to a great tournament. Beating Japan 3-0, I will admit, felt really good, considering they are the host team and everyone in the gym, about 10,000 fans, were cheering for them. There was so much energy on and off the court and the team played so well. Defeating Japan secured us a second place finish, though it was a close race with China. Everyone was extremely happy with our finish and in good spirits the entire night.
On the way into the arena, I felt like I was on the red carpet with all the cameras flashing and people screaming and waving. Obviously, volleyball is definitely a popular sport here. This time the crowd was roped off on the side to allow us to walk through, but everywhere we looked there were smiling faces and people waving.
When we gathered at the entrance door to the main court, before the presentation of the teams, we found 12 little girls (7 or 8 years old) waiting there for us, in volleyball uniforms. They were absolutely adorable. They held our hands as we walked out onto the court and gave us high fives as they wished us good luck.
After the match ended, and we calmed down from jumping around and giving high fives and hugs, we had the closing ceremony for the tournament. We walked out onto the main court with Brazil (1st Place) and China (3rd Place). They had platforms for the teams to stand on, and as they announced our team placement, the lights shined on us and we steped up to receive our award. After they finished the closing remarks, a big boom went off as gold streamers shot out and fell all around us. A great way to end the ceremony and tournament!
I feel so honored to have been apart of this whole experience. These memories are sure to last forever. I am so excited to embark on this new journey in my life, and can't wait to see where this road might lead. To all of you who have read this diary thus far, I thank you for being apart of my experience, and I hope you have enjoyed it. All my love to family, friends, and fans...keep cheering for those Gophers..for that's where my roots are. Go Gophs! :-)
Saturday, Nov. 19
Sadly, I have bad new to report today. We lost to a very tough Brazil team in 3 sets. Things didn't fall so smoothly into place as they had the previous three matches. It was sad to see our winning streak come to an end, but everyone gained a valuable learning experience and took something away from the match that will only help us all to be better players in the long run. After a heart-to-heart meeting this afternoon, I feel everyone is ready to bounce back and take on our fifth and final opponent tomorrow night against our host team, Japan.
On a happier note...After the match today, as we walked through the arena to get to the bus, we had to pass through a sea of fans to get to the exit door. I think that word leaked out where the teams exit the building. ;-) There were many little girls there who would jump up and down and giggle if they were to shake our hand or take a picture with us. It was very cute, and I couldn't stop smiling at their excitement. There are usually people in our hotel lobby who ask for autographs as we come and go, but never before had there been this many people. It took us five times as long to get to the bus, but it was worth every second to see the smiles on the fan's faces. Such a little thing...a smile, a wave, a handshake, a signed name, but they made us feel like superstars in the way they expressed their gratitude.
We now our on our way to dinner and to watch video on Japan. Wish us luck as we play our final match of the World Grand Champions Cup.
Friday, Nov. 18
Today began like most others. We had a training session in the morning at a Sport and Fitness Club to prepare for the match. After that, we came back to the hotel for lunch and to get ready for the match. We left for the arena at 1:00 and arrived to find Toshi, many of the girls' previous head coach for USA volleyball, there to greet everyone with smiles and hugs.
We then went to the warm-up court to get loosened up. Most of our warm-up is done on a seperate court on the other side of the arena. When we get to the main court there is only time for hitting and serving.
As we get ready to enter onto the main court for the presentation of the teams and natioanal anthems, we line up from the shortest to the tallest. Let it be noted that I am number six of 12 in this order. Never, on any team, have I been in the middle of the pack according to height! At 6'2", I am not exactly what you would call short, but standing next to Tayyiba, who is 6'7", I can see why I will be walking out in the middle.
Now, I am sure you are dying to know how we did, so let me just say...We are now 3-0 in the World Grand Champions Cup. We defeated Poland in a very tough 4-game match. Everyone did an amazing job switching their mindset to play a completely different match than the previous two. Some of the veterans, girls that have been with USA Volleyball for at least four years, say this is their first time beating the Poland team. It is a major accomplishment in everyone's eyes. But the tournament isn't over yet, and the team is definitely not satisfied with only three wins. There is a hunger in everyone's eyes and Brazil is out next target!
Thursday, Nov. 17
Today, I must confess, has been an extreemly uneventful day. We woke up this morning for a quick breakfast, and then left the hotel to go to the new arena where the rest of the World Grand Champions Cup will be played. There we trained for an hour and a half, working and training on the things we will need to defeat Poland (1-1). This new arena seems just as large as the other one. Although I feel the lights are better to play in.
After training we came back for lunch and had a two hour video session on Poland. They are a very tall, physical team. Thus, much different from the two Asian teams we had played previously. All of us are excited to get the tournament started again and finish strong. I hope that tomorrow I will have good news to report yet again.
Wednesday, Nov. 16
Let the headlines read: "USA Beats China In 3!" What an amazing win and rewarding victory. Relentless defense and fabulous team work gave us a sweet victory! We played the first tourney match of the day, the noon match. Our coach, Jenny, told us before the match to work on the small things and take each set one at a time. I guess everyone took this to heart because a quick three games later we were showering and leaving on the bus for the train station.
It was a two-hour train ride to Nagoya where we play the second half of the tournament. The city seems just as big as Tokyo. There is holiday decorations everywhere we look. Trees are lit up with Christmas lights, and there was even a sleigh with presents around it in our hotel lobby. Is Christmas really that close?...I need to get shopping!! ;-)
After arriving in Nagoya, we had a quick lifting session. A match and lifting all in one day...quite intense at this level. Tomorrow we have the day off from matches as the teams that played the later matches today will use tomorrow for a travel day. We will have training and lots and lots of video. We have a target on our back now, so we will have to work twice as hard to keep our winning streak going. As always, I send all my love to friends, family, and fans back home! Until next time...
Tuesday, Nov. 15
This morning we began our day by means of an earthquake, yes I said earthquake, as our wake up call. Having never been through one before, I will admit I was quite frightened. It lasted only about three minutes, but in my state of mind, it seemed like a half hour. The bed started shaking and the building creaking, and not having much experience in these situations, I grabbed the sheets tight and thought that it would soon get worse as it went on. However, it did not much to my relief. Everyone came out unharmed, and in fact, some of the girls slept through the entire thing...guess we have some deep sleepers on the team. Everyone had a good laugh about it over breakfast as we all shared our experiences.
After the drama of the morning, we had light training for an hour and half at a local University. We then headed back to the hotel for a quick lunch and to get ready for the match. I must say that I had a smile on my face as I put on my jersey. There were some butterflies in my stomach, but they soon calmed down once we got into the gym.
Everyone on the team played very well, and we beat Korea in three games. The match seemed to go by in a blur as I tried to take in everything going on around me. In the beginning of the game, while the National Anthem was being played over the speakers, it really hit me that I was here representing my country. Quite the honor and responsibilty in that realization.
Following the match was the Opening Ceremony. There was singing and dancing to begin the event. Apparently there were some pretty popular singers there as four guys, dressed all in white, came out into the arena to the eruption of applause and screaming. All of the teams waited behind the stands to proceed out with our country's flag. One by one we filed out to the middle of the court. Some speeches were made, most of them in Japanese, by the FIVB president and president of Japanese volleyball. It was amazing to see the crowd's love and support of the game of volleyball.
After the Ceremony we had a video session on China back at the hotel. They have a very quick offense, and we will have to play some good defense to compete with them tomorrow. We play the noon match, so I will have to end this for now and get some much needed sleep for an early day tomorrow. 1-0 and working our way up!
Cassie
Monday, Nov. 14:
Day 2 in Tokyo started with a breakfast that including all the teams. The wide selection of food was a welcome change of pace from the rice and cornflakes we had during our previous week. I must say I am getting used to rice being an everyday staple at every meal. It's amazing to see some of the combos the girls have created with their rice. A favorite seems to be rice and tuna. I have not tried it yet, and hopefully won't have to. ;-)
The drive to the gym allowed for a lot of sight-seeing, as traffic was slow moving. Many on the street pointed to our bus and waved. One thing that stuck out in my mind, and maybe this is because I once had my bike stolen on campus, but I could not believe the number of bikes outside shops and restaurants...all unlocked. They must have quite the trust in their fellow neighbor.
At the gym, we were allowed one-and-a half hours of training time. The arena is absolutely huge. I am told that it was completely sold out within the first few days that tickets went on sale; and these tickets are not cheap either. Some of the girls' parents are even struggling to gain access into the arena.
Tonight will be another video session on Korea, who we will play tomorrow, and I will put on a USA jersey for the first time! Wish us luck as we begin game 1 of the World Grand Champions Cup.
Sincerely,
Cassie
Sunday, Nov. 13:
Hello Gopher Fans,
We arrived in Tokyo today to begin the week long competition of the World Grand Champions Cup. The previous week (Nov. 7-13) found the team training in the town of Kasukabe (the town that Tayyiba Haneef, our outside hitter, is currently playing for). The girls playing overseas all met here to train together and study video for a week before the competition begins. There was much laughter as stories were told and catching up was done as the girls had been seperated around the world for the past couple of months.
I very much enjoyed getting to know the team as they helped me adjust to their system of play. Lindsey Berg has been especially helpful in "teaching me the ropes." I would never have thought that we would play on the same team together again, but I must say it feels just like old times. I feel very comfortable here, and am extreemly excited to be apart of this experience.
Tonight we had dinner with all of the teams. Six different languages all in one room. It was interesting to just sit back and listen to the conversations around me. These cultural experiences will not be soon forgotten. Tomorrow we will train in the arena we are to compete in. And so it begins... Former Golden Gopher standout Cassie Busse will see her first competitive action with the U.S. National Team at the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup in Japan, which runs from Nov. 15-20. You can follow Cassie's experiences in Japan with the National Team through her diary, which will run on gophersports.com over the course of the next week.
Sunday, Nov. 20
What an amazing finish to a great tournament. Beating Japan 3-0, I will admit, felt really good, considering they are the host team and everyone in the gym, about 10,000 fans, were cheering for them. There was so much energy on and off the court and the team played so well. Defeating Japan secured us a second place finish, though it was a close race with China. Everyone was extremely happy with our finish and in good spirits the entire night.
On the way into the arena, I felt like I was on the red carpet with all the cameras flashing and people screaming and waving. Obviously, volleyball is definitely a popular sport here. This time the crowd was roped off on the side to allow us to walk through, but everywhere we looked there were smiling faces and people waving.
When we gathered at the entrance door to the main court, before the presentation of the teams, we found 12 little girls (7 or 8 years old) waiting there for us, in volleyball uniforms. They were absolutely adorable. They held our hands as we walked out onto the court and gave us high fives as they wished us good luck.
After the match ended, and we calmed down from jumping around and giving high fives and hugs, we had the closing ceremony for the tournament. We walked out onto the main court with Brazil (1st Place) and China (3rd Place). They had platforms for the teams to stand on, and as they announced our team placement, the lights shined on us and we steped up to receive our award. After they finished the closing remarks, a big boom went off as gold streamers shot out and fell all around us. A great way to end the ceremony and tournament!
I feel so honored to have been apart of this whole experience. These memories are sure to last forever. I am so excited to embark on this new journey in my life, and can't wait to see where this road might lead. To all of you who have read this diary thus far, I thank you for being apart of my experience, and I hope you have enjoyed it. All my love to family, friends, and fans...keep cheering for those Gophers..for that's where my roots are. Go Gophs! :-)
Saturday, Nov. 19
Sadly, I have bad new to report today. We lost to a very tough Brazil team in 3 sets. Things didn't fall so smoothly into place as they had the previous three matches. It was sad to see our winning streak come to an end, but everyone gained a valuable learning experience and took something away from the match that will only help us all to be better players in the long run. After a heart-to-heart meeting this afternoon, I feel everyone is ready to bounce back and take on our fifth and final opponent tomorrow night against our host team, Japan.
On a happier note...After the match today, as we walked through the arena to get to the bus, we had to pass through a sea of fans to get to the exit door. I think that word leaked out where the teams exit the building. ;-) There were many little girls there who would jump up and down and giggle if they were to shake our hand or take a picture with us. It was very cute, and I couldn't stop smiling at their excitement. There are usually people in our hotel lobby who ask for autographs as we come and go, but never before had there been this many people. It took us five times as long to get to the bus, but it was worth every second to see the smiles on the fan's faces. Such a little thing...a smile, a wave, a handshake, a signed name, but they made us feel like superstars in the way they expressed their gratitude.
We now our on our way to dinner and to watch video on Japan. Wish us luck as we play our final match of the World Grand Champions Cup.
Friday, Nov. 18
Today began like most others. We had a training session in the morning at a Sport and Fitness Club to prepare for the match. After that, we came back to the hotel for lunch and to get ready for the match. We left for the arena at 1:00 and arrived to find Toshi, many of the girls' previous head coach for USA volleyball, there to greet everyone with smiles and hugs.
We then went to the warm-up court to get loosened up. Most of our warm-up is done on a seperate court on the other side of the arena. When we get to the main court there is only time for hitting and serving.
As we get ready to enter onto the main court for the presentation of the teams and natioanal anthems, we line up from the shortest to the tallest. Let it be noted that I am number six of 12 in this order. Never, on any team, have I been in the middle of the pack according to height! At 6'2", I am not exactly what you would call short, but standing next to Tayyiba, who is 6'7", I can see why I will be walking out in the middle.
Now, I am sure you are dying to know how we did, so let me just say...We are now 3-0 in the World Grand Champions Cup. We defeated Poland in a very tough 4-game match. Everyone did an amazing job switching their mindset to play a completely different match than the previous two. Some of the veterans, girls that have been with USA Volleyball for at least four years, say this is their first time beating the Poland team. It is a major accomplishment in everyone's eyes. But the tournament isn't over yet, and the team is definitely not satisfied with only three wins. There is a hunger in everyone's eyes and Brazil is out next target!
Thursday, Nov. 17
Today, I must confess, has been an extreemly uneventful day. We woke up this morning for a quick breakfast, and then left the hotel to go to the new arena where the rest of the World Grand Champions Cup will be played. There we trained for an hour and a half, working and training on the things we will need to defeat Poland (1-1). This new arena seems just as large as the other one. Although I feel the lights are better to play in.
After training we came back for lunch and had a two hour video session on Poland. They are a very tall, physical team. Thus, much different from the two Asian teams we had played previously. All of us are excited to get the tournament started again and finish strong. I hope that tomorrow I will have good news to report yet again.
Wednesday, Nov. 16
Let the headlines read: "USA Beats China In 3!" What an amazing win and rewarding victory. Relentless defense and fabulous team work gave us a sweet victory! We played the first tourney match of the day, the noon match. Our coach, Jenny, told us before the match to work on the small things and take each set one at a time. I guess everyone took this to heart because a quick three games later we were showering and leaving on the bus for the train station.
It was a two-hour train ride to Nagoya where we play the second half of the tournament. The city seems just as big as Tokyo. There is holiday decorations everywhere we look. Trees are lit up with Christmas lights, and there was even a sleigh with presents around it in our hotel lobby. Is Christmas really that close?...I need to get shopping!! ;-)
After arriving in Nagoya, we had a quick lifting session. A match and lifting all in one day...quite intense at this level. Tomorrow we have the day off from matches as the teams that played the later matches today will use tomorrow for a travel day. We will have training and lots and lots of video. We have a target on our back now, so we will have to work twice as hard to keep our winning streak going. As always, I send all my love to friends, family, and fans back home! Until next time...
Tuesday, Nov. 15
This morning we began our day by means of an earthquake, yes I said earthquake, as our wake up call. Having never been through one before, I will admit I was quite frightened. It lasted only about three minutes, but in my state of mind, it seemed like a half hour. The bed started shaking and the building creaking, and not having much experience in these situations, I grabbed the sheets tight and thought that it would soon get worse as it went on. However, it did not much to my relief. Everyone came out unharmed, and in fact, some of the girls slept through the entire thing...guess we have some deep sleepers on the team. Everyone had a good laugh about it over breakfast as we all shared our experiences.
After the drama of the morning, we had light training for an hour and half at a local University. We then headed back to the hotel for a quick lunch and to get ready for the match. I must say that I had a smile on my face as I put on my jersey. There were some butterflies in my stomach, but they soon calmed down once we got into the gym.
Everyone on the team played very well, and we beat Korea in three games. The match seemed to go by in a blur as I tried to take in everything going on around me. In the beginning of the game, while the National Anthem was being played over the speakers, it really hit me that I was here representing my country. Quite the honor and responsibilty in that realization.
Following the match was the Opening Ceremony. There was singing and dancing to begin the event. Apparently there were some pretty popular singers there as four guys, dressed all in white, came out into the arena to the eruption of applause and screaming. All of the teams waited behind the stands to proceed out with our country's flag. One by one we filed out to the middle of the court. Some speeches were made, most of them in Japanese, by the FIVB president and president of Japanese volleyball. It was amazing to see the crowd's love and support of the game of volleyball.
After the Ceremony we had a video session on China back at the hotel. They have a very quick offense, and we will have to play some good defense to compete with them tomorrow. We play the noon match, so I will have to end this for now and get some much needed sleep for an early day tomorrow. 1-0 and working our way up!
Cassie
Monday, Nov. 14:
Day 2 in Tokyo started with a breakfast that including all the teams. The wide selection of food was a welcome change of pace from the rice and cornflakes we had during our previous week. I must say I am getting used to rice being an everyday staple at every meal. It's amazing to see some of the combos the girls have created with their rice. A favorite seems to be rice and tuna. I have not tried it yet, and hopefully won't have to. ;-)
The drive to the gym allowed for a lot of sight-seeing, as traffic was slow moving. Many on the street pointed to our bus and waved. One thing that stuck out in my mind, and maybe this is because I once had my bike stolen on campus, but I could not believe the number of bikes outside shops and restaurants...all unlocked. They must have quite the trust in their fellow neighbor.
At the gym, we were allowed one-and-a half hours of training time. The arena is absolutely huge. I am told that it was completely sold out within the first few days that tickets went on sale; and these tickets are not cheap either. Some of the girls' parents are even struggling to gain access into the arena.
Tonight will be another video session on Korea, who we will play tomorrow, and I will put on a USA jersey for the first time! Wish us luck as we begin game 1 of the World Grand Champions Cup.
Sincerely,
Cassie
Sunday, Nov. 13:
Hello Gopher Fans,
We arrived in Tokyo today to begin the week long competition of the World Grand Champions Cup. The previous week (Nov. 7-13) found the team training in the town of Kasukabe (the town that Tayyiba Haneef, our outside hitter, is currently playing for). The girls playing overseas all met here to train together and study video for a week before the competition begins. There was much laughter as stories were told and catching up was done as the girls had been seperated around the world for the past couple of months.
I very much enjoyed getting to know the team as they helped me adjust to their system of play. Lindsey Berg has been especially helpful in "teaching me the ropes." I would never have thought that we would play on the same team together again, but I must say it feels just like old times. I feel very comfortable here, and am extreemly excited to be apart of this experience.
Tonight we had dinner with all of the teams. Six different languages all in one room. It was interesting to just sit back and listen to the conversations around me. These cultural experiences will not be soon forgotten. Tomorrow we will train in the arena we are to compete in. And so it begins...