Julia Taylor: A Letter from Abroad

For many of you for whom team handball is simply another club sport, the idea that I gave up my dream study abroad opportunity or another semester at our beloved UNC in order to train full-time for handball is probably ridiculous. My parents were just as surprised too when I introduced the idea (or rather, they gave an immediate “Hell no!”).

The reason for my insanity is simple: if an athlete has the opportunity to somehow put the Olympics on the radar, they’d be insane not to take it. I had only been playing handball a semester and a half when I was recruited by USA Team Handball to be an alternate for their National Team trip to Poland. All it took was the idea of international competition (combined with five weeks of training with the National Team this summer) to warm me up to the idea. It wasn’t until three and a half weeks before I was supposed to depart for Denmark that I finally decided to go (my parents thank me for the graying that resulted from my wavering).

So here I am, two months into a training regimen in a tiny little country in Europe where the skies are quite gray, the weather is quite cold, and the men are quite blonde. I didn’t have any idea what I was getting myself into when I stepped onto the plane. I didn’t know how to speak any Danish… not even “hello” (goddag) or “yes” (ja) and “no” (nej). I didn’t even know Denmark was still a monarchy! Consequently, my first week and a half was borderline miserable. I was one of maybe 10 international students at my training academy, the only American, and I was overwhelmed by Danish words and food. But since then I have fallen in love with Denmark and the Danes, even though I still struggle with the language and the lack of Mexican food.

To give a little glimpse into what I’m doing: I am at a sports academy called Idrætshøjskolen i Århus where athletes can come and train in hopes of attaining a professional career in handball or soccer (sorry, football). There are maybe 120 student-athletes living in residence-style halls on a campus with several gyms and workout facilities. We have a personal trainer, coaches, nutritionists, handball theorists, and physical therapists. In addition to my training at the academy, I have also earned a spot on a club team called Christiansbjerg IF, a fourth division team. The Danish women’s handball league is the best in the world right now, and I have definitely reaped the benefits playing among incomparable competition under incredible coaching.

I come home next week for the National Team tryouts and the Tar Heel Invitational, then I return to Denmark for another two months to complete my training. If you’re interested in keeping up with my whirlwind life across the pond, I’m doing my best to keep updating my blog at http://handballadventures.wordpress.com/

Tak!