One of our home grown Waverley Falcons juniors Claire Ioannidis has just completed a successful first year in the US College system, and is set to return to Australian shores next week.

Claire has been a Falcons product right through from Under 12s to our senior Women’s program, and packed her bags last year bound for Trinidad State Junior College in Colorado on a full scholarship, a NJCAA Division 1 school.

There were a number of adjustments to make, the bitter cold and high altitude chief among them. The Winter air dropped as low as -23 Degrees Celsius and the school sat a whopping 2km above sea level, something Claire acclimatised to over her first few weeks at the school.

As intense as the conditions outdoors were, the action on the court took things to a whole new level. Pre-season including a gruelling training schedule of 6-8 trainings sessions per week, with 6am starts not unusual.

All the hard work paid off though when the season came around, the team won a school record number of games with Claire earning her spot on the starting five and being a key contributor to the success.

After qualifying for the regional finals, the girls were unfortunately knocked out in the first round, however Claire will have a chance to help her team improve on that performance next year when she returns, this time as a co-captain, underlining the influence she had on the group.

Claire will return to Colorado a seasoned campaigner in many aspects of college life for the student athletes. The road trips for games can be as long as eight hours, taking them as far as New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Wyoming and Kansas.

As tiresome as the long hours on the highway can be, the academic requirements are not relaxed, and the students can find themselves spending some long nights in the study hall making up for time missed while on the road. The night the girls played a road game with half the team unavailable due to Academic Suspension was a clear example of how strict the academic conditions are.

The heavy demands on the student athletes come hand in hand with the best aspects of campus life, Claire made plenty of friends around the campus and was very popular with her Australian accent.

The welcoming nature of the campus made the transition much easier, while social media kept her just a click away from home, with regular skype conversations to her family and friends in Australia helping greatly with homesickness. There is no substitute though for the home cooked meals she is about to enjoy upon her return.

After an amazing experience in her first year, the family is excited about Claire’s arrival on Mother’s Day, which is a great feat of timing for her mother Fran.

Claire is also looking forward to getting back on the court at the Falcons Nest where she and her sister Melanie are celebrating their 10^th year as Falcons.