Everyday life between match day stress, Christmas parties and the smell of mulled wine.
The last few weeks have been tough. Very tough. We have played 14 games in seven weeks. In short, every week was planned out with game analyses, training sessions and competitions. From November onwards, the rhythm of match days increases, as this is when the competitions in the European Cup, Champions League and the national cup begin. We tackled this challenge according to the motto: Eat, Train, Sleep - Repeat. We played eight of our 14 games away. This meant that we were on the bus or sleeping in a hotel at least once a week. I didn't really have to unpack my travel bag and lived more or less out of my suitcase. Baking cookies was out of the question this year.
The English weeks are extremely exhausting and can drain a lot of energy. Especially when it gets cold and uncomfortable outside. The first chocolate Santas and Advent wreaths are also on sale and the anticipation of Christmas is slowly starting to build. To boost the mood and sense of well-being, we players usually expect visitors from home. The family often comes to visit shortly before Christmas to explore the local Christmas market and watch a home game. The Striezelmarkt in Dresden has been a big attraction here. It's here that I usually realise how much I miss my family. The many games and the constant training often distract you from the pre-Christmas mood and in the end you realise that there are only a few days left until Christmas. Fortunately, there are unlimited options for online shopping or "Black Friday". On the bus trips we still had enough time to get inspiration and gift ideas for the family or the annual Secret Santa with the team. That's how much time you need - we also hold a small internal Christmas party shortly before Christmas. With the right food and the appropriate Secret Santa gifts, we don't miss out on the fun before Christmas either.
I have to say that it is not always a given that we spend Christmas at home. In other leagues, it can happen that you have to put on your jersey on Christmas Eve and the Christmas celebrations don't start until December 25th. In the past, there have also been games on Boxing Day. So we trained on the morning of December 24th and met up with the whole team the next evening, December 25th, for ball training. When the game schedule is published in the summer, the first thing we look at is December to see whether Christmas will be all about volleyball or whether we can expect a few days off. This year, the Bundesliga game schedule allows us to get a few days away from sport and leave the daily training routine behind us.
With that in mind, I wish you all a happy new year and a happy 2024.