So Long Spring Break: The Hawaiian Adventures of the USC Beach Volleyball Team

Mar 28

By Emily Young MA ‘16

My last spring break at USC has come and gone. I posted a picture encapsulating my trip with the caption, “good friends is what brings you pleasure in paradise.” I’m so fortunate to have taken a trip to Hawaii with my USC Beach Volleyball teammates. They are my best friends and amidst competition, we still find a way to have fun.

It’s been about a year since I have been on a team trip, which is a long time for me. When I played indoor volleyball, our team would travel almost every other weekend. A year without traveling, especially while being a graduate student and quickly realizing the real world is about a month away, has given me some introspective that team trips, football tailgates, and nights watching movies on the couch with your teammates are the times you will remember most. Thus, going to Hawaii for spring break, my plan was to soak up the sun and the memories.

This trip to Hawaii was unlike any other college volleyball trip I had ever been on because we stayed in a gorgeous house right on the ocean. The secret was concealed up until the very last second when we pulled into the driveway and our head coach announced this is where we would be staying. We all squealed with excitement and went sprinting out to the ocean.

The success of companies like Airbnb and other vacation home properties highlights that there is something unique about saying in a home. It brings together families in a place that is new and exciting. In hotels you’re segmented off into your rooms of two and it is very hard to coordinate meals with large groups of people. In the house we could eat breakfast and snack when we wanted and congregate as a team under one roof together. We could explore the ocean in our backyard or hop in our pool equipped with a floating volleyball net. Staying in a house allowed us to bond together as a team, but more importantly as lifelong friends.

Beyond staying in this house in paradise, it was really the Trojan Family that made it so special. Without all the donors and people who contribute to our team, the trip, the house, the extra fun activities like snorkeling would not have been possible. So we thank each and every one of you and we love you. Throughout our whole stay we were treated like royalty with people going above and beyond.