Barker Looks Back on China Trip

July 15, 2011

Oklahoma senior setter Brianne Barker recently spent time with several players from the United States in a tour of China. Among those making the trip included Oklahoma head coach Santiago Restrepo and sophomore middle blocker Sallie McLaurin. Below is Barker's reflections on the trip.

China was incredible!

Before this trip I had never expected to be presented with this amazing opportunity. China was a dream on my bucket list that I honestly never thought would be possible. When I received the call and the invitation, there was no way that I could say no. I was in awe of the fact that volleyball would allow me such a wonderful experience. Little did I know my “new best friend” Sallie McLaurin, would also be joining Santiago (Restrepo) and me. This made the decision become a no-brainer!

IN THE BEGINING
On the first part of our journey, Sallie and I flew from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles. We would be practicing with our new teammates for two days until our departure for China. Sallie and I had no clue what to expect, and we only knew two girls prior to this trip. But right when we started our practices, we knew we had an extremely talented group of girls, girls that could battle in the international game.

After we completed our few days of practice, it was time for our 13-hour flight to Korea, leaving at 2:30 a.m. It seemed easy enough to fall asleep on the plane and wake up in Korea, but it did not necessarily occur that way. The plane flight there was nothing short of “crazy!” It seemed like every two hours the Korean flight crew was waking us up for more food. And to top it all off, my calves and ankles were the size of balloons. When we landed in Korea, we were tremendously relieved to know there was Internet and most importantly, American food! That was a luxury that we soon would understand.

The next flight was to China, followed by a bus ride to Shandong. This is the city where we would begin the international matches with the host teams.

SHANDONG
Shandong was wonderful! It was the true China that we had come to see. The open markets, friendly people, and interesting cuisine were just what Sallie and I had hoped to experience. The matches were extremely intense. The Chinese teams ran a very different kind of system, a system that Americans often don't see in collegiate play. But we did well winning the first match and setting a tone for the rest of the USA teams there. After the tournament was over we had gone 1-2, but had learned how to play and defend their style of offense. We were more than ready to start the next set of matches in Beijing.

BEIJING
Beijing is the city everyone thinks about when hearing of China. Beijing exceeded my high expectations. This was the city that I had come to China for. This city had everything: the Bird's Nest where the 2008 Olympic opening ceremonies were held, The Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and the world famous “Pearl Market.” Beijing was a dream! The first place we went was the “Pearl Market” and it was wild! People grabbing you right and left to try and sell you everything you could think of. I thought this was the perfect time to practice my bargaining skills, and boy did Sallie and I get major deals!

The next part of the trip was the Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and it was astounding. The effort and skill that it took to create this was breathtaking. Although the walk to the highest point of the wall was very similar to running stadiums, it was beautiful and absolutely worth it. Tiananmen Square was also equally amazing. Such a deep and somewhat dark history, the place almost seemed like a secret. We soon moved on to the last part of the sightseeing in Beijing. The Forbidden City was my favorite! Growing up I would watch all the Disney movies and I would buy all the Disney character dolls, but one of the best movies in my collection was “Mulan.” Mulan is a story about a Chinese girl who defies tradition by sending herself to war instead of her weak and injured father. It takes place back when the Forbidden City was still being used. Because I grew up with the movie about the Forbidden City, I could not leave without seeing it first hand, and it was everything I could have imagined! Beautiful colors, gorgeous architecture, and rich history; this was the most beautiful of all the sights in China.

After all the sightseeing was over, there were still matches to be played. Our chemistry clicked as a team and we pushed through the rest of the games. We came out of the tournament in first place! We had also defeated the team who had won the first tournament, so therefore, in my opinion, we had won it all!

China was an incredible experience that I am so thankful and proud to have been a part of. The girls on our team were amazing and I can't thank them enough for a trip that I will remember for the rest of my life! Shout out to my Purdue girls, Carly Cramer and “Kitty” Cat Rebarchak. I look forward to seeing you girls soon. Sallie, my roommate, you were amazing! I can't wait to see the player you will become. Santi, what a great coach and person you are. You have taught me so much these past three years and I can't wait for this next season to come!

Boomer!

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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