St. John's University Athletics
Women's Soccer Player Diary: Vaila Barsley
6/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
June 23, 2008
QUEENS, N.Y. - Spring semester is quite different from the fall, but sometimes more important. It's where we learn and progress as individuals and as a team for the upcoming season. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't quite follow this smooth course. I had surgery on my hip in January so my progress was slightly different. It was very difficult at times to watch my teammates improve, knowing I was stuck at the same point as when I ended the fall season.
My attitude soon changed as I realized I could learn a ton by watching my teammates and video footage of other teams. Even when my attitude would sometimes falter, my teammates were fantastic with cheering me up on a bad day and putting things in perspective for me. We have such an amazing group of girls on our team that a single joke can lighten any situation.
This last month has been a very busy one for me. Once I finish classes and get those dreaded final exams out the way, I can finally feel relieved. I was pleased with most of my grades and I am both excited and nervous for next semester. In terms of academics and being an accounting major, I will now get into my major classes. This is going to be tough but I have my teammate, Colie (Nicole Doran) in all my classes, so we should be able to get each other through it.
My dad came over from England for a visit because my mum came out in January for my surgery and he felt he was missing out! My parents like to visit once each semester. During the fall they like to catch a few weekends of soccer, and then in the spring, they get a bit of sightseeing in. This last particular visit involved my dad, Nicole Canning and I going to see Lynard Skynard, Kid Rock and Reverend Run at the Garden, and it was very interesting and great fun!
I decided to take a photography workshop during the summer pre-session, which is a two week intense course. I have always enjoyed taking photo's and wanted to learn more, while picking up three credits along the way. I had a great time on this course and it is by far the best class I have ever taken. We learned how to use and develop photos on both digital and single-lens reflex cameras. This meant a lot of time in the dark room which was very enjoyable. I would always bring home whatever work I had done during the day to show my proud parents: Courtney Curby, Colie and Tara Mendoza!
After my summer class I flew home to England, and I am currently enjoying spending time with my family and friends. So far, I have attended three BBQ's and I'm not sure if you have full knowledge of the weather in England, but it has rained all three times! I've also been watching a lot of soccer as the Euro's are currently in progress. Unfortunately England didn't make it, so I'm rooting for Holland to go all the way. I was also hoping Portugal did well because if not Amanda Santos will not be pleased with me!
We are now into our fourth week of the pre-season fitness program and all is going well. There are a few girls staying around this summer and I am looking forward to getting back as it will provide a great training environment for us all. I have great faith that with the help of the girls, Coach Rob (Basile) and my great desire to get back playing, I will be 100 percent fit and ready for pre-season. Bring on the fall!!
