	SuperFOOT in Aspen
SuperFOOT in Aspen: Hello again!! You thought you were rid of me for the rest of the season.....well sorry I am back to update you on the latest tournament I played, located in the beautiful city of Aspen, CO. The tournament was the "Motherlode" and the one which started me along this journey of playing beach volleyball professionally. In High School, my old coach Joe told me that in the future, I wouldn't necessarily remember scores of games or opponents but the memories with my teammates and experiences I would have. Well, that has become a true statement over the past 10 years, and this weekend will definitely go into the memory of good ones. Since the Motherlode is where I first got my start in sand volleyball, when my partner Krista Swartzendruber-Wilper and I entered the tournament seeded last place then ending up winning the tournament, this is always a special weekend for me. Not only is playing in Colorado again wonderful but it's a great time to catch up with old faces I don't get to see as much living in CA. But....Krista just had a baby 3 days ago (not in the best VB shape, even though I told her we could still play), and my "last" (I know!!!) partner Brooke, found out that her shoulder was injured and is looking at possible surgery. So please pray for her if you remember. Therefore, what seems to be my theme of this season, I was partnerless again! :-) About 3 weeks before the tournament I was lying in bed praying for the next day and was asking God to show me a great partner to take to Aspen. Well, a name then popped in my head, Diane Pascua. I really hadn't talked to her in almost 2 years but 2 years ago she invited me to play in Steamboat, CO for a tourney and we ended up winning it. She was a long shot, especially since she was just returning from playing all over the world trying to qualify for the Olympics representing the Philippians. But, I decided to email her anyway, and once AGAIN put myself out there to "ask" yet another partner. (By the way, men....I have NO idea how you ask girls out again and again....this is tough stuff!!!!) Well, good news, she said YES!! And I almost did a cartwheel. I have wanted to play with her again for so long. She was the first partner I played with who had amazing ball control and experience and I thought if I could find a partner like her on the AVP tour I would be excited. So to be able to play with her again was exciting. However, the good news didn't stop there. Last year, Barefoot Wine sponsored Catie and me and this year they wanted to sponsor me AGAIN!!! What a gift this was!!! Wait till I tell you all the amazing moments we had with the incredible people of Barefoot. Also, my super supportive dad flew in on Saturday afternoon just in time to make it to the first match. I picked up Diane from the airport on Friday and we headed up the mountain 4 ½ hours to Aspen. Once we got there we had our ONLY EVER practice for 20 minutes. Good thing I had so many partners this year to be able to walk on the court...or sand...with someone new and be able to play well. After practice we checked into our amazing hotel barefoot got for us, which was only like a 3 minute walk from the courts. AMAZING!! We showered and then Abby (head of the barefoot co) took Diane and me to a restaurant for dinner. I opened the menu and my jaw must have dropped to the floor. The cheapest thing on the menu was $32!!!! I could eat like 4 meals for that!! I didn't want to just order water, so I was able to order tenderloin and WOW, it was good!! All three "Barefoot" people, Diane and I just sat around the table talking, sharing and enjoying time together. We must have been there over 2 hours and the highlight was when Bruce dared Abby to eat the fish eye from the Bass he ordered!! YIKES!!! Can you say Fear Factor???? Barefoot picked up the bill and Diane and I left smiling feeling like princesses for the day. As I went to bed that night, I couldn't help but smile for the great time I was having with Diane and the supportive crew of Barefoot. I never knew what being "sponsored" could really feel like. It was definitely all that everyone talks about and much more glamorous. Then I was so jealous that Kerri and Misty are experiencing this situation weekend after weekend, when I am riding subways for 2 hours, or racing for my life in a tornado! :-) But for this weekend we were treated so special and so grateful for Abby and Barefoot's generosity. Okay, on to the playing, our first match on Saturday finally started around 2:00pm after sitting waiting all day. It would be our first time competing together and we actually played really well, defeating the team 21-6, and 21-7. We thought we would play again, but it got too dark so we were scheduled to play the next morning. My dad took Diane and me to a great dinner and we went to bed early for the next days competition. Sunday morning went well also. We won our first match 21-10, 21-16 to set up a game against another AVP/California team of Alicia Zampereilli and Rosa Masler. We didn't start that match till 4:30pm so in between games, we were hanging out in the Barefoot tent and catching up with old friends. This game was going to be a tough one and we knew this would be our first test. Well we passed it, and it was SO fun too!! We won 21-17, 21-18 and it was great playing with Diane. This win put us in the quarter-finals on Monday morning. After the win, Abby and the new barefoot crew of Dan and Kelly took Diane, my dad and me to another incredible dinner. We sat at a round table at this nice bistro and just had a great time talking and sharing the tournament together. These will be the memories I will have for so many years to come. Monday morning we were scheduled to play against the top AVP team that was there, Paige Davis and Jenelle Koester. They play in the AVP with me and do really well. In game one, they got off to a good start and beat us in game one 21-19. Diane and I rallied in game two with the help/cheers of the Barefoot crew and my dad and friends. We won game two 21-11 to push it to a deciding third game. All the support charged us in game three and we came out winning it 15-9 to be in the semifinals!!! We were really excited to beat such a great AVP team. With the crazy format of this tournament it is supposed to be "double-elimination" but they do what's called a cross-over match which makes it single elimination once only 4 teams are left. We were feeling good, but definitely feeling the altitude too! The semi final match would be against Carrie Wright and Kelly Rowe. I won the Motherlode with Carrie 2 years ago so there was a little competition in this one. Game one was really close but they took game one 21-19. Once again Abby with barefoot started cheers and was playing music to make us pumped up and we pulled out game two 21-14 for yet another 3rd game to 15 points. Unfortunately we got off to a slow start with a couple of barely missed shots and never recovered the deficit to lose 13-15 in the third game. I was really bummed for I thought we had a great shot to win it and knew if we could win that one, we could possibly win the tournament. This placed us with a 3rd place and even though that was our ONLY loss and all the other teams already had lost once, we were out. And the team that won it all was the AVP team that we beat earlier in the morning. Bummer!! So I was disappointed a little but really I had a great time playing with Diane and thankful we got a chance to play together. All those other teams have been playing all season and for never practicing and walking in the sand together, I thought we did a great job of adjusting and making the best of our skills!! But honestly, that experience wouldn't have been even close to the same if Abby and the barefoot team and my dad weren't there every game cheering for us and treating us like rockstars. Playing is fun for me, but honestly the JOY I have is when I get to share it with others and they constantly put smiles on my face and the support we received was so special. Community is such an important thing in my life and even though I have won that tournament 3 times already, I can honestly say the years Barefoot has been supporting us, has been the most memorable and fun. Don't get me wrong, winning is fun and was great!!! But, being part of something else beyond yourself is true winning! THANKS BAREFOOT!! After the tournament we all drove down to Denver to catch flights back out. I was so sad to leave Colorado for the AMAZING weeks I had there. I have started to work on a little season recap I will send out and will tell you all the incredible things I was able to be apart of while in CO and the people I met. Until then, I am off to Oregon for a week with my family and might be attending my 10 YEAR high school reunion (YIKES, please pray for me!!!) before heading back to CA to start working again!! Thanks for all your support again and still putting up with me in this long, long season!!

SuperFOOT in Aspen

SuperFOOT in Aspen:

Hello again!! You thought you were rid of me for the rest of the season.....well sorry I am back to update you on the latest tournament I played, located in the beautiful city of Aspen, CO. The tournament was the "Motherlode" and the one which started me along this journey of playing beach volleyball professionally.

In High School, my old coach Joe told me that in the future, I wouldn't necessarily remember scores of games or opponents but the memories with my teammates and experiences I would have. Well, that has become a true statement over the past 10 years, and this weekend will definitely go into the memory of good ones.

Since the Motherlode is where I first got my start in sand volleyball, when my partner Krista Swartzendruber-Wilper and I entered the tournament seeded last place then ending up winning the tournament, this is always a special weekend for me. Not only is playing in Colorado again wonderful but it's a great time to catch up with old faces I don't get to see as much living in CA. But....Krista just had a baby 3 days ago (not in the best VB shape, even though I told her we could still play), and my "last" (I know!!!) partner Brooke, found out that her shoulder was injured and is looking at possible surgery. So please pray for her if you remember. Therefore, what seems to be my theme of this season, I was partnerless again! :-) About 3 weeks before the tournament I was lying in bed praying for the next day and was asking God to show me a great partner to take to Aspen. Well, a name then popped in my head, Diane Pascua. I really hadn't talked to her in almost 2 years but 2 years ago she invited me to play in Steamboat, CO for a tourney and we ended up winning it. She was a long shot, especially since she was just returning from playing all over the world trying to qualify for the Olympics representing the Philippians. But, I decided to email her anyway, and once AGAIN put myself out there to "ask" yet another partner. (By the way, men....I have NO idea how you ask girls out again and again....this is tough stuff!!!!) Well, good news, she said YES!! And I almost did a cartwheel. I have wanted to play with her again for so long. She was the first partner I played with who had amazing ball control and experience and I thought if I could find a partner like her on the AVP tour I would be excited. So to be able to play with her again was exciting.

However, the good news didn't stop there. Last year, Barefoot Wine sponsored Catie and me and this year they wanted to sponsor me AGAIN!!! What a gift this was!!! Wait till I tell you all the amazing moments we had with the incredible people of Barefoot. Also, my super supportive dad flew in on Saturday afternoon just in time to make it to the first match.

I picked up Diane from the airport on Friday and we headed up the mountain 4 ½ hours to Aspen. Once we got there we had our ONLY EVER practice for 20 minutes. Good thing I had so many partners this year to be able to walk on the court...or sand...with someone new and be able to play well. After practice we checked into our amazing hotel barefoot got for us, which was only like a 3 minute walk from the courts. AMAZING!! We showered and then Abby (head of the barefoot co) took Diane and me to a restaurant for dinner. I opened the menu and my jaw must have dropped to the floor. The cheapest thing on the menu was $32!!!! I could eat like 4 meals for that!! I didn't want to just order water, so I was able to order tenderloin and WOW, it was good!! All three "Barefoot" people, Diane and I just sat around the table talking, sharing and enjoying time together. We must have been there over 2 hours and the highlight was when Bruce dared Abby to eat the fish eye from the Bass he ordered!! YIKES!!! Can you say Fear Factor???? Barefoot picked up the bill and Diane and I left smiling feeling like princesses for the day.

As I went to bed that night, I couldn't help but smile for the great time I was having with Diane and the supportive crew of Barefoot. I never knew what being "sponsored" could really feel like. It was definitely all that everyone talks about and much more glamorous. Then I was so jealous that Kerri and Misty are experiencing this situation weekend after weekend, when I am riding subways for 2 hours, or racing for my life in a tornado! :-) But for this weekend we were treated so special and so grateful for Abby and Barefoot's generosity.

Okay, on to the playing, our first match on Saturday finally started around 2:00pm after sitting waiting all day. It would be our first time competing together and we actually played really well, defeating the team 21-6, and 21-7. We thought we would play again, but it got too dark so we were scheduled to play the next morning. My dad took Diane and me to a great dinner and we went to bed early for the next days competition.

Sunday morning went well also. We won our first match 21-10, 21-16 to set up a game against another AVP/California team of Alicia Zampereilli and Rosa Masler. We didn't start that match till 4:30pm so in between games, we were hanging out in the Barefoot tent and catching up with old friends. This game was going to be a tough one and we knew this would be our first test. Well we passed it, and it was SO fun too!! We won 21-17, 21-18 and it was great playing with Diane. This win put us in the quarter-finals on Monday morning. After the win, Abby and the new barefoot crew of Dan and Kelly took Diane, my dad and me to another incredible dinner. We sat at a round table at this nice bistro and just had a great time talking and sharing the tournament together. These will be the memories I will have for so many years to come.

Monday morning we were scheduled to play against the top AVP team that was there, Paige Davis and Jenelle Koester. They play in the AVP with me and do really well. In game one, they got off to a good start and beat us in game one 21-19. Diane and I rallied in game two with the help/cheers of the Barefoot crew and my dad and friends. We won game two 21-11 to push it to a deciding third game. All the support charged us in game three and we came out winning it 15-9 to be in the semifinals!!! We were really excited to beat such a great AVP team.

With the crazy format of this tournament it is supposed to be "double-elimination" but they do what's called a cross-over match which makes it single elimination once only 4 teams are left. We were feeling good, but definitely feeling the altitude too! The semi final match would be against Carrie Wright and Kelly Rowe. I won the Motherlode with Carrie 2 years ago so there was a little competition in this one. Game one was really close but they took game one 21-19. Once again Abby with barefoot started cheers and was playing music to make us pumped up and we pulled out game two 21-14 for yet another 3rd game to 15 points. Unfortunately we got off to a slow start with a couple of barely missed shots and never recovered the deficit to lose 13-15 in the third game. I was really bummed for I thought we had a great shot to win it and knew if we could win that one, we could possibly win the tournament. This placed us with a 3rd place and even though that was our ONLY loss and all the other teams already had lost once, we were out. And the team that won it all was the AVP team that we beat earlier in the morning. Bummer!! So I was disappointed a little but really I had a great time playing with Diane and thankful we got a chance to play together. All those other teams have been playing all season and for never practicing and walking in the sand together, I thought we did a great job of adjusting and making the best of our skills!!

But honestly, that experience wouldn't have been even close to the same if Abby and the barefoot team and my dad weren't there every game cheering for us and treating us like rockstars. Playing is fun for me, but honestly the JOY I have is when I get to share it with others and they constantly put smiles on my face and the support we received was so special. Community is such an important thing in my life and even though I have won that tournament 3 times already, I can honestly say the years Barefoot has been supporting us, has been the most memorable and fun. Don't get me wrong, winning is fun and was great!!! But, being part of something else beyond yourself is true winning! THANKS BAREFOOT!!

After the tournament we all drove down to Denver to catch flights back out. I was so sad to leave Colorado for the AMAZING weeks I had there. I have started to work on a little season recap I will send out and will tell you all the incredible things I was able to be apart of while in CO and the people I met. Until then, I am off to Oregon for a week with my family and might be attending my 10 YEAR high school reunion (YIKES, please pray for me!!!) before heading back to CA to start working again!!

Thanks for all your support again and still putting up with me in this long, long season!!