The road to Tokyo has many turns, but the Vanuatu Women’s volleyball team has its sights set on a historic run and are ready to put in the work to get to the Olympic games—no matter what it takes.
Ahead of the final round of qualifying games in Thailand, set to begin on June 25th, the team has already embarked upon a journey worth remembering.
The latest chapter has forced them to get creative, making use of any spare time, in any place available, to secure a little extra practice. On June 4th, they departed from Port Vila on a whirlwind trip that went first to Auckland, then Dubai, and finally to Jakarta, where they underwent a mandatory quarantine period. Even so, the preparation never stopped and each step has played a vital role to get the team to where they are today.
Quarantine training means thinking outside the box
“From the beginning, we didn’t want to waste any time or miss any opportunities to prepare as best as possible. That’s why, as crazy as it sounds, the girls ran stairs during our layover at the Dubai airport. The hustle kept going all the way until the staff told us to stop!” recounted head coach Federica Tonon.
Once the team landed in Jakarta, it was directly into quarantine on the 30th floor of a downtown hotel. How does a beach volleyball team train within the confines of a room, you may ask? Coach Tonon and the team quickly formulated a schedule and made due with what they had to keep the momentum going over the two week period.
“Thankfully, we managed not to break anything in the rooms,” Tonon laughed. “We had a good routine, where we woke up early to stretch and study film together via Zoom as a way to stay in sync. There was lots of fitness involved, too, but, of course, the biggest challenge was doing realistic drills.”
Nevertheless, they found a way; with help from a roll of emergency tape, a ping pong table, and a lot of imagination, the preparation continued and the team kept the energy and enthusiasm going strong.
A detail-oriented preparation plan
Still, no details are being left up to chance. As Tonon notes, “I encouraged the team not to use the air conditioners in the hotel so they can get used to the climate. It will be hot and humid in Thailand, so we want to be ready.”
One thing is for sure: the final step before the qualifiers, a ten-day training session in Bali, is at least a little more like business as usual. Still, as Tonon and team showed this month, a few logistical challenges won’t stand in the way of getting in match shape and they remain ready for whatever lies ahead. After flying from Jakarta late last week, the experiences they bring—from airports to hotels all the way to the beach—represent the team’s commitment to make it to Tokyo and proudly represent Vanuatu on the world stage.
