Danielle Scott Weblog

Well, we’ve added a couple more W’s under our win column. Woohoo! Even though the last match we gained only 2 points towards the ranking, it better that we won. Just to clarify a bit how the points are given…if a team wins 3-0 or 3-1 that teams gets 3 points while the losing team doesn’t get any points. If however there is a tie break set, the winning team gets 2 points and the losing team is given 1 point.

Hanka Pachale one of our two outside hitters injured her calf during our match against Forli. Hopefully she will have a speedy recovery, as we have few substitution. Each persons role on the team is especially crucial. Hanka is a main passer for us. We’ve got Jesi on Sunday. In the meantime I get a few extra reps with passing. I’ve loving that. I wish I could do it more often to be better prepared for situations like this. But oh well, I will find a way to get it done, all things are possible.

Keep us in your prayers,

Blessing to ya,

Danielle

PS To the 10 year old, Kidan, you forgot to leave your email address. I would love to meet you and your family

Well, I am back in Chieri sitting in front of the TV watching E! or at least listening to the celebrity new, glancing up occasionally. Yesterday was my day off. And I got to spend a whooping five hours as a tourist in Amsterdam! Didn’t get to take the boat ride, but I did a lot of walking around, checking out the shops and stepping in sometimes just to keep dry and warm up. Yes, our only day off, it rained. Anyway, I made my way along with my teammates to the wax museum Madame Tussaud’s Amsterdam. To my surprise there was like a scary haunted house type area. You know when you watch a movie that really is that funny alone it really isn’t that funny. But with a group of friends who are laughing at everything you find yourself laughing too. Or if you watch a scary movie a mute the sound, it really isn’t that scary. But turn up the volume and have someone walk up behind just as the alien is unveil in the shadow… Well, one’s response is to jump and scream and be a bit more apprehensive passing through a dark scary hall if you are creeping along through it slowly with six other flinching, screaming teammates. I took a few pictures with the stars which I will later post in the photo gallery. I know it is long over due to update.

OK, we’ve got Vicenza tomorrow at home. Lost to them the first time around in five. So we will be working to get a victory this time. Go Chieri,

Danielle

Boy two very long days in a row. Yesterday, I woke up at 5:14 am to get ready for my trip to Amsterdam. We arrived early afternoon. Had lunch followed by practice forty-five minutes later. After a few hours practice we returned, freshened up and had dinner. Notice something wrong here. NO NAP TIME! Nor did I have a nap today. Yesterday during practice. I pounced the air out of max. That is, I landed hard one too many times only my right Nike airmax, that I deflated it. It happened to be the same ankle that I had sprained, as a precaution I stopped and had the trainer tape my ankle. So today our morning to sleep in I was up at 8:30 am so that I could have time to eat breakfast and be ready to leave at 9 to replace my court shoes. Yes, talk about eating on the run, practically. I was ready and waiting, 9 o’clock came and went, 9:30 too. Finally I was told I would be picked up at noon to go purchase the shoes. Long story shortened, I bought the shoes and returned to the hotel just in time to go to practice. Tomorrow is game day. I will definite get my nap in before the match.

Well, will yak with you later
Blessings,

Danielle

Hello All, IT”S FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH! Can you believe that I woke up this morning at 6:13 AM and could not fall asleep again! I didn’t realize until later that today is Friday and the thirteenth. So I had a nine o’clock appointment for a pedicure. Turn out I had to get my foot treated for a virus. I left there with a hole in my foot and a limp. Way to start the day off. But I am OK.

This entry is in response to questions asked of me by one of my blog readers Paul. Some followers choose to write a comment after the blog entry and others write to directly to my Danielle02Scott@aol.com email address. You can do the same…

Can you guess how many miles have you traveled over the last few months? Nope can’t even guesstimate on how many miles I’ve traveled over the last few months. But I should have accumulated a couple domestic round trip tickets. Good thing I am not in College any more where it was illegal to accumulate miles when traveling with the team.

How does the USA National Team keep in touch with players playing abroad? Through email, dvds etc.? Ie after a tournament are you given dvd breaking down your plays etc.? The USA team keeps in touch via email. After our last tournament we are out of there, at least those of us who play internationally. Well, even those who continue to train with the National team. They will have a break and later recommence. So no dvd break down of tournament play, though that is a good idea. Usually there is a website for the bigger tournament that post statistics, rankings, press releases and photographs. If there isn’t a website then there are daily bulletins given to the coach.

How do they monitor players current form? Once we go to our professional league they don’t really monitor our physical form. Pretty much they check just out the stats. Or if they have friendships or working relationships with one’s head coach or staff they may inquire from them.

The recent Grand Champions Cup clearly showed that physically you are still one of the best conditioned athletes in the squad. Do you consider this to be the key fact to your remaining in the squad? Do you think that you will be given a chance to compete if you can remain physically in top shape together with your wealth of experience and positive attitude? Yes, I believe that making an effort to be is top condition in any physical sport is the key to longevity in one’s athletic career. My hope is that, barring injuries, if I in fact continue to perform well, along with as your put it “my wealth of experience and positive attitude,” that I will be given a chance to not only be named to the National Team and Olympic Team but also compete. Hopefully age will not be a factor.

Do my sporting genes run in the family? I’d have to say yes, though I am the only one to have taken it to the professional level. My dad played rec basketball when he had time growing up. And still weightlifts from time to time. My mom ran track when she was younger. I grew up watching her do toe touches, sit-ups, jumping jacks and jogging in place. My sister dabbled in everything. She played volleyball, basketball and was a cheerleader. My brother played football and was a body builder for a several years. Some of my aunts continue to go to the gym and are in great shape. Which gives me hope after I am done working out for a living.

Long entry, sorry
Until next time, blessings to ya

Danielle

We beat Padova 3-0! Of course it was a different team with Tores and their libero. A friend and huge Chieri volleyball fan said that it is about time that we received a bit of luck. That is, it was nice to play full strength against a team that was not quite full strength. Victory is always sweet. But I always like to beat a team at their best. That’s just me. Though I will take a W at any time.

We’ve got a team from Holland on Wednesday. It should be a very good team and a really competitive match as this team almost represent Holland’s National Team.

Take care,

Danielle

By the way, I took three days of antibiotic that really helped my cold and cough out tremendously.

Going to the market yesterday was a hot frenzy. Well, is wasn’t actually hot at all nonetheless very busy. Just getting there was a bit chaotic. And then there were the traffic directors, who I think made the traffic worse! The lines at the store were like those at Walmart during Christmas time. I wish there was a line for 10 or 20 items or less. But there aren’t here in Italy. Nor is there anyone to bag your groceries. The simple “luxuries” I no longer take for granted. Nor wasted bags by the checker/cashier (what are they called these days?) putting only two items in a bag. I definitely pack my bags full, especially since I have to pay for it. I think the bags here are made sturdier to hold more for longer periods of time. The Italian do a lot more walking than we American typically do when running errands.

Well, it is nap time as I get ready for our match against Padova.

GO CHIERI!

Danielle

Home remedies…. whatcha got for a cold? Here’s what’s been suggested to me. Things from over the counter: teas like Theraflu (Flufort, Tachifludec, Italian version), halls, vicks rub, cough syrup, load up on vitamin C and echinacea.

Now for the home remedies…1) home made tea, boils some lemons add honey, and a shot of whisky. 2) take a spoon of vicks rub and put it in hot water, cover my head with a towel and breath in the vapors. 3) rub vicks on the chest, take a bowl of hot water as hot as ones’ hands can stand, dip a towel, wring it and place towel on chest 4) heat some wine the rest was lost in translation.

I’ve tried different combinations of some of these. Have you other suggestions?

Thanks,

Blessings,

Danielle

Wow, 2006! Thank God for letting me live to see another year! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2005 went by so quickly. Volleyball…2004/2005 my team finished tied for third in the Italian Championship, third in the Italian Cup and won the Top Teams Cup. It was a good year for USA volleyball winning NORCECA zone Championship for the third strait year, qualifying for 2006 World Grand Prix and 2006 World Championships and finishing second in the final tournament of the year, that being the World Grand Champions Cup. With these international tournaments I was able to go to new places like Trinidad and Tobago making new friends there. My return trip to Japan I spoke to and saw some of my Pioneer teammates and staff. And Yoko Zetherland a friend of mine from way back. These are prized moments in my career.

I was able to spend a bit more time with my family this year and change it up a bit with volleyball playing on the sand because I had an amazing approximately two months of total time off this summer. My mom, Natalie and my adorable nephew Stefan came out to visit me in Italy.

We also saw a lot of tragic natural disaster with the Tsunami in Thailand. A place where I have been several times with the National Team and vacationed three years ago. The earthquake that shook Asia and finally Hurricane Katrina that flooded my neighboring city New Orleans and other Gulf coast states. My prayers are with all of the victims of these horrific tragedies.

Well, the 2005/2006 season has begun with a rough start. But we hope to turn that around starting with the unofficial match against Novara on January 4.

That’s it for now,

Blessing to ya in the year 2006!

Danielle