Have volleyball, will travel might just be Tauranga schoolgirl Alice Bain's mantra over the next seven weeks as she circles the globe in search of success on the sand and indoors.
Bain, 16, leaves today with the national champion Tauranga Girls' College senior indoor team, with the national schoolgirl champions representing New Zealand in the world schools championships in the French city of Toulon.
But Bain won't be with the rest of the team when they fly home in two weeks, instead heading to the coastal city of Fuzhou in China for the Continental Cup Asia beach zone final in China from June 18-24.
New Zealand women's teams Melissa Ruru and Lydia McCormack and Micah Brown and Julia Tilley won a spot at the Olympic qualifier, but Bain was shocked when Ruru phoned her seven weeks ago to check on her availability after McCormack pulled out to concentrate on her university studies.
While the Kiwi men's team - Tauranga's Jason Lochhead and Kirk Pitman and Sam and Ben O'Dea - are among the favourites to qualify a spot for London in Fuzhou, the New Zealand women's team were well beaten by Vanuata and Australia at February's Oceania zone tournament at Mount Maunganui and aren't expected to push for at Olympic berth, which eases the pressure somewhat.
"Still, I was quite shocked when Melissa called," Bain said yesterday. "I'm still only 16 so it's a big thing going to an Olympic qualifier, and it will be red-hot competition. I'm just hoping I'll acquit myself well.
"It'll be harder for us to qualify a spot but the boys definitely have a chance."
Bain will spend 10 days back in New Zealand after China before turning around and doing it all over again when she and Bethlehem College's Beniece Douch, the national under-19 champions, fly to Cyprus for the youth world championships in Larnaka.
If that's not enough to make her head spin, Bain is also trying to do her NCEA studies justice, with Year 12 an important year when applying to get into university courses in 12 months.
"It looks as though I'll be working harder on my schoolwork when I get home in late July," she said.
Bain knew Ruru well before last month's SOS but the pair haven't played together, with 17-year-old Douch her regular partner on the beach circuit last summer.
"It's a small group of people so everyone knows everyone anyway. Melissa's the man when it comes to women's beach volleyball so she's easy to play with."
While Douch and Bain continued to train after the summer series of tournaments, with a fifth placing at the national open their highlight, she and Rotorua-based Ruru have had to cover a lot of ground in a short space of time to get ready for China.
They have been training together once a week.
Bain is also hoping to feel the sand of southern France beneath her toes in between indoor commitments with Tauranga Girls' College.