How to Pack for Junior Nationals (Sort Of)

Tomorrow I'm waking up bright and early (and catching a 6:30 am airport shuttle -- ouch) and heading off to Reno for my first ever business trip! Wow, look at me, sounding all grown up. I'm going to be the communications person on site at USA Volleyball's Boys' Junior National Championships. It's going to be a week and a half of volleyball, volleyball... and some more volleyball. I'm excited! It'll either be really awesome or a really awesome learning experience. Hopefully both.

That being said, here's my guide to packing for junior nationals (written by a total newbie who's really just getting a kick out of all the free stuff she just got).




Obviously you need your short sleeved USA Volleyball fancy Mizuno DryLite shirt.

And your long sleeved USA Volleyball fancy Mizuno DryLite shirt.

And your regular USA Volleyball t-shirt, decidedly unfancy and not DryLite, but still Mizuno.

Your Mizuno pants that fit around the waist but are about a foot too long so you'll basically be walking on the logo at the bottom anyway.

Your Mizuno socks, because... psh, well, obviously!

Your USA Volleyball windbreaker/rain jacket thing, because it may not rain in the desert but it does get chilly.

And some empty space so you can cram the rest of the clothes they're giving you on site into your bag for the trip home!

A veritable rainbow of unbranded, neutral bottoms.

Reminds me of packing for Endurance.

For walking around on concrete all day, sneakers that helped my feet survive a week at the Olympics, in case the Mizuno ones I'll be provided (seriously) don't fit.

Underwear, of course. But no photo because there IS such a thing as over sharing, so use your imagination. Or don't, because that's weird.

A non-USA Volleyball, non-Mizuno shirt for when I want to de-brand myself and wear an actual color.

Pajamas, in the event I get to sleep at some point.

Work things.

Keep-yourself-busy-on-the-plane things.

A little bag, in the hopes I won't have to carry my life around with me every day.

A big bag, 'cause let's be real about this.

Every cord known to man.

Life itself.

And toiletries. No photo because you've all seen a toothbrush before. Or, at least, I sincerely hope you have.

Happy junior nationals, everybody! If you don't hear much of me for the next two weeks it's probably because I've died of volleyball overdose. But the Men's National Team is going to be in Reno also for a World League series against Bulgaria, so I should get to work at one of them as well. There are Olympians on that team, so here's hoping I have some cool stories to tell in a day or two! :)