Those of you who grew up with the Light Brite toy will appreciate this vid from The David Crowder Band. It took them over 2000 hrs to make this vid. Enjoy
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Game 4 - Kalamaria
Last night we played our 4 match of the regular season. We continued to play under our new coach Freddy Brooks who is a legend in the game of volleyball. 2 time Olympian for Cuba as well as one of the best players to ever play for Iraklis. He ran a good week of training post our Olympiacos win and got our heads focused for Kalamaria.
Kalamaria is a team who's gym is only 5 minutes from ours by car and is a team whom we've played a friendly match earlier in the preseason. They are not considered one of the strongest teams in the league but their first match they took Panathinaikos, who is tied for 1st place as of now, to 5 sets. We had to be focused for this match or it could had gone either way.
The first set both team exchanged leads back and forth until we took a 18-15 lead and we really never looked back. The set shouldn't have been that close at all but I have to admit I did not do a very good job at siding out personally. I think I was 2 for 8 in the first set :/ But I found my groove at the end of the set and let it carry on through the match. It was our first match where our fans were aloud inside the gym and I think I let my nerves get the best of me as I wanted to show our fans why Iraklis bought me for the season.
In the second set we came out a lot stronger and built a good lead by putting more pressure on them from the service line and playing some good defense. We def won the service/reception battle throughout the match. Which is the key to winning most matches.
In the third set Coach Brooks decided to give me a little rest and start our back up opposite whom is only 15 years old but 6'8" and very coordinated for his age. He has been great for us during training and deserves every chance he gets to play. Such a good talent. But after Kalamaria took a 16-13 lead, Freddy put me back in and our side responded with 4 or 5 straight points. We ended up taking the set pretty easy after that.
So for now we are still tied for 3rd place and we won't play again till next Sat vs Patras. They have a pretty solid team this year and it is going to be a good test for us. Only the top 4 teams make playoffs this year so every game is critical.
On a side note, Brett and I are excited for her mom and Bill to get in tonight. They are going to spend 5 days or so with us. Its gonna be really nice having some family here!
Kalamaria is a team who's gym is only 5 minutes from ours by car and is a team whom we've played a friendly match earlier in the preseason. They are not considered one of the strongest teams in the league but their first match they took Panathinaikos, who is tied for 1st place as of now, to 5 sets. We had to be focused for this match or it could had gone either way.
The first set both team exchanged leads back and forth until we took a 18-15 lead and we really never looked back. The set shouldn't have been that close at all but I have to admit I did not do a very good job at siding out personally. I think I was 2 for 8 in the first set :/ But I found my groove at the end of the set and let it carry on through the match. It was our first match where our fans were aloud inside the gym and I think I let my nerves get the best of me as I wanted to show our fans why Iraklis bought me for the season.
In the second set we came out a lot stronger and built a good lead by putting more pressure on them from the service line and playing some good defense. We def won the service/reception battle throughout the match. Which is the key to winning most matches.
In the third set Coach Brooks decided to give me a little rest and start our back up opposite whom is only 15 years old but 6'8" and very coordinated for his age. He has been great for us during training and deserves every chance he gets to play. Such a good talent. But after Kalamaria took a 16-13 lead, Freddy put me back in and our side responded with 4 or 5 straight points. We ended up taking the set pretty easy after that.
So for now we are still tied for 3rd place and we won't play again till next Sat vs Patras. They have a pretty solid team this year and it is going to be a good test for us. Only the top 4 teams make playoffs this year so every game is critical.
Here is a pic from last nights match of Rodrigo Quiroga hammering a ball. He played great last night!
Before the match Zenia was given his trophy for being the MVP of the Olympiacos match
Coach Freddy Brooks
International Indoor Volleyballs
I figured I'd make a list of some of the balls used throughout the professional circuits through Europe and Asia. I haven't played in South America so I'm not sure what brand of ball they use down there. I'll have to look into it. Here are a few balls I have played with. My favorite is the new Mikasa that is used for almost every international tournament...Although, I've heard that a lot of people like the old Mikasa.
"Mikasa MVA200"
Most international events as well as several leagues throughout Europe
"Molten V5M5000"
As far as I know this ball is only used in the Italian League
"Star New Champion VB215-34"
I played with this ball during my short stint in Korea. Its a little heavier with a soft touch
"Gala Volleyball 5651"
When I played in Austria we used the Gala. Back then it was red and white with the formation of the old Mikasa...same as the paneling as the Star ball above. I'm not sure but I think they have converted to the new Mikasa.
If there are some other balls out there please let me know and I will add them to this post. Our sport is always changing and its nice to keep people up to date.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Lightning Storm in Thessaloniki Greece
A few weeks ago we had a storm pass through with bolts of light
ning that lit up the sky. I stood out on our balcony for about 30 minutes and took some video. Here is the condensed version of the video I took. Hope you enjoy it. Song is "The Islands" by The XX
The Amazing Race - My thoughts
Brett and I have been following season 17 of "The Amazing Race" because we wanted to see how we would match up if we went on it. Each episode I've formed my own opinion on the teams personalities. These people:
"Nick & Vicki"
Dumbest and Nick is an insecure PUNK
"Chad and Stephanie"
Chad is going to propose to her on this show apparently but I would be surprised if she said "yes". He kind of bashes her but I have to give them credit for sticking it out and trying to work together.
"Rachel and Katy"
Never heard of beach volleyball players from Fl who talked smack on the other teams the entire show. We were stoked they lost!
Watermelon "right in the kisser" - The best part of the show so far!
Our favorite team was eliminated last episode so now we are going to root for everyone other than team "Nick and Vicki" and team "Chad and Stephanie". If you watch the show who do you root for? Check out Brett's blog here to see what she has to say about our favorite teams.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
A little Christmas wish list
After reading my friend Lindsey Berg's blog on shoes I decided to do my own. Also, I figured it would be a good way to get what I need/want for Christmas this year. If any of you are feeling generous and in the holiday spirit feel free to ask for my address out here in Thessaloniki :)
Athletic/casual shoes
Boots
You can find all of these shoes at www.zappos.com. Its one of my favorite sights as it has free overnight shipping and a 100% return policy. Plus I have a friend that works there that helps me get 20% off :)
Athletic/casual shoes
"Nike Free Run +"
"Nike Air Max Hyped"
I would like to play in these bad boys
"Nike Ruckus Mid"
"Nike Sweet Classic High"
Boots
"Frye Phillip Lace Up"
These are my absolute favorite and I might have to purchase them myself :)
"Frye Hudson Chukka"
"Frye Oliver Chukka"
"John Varvatos Hipster Chukka"
size 13 please
You can find all of these shoes at www.zappos.com. Its one of my favorite sights as it has free overnight shipping and a 100% return policy. Plus I have a friend that works there that helps me get 20% off :)
Friday, November 5, 2010
Game 3 - Olympiacos
Last night, Thursday, we had our 3rd match of the regular season. We played against a team in Athens with a lot of volleyball tradition - Olympiacos. Our team considered this match a "derby" match even though Olympiacos has gotten off to a slow start this season. Their team has a monster of a kid playing opposite for them...He was the best middle last season but decided he wanted to play opposite this season and has done a pretty impressive job. He has a big serve, strong attack and prob one of the biggest blocks I have seen in a long time. Although Ryan gave it to him pretty good last night. Their 4 foreign players consist of Jablonski from USA, Jurquin from Cuba, Kral from Czech and Zhekov who is the starting setter for the Bulgarian national team.
We took the first set 33-31 after a slow start. Our team finally got in the grove with our serve under our new coach Freddy Brooks. I think he really installed some patience in us for this match and I really hope it carries through the rest of the season. For the second set we took control around the 16 mark but let them come back to 24-23. We set our middle for the set who did a great job at hitting the ball high and deep behind the defense. In the 3rd set we battled point for point through the entire set. I believe it was 22-22 when we got ended up in rotation 1...me hitting from the left side. I have been pretty good in row 1 this season but I had two chances to put the ball away and got dug and blocked to give them a 24-22 lead. This was enough to give them the set in the end. 4th set we came out strong and didn't look back. We took the set 25-14 behind some strong serving and blocking.
Its always better when you win. The game was televised and it has been really nice to get so many congratulations from fans via facebook. But the best was the 40 minute flight back to Thessaloniki, getting picked up by my babe, getting into my own bed and throwing on the latest episode of Modern Family.
We play again on Wednesday vs Kalamaria. We are going to need to bring our "A" game to every match this season.
We took the first set 33-31 after a slow start. Our team finally got in the grove with our serve under our new coach Freddy Brooks. I think he really installed some patience in us for this match and I really hope it carries through the rest of the season. For the second set we took control around the 16 mark but let them come back to 24-23. We set our middle for the set who did a great job at hitting the ball high and deep behind the defense. In the 3rd set we battled point for point through the entire set. I believe it was 22-22 when we got ended up in rotation 1...me hitting from the left side. I have been pretty good in row 1 this season but I had two chances to put the ball away and got dug and blocked to give them a 24-22 lead. This was enough to give them the set in the end. 4th set we came out strong and didn't look back. We took the set 25-14 behind some strong serving and blocking.
We play again on Wednesday vs Kalamaria. We are going to need to bring our "A" game to every match this season.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
last week
Our last match has kind of put our team into whirl wind mode. We played our second match last Sat night against the team Kifisia. In the lose our team did not produce anything and I have to say I'm very disappointed in my own playing. The feeling on the court was that we should be winning easy but it wasn't happening so we all tried to make "extra" effort which would lead to errors...22 service errors for the match. We almost gave them one ENTIRE set from the service line. I believe the scores were 25-20, 26-24, 20-25, 25-20. The second set could had gone either way but the referee was God awful. We had just tied the score at 24-24 and they sided out to go up 1. We called a substitution and had 5 guys on the court when the ref blew the whistle...in the middle of the play I swear we had 7 guys on the court because no one knew where we were supposed to be. And they let it slide!!!! The other team won the point and the set was over but I'm telling you I've never seen anything like that.
*I got a yellow card in that set around the 20 point mark which I'm not proud of.
After our match there was an yelling altercation between one of the fans and our coaching staff. I'm sad to say that our coach decided to quit that night and we have to continue on with our third coach Freddy Brooks. I really am sad at our coaches decision because I respect him as a coach and a person. He also took away our second coach Demetri as they are very loyal to each other. They were two people that made me and Brett really love it here when we got here. And I feel a little bit responsible for their decision to leave the team as I could had played so much better and turned the situation around....EVERY THING IS BETTER WHEN YOU WIN. I can only respect their decisions and look forward to the future of our team in a positive way. I hope to stay in contact with both of them.
We have training tonight at 4pm and then off to the airport for our match tomorrow night in Athens against one of the better teams in the league....Olympiacos. I hope our team can find enough energy to come out and play tomorrow. We are still missing 3 middles and have our 3rd or 4th OH playing the second middle role...He just came back from double knee surgery also.
Keep your fingers crossed! Maybe your toes too!
Brook
PS...Our woman's team is 4-0 out in Japan! Lindsey Berg holding it down. Lets show some support!
*I got a yellow card in that set around the 20 point mark which I'm not proud of.
After our match there was an yelling altercation between one of the fans and our coaching staff. I'm sad to say that our coach decided to quit that night and we have to continue on with our third coach Freddy Brooks. I really am sad at our coaches decision because I respect him as a coach and a person. He also took away our second coach Demetri as they are very loyal to each other. They were two people that made me and Brett really love it here when we got here. And I feel a little bit responsible for their decision to leave the team as I could had played so much better and turned the situation around....EVERY THING IS BETTER WHEN YOU WIN. I can only respect their decisions and look forward to the future of our team in a positive way. I hope to stay in contact with both of them.
We have training tonight at 4pm and then off to the airport for our match tomorrow night in Athens against one of the better teams in the league....Olympiacos. I hope our team can find enough energy to come out and play tomorrow. We are still missing 3 middles and have our 3rd or 4th OH playing the second middle role...He just came back from double knee surgery also.
Keep your fingers crossed! Maybe your toes too!
Brook
PS...Our woman's team is 4-0 out in Japan! Lindsey Berg holding it down. Lets show some support!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Shooting a show with Brett for a Greek television show on Nova Sport! She just beat me in some "fake" pool/billiards but it was all for the show...have to let her win sometimes ;)
About to head off to practice to get ready for our next match on Sat. Its our last home match with out our fans due to the penalty of last seasons events. Can't wait to have them on our team in the upcoming matches.
Keep your fingers crossed!
About to head off to practice to get ready for our next match on Sat. Its our last home match with out our fans due to the penalty of last seasons events. Can't wait to have them on our team in the upcoming matches.
Keep your fingers crossed!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Byzantine Castle of Thessaloniki
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