As we our currently all working, working out, and doing school from the comfort of our homes during this time of quarantine, we decided it was a good time to bring back our volleyball blog. In the first edition of "Catching Up with Golden Eagle Volleyball", we hear from Katie Lienemann (Rosemount, Minn.), and Natalie Koke (Caledonia, Wis.).

Hello All!

This is Natalie and Katie writing to you in the Blog post today and updating you on our week and how we have been adjusting to life so far!

Katie: I have not had any classes that meet regularly online, and lucky for me most of my classes were already taught online. The hardest part has been making a routine and being motivated to get school work done. The biggest adjustment I have had to make is not being on a strict schedule like I am at school. This adjustment has allowed me to have more free time, which can be nice but distracting at the same time. There have been many things such as playing cribbage, card games, bags and scattergories that I have been able to enjoy with my family. Board games, crafts, baking/cooking, doing homework outside, binge watching Netflix shows (All American, Tiger King, and The Office) and making TikToks has been something that has kept me busy in my free time. I have also been able to keep my job as a tutor, and that helps me see people and spend some of my free time helping other people. In the last three weeks, I have had a lot of family time and have enjoyed playing games and beating my parents in any game that we play!

For volleyball and workouts, it has been fun to be creative and do the workouts of our choice. I have been doing lots more yoga, running and at home workouts. We also do team workouts on Wednesdays, these workouts are picked by our coaches and they choose something different every week. This week Sarah picked a 30 minute at home Cardio and HIIT workout. We also have fun Friday, where every week someone different picks a workout of their choice that we have to do. To hold accountability, everyone sends in a picture or video and comments on the workout. This week Sydney picked a beginner cCossfit workout that we will do today! We stay connected as a team through doing these workouts, Snapchats, and team meetings during the week.
 

Natalie- While only having one class that actually does zoom meetings, adjusting to classes online is different. I really enjoy being in class and learning in the same room as my peers and professors. This helped me keep up to date with everything in class. Not having that time I knew would be difficult, so getting around that has been the hardest to adjust to. It is teaching me how to be more organized and aware of all my classes even if I don't have to physically be in class every week. What has helped is building a schedule for myself at home. I schedule my homework, classes, and workouts. As for our workouts for volleyball, I have been trying to make it seem as similar to being at school as possible. I love working out with people around me, It motivates me and makes me work harder. Working out by myself doesn't have the same feeling for me so I try to do little things like workout with people online. It helps me feel like I'm doing it with them. Like Katie said, Wednesdays and Fridays are special days because we do our workouts as a team by doing the same one. This keeps us connected and helps to bring the team together while being so far away. Also using social media to our advantage helps us to stay connected as a team.

The biggest adjustment I've had to make throughout this whole thing is having too much time. So just realizing that just because I have a lot of time doesn't mean I can't do it right now. It also tricks my brain into thinking I'm on a schedule so It feels more like a normal day. While being home I enjoy doing puzzles, learning how to cook with my Grandma over Facetime, being outside, trying new hobbies, and continuing old hobbies. I am also a social media intern at the University, so I am fortunate that I can still work from home. This has helped me stay creative and still stay connected with people I worked with. Sometimes when you have a lot of time on your hands you turn to do some risky things .I had been wanting a haircut so I decided to do it myself. I have to say it doesn't look bad but it definitely kept me busy for a few hours. While we are in unprecedented times, I do enjoy the time I get to spend with my family. Being so far from home and not being able to see them whenever I want can be hard. It also makes me appreciate my own room and having more space. Something I never thought I'd have so much joy in and an activity I didn't think I would get excited about three weeks ago is cleaning. I am taking this extra time to do the deep clean of everything as well and it is something I look forward to doing.