Haley Brown, a student at Troy Senior High School in Troy, Pa., just returned from a 12-day People to People Sports Ambassador Program to Vienna, Austria. In addition to competing in the Volleyball Open Tournament at the World Sports Festival, Brown trained with experienced coaches and explored Austria and Germany with teammates from throughout the United States. During the regular season, Brown competes as a member of the Troy Trojans Volleyball Team. She also plays for the Southern Tier Volleyball Club in Horseheads, NY. The People to People program gives participants a taste of international competition and the chance to get to know the athletes from around the globe. Before competition and during breaks in the action, delegates explored such sites as the Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Prater Amusement Park, and the historic Olympic Stadium in Munich, Germany. Brown's team, Fusion, played against teams from Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, and Slovakia. They placed 8th out of 30 teams from 26 nations. Brown states, "This was a very rewarding experience and the trip of a lifetime".
Brown was specifically selected to participate in the Sports Ambassador Program, and is completing the academic credit requirements related to the program's culture and heritage excursions and sports activities. The group was accompanied by coaches, leaders and a delegation manager who coordinated the cultural and recreational excursions and is familiar with the local area. To prepare for the trip, Brown studied German and was able to communicate while in Austria and Germany and translate for her group.
Before departing, Brown participated in several virtual orientation meetings with coaches to prepare for the journey and learn about the program, destination, and responsibilities of representing the United States in overseas competition.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded People to People International during his presidency in 1956. He believed that ordinary citizens of different nations could make a difference where governments could not. People to People Sports Ambassador Programs is based is Spokane, Washington, and has been coordinating educational travel for over 50 years.
Haley would like to thank the following sponsors that helped make her trip possible: Attorney Robert Fleury, County Recovery Services, Green's Auto Mart, JoAnne Kizer Real Estate, Drs. Lopatofsky & Bense, M.R. Dirt, Middendorf Contracting, NE Builder & Design, Representative Matthew Baker, Thrush Insurance Agency.
