USA Ultimate

Nina Finley, Team USA U-20 Girls

Friday August 10, 2012 08:30AM It’s 8:30am. I’m folding my sheets in the humidity of a cloudy Massachusetts day. As I shake out my pillowcase I recall being enthusiastically awakened this morning by Tiffany pouncing on me in bed. "Go back to sleep!" I told her groggily. "What time is it, midnight?"

 

"It’s FIVE in the MORNING time to WAKE UP let’s go we’ve got PRACTICE c’mon sleepyhead!" Tiff babbled before bouncing back into the hall to wake another room.

We laced our cleats before sunrise to practice horizontal stacks and sideline intensity. Sweaty and bug-bitten, we stumbled into the dining hall as breakfast was closing. We stuffed our faces with pancakes and egg sandwiches, showered and did last-minute laundry. It’s barely daytime and already I’ve accomplished goals. I’m on Ireland time and ready for lunch!

As I stack my linens outside the dorm room, I hear Carly Rae Jepsen’s voice blaring from speakers up the hallway.

"HEY, I JUST MET YOU!" I holler to no one in particular, perfectly out of tune with the song.

"AND THIS IS CRAZY!" comes a reply from Qxhna’s room.

"BUT HERE’S MY NUMBER, SO CALL ME MAYBE!" we sing together.

Soon Tiffany’s filming a dance party in the hallway. Olivia shakes her red, white and blue booty to the camera. Hannah and Claire form a congo line. Margo acts as DJ. We belt the words to Magic by B.o.B.

"EVERY TIME I TOUCH THAT TRACK IT TURNS INTO GOLD!" Margo and I sing in unison. Instead of disc jockeys and CDs, I picture the Olympic track in London. We’ve spent a lot of our downtime cheering in the TV room as USA teams break world records. Watching men’s canoeing, women’s soccer and rhythmic gymnastics all made me feel one thing: it’s time to represent our country.

Margo starts blasting Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa and everyone in the hall groans. Our summer workout plans included three days a week of Basic Training, a 25-minute interval run with a 10 second sprint each minute. Black and Yellow was the first song on Eva’s Basic Training Playlist which she generously shared with the team.

"I’ll never hear this song without thinking of basic training!" I tell Eva as we high five. "Thanks for the playlist, by the way. I have no idea how you made it beep at the right times or how you shared it through that website… It was genius. I think it’s the only reason I’m in shape."

That’s what this team is about. Diversity. Teamwork. Positivity. We share our strengths because each of us brings a unique skill. On the field and off, we work together. And I’m willing to bet we’re the best ultimate team in the world at high fives.

As I’m walking to the gazebo to write this blog post, I pass my roommate Nhi packing her suitcase. Claire tries in vain to bleach red and blue hair-dye stains off her sink while Angela and Zoe compare star-spangled leggings for the plane ride.

Watching these new friends of mine, I know we all feel the same thing: it’s time for Dublin. Let’s go, Team USA.

 

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For more information on these teams, visit USA Ultimate's 2012 WJUC page.  The list of diary entries is available at the bottom of the page.