Julie Forster Blog Spot #3: The Season and the Holidays
COPENHAGEN – Former Great Dane standout Julie Forster is playing for Stevnsgade BBK in Denmark in her first professional season. After five games, she is averaging over 20 points and 18 rebounds a contest. She is keeping track of her time overseas with a blog, and she checks in with UAlbany about how the season is going, plus how she is adapting to life away from home.
“Our season has been going well. In the league we are 4-and-1, which is surprising some as we just moved into the most competitive league at the start of the season. We had a Friday Night Basketball event last game where fans bought a package deal of pre-game buffet, beverage of choice, game ticket and post-game live music. We had significantly more fans than most of our games and the environment was both loud and fun. Thankfully we won! We have two comparable events coming up in the next few weeks and we’re hoping for a similar turnout.
A couple of weeks ago, I worked at a “vacation” camp. These camps are run in economically depressed communities during school vacations. The goal is to keep students out of trouble by providing them with activities to do. As you might guess, I was assigned to the basketball station. It was nice to teach young girls the basics of basketball.
Coaching the younger girls continues to go well. There are definitely some differences that I’ve had to get used to. For example it’s not uncommon for a girl to show up for practice in a dress and nice shoes! That said, I am enjoying it nonetheless. Also, unlike the US where most ages have the same basket height, here for our U10 team, the basket is lowered to eight feet which changes the game a lot.
On a scary note, earlier this week, a very bad storm hit Copenhagen. A new record for wind speed in Denmark was actually set. People were advised to stay indoors for hours and public transportation was halted too. In Copenhagen, there are a lot of older buildings and many had tiles and bricks sliding off. I actually got stuck in our gym for hours. Which, if I had to be stuck anywhere, was a pretty appropriate place for me.
It’s crazy to think that it’s already November and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Although it is not celebrated here, Sarah (Green Bay 13′) and I have already invited our teammates over for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. This should be interesting since all our recipes will have to be converted to the metric system since there are no “measuring cups” here.
I am very much looking forward to being home for Christmas and getting to spend time with my family. I am also excited that I will be able to attend two of the women’s games. Looking forward to another year of UAlbany basketball! Preseason picked #1 in the America East and ranked #22 in College Insider Women’s Mid-Major Poll! Here’s to the 3-peat!”
