Aussies Abroad #10 – Sarah Burton
In this instalment of Aussies Abroad, Volleyball Australia caught up with Sarah Burton, who is currently playing beach volleyball at the University of Hawaii.
Growing up in Perth, Sarah discovered her love for volleyball at school and it wasn’t long before she started representing her state and country ahead of her transition abroad.
“I grew up in Perth and my parents didn’t play volleyball and didn’t really know what the sport was until my sister started playing in high school,” Burton said.
“My sport teachers Michael Ruggiero and Kenrick Armitage encouraged me to play when I was at Penrhos College.
“I played for school first then started playing for Reds Volleyball Club in Perth, as well as playing in some Junior State teams.
“After graduating, I moved to Canberra to join the Australian Volleyball Academy, before heading off to college only one-and-a-half years later.”
Now alongside studying psychology at the University of Hawaii, Sarah is thriving in the college volleyball environment with the beaches reminiscent of home in Western Australia.
“Honestly my decision to move abroad was a very spontaneous decision,” she said.
“I initially wasn’t really interested in college but one day it was like a switch flipped and I decided I wanted to go and now I’ve been playing abroad for almost three years.
“The transition was pretty smooth – I really liked the team and made good friends.
“The hardest part was adjusting to the style of play in America.
“The beach volleyball game over here can be quite unconventional and just different to how we play back home.
“But I just love living in Hawaii – the beaches, the people and the lifestyle is just unmatched.
“I also love being able to compete against super solid competition all the time and just improve and expand my game every day.
“A highlight was probably winning the Big West Championships last year with my college team at the University of Hawaii.
“We went into the tournament seeded third and came out with a win which felt so good.
“As a player, I just want to take my volleyball journey as far as I can whilst still enjoying it, and I am loving travelling the world with volleyball.
“But I am also studying psychology in Hawaii, and I am hoping to do something in that field and even relate it to sports too.
“I am super interested in people and how they think so psychology seemed like the perfect option.”
With a full training schedule, Sarah’s pre-game preparation focuses around having a clear headspace and trusting her training on the court.
“We have five court training sessions a week, two weight sessions and one conditioning,” she said.
“We also have team meetings and film sessions.
“Personally I like to watch film on the team I am playing to get a good game plan sorted a couple days out.
“Then I don’t really like to think about it too much until I am in the moment – I play best when my mind is clear and I am just in the moment with my partner.”
