Queen Latifah - "Champion" produced by Cool and Dre

Awesome video I wanted to share with yall. Its called Champion and I pretty much listen to it before I go to the gym. It was originally written for of the USA 2008 Olympics. Check it out

This is Halloween!

October 31, 2010- By far my most favorite holiday right after my birthday. Its totally a day to dress up and be someone else. Thats how I see it. Yeah you are trying to scare people. That's cool, but just think about it, this is a day you can be whatever or whomever you want and no one will think any different of you. Plus of course all the Halloween candy. The candy corn, trial sized snickers, 3 musketeers, etc... the smarties, pixie sticks. Everything. My favorite of course is reeses peanut butter cups.

Being overseas its hard because of course Halloween is an American holiday, so its not like I can go to the store and pick out a costume, grab some candy to give out and pick up some decorations. Occasionally you will find some trace of Halloween, but its very seldom. What I did find though was a pumpkin. The story of how I got the pumpkin will remain on the down low. But know it was loved. I named him Jac O'Tschopp. It was a gift from Laura Tschopp, my teammate hence the last name. My Halloween was not like an usual one form home, but it was still great.

So now introducing... The Evolution of Jac O'Tschopp


Draw a nice lil design first!


Lets Cut.

Its important to cut at on angle so when you try to put the top on it does not fall in.

Taste test? Noooo

Eww slimy. Hold on don't throw that stuff away just yet.

But don't eat it now.

Peek a Boo

Seeds and strings

Jac's face.


Be careful!

A Jac'O Lantern is born.

Light him up!

Jac & former friend Sponge Bob


Remember those seeds. Separate them. Wash them. Add special spices and then bake em. Yum snacks are your treat. I made vanilla, brown sugar, curry, garlic, and cappuccino.

Happy Halloween Yall!

Team Sm'Aesch Takes Thriller at Home, Grabs 2 for the Weekend

October 23, 2010- Team Sm'Aesch had double duty this weekend and a double dosage of victory was received.This is all thanks to the collective effort, strength and energy of the entire team. Everyone contributed. The girls from Aesch defeated Kanti Schaffhasen 3:1 and VBC Cheseaux 3:0 to pick up 2 huge points. Now Sm'Aesch now stands in 5th place in Swiss Volley National League A with 8 points, but ever climbing.

Our first challenge came on Saturday with the visiting Schaffhausen, a very talented team overall. They are led by opposite hitter and my friend and former teammate Grit Lehmann. I joined her team Vfb Suhl (Germany) halfway through the season back in 2007- 2008. Also on the team is American middle and my newest friend Ellen Orchard.

Undefeated before entering our gym here in Aesch, we knew we had to come to play. We started off the game how we usually do. A little flat. A little unconcerned. No sense of urgency. Okay well maybe not that, but we were back on our heels waiting for them to make the mistake. After dropping the first set, our spirits were low walking to the other side. We knew we couldnt continue to play at this pace and level if we wanted to come out on top. The set ended up being very close at the end, and it was evident that if we had not made so many unforced errors, we could have won that set out right.

At the beginning of set two we also started slow. I guess that is our mantra. We dig ourselves a nice hole and then try and climb out of it. Hey thats cool if the end result is a victory but I'd rather just play on top from the jump. Thats just me. But when you are climbing a high mountain or hill what do you always tell yourself? "Don't look down." Good thing we didn't. After building up a 7 or 8 point defecit, Team Sm'Aesch was able to even the score late in the set. After 20, its pretty much the home stretch. As both teams inched closer to game point each side held their breathe. I know I was. but you know what? Thats exactly why I play; for those intense 25-24 moments. I want the ball. I wanna serve game point. I wanna get that monster block. I want a Micheal Jordan moment. When everyone else also feels like that at the same exact moment, its pretty special. As the ball hit the floor on their side, we knew we had just committed a crime. We stole that set 28-26.

Coming outta the locker room even at 1 game a piece, a little pressure was off our chest. I know the court on that side seemed a lot bigger now. And somehow my offense opened up more. Things were starting to click all around and yes, we still started slow again and behind. but it was different. We had a different energy. The other side was starting to deconstruct, but they still hung in there. Team Sm'Aesch claimed set 3, again with a 2 point victory or 25-23. Going into the 4th set up 2-1, there ws nothing to it but to do it. Win ofcourse. For the first time this match we jumped out to a big lead. Blocking was tight. Offense was spread amongst the whole team. Defense was secure. It felt good, and every time we seemed like we were unraveling, I yelled louder. I was not playing a 5th set. Not with the back spasms I was having that night. In the end we came through with the win 25-20. Everyone rushed out on the floor and hey our home crowd was thrilled giving both teams a standing ovation. Jana Kurikova was awarded MVP for the third time this season along with Grit Lehmann. Congrats. It was a great night

The next day, Team Sm'Aesch traveled to Cheseaux ( in the French part of Switzerland). Nothing more to say than we came out on top 3-0. It wasn't pretty, but more importantly we got the W and I think we can all be satisfied with that.

"Don't let life make u look weak: be like a duck, lookin cool, but paddling like HELL underneath!!!" - Rev Run

Next game is home vs. Düdingen. Los Gehts!

Photos can be found at www.photomaster.ch

LeBron "Rise"

I really love this commercial from Nike. I wasnt really a huge fan of Lebron James... untill now. I know he carried the hopes and dreams of that whole city... hell that whole state on his shoulders for 6, 7 years. Thats a lot. And when it was time for him to make the Decision, I knew he would leave. It was the logical thing to do and I didnt lose any respect for him because of it. I'm not from Cleveland, so maybe I dont share the same emotion, but Free Agent means Free Agent!

I get it Lebron. I really get it. When you step off that road that is most traveled. Or you do something that is not what other people expect or want from you... you are automatically ostracized. Its not fair. So maybe we should all ask ourselves, " Should I be who you want me to be?"

I say to Mr. James and everyone else who dares to step outside that box, No!

The Finish Line

October 22, 2010- Tomorrow is game day. Time to go to war. To battle for a victory. I mean why else play. My Dad used to say, "Winning isn't everything. Its the only thing." Every week we train hard for what? To come out on Saturday or Sunday and leave it all on the court. So here it goes...

Saturday vs. Kanti Schaffhausen
Sunday @ VBC Cheaseux


Alle Frauen!








Everyweek I want to try and share a video or message or music that inspires me. This week its The Finish Line by Train. Enjoy!

Do Work Son... No We Got Worked

October 16, 2010- Hmmm our match versus Volero. The words frustrating, disappointment and mental disconnect come to mind when trying to put my feelings into a complete thought . Okay, okay... they are the # 1 team in the league. THey have good athletes. Their hitting warmup is pretty intimidating, but so is mine. They totally marched into the Super Cup like they were the best volleyballers in the world. If you hadnt known any better you might have believed that. WEll at least a lot of people I talked to sounded like it. They have a swagger, an attitude... its like "Yeah, were good.." And it wasnt just because they all had on the same thing or could hit the ball on the 10 ft line or the fact that when facing them at the net they all look like 7 foot monsters ( fo reals... the average height on that team looks like 6'1 or 186 cm). They have this team coesiveness. They warm up together doing the exact same thing, which begs to mention that they probably do that in practice as well. THey hit in the game like they do in warmups. I dont do that. And more importantly, in the game they go after balls like they want it. Nothing stops them from getting to anything unless its a million feet away. All these factors lets me know off the bat that they train hard as hell on fundamentals and repetition. Athletic abiltity is just an added bonus for them. They come on the court and dare you to bring your "A" game because they are just sitting there waiting for it. And that kind of concentration, court awareness, mental toughness and fundamentals can only be trained in practice. And I really hate say it cuz its kind of cliché but, you Practice like you PLay, and you Play like you Practice.

Athletics is not just about the physical part, its so much more about the mental part. Again athetic ability is an extra bonus in certain situations, but will is soooo important. Thats why you practice or just anybody could get out and attempt to play in any ole league and say they were an athlete. When you think you are training your muscles, you are really training your mind at the same time. Its like shooting a free throw. Good free throw shooters have a routine. Jalen Rose used to spin the ball in his hands 5 times before shooting, And Jeff Hornacek used to rub his forehead ( a message to his wife and kids) before shooting. Its about creating a routine and repeating it over and over. Training your mind to do the exact same thing everytime is called discipline. In the end my point is when you dont go for a ball in practice or go hard in certain situations in practice, you wont do so in the game because you are not used to doing so.


I feel like Volero is a team that is fundamentally sound because they train like that, they warm up like that and then they play like that. It comes full circle. I mean personally I dont know what the situation is on their team, but I know that type of discipline does not come outta no where. A lot of times in the game when you cannot execute, its because there is no discipline. That is basically training your mind to do something that it will tell your body to do later.

Okay so forget that they look like a bunch of army robots on the other side. The best way to beat a team like this is to go at them. Take it to them hard and we didnt do that. We stood back on our heels waiting for them to make the mistake instead of taking matters into our own hands. A team like that is not going to give you an opportunity to do so, that is why you have to strike from the jump. On a personal note last night I was still distraught after another game. I feel like its been four matches and I still have not contributed or had an impact in any of those games. Sure I have had 2 +10 block matches, which is incredible, but offensively I am lost out there and I feel no connection. Last night I said, " I work too hard to come out here and play like this ." But am I really? I have to change something up or it will be a disappointing 5 games which will lead to a disappointing season. That will suck because I love Switzerland.

Next game is at home versus Schaffhassen.

"Success is having and Excellence is being... You have success, but if you want to continue to have it at a high level, you better be excellent." - Brad Stevens

Sm'Aesch Splits Double Weekend

This past weekend Team Sm'Aesch had a double dosage of competition. Starting off we traveled to Geneve and finished the weekend on Sunday at home versus VFM. We went 1-1. Here are my thoughts.




Photos from Sm'Aesch/ VFM match

Next match is next Saturday at Volero. Los Gehts!

Make sure you stop by http://www.photomaster.ch for some awesome action shots!

Celebrate Life

The list below was written by Regina Brett, a 90-year-old columnist of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, OH. To celebrate growing older, she wrote the 45 lessons life taught her. It's the most requested column she's ever written. This is something we should all read at least once a week!

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative-dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.

44. Yield

.45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Thanks Tina for sharing this with me.

A Plethora of Things

Down Goes Bama! Down Goes Bama! "Its home field advantage... It's Making a Statement... It's Another 1 Bitting the Dust.... It's the Garnet Way!"

Gamecocks 'give fate a chance" is how ESPN simply put it and I couldnt agree more...
Congrats to my Alma Mater, the University of South Carolina aka the Real USC, on taking down the #1 team in the Nation. Last week the Gamecocks defeated the University of Alabama 35-21, trappled on their undefeated season and dropped the Tide down to #8. We moved up to #10 in the polls and have a good chance of taking the SEC east. Yeah Buddies.... #5 Stephen Garcia threw 3 touchdown passes to give his counter foe, Tide QB Greg McElroy his first loss since middle school. Wow. Thats pretty impressive on both sides. Nice job Coach Spurrier!

This all comes just weeks after receiving the sad news of the death of the former Gamecock stud Kenny McKinley (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5622324). Many in the Gamecock Nation still mourning after he was laid to rest last week, had much to be cheerful for. Many felt his presence there last week at Williams Brice Stadium at The Victory of all victories. And how appropriate and justified it must have felt to all the Gamecock fans and those who knew Kenny.

RIP #11 Kenny McKinley (January 31, 1987 - September 20, 2010)

Other News....

My brother, a member of NU MU Alpha Phi Alpha, participated in the Georgia Tech Step show and came out on top. Congrats to him and his brothers. They sure know how to step... Can you spot David in the video?

These great photos can be found here > http://lahyt.photoshelter.com/gallery/Georgia-Tech-Homecoming-Step-Show/G00002LXFrR8MNI0/

Check Em out on Youtube below..

Sm'Aesch Season Opener A Success

October 2, 2010- Well its the start of the new season. All the practices, training camps, practice games, fitness workouts and days at the track are over. Nope the Super Cup is done. That trophy awarded no longer means anything unless you let it. Today each team started evenly at 0-0. What happened next was up to each individual player and each team.

Team Sm'Aesch got the opportunity to come out the gates blazing infront of our home crowd here in Aesch. I was a little interested in seeing how this would turn out. I mean each country and culture is different. I had THe Best fan club in Germany with Vfb Suhl. The Dynamics are probably one of the best Women's Volleyball Fan Clubs out there. But thats nothing in comparison to Finland where the people just kind of stare at you while you play. Nothing wrong with that. Or in Spain, Haro's gym gets so loud, I couldnt even hear the Ref blow his whistle. I mean each place is different. The people in Switzerland have been so nice so I dont expect to get booed I guess. :)

We arrived at the gym, warmed up, talked a lil bit about the game and then got to work. Simple as that. I love simple. The fans trickle in as the start of the game nears. And its a descent little crowd. Cant complain. The fans come up to me and wish me luck. The little ball girls eyes get so wide open as you approach them for a ball. Its amazing the impact we may have on these kids. Future volleyballers perhaps? Future Sm'Aesch players?

This game was a bit of a relief I would say. We matched up against Biel the previous week and was victorious. But still you always have to remember to never overlook or underestimate a team for any reason. Through three games we were able to come out on top taking the match. Every one contributed to the victory and Jana Surikova was named MVP of the game.

Awesome job guys! Next game is away at Geneve.

Photos found at http://www.photomaster.ch

Swiss Volley Super Cup 2010

September 9, 2010- Team Sm'Aesch traveled to Köniz, Switzerland to participate in a preseason tournament. Its where all the teams in the Swiss National League A clash to fight for preseason bragging rights, scout other teams and basically meet and greet old teammates, future friends and create future rivalries. All this happened. True Story. But in the end only one team could be let standing. Everyone else was sent home, sometimes limping on crutches with traces of kinesiotape still left on their knees, ready to rearrange strategies and work harder to prepare for a season of the same type of battles.

Team Sm'Aesch walked into the gym that Saturday with a pretty difficult draw. None of which mattered. Whether we drew the USA national team or some high school club team we still had to come to play. That is the nature of the game. But in my opinion it was tough, but manageable. The way the tourny was set up is there were three three team pools and the winner from last year, Team Zurich Volero had a bye to the next round. Where you place in your pool ofcourse deteremined your fate for the playoffs. We happened to be place in Pool B with Frances Montanges, a very physical American-style playing team (they have 7 Americans) and Sacres Neuchâtel, a team we were defeated by in 4 games one week earlier. So we definitely had to come to play.

At lunch we heard about the outcome of the match before us. VFM had defeated Neuchatel 3-2 in what sounded like a pretty "in your face", smack-talking way. So I was pumped to face the American smack talkers. lol The match started off very badly for us. There was no connection whatsoever between anyone one the floor. We were hitting one-on-one situations straight into single blocks or the net or out of bounds. It was a mess. I really was not involved in the match whatsoever. It was one of those days where I really was not going to get many balls so I had to do my job of trying to pull the block and block to help our defense. But still we went down 0-2. But in a mental game-changing moment due to an ill-advised comment through the net by one of their players, I was fired up and there was no way I was gonna allow us to go down without a fight. You know middle is a difficult position and sometimes you are just not going to be in the offense and its really outta your hands. So you have to generate energy from another place, whether is making an amazing coverage play, or serving aces or being extra vocal on the court and firing another teammate up. For me its blocking. So I went to work.

Game 3 we came out a little bit more on fire and after really concentrating on blocking I totally changed my energy and focus in this game. "I may not get set much, but I can control my blocking." And with that attitude I started touching more balls and then blocking more balls and making the other hitters have to change up their shots. It fired me up, and I realize when I get fired up my teammates get fired up. We totally turned it around and took game 3 pretty decisively. Guess what? I started to get more balls and the offense for the middles opened up. Its amazing what mentality does in athletics. Game four went on pretty much the same way. We had to have it to stay in the match. As the other team tired and got frustrated, we got stronger and played more like a unit. We played up to the potential our coach believe we could play at. It was pretty awesome. VFM fought back and never really gave in. Both teams were really going at each other and after we took game 4 it all came down to Game 5.

Which was only 15 points, so not much to tell there... We WON! And on a match point block by yours truly.

I hope there is no hard feelings between the middle and I that had a mini confrontation. Its always good to have be friendly with other Americans playing in the league. Were both miles and miles away from home in a distant country and we both dont speak the language. Its nice to cross under the net and say, "hey whats up?" in English. Its a since of comradery.

Match 2 would also be a challenge. If not physical, mentally we had to come to this match and just play. Push through hard time, defend and contain and then ATTACK. Which we did not. You know sometimes in athletics there are teams or individuals you just dont match up good against. Neutchatel is one of those teams. In college it was Florida. In highschool it was Ben Davis. I dont know maybe its just a mental block. Neutchatel has a very solid team I think. They have two US National team members, setter Bryn Kehoe and outside hitter Airial Salvo. They also have a Swiss National team middle in Diiva Boketsu.

Game one started off pretty good. We connected. Everyone. Things came seemingly easy. Again the middle were not getting many balls, but that was because the other team pretty much had us on lock down. Which is okay because our pin players were getting many 1 on 1 opportunities and turning them into points. We took game 1 pretty easily. And that was the last time we felt that way in this match.

Game two Team Neuchatel came out on fire and Sm'Aesch looked like a completely different team. We had the same jerseys on. It was the same people on the court in the same positions, yet it was a different team. It was unreal. As time went on in the match, thing after thing started to unravel. Passing broke down which meant no middle activity at all. Missed serves led to long runs of points for them. Communication broke down and we all individually played the rest of that match disguised as a team. I couldnt defend their setter attack for the life of me. Frustrating. We were defeated 3-1. But with wins come loses. You can be up at one point and down the next. Thats the nature of this beast we call athletics and competition. The trick is to stay consist but try and outdo what you have just done. Because if you linger in your victory too long you are bound to be defeated by someone who is constantly upping their level of play. Thats what happened in this match. We stayed even thinking it would be good enough, while Neuchatel raised their level of play. Lession learned... I hope.

With that loss in 4 we finished a disappointing 3rd in our pool. There was a three way tie. We beat VFM who beat Neuchatel who beat us, but because we lost in 4 we got 3rd. That really sucked because the best we could finish in the tourny was 8th. We had no one to blame but ourselves. The next day we picked our spirits off the floor and defeated VBC Cheseaux and Biel to capture 8th place. What a bummer, but now we know what it takes to compete and so hopefully we will not have to suffer this consequence again this season. No not the consequence of losing. Unfortunately that happens. The lesson I am talking about is not playing up to your potential. And after its said and done that truly sucks.

Congrats to Neuchatel on making it to the finals and coming within a breathe of defeating the Volero. It was a great match.

All the photos can be viewed and purchased at http://www.photomaster.ch/ Awesome photography. Thanks!