September 7, 2004

Riverside, CA - Krista Stinson, La Sierra University sophomore physical education major and Golden Eagle Women’s Volleyball middle blocker, was recruited to play on the United States team in an intramural collegiate volleyball tournament July 4-8 at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowomba, Australia.

“You have to raise around $4,000 that goes towards your flight, hotel and food,” says Stinson. “Most of the 12 Americans recruited to play on the team were starters or team members who play at the beginning of the game. The United States team received the gold medal beating out the favored team, the University of Queensland.”

Most of the teams were club teams or intramural sports. “It was very cold on the court. July is their winter,” adds Stinson. “People were wearing parkas and we were wearing our spandex.”

“The Australians were very hospitable,” says Stinson. “They helped us, told us places to visit and they were good sports. On the court they were competitive, but off the court we were friends.”

Willie Neal, La Sierra athletic recruiter, says that Stinson is a good student. “She plays both basketball and volleyball and was United States Collegiate Athlete Association honorable mention All-American in volleyball for the 2003 season.”

Stinson took advantage of her time in Australia scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, petting kangaroos in a wild animal park and exploring the gold coast.