Lucy’s Favorite Things

This post means a lot to us because for the very first time we get to feature a player from Great Britain! Meet Lucy Wicks, a setter, who is just less than 6 months away from achieving her dream to play at the 2012 London Olympics. She is currently playing professionally in Germany.

Anyways, this post is also very special because aside from Lucy sharing her favorite (fashion) things to us, she also took time to write about the day she fell in love with volleyball, challenges she and her teammates have faced and of course about the Olympics on her home soil.

Without further ado, let’s meet Lucy.

My Style: I would say I dress quite casual during the day but with a little vintage twist. I love vintage style handbags and jewellery and clothes with a little diverse detail i.e. eye catching buttons etc. I don’t have a favourite brand of clothing and due to lack of funds I usually mix high street clothes with vintage accessories.

My Closet: A lot of pretty dresses which I don’t get to wear too often while in Germany…..they are a very casually dressed Nation!!

My Favorite Jean/s: I don’t have a classic or favourite type as it varies from season to season and day to day. But, a good pair of black skinny jeans is essential. These can be mixed and matched with anything and can be dressed up or down.

My Favorite Accessories and Jewelries: I am a big fan of vintage inspired jewellery, especially big chunky earrings, but my favourite would have to be my small pearl earrings which are my day to day earrings.

My Favorite Books: I enjoy reading crime books and I am currently making my way through Jo Nesbo’s books. I have also recently read the first 2 Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and I am now on the third….not been able to put them down!

My Favorite Gadgets: I love my smart phone (I have a Samsung Galaxy) which enables me to stay in contact with my family and friends easily wherever I am. I also have a Kindle which is great for all the traveling we do.

My Favorite Dress: My favourite dress is a one off that I bought in a vintage store in Sheffield, UK. It is blue with tiny white polka dots all over and blue lace around the neck line. See picture on left, taken during the summer with my best friend Rachel Laybourne who also plays for the GB National Team.

My Favorite Perfume: Hugo Boss Orange, I haven’t worn anything else for 2 years now. It is very fresh and light and I love the smell.

My Favorite Bags: I am a big fan of Chloe handbags but I still haven’t been able to afford one. I just look at them with longing whenever I am “window shopping”!! I also love my collection of vintage clutch bags from various second hand/vintage stores.

My Favorite Memorabilia: I don’t really have any favourite memorabilia but I do have 2 cards which were sent to me from my parents at different points in my career and each has a quote on which mean a lot to me and have helped me through the tough times. They are currently framed and hung on my wall as a little daily reminder.

My Favorite Shoes:

Casual Shoes: Either my classic Converse which I must have had for about 6/7 years now. Can’t beat the comfort!

Fancy Shoes: Big fan of high heels and my all time favourite are my electric blue ones. I also have a beautiful pair of navy Kurt Geiger shoes but unfortunately these are currently in storage in the UK with a lot of my belongings! My lifestyle means moving around a lot and living out of a bag so I can’t take everything with me.

Volleyball shoes – Mizuno Wave lightening in white/gold/black

Sandals – havaianas flip flops

If its summer my favourite casual shoes are currently these…

You either love them or you hate them!

Best Places To Shop In The UK: There are many great places to shop but London is the place to go with small boutiques that offer that special something to the extra ordinary, to the flagship high street stores were you can guarantee to find something for practically every occasion.

Awww thank you so much for sharing your favorite things to us Lucy!

Now, here’s the other part of the feature.

I AM LUCY WICKS

I started playing volleyball quite late. I was 16 and introduced to it by my older sister. It was quite a new sport in England and I quickly fell in love with the fast pace and dynamics of the game. Within a few months I was playing for the England Junior team and went on to represent the Seniors. In 2005 London was awarded the Olympic Games and a Great Britain squad was established. Compared to other volleyball nations we were very far behind and had a lot of catching up to do.

Everyone who had made the cut uprooted and moved to Sheffield, a city in South Yorkshire, England, to be part of the centre based training. It was a tough regime with 2 volleyball sessions and a physical training session every day but it was what we needed to catch up with volleyball players around the world.

At this point, the GB Women’s team were funded and some of us received a small monthly income from UK Sport. It wasn’t quite enough to cover rent, travel and food costs so our training schedule enabled us to work a few hours each day for some extra income. During this time I worked as a Physiotherapist in a local hospital, putting to use my degree! It meant our days were long starting at 7am in the gym and not finishing until late in the evening but it was a great few years and very valuable for the team.

It was then the plan to compete as a GB team in one of the European Leagues which would have allowed us to compete regularly at a high level and learn how to play and win together. Everything was set in place we just needed the go ahead from our Governing Body and the funds. The answer from our Governing body was no and in 2009, due to tough economic times in the UK, tough decisions were made and our team found itself with no funding, not a penny. At first we were angry but we soon came to the decision that we wouldn’t let financial reasons stand in the way of following our dreams and reaching our goals. We all decided to continue to commit 100% to GB and to competing credibly at the Olympics this summer.

We took to plan B and for the last few years we have been scattered across Europe, competing for Professional Clubs week in and week out, improving our individual games so when we come back together in the summer we will be stronger collectively.

Last summer, driven by our inspirational head coach, we managed to raise enough money and sponsorship to enable us to have a great summer of competition including a tour of Peru and Argentina where we picked up some valuable wins and playing experiences. As well as working hard on the court we are again all working hard off the court to raise the necessary funds needed to allow us the best possible preparation for the Olympics. It is tough going at times but the support we have received from people in the UK who know our story is amazing and they are a huge reason as to why we are still able to fight to realise our dreams.

I am currently playing for Alemannia Aachen in the German Bundesliga. This season has been tough but I have still managed to get a lot out of it individually so I will go back to the GB team a stronger player physically, mentally, tactically and technically.

The GB team will start training again at the end of April which gives us 3 months to gel as a team again and prepare for the biggest games of our lives: A Home Olympics!

Watch This: Lucy and Team GBR last summer.