We started out with Training Camp, tryouts, and practices in Puerto Rico for a month. We then had a tournament in Barranquilla, Colombia where we stayed for about 10 days. Then we went back to Puerto Rico where we practiced until our next tournament in Manatí, Puerto Rico. We stayed in Puerto Rico after the tournament and then headed to Tenerife, Spain. We practiced in Spain for almost a month until the last tournament of the summer.
My team is very much outgoing like DWB. Being Puerto Rican, we are notoriously loud and always joking around. Dancing is in our blood so wherever we go there is always someone dancing or singing Spanish trap.
There is a mix of only English speakers and only Spanish speakers. This makes for a fun dynamic of Spanglish on and off the court! There are 4 girls that were born and raised on the island (3 of them still living on the island) and the rest were born and raised in the states.
We are a very small and fast team (I’m the tallest) which is also something that I find in common with DWB. International basketball is much more physical and much faster than in the US. In international basketball, you are allowed to get away with more physical play compared to the US. NCAA has rules such as the two-hand touch foul that prohibits the opponent from touching you with both hands at once. In international basketball, these types of fouls do not exist, so the play is allowed to be more physical. Additionally, on national teams, you are playing with the very best players that that country has. This usually means that the women are much older than in NCAA. With the increase in age comes an increase in speed and strength. The shot clock also being only 24 seconds makes the game much faster than the NCAA.
I have learned how to play for something bigger than myself. Playing for my national team means that I am representing an entire country and all its people. I can take that back to any work that I do and put everything in a bigger picture, bigger than myself.
The biggest difference between what I’m used to is adapting to new places to “live”. Because on constantly going to new countries and moving apartments after each tournament, I’ve had to adapt to new environments very quickly to be able to perform my best on the court.
My favorite memory was probably scoring my first points in the World Cup. It was just an unimaginable dream to even be there, then to even be playing, and finally to even score! Also. Looking up and seeing my whole family cheering for me and telling me after every game (win or lose) that they are so proud of me.
