From Gotha to Orlando and make new friends
Discover the world with lots of sports gear in your luggage – in the end 30th place out of 104 teams.
International Adventure
The trainers Robert Werner, Bianka Werner and Marius Stucke supported the team
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The long, time-consuming organization and preparation paid off. With a lot of anticipation and great expectations, five players from VC Gotha and six players from Volley Juniors Thuringia prepared for the world’s largest volleyball tournament in the USA. Goal of the trip: Participation in the AAU Volleyball Nationals in Orlando, Florida – with more than 20-hour journey via Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Boston to Orlando.
Weather change and time difference were announced before the start of the tournament on Daytona Beach cured, including swimming in the Atlantic. The venue, the Orlando Convention Center, overwhelmed the tour group: 230 playing fields in two arcades.
New dimensions: 230 pitches in two halls
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The first day of the tournament ended with a win and second place in the group phase. The second started at 8am on Court 73 and ended with another win in the tie-breaker. For day 3, the trainers demanded more emotions following successful actions and won the group in another intermediate round. With a narrow 11:15 defeat, the German players were eliminated on the fourth day due to the “single-out” mode and reached den 30th place out of 104 teams in the “Diamond Division”. All in all, everyone was very satisfied with the performance shown and glad to have had the chance to represent Germany at such a unique tournament. The participants gained a lot of experience, made new acquaintances with teams from all over the world and developed further in sport.
Participation for the first time was the starting signal for regular participation in the AAU Nationals. In the future, the younger teams from Thuringia should also have the opportunity to take part in the largest volleyball tournament in the world.
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