Brasil

Arriving at night in Macieo, Brasil, I had the pleasure of waking up in surprise to a beautiful beach in front of me. An early sun rise crusted the sand with golden rays of heat and a cool lively ocean awaited me. Overpowering all of this, was the smell of competition. My desire to win, conquer and defeat. My new partner Caleigh Whitaker and I spent the first two days training against other countries in preparation for the tournament to begin. The venue was great, sparkling white sand, a big stadium, four game courts and a couple practice courts on the side. The people of Macieo were very friendly and extremely welcoming. Perhaps it was the many whistles and hoots we received from the locals that made us feel like movie stars!

First day of competition we face a strong USA team and were not able to pull out a win. A close two setter but Caleigh and I were still getting used to playing with each other on the court. Communication is everything in volleyball! We learned that fast. Next up we faced the Suisse, a highly competitive main-draw team. Taking the first set 21-19, then just shy of winning in the second 20-22 and then a heart-wrenching loss of 13-15 in the third. This was by far our best performance thus far and gained us respect from other countries in the tournament.

Then it was playoffs, first round we faced a feisty Chinese Taipei team. We won in two straight sets but were definitely challenged by our opponents. Now in the third day of the tournament, we faced Spain. It took us a while to get into our groove early that Friday morning losing the first 15-21. But we were not going down without a fight. We came back to win 23-21 to take Luciano/Alvaro to a third. Point for point, again we could not capitalize on stealing a defensive transition and lost 16-14. Very frustrating!!! This team ended up winning the rest of the their matches and ended up in the finals against USA. 

Losing in second round we crossed over to the loser's bracket of the draw. Got a W against Germany and advanced to see another day of competition. Saturday morning we played Slovakia, a team that had a huge upset and also ended up in the loser's bracket. We battled long and hard but unfortunately were eliminated from the tournament.  

All in all, we played some of the strongest teams at the tournament which some can see as a negative by not getting "easy advances" to the next round however, this is what I want. I want to lose to the strongest teams now, to battle and fight and be just shy of winning. I don't want to learn how to win easily, I want to experience losing tough matches. Because right now, I am young and I am learning. I see my potential and I can see where I'll be in five years time. I was one of the youngest blocker's at the tournament. I'll be back next year in Russia to compete in the World University Games and I'll be kicking and punching! I have realized I learn a lot more from my losses than my wins. Next year it's time to start owning the podium and making my way into FIVB. I want to make a dent in the tour and I know it will take time. But it all starts here, training 6x a week at the National Team Training Center, conditioning everyday and striving for greatness. "Indoor Beach" may seem odd, but it's the countless hours of dedication and continuous reps that will separate those on the podium and those eliminated in the early rounds of playoffs. I am very excited to experience training full-time for beach volleyball for the first time!!

Thanks so much to everyone who supported me both emotionally and financially for this amazing event. It really means the world knowing I have a community and huge support system behind me. I look forward to representing my family and friends as well as my country as I continue to compete in events across the world. 

Namaste.

Ju

Back on the Sand

So basically, I lied.

I failed to update my blog on summer results, training and travelling. However, I have a great excuse...it was because I was having so much fun! This summer made me realize that I had made the best possible decision to move back home and train on my home and native sand. I had the privilege of working with great coaches, playing with an incredibly talented partner and competing in events across the country. My partner Charlotte and I competed in events in Quebec, played many events in Ontario, travelled to Vancouver, BC to compete in the Senior Women National Championships and finished off the season with a 9th place finish at FIVB U21 Junior World Championships in Halifax, NS. Like any season, there were many ups and downs but the future looks bright for both of us. It was very exciting getting my first experience of international volleyball. I was quite nervous at first but my coach explained "they're all twenty something year old girls, playing beach volleyball just from a different country-that's all!". Once I was able to accept the fact that I was just playing the same game I do everyday, I became extremely comfortable on the court. I was able to feed off the energy from the crowd and play at a whole new level. I loved playing new teams I didn't know, having no expectation of their play and only focusing on my own side of the net. I started swinging even more aggressive and becoming a force at the net. My confidence in Charlotte sky-rocketed as she was digging up balls all over the court. Together, we played strong. Now that I've had a taste of the FIVB, I want more. I feel like this is where I belong and I am more excited than ever for my career in volleyball ahead of me.

I received some unfortunate news yesterday from the Big-East conference informing me that I will not be eligible to play in the CIS this year. I was extremely devastated having planned on being a Varsity Blue at the University of Toronto this coming fall. However, I believe everything happens for a reason and although this news may seem like the worst thing ever right now, I will eventually find some greatness from it. I plan on trying out for the National Beach Volleyball Team October 13th and try and pursue that pathway for this coming year. I was planning on training beach once my indoor season finishes in March however looks like I'm staying on the sand all year long! Perhaps that is greatness all in itself!

I head to Brazil this Saturday to compete in the FISU World University Games in Maceio, with my partner Caleigh Whitaker, a National Team member. This will be my second taste of international volleyball and I cannot wait for the games to begin! It'll be tough having not trained with Caleigh all season but we're both fully committed to making this partnership work and kicking ass in Brazil! She's an extremely gifted defender and I can't wait to see what we're capable of out on the court.

Believe, achieve, succeed.
Striving for excellence,

Sincerely,

Julia

First post

Hello!
My name is Julia Hamer and I am currently training with the Canadian National Beach Volleyball team this summer in Toronto, ON. I spent the past two years training in the USA at the University of Connecticut and this is my first year back on the sand since departing. I learned that their is truly no place like home. It is an honour and a privilege to play for my own country and be coached by such amazing and talented people. I look forward to the long and hard season ahead of me. I know it will fly by as I only have three more months left before indoor season starts! Come September, I will transferring to the University of Toronto to play for the Varsity Blues. I am STOKED to close by to home and play for a team I grew up watching in admiration.

I will continue to update my summer schedule, results and travelling adventures through this blog.
I am blessed to have such amazing family, friends, coaches and support team that have continuously believed in me throughout my volleyball career. I hope to continue to inspire others as I push myself to become to best athlete I can be.

Believe, achieve, success.
Striving for excellence,
Sincerely

Julia