Over the past month, I was blessed once again with the opportunity to play for the Great Britain national team at the U20 level. I was lucky enough to play under the same coaching staff as last year's tournament, who helped me to develop and grow as both a player and a person. After being named co-captain of the squad, I really felt a responsibility to put my best game forward in order to help everyone succeed.
Our stint together started in Manchester, England, where we participated in an intensive camp for two weeks. Here, we started to gel as a team and learned the style of play we would be exhibiting at the tournament. From here, the final 12 players traveled to Székesfehérvár, Hungary, where we played two warm up games against a strong Division A team. These first competitions allowed us to put what we had been practicing into play, and showed us our strong points, and what we needed to work on.
Next, we traveled to Athens, Greece, and played another two exciting games in the 2004 Olympic stadium. This opportunity was such an honor to play on a court where so many amazing players came before, and helped us to gain more experience prior to traveling to the tournament. Our final destination was Eilat, Israel, where we competed in the Division B tournament of the U20 Women's European Championship over the course of ten days. Overall, we finished eighth.
Although it wasn't't what we were aiming for, I am still extremely proud of the effort that every single player and coach put in during the duration of our time together. This experience has yet again fuelled my love and desire to play this sport, and I hope that one day in my future I can once again represent my country at the senior level. This opportunity has also helped me to prepare for my upcoming junior year at ISU, as it allowed me to work on different skills, and gain more experience as a leader on and off the floor.
