Happy Thanksgiving

November 25, 2010- I'd like to start this blog off with another epic conversation had with my mother, God Bless.

"So do they celebrate Thanksgiving over there?" -Mom

"Well I don't think Pilgrims sailed to Switzerland and had a peaceful dinner with their Natives before mass-murdering them, spreading disease and then placing them on reservations." -Me

"Oh!" -Mom

Yes we had that conversation like 4 times, and yes each time was just as equally funny.

Thanksgiving has always been about Moms cooking this really big meal- turkey, dressing with cranberry sauce, greens, homemade rolls that I previously stuck my finger in the doe allowing it not to rise ;) , potato salad, potato pie. Just everything you can imagine. Sometimes I cook tomato pie. But for the last 5 years, I have only been home for maybe 1 or 2 Thanksgiving dinners. Actually last year in Spain, my roommate Lindsay and her boyfriend cooked a scrumptious meal that gave me that 'itis" for days. So this year, I decided I wanted begin cooking my own dinners when I am away from home.

As you can see, it was a delightful, mini meal. Small but still delicious. On the menu was the ever mini chicken, green-bean casserole, dressing with cranberry sauce and two small bottles of wine. I fixed sweet potato fries as a dessert, but it did not turn out too tasty, so we substituted them for a awesome treat from the Bakery. Overall a success.







Not bad at all, but most importantly I am Thankful my loving family that is healthy and not in harms way. I am thankful for the continued opportunity to play a sport I love and on top of that have it as a career right now. So fortunate as my body starts to decline and get worn & torn, it is a blessing to still be able to jump and run and hit the cover off the ball and have support from loved ones. SO Thank you!

But what is Thanksgiving to you? I read about this story of NFL player Chris Henry, who succumbed to injuries last year after falling out the back of a truck. The following story tells about the ultimate gift four different people received after that tragedy. Check it out.

It Wasnt Pretty, but It'll Do

November 21, 2010- The Biel Game. The one that almost had me give up the sport altogether. And what athlete has not doubted themselves at one point or another. The one where it felt like I was playing with both arms tied behind my back with a blind fold on and a gag in my mouth. The one where my athleticism was put on hold the whole match. The one where I felt so contained, I wanted to break outta the cage I was in and attack like a predator would attack his prey. Good thing Team Sm'Aesch was able to pull off the win in 5 sets or my night would have really sucked. lol

Biel came into the match much stronger than the last time we met. They had acquired a new 6'4 outside hitter which essentially made their team much more effective. This player could do what I do naturally and that's hit over people and she did that very well in the first set. We found it very difficult to stop or contain her at one point. But we held on long enough to take the first set. That definitely was the easiest set we would play that match as Biel continued to put the pressure on us taking sets 2 and 4.

Not much more to say about this match except we took the 5th and decisive set pretty easily. Now why couldn't we play like that the whole match? Why is there such a trust issue amongst the players on my team on the court. In a game like volleyball every outcome is dependent upon one or more actions of a teammate. You can't hit if there is no pass. You can defend if you cant serve the ball into play. Its not like tennis where you individually are out there alone and every decision you make is yours and yours alone. In Volleyball you depend on your teammates for everything. And when there is trust issues, a link is broken. Its like trying to bend your leg without a knee. Its very difficult. Its very hard to be successful in our sport if we cant lean on each other and trust our teammates to do their jobs. It creates self doubt, and a chink in your armor during battle makes for a bloody war. Am I right.

Its the second half of the season and I hope we can move past these minor issues before they become epic. Because its matches like these where I don't really feel like an athlete, but rather a spot filled on a court with 5 other girls. It should be 6 girls on the court working together as one unit. I know one thing; I don't ever want that feeling I felt after this Biel match ever again. But the thing with athletics is I most certainly will have that feeling again, and for sure its all about how I deal with it and move on. Next ball... Next point... Next Practice... Next game. Next! Next Next Next.





"It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself" - Muhammed Ali

Koniz Makes it a 2 Game Skid

November 14, 2010- Its been an up and down couple of weeks for Team Sm'Aesch. With a plethora of injuries and lack of players, Team Sm'Aesch has had to face a number of adversities. First off we have been playing without team Captain Laura Tschopp, a key member of the team and producer on the court. Also from bad knees to bad shoulders, a number of us have not been at 100%. It sucks because you want to move forward and train at a level that is conducive of pro-level volleyball, but with 4 or 5 main people training at a time its pretty hard to maintain a high level of volleyball. That's the nature of the beast. I mean you do need 6 people on the court to play volleyball and lately it feels like a ton of individual practices. Which is great too because you get to focus on certain skills individually that you may not be able to do when the whole team is there.

Team Sm'Aesch traveled to Koniz, a little town right outside of the capital Bern last last Sunday to battle. Koniz presented with a pretty strong group of athletes and they were currently standing at 3rd place in the league. The offense is run by American setter Brittney Murray out or UC Riverside. They also have a pretty nice arsenal of attack in American MB Mindi Wiley, opposite Barbara Degi and OH Antonina Polyakova. All very capable of putting the ball down and scoring points. They also have a very strong libero in Maria Bertelli. SO we had our plates full coming into the match. But still obtainable. I don't believe there is a match I cannot win going into games, no matter who is on the other side. You never know what is going to unfold, and if you don't believe before you play you are already handicapped.

Sm'Aesch got off to an excellent start. Everything was almost perfect. It was one of those moments where you could do no wrong. Our serving was pretty bad, but we managed to jump off to a huge lead with great blocking and kills. It wasn't until my setter Jana collided with one another that we actually started to lose momentum. It was a freak accident of me and her going for the same ball and she ran into me at full speed. I was down for a moment and according to one of my American friends, it was pretty scary. We both were down. Not good since we only had 8 players. I was out for a minute and the room was spinning afterward. Not going to lie it did affect me for the rest of the match. I felt dizzy and had a massive headache, but I remained in the game. From that point on the momentum definitely shifted to their side and we ended up losing that set.

Once getting the first set, they quickly jumped on top pretty decisively in the second set as well and we went to the locker room down 0-2 at the break. Luckily, my team was not one to give in so easily and came out of the third set on fire taking a huge lead of 10-0. Its just amazing how we lost the first two sets and it looked like we were not going to bounce back and then we come out of the break and jump on them so badly. It just show the potential and level my team can play at when we are all on the same page and playing to the best of our abilities. The fourth set was close all the way to the end, with no team getting no further than 2 or 3 points ahead at a time. Sm'Aesch was able to grab set 4 and force the decisive 5th set.

After being down 2 sets and having to fight our way back, was exhausting and on top of that I was still feeling light-headed. We also were having a hard time of stopping and slowing down the hitters Degi and Polyakova. Both played very good matches. Wiley in the middle made huge plays in the blocking area, as did I. We tied for blocking honors at 7 a piece. The 5th set is all about taking it. Its there, 15 points and you have to go and take it. The game is so short there really is not time to be timid or for errors. Team Sm'Aesch rallied to stay up with Koniz, but in the end, it was too much and our tired team was defeated in the 5th set 15-10. It was a great match and both team were exhausted afterward.

Like the Schaffhausen this match really showed us how good and how bad we can play. The highs were really nice and that level is something that we need to be able to contain. Its definitely an attitude. You can't just kinda want to win. You have to WANT to win and then go out their and bust yours and TAKE it. The End!






My highlights of the game. Enjoy!

Sm'Aesch Gets Nuc'd

After coming off a three game winning streak, Sm'Aesch was put to the test when Neuchatel came to town. In the end the Frauen from Aesch were defeated 3-1. It was a tough match, and both team really battled through; especially since the first set we won 33-31. I remember looking up mid way through the 2nd set and feeling like I had been playing for hours already. what was so difficult was that each set came down to who wanted it more at the end. Right around the 20 point mark you really have to dig deep and push. Demonstrate that you are the team that wants it more. In the end Team Sm'Aesch could not finish in the end of the match; a problem we have struggled with all season. You have to finish strong. Start strong. You maintain it. Then you finish strong. POINT! SET! MATCH!




Champions take responsibility, when the ball is coming over the net, u can be sure I want the ball! -Billie Jean King

Excuse my absence. This blog is about 2 weeks late.

Best Day Ever: Tennis Edition

November 4, 2010- When people ask me what was the first sport I ever played; they might guess volleyball. The people that know me would say basketball because of my success in high school at Lawrence North. But most would be shocked to know that the very first ball I ever played with was a fuzzy, small, green one. Yes! I played tennis. Shocked? My father used to take us over to the park on 46th and Shadeland to teach us the game of tennis. My earliest recollection was when I was five. He placed me at the serving T in the middle of the court, right in front of "No- mans land", put an old wooden Wilson tennis racquet in my hand and hit balls at me. Ever since then, Sundays were all about going to the court and hitting balls with Dad and my brother. And even though I did not stick with tennis like my younger Bro, I am still an avid fan. Actually my whole family is. You can catch us all in front of the TV watching the French Open or Wimbledon every once in a while. I was even watching the US Open on TV here in Switzerland while discussing the match with my brother over Skype. Yes, we are that big of fans.

So when I heard about the Davidoff Swiss Indoors so conveniently being played in Basel, I knew I had to make an appearance. I mean how many other times will I be able to see such high level tennis at a major event? Some of my favorites were playing... Federer, Roddick, Berdych, Gasquet. I had to go! And let me tell you... It was the Best Day Ever!

November 4th came around and luckily my coach gave us the evening off. Perfect. I was determined to go see some tennis. No excuses was gonna get in my way. I walked up to the ticket counter and requested the closest seat possible, Row 1, Seat 47 in the Premium Section. How appropriate was it that it had Andy Roddick on the front. It was dead smack in the middle right behind the VIP section. If I was any closer, I would have been out there playing doubles with them.

Ok. So I have been to basketball and football games. You come and go as you please. You can yell and hold up signs or whatever. But this was different. Tennis has rules. They tell you when to leave, when to clap, when to talk. Its crazy. I felt like I was at a Golf Tournament. When I first walked in David Nalbandian from Argentina was facing off against Marin Cilic of Croatia. The only thing was I had to wait until the next break behind a curtain. In tennis there are breaks where the players get a drink and rest for about 2-3 minutes. At this moment the crowd can come and go as they please. But when they say time you need to be in your seat and ready to watch the match again. No jumping up and yelling. No flash photography (http://tinyurl.com/365r3vz). Actually the players complain that it is very distracting. I remember the days when people used to haggle me at the free throw line or at the service line in volleyball.

I sat there trying to fit in like I always go to big ATP events. Actually people were staring at me wondering if I maybe was famous or something... or so I like to think. Another cool thing was the discipline of the ball kids. Wow, I was very impressed. They are out there on court with their favorite tennis idols, handing them towels and balls and water. Yet, they keep such composure and are able to do their jobs very well. They work in shifts as do the line judges. When its time to change, its done in a very orderly manner. Almost like the changing of the guard.

The Umpire from the Famous John Isner V. Nicolas Mahut Wimbeldon Match

Changing of the line judges.

After sitting through two very good matches ( Nalbandian/ Cilic & Gasquet/Kamke), it was time to cheer on my fellow American Andy Roddick. Such a huge fan. Love his intensity and athleticism out there on the court, as well as his charisma and humor off the court. He is a winner and I love to watch him compete. On top of that his serve really does look like it could kill a small dog. In the end ARod or Kid Roddick as my brother used to say, breezed to a fairly easy victory. Had to give him the standing ovation for representing the red, white & blue. Awesomeness!




Finally came the main event of this particular day. The defending champion, Novak Djokovic from Serbia faced off against the Finnish Jarko Nieminen. Not a big fan of Nole, but I do respect his game and his fierce competitiveness. The "Djoker" as my brother refers to him is ranked 3rd in the world and recently sent Roger Federer home early from the US Open. Booo! The Djokster also cruised to a victory over the Finn in two straight sets.



In the end though, all the players had to go through one player. Arguably the best tennis player ever to play the game, and his name is Roger Federer. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to see the mastermind at his best and in his home town. :( That just means I have to attend another major tennis or ATP event in the future. The Swiss Maestro defeated Andy Roddick in the semis and went on to defeat Djokovic in the finals. Nice Job Rog!

By far the Best Day Ever: Tennis Edition!

For more pictures check out the whole album here >

Make that a Winning Streak... Happy Halloween

October 31 2010- Well it was Halloween. Very interesting to say because the question was... would Sm'Aesch be 'Tricked or Treated.' That is always the question I suppose with our team. We sometimes are in disguise and we ourselves don't know which team will show up: the good one that comes to play and play hard, or it could be the bad one that gives up opportunity and waits for the opponent to make the mistake. Either way you keep trucking and that is what needs to be done when you are in athletics. No fair-weather athletes here. The best only survive because they know how to maintain good competition through the sunshine or rain; injuries; tummy aches; bad knees, etc. Lucky thing for Team Sm'Aesch in the end, we didn't disguise in costume this match and we were still treated.

Dudinggen is an interesting team. They are led by feisty American setter Kaylee Means outta Iowa State, a very solid Big 12 school ranked in the top 25 in college volleyball. They are strong on the pins as well with Renata Schmutz, a veteran Swiss league player from Brazil. Tall, has power and plays amazing defense. Opposite her is Emeli Schaffer also a tall good player from Brazil. In the middle they have Claire & Ann Recht, the worlds tallest female twins at 6'7 from Oregon. Talk about a huge block. Yes, it was bound to be an interesting night to say the least.

So we dropped the first set. Well that's a given. We always do that. Its part of our MO. But we quickly regrouped in game two, taking an early lead on Dudinggen. The team was connecting in every which way. You know playing volleyball like we all know how. Eventually we took that set 25-13. Going to the locker, tied at one only feels good when you have lost the first set which we did. SO yeah we were thrilled to have tied it up. Set three went much like the second set; jumped to an early lead, really frustrating Dudinggen. Again cruising to a fairly easy victory at 25-18.



Up 2-1, Team Sm'Aesch was feeling really good. But that lasted for a quasi-second. You see we thought the match was over because the last two sets had gone our way. No way sirs & ma'ams. Never give up in competition because you think its over or you have an advantage. Finish and finish strong. Like in track an field, sprint all the way through the finish line. As you can imagine we got off to a slow start in the 4th set. We played lackadaisical and Dudinggen came out firing. They were ready to play. They had lifted their game to another level and we continued to stay the same. As I have stated countless times before in other blogs, teams are not just gonna lay down and let you beat them because you think you have the upper hand. You have to go and take what you want. Take that game. This is volleyball on the professional level. You must play until the last whistle. We dropped the 4th set 19-25 and ended the set struggling at that.


It was looking a little dire on our side. Clearly of we had played that set like we played the 2nd and 3rd the match would be over. My knees would be happy to rest. But we sat on our heels waiting for the other team to mess up, and that didn't happen. So now in this 5th and final set to 15 points things could go any which way. Yes, at this point Dudinggen had the advantage and the momentum. You never want to play a 5th game. Its nerve wrecking. You might be tentative to do certain things that could cause your team to lose. But not the great athletes. Not the Roger Federers or the Michael Jordans or Peyton Mannings since we are naming great players ;). Set 5 is like your team is down 2 with 3.3 seconds left on the clock. If your Michael Jordan, you want the ball. So nervous or not you have to play.


Starting the set, Team Sm'Aesch was very timid and nervous. Which probably comes from our lack of experience on the court. Down 3-7 when we changed sides, things were not looking up. When I looked again the score was 10-12 Dudinggen. But with a quick momentum change after some huge blocks, great defense and scrambling and hard earned kills from Anouk Verge Depre, my team was right back in it after tying the score at 12 and then taking the league. That was all she wrote. They never scored again and we came out victorious 15-12. We all gathered for one giant, exhausted hug at the end literally holding each other up. It was a good win. Anouk (#7) was awarded player of the game for Sm'Aesch, while Renata (#15) earned the honors on the other side. Great win Team Sm'Aesch!


"Play your game. You cant wait around for something good to happen. There are no free lunches."- Larry Stefanki

Next match: Home vs. Neuchatel

Photos by Robert Varadi and can be found here http://www.fotogalarie-rv.ch