10 Preseason Questions For ... Chelsea Shine

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Junior forward Chelsea Shine (Wayne, Pa.) recently checked in with VirginiaSports.com to discuss the team’s preseason workouts, the start of practice and the upcoming 2010-11 season.

Question: Practice started Monday, Oct. 4. Describe a typical day in your life right now.
Shine: Wake up, go to class. Grab lunch if you have time. Shoot over to the gym and have a couple hours worth of practice. Get dinner with the team upstairs in John Paul Jones Arena at the dining hall after that, go to my tutor if I have it. Usually do some homework or sometimes be social with my friends if time permits. Go to sleep, wake up, do it again!

Question: Name one interesting thing you did this summer.
Shine: I went to the Ultimate Training Camp, which is a camp for Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes out in Colorado for a week. It was life-changing. It was probably 150 Division I athletes, all different sports – football, basketball, swimming, track and field, soccer … we all met and learned different principles. We had an ultimate 24-hour special at the end which is by far the hardest and most intense competition I have ever done. Harder than preseason, which I didn’t think was possible or going to be true. There’s different competitions that your teams go through, and during it we’re learning how to apply God to your sport. We started with ultimate Frisbee, there was swimming, kickball, then two hours of basketball and I looked like I had never played before because you’re absolutely exhausted by the time you get to it. There was an obstacle course at the end.

Question: Name a player on your team that will surprise people this year.
Shine: Simone Egwu.

Question: Why?
Shine: Because she’s had an awesome preseason. Not only in terms of running but in terms of the player that she’s become. Her down-low position work and her shot is looking better. She has gotten a lot stronger.

Question: The women’s basketball schedule was recently announced. Is there a game or trip you are most looking forward to this season?
Shine: The Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving. Because of the trip but also because of the caliber of teams that we are going to be playing in that tournament.

Question: What did you work on the most this offseason?
Shine: I worked on balance and body control when playing in the low post.

Question: Keeping with the theme of the offseason, what is your favorite conditioning drill or workout?
Shine: As much as it stinks when we have to do it, the Beep Test is a really cool competition because as teammates you push each other but by the end you are completely pushing yourself. Every time you run it, you blatantly see who is pushing themselves and who is going as hard as they can.

Question: What is the best non-basketball event you have attended at JPJA?
Shine: I really enjoyed the John Mayer concert. I also got to experience some of the pre-Lady Gaga concert and I got to see a glimpse of her wardrobe.

Question: What is your favorite website?
Shine: Either Virginia.edu or Facebook.com because those are the two that I’m on the most.

Question: If you could be on any reality TV show, which would you choose and why?
Shine: The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I think it would be funny to be amongst those people and just take it all in.