CHARLOTTE'S DIARY: FISHY THINGS GOING ON IN SPAIN!
Tuesday 06 December, 2005

Heeeey!

I'm currently playing in sunny Spain at a team called Caceres. I came out here at the end of August, but things didn't get off to a great start - I lost my baggage for like 5 days and was therefore prancing around in super-medium borrowed clothes! (not good)

It's definetly a big sacrifice being away from home and in a new environment...then again, customizing to "chilled" Florida and "hectic" New York have defiantly proved handy experiences in tackling Spain. It's just a little more to adjust to because of the language barrier - although I do know just about enough Spanish to get by (at least a working knowledge of profanities).

When I first got here, everyone was real cool. The girls were helpful and the coaches really went out of their way to allow me to settle. But after a while (a short while!) you're pretty much on your own. When you do well, the coaches and the team bosses love you - sometimes go as far as free meals in their restaurant - but coming off a loss is completely different as they might not even look your way on the journey home. It really is a cut-throat business, I learnt that quickly as one of my team mates was sent home just a little after a month. It's all part of the business I guess.

This season, we're going to be fighting for a play-off spot. Out of 12 teams in our group, only 4 go through. The top two positions are pretty much on lock as there are two very strong teams. The other two spots are up for grabs and we're certainly aiming to be one of the teams to claim one.

The game over here is immensely different from the style of basketball I've been accustomed to playing in America. Here, they're a lot more about shooting and less physical. As a result I found myself fouling out of many of pre-season games! They also want you to put the ball on the floor 5 years before you even think about taking a step…."lets say I traveled the world." Again, that took some getting used to...

I find the team a lot less drilled than squads I've previously played for in the States. There, you had to run your ass off at all costs and times. Here they're real lax...they hardly touch the lines, and allow players to slack in pre-season. - something you could never have gotten away with in America. My coach insists that "as long as you get it done on the court, nothing else matters".

One other weird thing about playing for this team...whilst most teams get free stuff from sponsors like Nike and Reebok, we get free FISH! That's right, a seafood company is our team's main sponsor (OK, we get a few extras here n there!) but fancy that!...fresh kippers sent to our door every week. At least I'm eating healthy!

Catch you next month

Char

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