Rookie to Veteran

 Our scudetto dinner -- celebrating our championship!

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  Somewhere along the line I went from rookie on the team, to team vet. The team 'baby', to team 'mom'. The young and spry one, with her whole career ahead of her, to the not-so-spry-one, with her career coming to a close.

  I don't know exactly where the transition point occurred, but I've been fully towards the side of 'experienced' for quite some time now.

  I look back on the things I did, the way I was as a rookie, or a younger player, and laugh a little. I recognize the ways I have changed as my career has progressed, and of course you think you've changed for the better.

  Even so, it's always fun to look back.

  One thing you always wish you could do is ease the growing pains of the the younger version of yourself. To educate her on a few things: the expectations on the court, the ways of the leagues, how to be better prepared, how to take care of her body, and living abroad in general.

  But I suppose that's the whole point of being a rookie. It's your time to learn. Nearly every experience is a new one. And no one can give you the answers. You have to figure it out for yourself, and adjust accordingly. You either figure it out, or you head home.

Mental Adjustments

Warming up for my first game as a pro!

  I was blessed with an amazing team my rookie year in Italy (Como). We had an incredible group of professionals who couldn't have been better role models for me. I was lucky to have them to learn from. And I think it was my two years in Como that really shaped me as a professional, and set the tone for the rest of my playing career.

  I looked up to my older, more-experienced teammates, and admired them a great deal. I remember wondering how they 'did it' on a day-to day basis. Their consistency. They were always there, physically and mentally. No matter what. I strived to match them.

  So between my rookie year in 2003-2004 and now, I've hopefully grown into a player the younger girls on my recent teams look at in a similar manner.

  I've never been the 'team mom' type, and I never will be. I'm not the rah-rah cheerleader. But I will lead by example.

La Comense strolling the streets in Sicily.

   As a rookie, I didn't understand the expectations that were on me as a player. I was happy to be on a successful team. I saw the team's success as my own success. But at some point, the team (president, management, coaches, sponsors) wanted a high individual return on their investment.

  It took me several years to figure out, especially as a foreigner, you have to produce, statistically speaking. If you're on a winning team, all is well. But the second your team loses and you're not meeting individual expectations, there will be hell to pay.

  It wasn't college anymore. We had a team system, but it wasn't nearly as strict as the one I had played in at Colorado. It took some time, and some adjusting, but after several rough patches, I got through it.

  I took everything on a day-to-day basis my first few years. I didn't see much of the big picture. If I wasn't playing well, was home sick, or had just had a spat with my coach, it was the end of the world. Now, I brush it off, and know things will bounce back in the other direction as long as I keep plugging along.

Celebrating our championship!

  I also went from from not understanding at thing, whether it'd be specific things in practice, how leagues/championships function, or just day-to-day life as an American in Europe.

  On the court, this where I relied on my teammates again. If I didn't understand (because of language), I had to pay extra attention to them, to figure out what was going on. Practice wasn't going to stop just for you. I eventually learned Italian, and didn't have to rely on watching to understand.

  But the same can be said for my on-the-court adjusting with every team I've ever been on (eight countries in 10 seasons means a lot of different languages!).

  I learned the importance of the league championship because of how my teammates reacted. We won the Italian Championship my rookie year. And I didn't quite understand the magnitude of it until I realized just how important it was to my teammates. It was rare. And the only championship I've won as a pro.

My team vets -- they showed me the ropes!

  Another mental shift was probably the most important one I made. It was what allowed me to make a career out of basketball. It was realizing it was okay for me to be a basketball player.

  Prior to understanding this, I felt pressure to being doing something more 'grown up', and to know exactly what I wanted to do when I was done playing. While in my head I thought, 'I am doing what I want to do'!

  Now, I understand that a career as basketball player is a short one. And it's not a career that everyone gets the opportunity to experience, so I am making the most of it. And while life after basketball is still a daunting one, I'll tackle it, just as I've tackled every other crossroads in my life. 
 
Anything For a Little Extra Sleep
  I remember timing, to the last possible second, when I'd have to leave the house for practice. Heaven forbid I get there too early. In Como, I'd get caught on a regular basis, at the train tracks on my way to the gym. And each time, I'd freak out that it'd make me late. Thankfully, I never was.

  Or timing my morning routine to a T, so I didn't have to get up a second too early. At some point I started setting my alarm two hours before practice, no matter what.

My German team in the oldest gym ever. At least it seemed like it.

  I used to look at, morning practice especially, as something you just had to 'get through'. Your body was tired. You were sleepy. It wasn't even a full practice. You just had to get through it for an hour or so, and then you could hurry back home, have lunch, and try to have a nap before evening practice later in the day.

  Now I look at any practice as a chance to get better. If I'm going to be there, I might as well either get a good workout in, or sharpen up my skills, and make it worth my time. Also, being ready for practice means getting there in plenty of time, so you no longer find me waiting until the last possible moment to leave my apartment.

  One rookie mistake I never made was being late to practice. Something like that is international, and I had been well-trained in my four years at Colorado.

Physical Adjustments
  Mental and physical adjustments go hand in hand. My first few years, I was very insecure as a player. I was unsure of my game, and how I was going to contribute to my team. Every week was different. I was inconsistent. And I felt the pressure to play better.

  Maybe as I grew to understand the expectations placed on me, I've grown to have 100% confidence in what I do, and how I play. I'm comfortable with what I do on the court, and the things that I bring to my team. I'm not trying to be someone I'm not. I just try to be the best player that I can be. 

Wolfenbüttel, Germany.

  This might go without saying, but like many rookies, I never stretched. Before, during, or after practice. Now, there's really not a time I'm not stretching. Ask my teammates. You have to take care of your body if you want to last in this profession.

  Another huge change has been my attitude about my conditioning. Until my third year as a pro, I never did any extra work during the season. Whatever we did in practice, I though, that was enough for me.

  Over time, I grew to take pride in my conditioning, and my body. I learned that my body was the way I earned a paycheck. And an unhealthy body wasn't going to do me any good.

  The same can be said for my eating habits. Across the board, I've become a much healthier person from the time I was a rookie, until now.

Off the Court
  Adjusting to life in Europe off the court had just as many bumps as my on-the-court adjustment did. In my first years abroad, I complained constantly about the things you couldn't get in Europe. The midday closures. How impossible it was to get anything done (it took a month to get a phone line -- and internet -- installed in my house, for example). I'd get 'America sick' very easily.

Adriatic Sea -- in Croatia.

  To be honest, I have no idea how I survived my first two years in Italy. For one, I had dial up internet (no Skype, etc)! And 10 TV channels (all in Italian). I guess that explains why I can speak some Italian. And again, a testament to my teammates.

  I think my life was much more structured my first few years as a pro. We had two-a-days every day, the entire season. This was my life: practice, eat, rest, eat, practice, eat, sleep. Then do it all over again the next day.

  These days, I try (try, being the operative word) not to sweat what I can't control. I appreciate the pace of life in Europe a whole lot more than I did when I first played in Italy. Things are much simpler. 

  I distinctly remember having countdowns (until the day I got to go home), and eagerly crossing days off the calendar. Sometimes the countdown started as high as 70 days! It wasn't that I disliked my time in Europe, it was that I felt that I was constantly 'missing out' on something since I was always gone.

Hanging with teammates in Poland.

  Now, I'm not really in any hurry. I've found ways to meaningfully make use of my days. And I no longer feel like I'm always missing out because I'm in Europe. I look at my experience here just as as valuable, if not more so, than anything I would be doing in the US.

  I remember the day I got my first pay check as pro. My coach was actually the one who pointed it out to me. Up until that point, it didn't dawn on me, that I was actually a professional basketball player. I loved the game, loved to play, and I was just proceeding with the next step in my career.

  And I've been extremely blessed to do so. I look at my years in Europe as an enormous time for individual growth. You learn to believe in yourself because it's just you out here. Day in, and day out, you're the only one you can really rely on.

  Though my ten seasons in Europe, I've probably experienced every scenario you can as a basketball player, positive and negative, on the court and off. I've learned to make due, adjust, and have had an overall positive experience, no matter what. And it's made me a better-prepared, more well-rounded person because of it.

No Playoffs, No Climax Point

Playoffs in Germany.

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  The last month of any basketball season usually marks its climax point.

  In high school, you were vying for a league championship, and a state playoff berth. Once you hit college, your conference tournament and a prestigious invitation to the NCAA Tournament caught your focus. Finally as a professional, whether in Europe or the NBA, your motivation is to make the playoffs, and for your team to advance as far as possible.

  The climax is what you play for. All the excitement, all the pressure, all the hard work comes to a head come playoff time. That's when you want to be playing your best basketball. Because that's when the games count the most.

  For me this season, there are no playoffs. There is no climax. And I've decided it stinks! It's like reading a book, or watching a movie that has no climax. It just sputters out, and limps to the finish line.

In college, your focus was the NCAA Tournament!

  The league I'm playing in has no playoffs. There is a Final Four 'tournament' for the top four finishers in the league. But unfortunately my team is not quite at that level this season.

  Some teams are still fighting to avoid relegation for the following season (the bottom two finishers in our league drop down to the lower league). Thankfully, as of a few weeks ago, my team has successfully secured its place in LF2 for the 2012-2013 season.

  So essentially, we have nothing to play for. Nothing, that is, except pride, and satisfaction in your own performance.

Playoffs: Bigger crowds to play in front of, bigger games! (Sweden)

  But let's be real, everyone's level of pride can vary a great deal. Just like our ability to self-motivate can differ enormously from one person to the next. Practices can get lackluster (to say the least), and games can feel like glorified scrimmages. My goal is to not allow that to happen in my final two weeks in Dunkerque.

  At the onset of each season, teams usually sit down together and set goals of how they want the season to go. Some might want to finish with a playoff berth and that's it (in most leagues, that means finishing in the Top 8 in the standings). Others might be more specific, and say they want to finish in the top two, or win the championship.

Have to keep focused as season ends!

  The professional season can be very long. You get tired physically, and you can lose your focus mentally. Once you hit that seventh or eighth month, you might find yourself going through the motions. That's where having goals can help keep you and your teammates motivated. Goals give you a way to measure your success, and will keep your eyes on the prize.

  In situations where the season is seven or eight months, I think it's helpful to break your goals down. 'Shorter-sighted' goals are easier to keep focused on, and easier to measure after all.

  While I'd love to be preparing for a a playoff series, or the Final Four, that's not my reality this season. So my motivation remains on my own personal pride in how I play, and how I can improve as a leader. I cannot control those around me, but I can control my effort and my focus on each and every practice, and our final two remaining games.

The W via SLAM Online

All Star game -- Poland 2006.

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  I started my blog in September of 2011. I wasn't sure what would come of it, what exactly I would write about on a weekly basis, or even if I would enjoy it. I was sure of one thing: if all else failed, write about basketball.

  That's how the majority of my time is spent after all. Preparing for the day's practices or workouts, which in turn are preparation for the weekend's games.

  Late in 2011, I was asked by Ben York (a proponent of women's hoops, writer for SLAM Magazine, and now for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury) to help him ramp up coverage of women's basketball, and bring first hand experiences to the audience. I told him I was game, and looked forward to doing anything I could to help.

  So after a few short months, my efforts as a blogger were already paying off. Not that I necessarily pictured myself becoming a full-time writer. But one door opens another, and so on (not to mention it's always nice to hear compliments for things you put a great deal of effort into). I was excited by the idea of joining up with Ben and a few other veterans of women's basketball to bring light to new experiences and perspectives.

Practice in Luleå -- Sweden 2008-2009.

  It just so happened our forum would be via SLAM Online. I was a loyal SLAM reader growing up. It's a magazine about basketball and its players, for the players. I'm sure fans appreciate it as well, but I always felt it was a magazine for the player especially.

  Given the audience at SLAM Online, I can be more basketball specific and technical than I am here. My role over at The W is to bring the International perspective.

  Lots and lots of Americans come overseas to extend their playing careers, but not many know much about it. So I am happy to be able to relay my experiences to those who are interested.

  I've tried to answer the most basic questions in regards to playing professionally in Europe. They're the questions I get most often when people find out what I do for a living.

  Am I missing anything -- what else do you want to know about? All four of my articles (so far) are listed below; check em out if you missed them the first time around!

MY POSTS at SLAM ONLINE:
Team First vs. 'Get Mine' Mentality
Ins & Outs of Euro-Ball
Euro-Hoops: Expect the Unexpected
FIBA's New (Ridiculous) Uniform Regulations

Love for Luleå -- the Tundra

Out for a walk in Luleå.

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  Mid-January, and it seems like winter is finally making an appearance in various corners of the world.

  Depending on where we grew up, we all have different ideas of what winter looks like. Growing up in Portland, winter to me, is a dreary, gray, rainy day (not much different than what a typical spring day might look like).

  But I'm sure for most, winter means at least a little snow, and some chilly temperatures.

  For two of my seasons abroad however, I experienced the most-extreme and hardcore of winters.

  Snow...cold...ice..darkness...reindeer. That's Luleå, Sweden for you!

Frozen eyelashes.

  People who have never been to Colorado might think that the Rockies have a 'harsh' winter.

  Think again. My two years in Northern Sweden was something I had never before seen.

The 'Tundra'
  Before ever setting foot onto Swedish soil, I didn't think it was possible for human-beings to live under 2-3 feet of snow, sub-freezing temperatures, and 20 hours of darkness for 5 consecutive months. But the proud Swedes were happy to show me otherwise.

Riding 'kickers' with my teammates.

  My teammates and I didn't dub Luleå the Frozen Tundra without reason! From November lasting through April, the temperatures are unlikely to rise above freezing. As a matter of fact, from December to February the highs will only reach about 20 degrees F (-7 C), with the lows hovering around 3 degrees F (-16 C). Talk about a deep freeze huh?

  As cold as that sounds, freezing temperatures weren't the biggest obstacle when living in Luleå for the winter.

Four Hour Days
  Adjusting to the ever-shrinking presence of sunshine was. On the shortest of days, I seem to remember sunrise being sometime after 10am, with sunset not too far behind. On most winter days, the sun had completely disappeared into the horizon by 2pm. Leaving you with a solid four hours of sun.

  Since it's such a short day, keep in mind, the sun never fully rises in the sky. Never giving your body that, 'it's one o'clock in the afternoon' cue. It's a difficult thing to explain.

Luleå city behind. On the ice road.

  Cold and dark. Doesn't sound like I should be writing for the Luleå tourism magazine, does it? I'm sure you're probably thinking what a depressing place to live!

  But it's not. Trust me when I tell you Luleå is a place you want to see.

Always Be Prepared 
  You learn to put layers on. You wear long-johns. You never forget your hat and gloves. You make sure to wear extra-heavy socks. And you have a parka that can withstand anything!

  I remember being able to really feel the difference between 23 degrees F (-5 C), and 14 degrees F (-10 C). At 14 F, if you're outside longer than five minutes, you feel your eyeballs start to freeze. Now THAT'S cold!

The ice road!

  As ludicrous as it sounds, the ice and snow brightens things up. I looked at the Luleå-born-and-raised like they were crazy when they first told me that. But I learned that it actually rings true (or maybe it was just a mental thing I convinced myself of).

Use Your Resources
  What I learned to appreciate the most about Northern Sweden, and Luleå in particular, is that they found ways to turn, what might be perceived to be a negative thing (the ice and snow), into a positive.

  Luleå is completely surrounded by water (Lule River and the Gulf of Bothnia). In the freezing winter temperatures, that water obviously turns to ice. Once the ice becomes thick enough, the city creates ice roads that surround Luleå, and that lead to small islands just outside of the city.

My first, and only attempt at cross-country skiing.

  It's on these ice roads that the city comes alive in the winter. You can ice skate, ski, snow mobile, drive a car (!), walk, sled, and do anything else you can think of on these ice roads.

  It was a very surreal feeling going out onto the ice for the first time. I was more than a little nervous, but grew to enjoy the feeling of freedom you felt when out on the ice.

No Seat Belts...Just In Case 
  One of the more-amusing stories I can tell about Luleå came when driving onto the ice roads for the first time with my teammate, Ise. As we drove onto the ice, she turned to me and said, 'ok, seat belts off!'

  You can imagine my thought process: 'why do we need to take our seat belts off?!' 'If the ice breaks, we will have to be able to get out of the car quickly' was the response I came up with in my head.

  But all I could muster up as a response to Ise was: 'whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttt??' She laughed at me, and said, 'just in case....' with a big smile. You guessed it, just in case....the ice breaks!!

  Thankfully I never experienced the 'just in case'.

  I'm know I did my fair share of complaining, but Luleå is truly one of the most unique places you can live. Drive ten minutes outside the city, and you have a good chance of seeing a reindeer on the side of the highway. Where else in the world can you do that?

  They love their hockey. And thankfully, they also love their basketball. I had a fabulous experience for two seasons in Luleå. But I'm convinced it had a little more to do with the people I was surrounded by than it did the snow and ice.

                                                                                              

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2pm sunset.

Beautiful.

Another early sunset.

A reindeer in the city!

Advent in Luleå.

Sun's out, the ice will be busy!