May 30, 2007

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Juniors Gayle Tripp and Jeanne Fairchild have signed up with Bring It Promotions (BIP) to participate in the 2007 Sibillini Tournament in Italy. This is the first European Exposure Tour for both, who are teaming up with other NCAA Division I athletes to compete against international clubs.

It's the 8th consecutive year BIP will be participating in the Annual Sibillini Tournament in Comunanza (Marche Region), Italy. The tournament is being played in a 7 day format with opening ceremonies on July 1. They will spend two nights (June 28-29) in Rome, then have one night in the lovely Adriatic Coastal town of either Falconara, Pesaro, or Pescara before heading up the Sibillini Mountains for the tournament.

The coaches signed up for the trip are Joe Sagula )University of North Carolina), Claire Lessinger or Nikki Shade (University of South Florida), Paula Weishoff (Concordia University and USAV Coach) and Erikka Gulbranson (Vanguard University and USAV Coach).

This year's tournament will again boast at least eight top under 20 teams. Although the teams are not yet set, they expect a selection of teams ranging from past champions Olomuc, Czech Republic (2006 Champs); Slavia Bratislava, Slovakia (2002, 2003, & 2004 Champs); Postar Belgrade, Serbia (2001 Champs); Lazerevac Belgrade, Serbia (2005 Champs) as well as 14-time participant Vasas Budapest, Hungary.

Jeanne Fairchild

Bring It Promotions was founded in 1997 by Tim Kelly, a former UCLA All-American and five-year European professional veteran. His Exposure Tours are designed, as the name suggests, to expose players to European professional volleyball. Throughout the tour, the team will compete almost every night against some of the top professional teams available in the countries included in the tour. There will, of course, be plenty of sightseeing opportunities and fun to be had as well. Journals from previous tours are available on their website, BringItUSA.com.

Earlier this week, Tripp and Fairchild took some time out of their summer to talk about their upcoming trip.

How did you get involved with the team you are traveling with and what does it add to you as a collegiate athlete?
Gayle Tripp: I searched around for a team and tour and told Jeanne about how I wanted to go and wanted her to come! Bringitusa is a very popular and acredited program to go through. Jeff (Nelson, head coach) has had multiple players go through it as well as former assistant Chelsea Robb. This trip will add experience and versatility to my volleyball resume because I will play with people I have never talked to, nor seen until I fly out there. I will also play in a place I have never been where the lifestyle and culture is immensely different. On top of this, I will play for a coach that does not know much about me, but expects my undying effort. This is a test to see how I adapt to a different environment, people, and coaches being the same player I am for the Lobos. hopefully I come back better and more knowledgeable.

Jeanne Fairchild: I got involved with this team simply by word of mouth. Gayle had already known about it and asked me once if i wanted to go. I thought about it, but didn't really think that I would take the steps to actually go. About a few weeks later, Coach Nelson mentioned it to the team and I thought about it again, like how interesting it would be and how much fun it would be to take part in something like that. I asked him for more information on it and decided that it would be the trip of a life time and that if I didn't go, I would make a huge mistake. As a college athlete, I believe that it is extremely important to experience as many things as you can with your sport, especially when it has the chance to take you over seas. It adds a level of experience that not many other players may have, and it also adds some depth to your game. As a volleyball player, getting the chance to play over seas is a huge deal and being able to have this opportunity in our hands is truly a blessing in and of itself.

What are you looking forward to the most about the trip?
GT: I'm looking forward to seeing Italy with one of my best friends and teammates, Jeanne. I think this the ultimate trip for friends who love volleyball...and to have fun! I also cannot wait to meet all the other girls and win lots of volleyball games then go eat real lasagna!

JF: What I am looking forward to most about this trip is being able to experience a beautiful part of the world with one of my teammates, who is also one of my best friends. One of my dreams has always been to go to Italy, some how, some way, and being able to do it through a sport that I love is even better than I ever could have imagined.

Gayle Tripp

Have you ever gone on a trip like this?
GT: I have never gone overseas, ever. I have also never played on a team so random. But Jeanne and I have played on the same club volleyball team since we both started playing. I believe we were 10 or 11 when we first met in a gym. We have traveled pretty much the continent together through club, then college, now to Europe! The best trip since this we've taken was to Clearwater Beach, Fla. our sophomore year for a trip over spring break. But that's my opinion. This will wash it out of the water.

JF: I have never been out of the country before, so i would have to say that I haven't ever been on a trip like this. I have however, been on regional teams that are made up of girls from around the country, in which we travel to a certain place. For example, one time we went down to Las Cruces and practiced at NMSU for about 4-5 days, then we traveled to St. George, Utah to compete in a tournament. So i have been on teams made up of girls I have never met before, but not to the extent of going out of the country to play. Nothing will compare to this trip.

How do you play volleyball practically year round and keep from getting burned out?
GT: I take a week here, two weeks there off every once in a while. Never more than that usually. I love volleyball and really have never felt burnt out. I have invested so much time, effort, thought, and passion into this that I don't ever see myself not playing. I always tease that volleyball is my contagious best friend and it never leaves me alone. If I leave it alone, it haunts me because I know there is always someone else working harder out there. Wow, that sounds corny, but if all else fails I count the calories i'm burning when I'm at practice or in a game, or at a pickup game that gets me through it knowing I losing some weight. lol

JF: This question hits home for me in huge ways. As you probably know, I attended the University of San Diego before I transfered back to UNM. I came home after only spending one semester there, because I was burnt out. I attended UNM in the spring of 2006, without playing volleyballl. As a matter of fact, when I decided to play again, I hadn't touched a ball for eight months. But coming back, and now having new coaches, has completely turned things around 180 degrees. I am loving the game more than I ever thought I could. I think I could speak for every college athlete when I say that everyone gets burnt out now and then. It is just how we deal with it that determines our strength to continue in playing the sport. In my case, I needed to get away for that long so that I could find my love and passion for it again.