Catching Up With Nicole Edelman

BOULDER - Former Colorado volleyball player Nicole Edelman recently returned to Boulder after spending the last several months playing professionally in Europe for the Volleyball Franches Montagnes Club. VFM, located in Saignelégier, Switzerland, competes in the Swiss and European Leagues. CUBuffs.com sat down with Edelman to talk about her experience.

When you left in September to start your professional career, what were you expecting?
To be honest I really didn't know what to expect. It was my first time living outside of Boulder, so I was just preparing myself to be pushed outside of my comfort zone. I was expecting to be training a lot once I got there, so I made sure that I was in good shape once I arrived.

And what was the reality?
The training load was about what I expected. We practiced twice a day every day with weights most days too, and there was a huge emphasis on being in better shape than our opponents. Switzerland is an absolutely gorgeous country, but I definitely had to get used to living in a small town where everything closed early.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome in a new country, playing professionally for the first time?
There were a lot of different challenges, but probably the toughest thing I had to overcome was the language. All of our practices and film sessions were in French, so it was hard for me at the beginning because I didn't understand anything and always had to ask a teammate to translate. Once I picked up French after a couple months of being there, it made practices a lot easier.

What was the biggest difference for you from the collegiate game to the professional game?
I would say the biggest difference in the professional game is the serving. The serving is very high level and the ball comes much faster than it does in the U.S. I worked on my serve a lot there to make sure I was hitting it hard enough and accurately.

What position(s) did you play?
I played setter for almost all of our matches, but sometimes I would hit on the right side too.

Volleyball seems to be a very small world. Did you play with or against any former teammates or former collegiate rivals? If so, how was that experience?
I did! I was lucky enough to play against several former teammates and collegiate players throughout the season. In Switzerland, I played against one of my old club teammates from high school, Elizabeth Campbell, who played at Ohio State. A former collegiate rival that was also on her team was Madi Bugg, who played at Stanford. It was great seeing familiar faces again and competing against them!

Can you talk about your first season and how it went?
My first season was absolutely amazing and I am so glad I decided to start my professional career after I graduated. I was able to meet new people from all over the world who share my love for the game of volleyball. We were also very successful, getting third place in the regular season, the Swiss Cup and in the playoffs as well. Bringing home a medal was an amazing feeling because it was a token of all of the hard work that was put in during the year.

Your father played professionally for a while. How much did he help you through this first year?
My dad helped me so much throughout my first year, especially after tough matches. Although I always prepare to play my best and win, that doesn't always happen. If I had a rough week in practice or a tough match, he was always so positive and helped me look at the big picture. We always talked reflecting upon the last match, whether it went good or bad, and talked about how to prepare for the next match. He is a great role model for me and has always helped me maintain a competitive mental edge.

What are your plans for next season?
I have signed a contract to play in Logroño, a club in Spain. I could not be more excited to start the season with them!

What was your favorite thing to do when you had down time?
My favorite thing to do was definitely traveling. Switzerland is small enough of a country where we were able to travel to so many breathtaking places whenever we had off time. If we ever had an extended period of downtime, we tried to travel outside of Switzerland as well.

What was your favorite non-American food to eat?
My favorite Swiss food that I ate was by far the chocolate. The Swiss absolutely love their chocolate, and there is chocolate sold everywhere. A lot of my teammates would consistently eat chocolate during practices or games too. I brought back as much Swiss chocolate home with me as I possibly could!

Did you travel? If so where did you go and what was your favorite place (and why)?
During my eight months, I traveled a lot and I am so grateful that I was able to see the world. With volleyball, I traveled to Iceland, Kosovo, and Turkey. In my off time I was able to go to Germany, France, Spain, and around Switzerland. My favorite place that I traveled to was Barcelona, because it is a beautiful city by the beach and it also has so much history. My teammates and I wanted to see as much of Barcelona as we could, and we actually ended up walking 18 miles in one of the days around the city.

What was the best part about playing professional volleyball?
I would say the best part about professional volleyball is being able to meet new people and experience new cultures. It was such a growing experience and I feel very blessed to be able to continue playing volleyball while seeing the world.

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