HIGH FIVE BACK IN EUROPE!

Europe 2009: Blog #3

The past two weeks were absolutely incredible: 3 countries, 8 games, countless hours on the train and numerous stories to share.

What better way to start a long road trip than with two clutch free throws! I flew into Amsterdam from Copenhagen to watch Jamell Beasley play in her second game as a pro. She ended up winning the game for her team with a few late 3 pointers and clutch free throws. We had a great time getting to know each other over the few days I stayed in Utrecht. Jamell is adjusting quickly to life overseas and she's making the most of her experience.

Wednesday morning came around and it was back on the train to visit Nadja Morgan in Rennes, France. Nadja always makes friends with other foreigners so we went to dinner at a player on the men's volleyball team in Rennes named Alex, (he also plays on the Canadian National Team). I had a great time visiting with my fellow Canucks (his girlfriend, Jill is from Winnipeg) over another wonderful meal.

Next it was a short 2 hour flight from Paris to Porto, Portugal. Marquetta Dickens arrived to her team in Povoa just after Christmas. She's playing well and enjoying her first experience in western Europe.

Aja Parham is in her second season in Portugal with Olivais Coimbra. They competed in EuroCup this year and had big wins over teams from Spain and Italy, advancing to the second round. It was an absolute delight to see Aja play and spend a couple of days with her in Coimbra. It's a good thing we don't require our players to be outstanding bowlers. Yes, bowlers. Aja and her American teammate, Ambrosia Anderson and I went to test our skills on the lanes. Needless to say, I'm thankful for both Aja and I that bowling skills don't equate to anything necessary related to basketball or the agent business. The next night we had dinner with Aja's coaches and GM.

I was looking forward to my next adventure in Spain: 5 games, through 5 cities in 6 days. If you know Spain at all, this will give you a good visual: Salamanca-Leon-Zaragoza-Barcelona-Valencia. It was an extremely productive week and I saw some great games. Coming up next: 4 games in France!

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Europe 2009: Blog #2, SWEDEN IS COLD

The title is just simple, plain truth! On January 3rd I drove to Lund, Sweden which is about an hour from Copenhagen. Each year there is a huge youth tournament with over 200 teams from all over Europe and even some teams from Australia. The Falcon women's team, featuring High Five Athlete, Lisa Olden, had a practice game that night so a few of us drove over the 15 km tunnel/bridge that connects the two Scandinavian countries. The next day, OJ (my former coach in Denmark) and his wife Ulla and I drove about 3 hours north of Lund to the tiny town of Kinna to visit Lindsey Hicks. That afternoon we watched her team, Marbo Boras defeat Sundsvall. I joined Lindsey and a couple of her teammates and went out for pizza. Some things are standard anywhere you go in the world, including comfort food like pizza!

Lindsey is in her third season with Marbo Boras and she's doing great. As I mentioned last year, I'm so energized when I get to visit our players. They appreciate their opportunity, they make the most of their overseas experience and they are just a joy to be around. Lindsey and I had a good laugh when I went to check into the one hotel in Kinna, only to find out it was CLOSED for the holidays. Thankfully the "Marbo Villa" where a couple of the players live, had an open couch, so that was my hotel for the night!

I'm pretty sure it was about -10 degrees when Lindsey and her American teammate Leah Metcalf took me to the train stop (not train station). Thankfully it arrived on time and I only stood out in the bright, beautiful, crisp, cold morning air for a few minutes.

Next stop was just a couple of hours east to Huskvarna, Sweden to see Sabrina Scott. She plays for Lulea which is located in the extreme north of Sweden. My strategic planning allowed me to see an away game, so this time around I didn't make the long trek north to Lulea where the sun only shines about FOUR hours per day at this time of year. This was the first time Sabrina and I met, and again, it was such a treat to visit with her and watch her play. Lulea is currently in third place and maintained their position by beating Brahe by 40 points.

I've been back in Copenhagen for ten days already and preparing to leave for three weeks and eleven games in Holland, France, Portugal and Spain. I'll check in again soon from the road, or the rails, or the air!

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Europe 2009: Blog #1

Welcome back to the culture that defines itself as slow-paced and laid-back. I interpret the European lifestyle through simple observation and personal experiences which prove to me I'm not in the U.S. anymore! I'm now in the world where people walk around with ice cream cones even when the temperature is below freezing, where you have to hit the light switch in the hallway to find your way up the stairs, where bakeries and pubs are as easy to locate as coffee shops in Seattle, where bikes are the main mode of transportation, where you can eat the best bread and cheese for every meal, where you just have to learn to deal with cigarette smoke, public displays of affection and occasionally getting lost. Yes, I'm back in Europe and excited to visit all the High Five athletes from Portugal to Russia, and everywhere in between!

I arrived in Copenhagen on December 10th, took a few days to get acclimated and then hopped back on a plane to Vienna. From there I took a train to the east side of Slovakia. Sidney Spencer is having a phenomenal rookie season with Broker Kosice. I watched her score 25 points and grab 7 rebounds as her team defeated Lithuanian rivals, TEO Vilnius. I've included a couple of pictures from the game and the post-game party hosted by Kosice's GM, Daniel Jendrichovsky.

After a few days in Kosice, it was back on the train to Bratislava for a night and then onto Brno, Czech Republic. Nicole Louden's Valosun Brno team beat Strakonice and maintained their third place position in the league. After the game, Nicole and I had dinner with the GM and his son.

It was good to get back to CPH for Christmas with my former coach, Ole John Nielsen and his family. The travel picks up in early January with trips to Sweden, Portugal, France and Spain. Be sure to check back for updates on more High Five athletes next week.