University of Massachusets Athletics
Postcards From France: Life As A Professional Baller
December 04, 2015 | Women's Basketball
During her time at UMass, women's basketball alum Kiara Bomben was often a guest blogger on UMassAthletics.com. As she embarks in a new chapter in her life, she will be sending us updates as she assimilates to another country, culture and set of challenges as she pursues the sport that has literally taken the Australian native all around the world. Here is the second entry in Postcards From France as Kiara takes us along with her on the journey. Every month or so, she will send in new updates to give insight into what life and basketball is like abroad.
With that, here's the second installment of Postcards From France by Kiara Bomben.
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for being patient with me. I apologize for not blogging consistently. The last month has been incredibly frustrating. Our current record is 0-5. We play once a week, every Saturday night. That being said, I don't particularly want to write about each loss, but I also can't sit around and wait for a win. I have a responsibility and that responsibility is to write to you all fortnightly, good or bad, win or lose.
French Basketball
To give you all an idea, there are six divisions in the French women's basketball league: Pro A, Pro B, NF1, NF2, NF3 and NF4. This season, I am playing in National Feminine 1 (NF1) division, which is the third level. The difference between Pro A/B to NF1 is that in the top two levels, all players are considered "professionals" and that's their job. They do not have outside jobs; their sole purpose is to focus purely on basketball. They also may have more workouts, access to facilities like a weight room, etc., and may be located in a larger town or city. NF1 is a little different because all players are considered "locals" (French players only), which mean they're not professionals. Most members of my team have fulltime jobs. For example, one works as a teacher and another works for the city of Brive. It is more a social league. An NF1 team is allowed to have two professional players (in this particular case it is myself and my teammate) on their roster. Our role is to help the team score and win games.
College Basketball vs. Professional Basketball
The level of competition in France is very strong and even though NF1sits in the middle of the pack each team has some talented and respectable players. There are a few differences that I've noticed between playing college vs. playing overseas and they are...
• Pay: As a professional athlete you are essentially an employee. You are on a paid salary, whereas an in college, you are considered a student first, athlete second, hence "student athlete". Paying college athletes in prohibited.
• Level of competition: The quality or level of play in the NF1 league isn't at the standard nor caliber of college. That being said, I don't think anything will ever be as physically, mentally and emotionally demanding as playing a NCAA Division I sport.
• Pace of the game: European basketball is a lot quicker than college basketball. It reminds me a lot of Australian basketball. It's all about fast breaks and scoring, preferably, within the first 15 seconds. We also have a 24 second clock which helps the game move at a faster speed.
• Team bonding: This is one of the biggest differences that I've noticed. Unlike college, not everyone eats, sleeps and breathes basketball. Like I mentioned above, NF1 is considered to be more of a social league, rather than a highly competitive league. In college your teammates become your best friends. You take the same classes together, you eat together, and you may even dorm together...you create lifelong friendships. This is different in professional sport. For one it's a business; people are constantly leaving clubs and moving to other clubs to better their career. It's difficult to get "close" to your teammates because things can change after the season. I'm not saying you don't, I'm saying that it's the norm and what's expected. Secondly, the international players tend to stick together. Obviously, because of obvious reasons. Unlike college, you don't do everything together. Your teammates have their own life, their own families and issues to deal with. Most of the time, you only see your teammates in a basketball setting.
• Facilities: In college you're spoilt with the best of the best. The facilities we had at UMass were outstanding and I always knew, as a student athlete, I had instant access to the weight room and gym whenever I wanted. Depending on where you're signed and what club you play for, getting access to the gym can be difficult. For me, I cannot get access to my gym because it is also the gym for the high school and we have to work around their schedule.
• Extra workouts: As a professional or international player you are expected to deliver results, however, sometimes the workouts you do within the club aren't enough. You're expected to do workouts outside of your already-arranged workouts. For example, I do track and field workouts 2-3 times a week (depending on how my body is feeling) and work on explosive movements and plyometric exercises.
Basketball is Only One Aspect
I've come to realize that this overseas experience is NOT all about basketball. Yes, it's my job, yes I have an obligation to the club and the people of Brive and yes, I am a professional, but damn, sometimes, you have to sit back and smell the roses. For a second, I seemed to miss the entire point of this blog and this experience. It's not all about getting consumed with the results; it's as much about the journey, the people you meet, the culture and the language. At the end of the day, I want to be able to say, "yes, I lived in France and I have no regrets. I lived every moment to the fullest and made he best of the opportunity."Although we've lost and have been slapped in the face more times than not, I have been blessed to travel to some amazing towns and cities around France. The French countryside is magnificent. I think it must be the sense of space. There are miles upon miles of untouched land, open fields and undeveloped woodland. There really is a sense of freedom. Life is so simple, and I love it.
Within the last five weeks, we have traveled to some spectacular towns! Our season-opener took us on an 8-hour bus trip to the northwestern tip of France; La Glacerie, a French town that is on the English Channel. Since our time is fairly limited, we typically don't get to explore too much when playing away. However, because our coaches and managers are so amazing, they organized a trip down to the ocean prior to our game. From the coast you look out across the harbor towards England. It's a pretty spectacular site!
We have also travelled to Feytiat, a town that's about an hour away from Brive and is known for being a "flower" city. Feytiat won the flower competition in November of 2004. Most recently we returned from Orthez. A beautiful town of 11,000, which is located in the southwest region of France about an hour from the Spanish border. Ortez is the birthplace of world famous chef, Alain Ducasse and because it sits between the ocean and the mountains, there are numerous hiking and bike trails. They are also renowned for their men's professional basketball team, which is one of the best teams in France.
Read Also: Kiara had a separate post on her Facebook page that is an interesting read about being in France during the recent terrorist attacks in Paris:
Posted by Kiara Bomben on Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Getting Over Homesickness
The phrase, "When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do" has never been so fitting. Despite my willingness and over enthusiastic approach to speak French, my interactions and efforts prove that the term, "culture shock" is a real phenomenon.Three months have passed since my arrival and I have realized four things. The first, be proactive! I soon discovered that I couldn't just sit around my apartment all day and miss home. Of course, I have the support of my teammates, coaches and club, but at the end of the day, I am the one who is control of this experience and what I do with it. Every time I step out outside, I try to learn something new or discover another part of my town that I didn't know exist. Living abroad can be a lonely existence if you allow it be. You have a lot of down time and sometimes your thoughts bring you back to times with friends, family, etc. I was homesick early on, but I knew that mentally I couldn't be in two places. I either had to be fully invested in my time in France or go back home. When I thought about it, I realized that I wasn't missing out on anything. What a fool I would be to walk away from this experience.
Second, appreciate what is important to you. Life in France is so simple and it's the simplicity that really appeals to me. When I lived in LA, I felt a huge amount of pressure to look and act a certain way. I saw a lot of people drive flashy cars, live in big houses in, etc., but despite having all of this, they were miserable and hollow. Living a luxurious life isn't about having tangible things; it's about all of the intangibles. It's not about having the Michael Kors watch, or having brand-name clothes, it's about the beautiful moments you encounter with others and discovering who YOU really are. The French lifestyle has allowed me to do this. So far it's been one of the greatest experiences I've been blessed with.
Third, forming friendships you never expected to have. I've made some great friends since moving to France. Not knowing the language has been a blessing in disguise because it's forced me to relate to people in different ways. You can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she interacts with others. It's similar to people watching, although that sounds creepy? For example, I have become good friends with a woman a few years older than me. Her English is almost as good as my French, and that's not saying a whole lot. Although Google translate has become a necessary tool and a dear friend of ours, we try to communicate through actions, signs, etc. Sounds funny and perhaps a little bit of a stretch, but until we both become somewhat fluent, it has to be done. So far we have spent time together at different cafes, bars, shops, football (soccer) matches and restaurants. I've discovered we're very much alike, and I would consider her someone close to me, despite us not really being able to communicate in the same language. Oh, and ladies, the French men, well they are no different from men all over the world-scarce and hard to meet one who is both tall and steals your heart...in case you were wondering!
I would like to end this blog with a quote from comedian and television host, Amy Poehler:
"Keep doing it, even though all your stuff is going to be pretty bad. But don't be discouraged by its imperfections; embrace it if it's half good. Fake it till you make it. Put things up. If they're sloppy, keep trying."
Not everyone is perfect, and not every team will end up with an undefeated season. I get it. What's nice to know is that it's still very early on in the season and we have time to turn things around. We will keep pushing, and continue to remain positive. It's the only way.