The past two weeks have gone by fast and slow. Last week, we travelled to Lindesberg...proceeded to get our asses handed to us towards the end of each set, except for set 3. I don't think I will never get over how mad the coach for Lindesberg gets when his team isn't winning EVERY SINGLE point. The man has a very short fuse. I mean, come on! give them a bit of a break! Mistakes and good points happen, the game is not going to perfect every time. You will not win 25-0 in this league, sorry, not going to happen. I know you aren't supposed to pay attention to the other teams antics, especially the other their coach, they aren't even on the court. Hard not to notice though, when his booming screams stun the audience into silence. Now, I mean no disrespect, he is a very good coach. I wouldn't mind him coaching me. I would find it hard however, to keep a straight face when his eyes bulge out of his tomato colored face, if god forbid, the other team "miraculously" gets through the block. Perfection is a very high goal to reach in volleyball as a team, but hey, good luck! Been trying to reach that same goal since I was 10 and still have yet to have the absolute perfect all around match.
We traveled to RIG Falkoping Sunday at an unfortunately early time of 6:30 am, thanks to the mens team, wanting to get to the gym two hours before their match (understandable). I appreciated getting to watch the guys beat the absolute shittake mushrooms out of those teenage boys (RIG is a volleyball high school where the promising young volley stars go to ensure they are looked at first for the national team in the future...and also to get better of course). The first set was tough for our guys, those teenage boys aren't terrible in the least, they brought the heat indefinitely, just on an inconsistent note. Plus, our guys were better. Mr. Sean Anthony was having a phenomenal match. He made 17 points total and easily took player of the match. Big Tuna (my phrase for Sollentuna) prevailed in 3 sets. Then it was our turn to take that dubya!
RIG's girls team, were good in some areas and not so good in others. They had a hammer for a middle who was smart (very awesome combo). Tipping right over our finger tips in the block when the open angle wasn't there, see, smart. She saw the court well and took advantage, driving our libero's crazy. My old teammate Tilda, their right side, has improved a lot and was hitting harder and passing nails. I was impressed to see her getting better. Their small setter was just that, she was small. Good hands and consistent sets, but it was sure fun to hit over her since about half her hand cleared the net. The one other player I remember was their 6 foot something outside hitter. With time, this girl is going to be hitting the 10 foot line over the block. I see a lot of potential in that gal. OK, now for how we played! It was a bit up and down but not huge ups and downs. The first set was tight with us finally getting off our asses and starting to really play in the end of the set. The second set was a fairly easy win as we settled into our flow. The lows were higher and we were awake. The last set was tight as well. We got lucky with a net call on the last point (I had hit the ball out) and were able to take them a few points later at 28-26. I too collected 17 total points and the player of the match. I am very happy and proud of the team for finishing this team off in three sets, earning 3 points for the charts.
Today is yet another game day. We are up against Svedala at home. The guys play Linkoping (champs in the past and basically beasts, next to the mens team in Faulkenberg). Svedala has three Americano's, a setter, oppo and outside. Watching video last night it was obvious that their lefty oppo is a beast. She looks like a solid player. Their setter has a quick touch and is good on defense. Their outside is also tall but we didn't see too much from her in the video so I hope that we will be on our toes looking for options and cracks in this team to exploit tonight for the win.
HEJA BIG TUNA!
Some Swedish for you:
Tjena = Howdy
Vi ses = See you
Puss och Kram = kiss and hug
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Friday, October 10, 2014
Update #3 Weather, butterflies and of course, volleyball.
The past week and a half or so have moved along pretty fast, which I welcome, since I would like to get this season underway. To get after it, some may say. We participated in a two match scrimmage against our distant neighbors, Lindesberg. We played 10 sets in total and won 2. Lets face it, they are a good team, but I think we are and can be better with a little more time and practice together. Maybe I am delusional, or maybe I am just being an athlete. Never stop trying to win, never stop thinking "we are better, faster, stronger" and most importantly, never giving up. All teams in this league have strengths and weaknesses. Its all about exploiting those weaknesses, however big or small, during a match and taking full advantage of them for the win. Its about being aggressive in the moment, not through feelings of disappointment in the locker room, after the game is over. My thoughts about the game are simple, if I put my all into every match and do everything I can to win, there is no reason for me to be upset or down on myself after its over. Win or lose. On another related note, we will play against my old team, Orebro, this saturday. Some asked me if this was going to be tough for me or in some sense, like a grudge match...the truth...the team that is there now, is completely different then the one I spent 3 years with. Yes, there are 3 girls I played with before and one that went through all 3 years with me. So I guess it will be fun to play against them, otherwise, I have no idea who this team is. I am interested to see how our team has progressed or digressed and work on sharpening the rough edges before our first match next Thursday.
Taking a break from volleyball talk for a moment, the weather has started to take on the feeling that winter is on its way. I was told that the summer was warmer then usual, which apparently means a lot of snow. I love a lot of snow, so bring it on! Can't wait. Like common Swedish weather, it has been cloudy, rainy and cold since the beginning of October. Today is the first day I have seen the sun come out for longer then an hour. Does this bother me? Yes, sometimes, but other times, I like the feeling of cold and seasons when its supposed to be. I like feeling cozy and warm in my apartment when the weather is cold and wet outside. It is starting to get darker earlier now, but have no fear I say, its only dark for about 2 months and then it gets lighter again. Like I have said in the past, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, always. So bring on the cold weather and snow. This is how season should be experienced anyway!
I wanted to mention the butterfly house I recently visited. The amazon like tent is located in Haga park near Stockholm. It took me a little bit to find the area via bus, but I eventually found myself in the right spot. Once I walked into the huge tent of lush greenery, man made ponds and humidity, I instantly felt like I was in an actual rain forest. Hot, wet air and green tropical plants and flowers everywhere you looked. At first I didn't see any butterflies and felt a little disappointed. After looking closer and up to the ceiling, they began to make their presence known, flapping their wings all around and above me. One, that looked as big or bigger then a small bird, clumsily flew straight towards me and proceeded to try and land on my face. It took everything in me to not swat it away like I would a fly. There were so many different types of butterflies and some that were in the middle of hatching as well. It was amazing in there, I could have stayed all day if I hadn't felt like I was going to pass out because of the heat. My favorites were the ones with brownish wings and then when opened, a bright color would be shown on the tops of their wings. I also spotted one with green and brown spots on its wings. I could definitely see myself going there during the winter time, the heat alone would get me out of a winter funk.
Our first match of the season is the 16th next week. I, like many others, are excited to finally get this league started. We play Lindesberg and will hopefully find a crack in their armor and beat them. I believe we can and I hope that everyone else on the team feels the same. Just because they are ranked higher and seem better then us doesn't mean we can relax and just lose. Winning is hard, losing is easy. I prefer to win, however hard it may be. Until next time!
Swedish words:
fjäril (fee-ya-rrill) = Butterfly
Soligt = Sunny
djungel = Jungle
Taking a break from volleyball talk for a moment, the weather has started to take on the feeling that winter is on its way. I was told that the summer was warmer then usual, which apparently means a lot of snow. I love a lot of snow, so bring it on! Can't wait. Like common Swedish weather, it has been cloudy, rainy and cold since the beginning of October. Today is the first day I have seen the sun come out for longer then an hour. Does this bother me? Yes, sometimes, but other times, I like the feeling of cold and seasons when its supposed to be. I like feeling cozy and warm in my apartment when the weather is cold and wet outside. It is starting to get darker earlier now, but have no fear I say, its only dark for about 2 months and then it gets lighter again. Like I have said in the past, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, always. So bring on the cold weather and snow. This is how season should be experienced anyway!
I wanted to mention the butterfly house I recently visited. The amazon like tent is located in Haga park near Stockholm. It took me a little bit to find the area via bus, but I eventually found myself in the right spot. Once I walked into the huge tent of lush greenery, man made ponds and humidity, I instantly felt like I was in an actual rain forest. Hot, wet air and green tropical plants and flowers everywhere you looked. At first I didn't see any butterflies and felt a little disappointed. After looking closer and up to the ceiling, they began to make their presence known, flapping their wings all around and above me. One, that looked as big or bigger then a small bird, clumsily flew straight towards me and proceeded to try and land on my face. It took everything in me to not swat it away like I would a fly. There were so many different types of butterflies and some that were in the middle of hatching as well. It was amazing in there, I could have stayed all day if I hadn't felt like I was going to pass out because of the heat. My favorites were the ones with brownish wings and then when opened, a bright color would be shown on the tops of their wings. I also spotted one with green and brown spots on its wings. I could definitely see myself going there during the winter time, the heat alone would get me out of a winter funk.Our first match of the season is the 16th next week. I, like many others, are excited to finally get this league started. We play Lindesberg and will hopefully find a crack in their armor and beat them. I believe we can and I hope that everyone else on the team feels the same. Just because they are ranked higher and seem better then us doesn't mean we can relax and just lose. Winning is hard, losing is easy. I prefer to win, however hard it may be. Until next time!
Swedish words:
fjäril (fee-ya-rrill) = Butterfly
Soligt = Sunny
djungel = Jungle
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