SCRATCH AND WIN

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:38:52 -0700

The other day I clicked on "FIVB Brazil Open" on the front page of bvbinfo.com. It listed the results of a tournament in Fortaleza in 1995, with Franco/Roberto of Brazil coming first. I scrolled down the list of results, remembering and reminiscing about the teams from the past. But something surprised me as I neared the bottom of the page. Sure enough, right on the last line, in dead last, was Brazilian Olympic triple medalist, Ricardo.

Seeing one of the best players of all time, sitting in last place at his first tournament, got me thinking. I thought of the mentality that Ricardo obviously had, despite bombing out so badly in his debut. Perseverance, resilience, drive... whatever you want to call it, some athletes just have it. They don't let things like bad performances stop them from believing in themselves. They are able to maintain focus on their goals, and respond to disappointment with an attitude that takes them to the next level. It is a special gift, this winner's mentality let's call it - one that only special athletes have developed. It got me thinking of some other stars of the tour that I've seen start from scratch, and then slowly make their way to the top, or at least close to the top.

Take the Dieckmann brothers from Germany for example. They come to mind because I remember watching them play together in their first event in 1996, losing badly in the qualifier, and thinking to myself, "they'll never make it". Obviously I didn't count on them having the winner's mentality. They now would rank as being two of the best players Germany has ever produced, but after seeing them play that day, I would not have given them a chance. It is a testament to how powerful one's attitude can be, and how important your mindset is when it comes to beach volleyball.

So if you are looking for a magic formula to become a better player, look inside yourself. The magic inside you is the ingredient you need to bring your game to the next level. Your attitude is what makes you work harder, stay positive, train with high intensity, maintain focus, and be tough at the end of the match. The winning mentality is something the can be learned and trained! But you won't find it in any training manual, or drill book. You'll find it in your heart, and once you discover it, the winner inside will take you as far as you want to go.

YOUNG NATS

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 09:37:12 -0700

Despite not playing at Nationals this year, I managed to get down there and be part of the event anyway, watching some of the key match-ups from the OVERKILL VIP area, as well as paying attention to some of the younger age divisions, where a number of upcoming athletes are making waves. I was asked to hand out some medals to several of the top three teams in the various age categories. It was promising to see so many strong players compete well for the podium.

One of the parents of medal-winning athlete Niko Rukavina, sent me some photos of the presentation ceremonies. Unfortunately I had trouble seeing them, but luckily I had some from last year's podium, which will have to do for now. I thought it would be fun to post them here on a blog, and thank him for sending them my way. Niko is on the far left of the photo

NATIONAL DISASTER

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 09:34:20 -0700

From a personal standpoint, not playing at Nationals isn't the end of the world, but it does bring an end to a streak that dated back to 1995, the last time that I didn't play the National Championships. That year the Championships coincided with some big events over in Europe, so my partner, John Child, and I opted to miss it and play internationally. This year, however, is a completely different story.

For the first time ever, I will miss the Nationals due to injury. My shoulder is just too sore, and playing at Nationals would unnecessarily risk further injury. If it was the Olympics, I am sure I would have found a way to play, but playing in my 18th National Championships obviously wasn't as much of a priority.

Instead, Jessi Lelliot continued subbing in for me, and tried to help Ahren win a third National Championship. And he almost managed to do it! They went undefeated in the tournament all the way until the final, where they lost to Josh Binstock/Matt Zbyszewski, a team they had handled well when they played them earlier in the tournament. Come to think of it, for the top seed they seemed to have one of the toughest routes to the championship match, needing to play Leinemann/Van Huizen twice, and the aforementioned team of Binstock and Zbyszewski. Good job Ahren and Jessi, and congrats to Josh and Matt, first-time National Champions!

BLOG BACK-LOG

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:33:22 -0700

I have directed you to the CBC blog site on a few occasions already, but now I do it one last time, as I have just completed my eighth and final blog for the Olympic site. All my CBC Olympic blogs, along with a number of other Canadian athletes' personal stories, can be found at the following link:

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/blog/athletes/mark_heese/

AS I "C" IT

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:31:30 -0700

Well, so much for my experience and knowledge regarding the teams in Beijing, because my predictions weren't all that accurate. In fact, the three teams that medalled I had pegged to underachieve in Beijing.

On second thought, I did (somewhat reluctantly I should add) pick Emanuel/Ricardo to medal. But then again, everyone and his brother probably did too. So, let's do a quick review to see just how bad I was.

The Dutch: Prediction? Gold Actual Result? 5th Score: C
The Brazilians Emanuel/Ricardo: Prediction? Silver Actual Result? BRONZE Score: B+
Rosie and Gibb: Prediction? Bronze Actual Result? 5th Score: B-

Phil and Todd: Prediction? Possible medal, but figured would struggle Actual Result? Did struggle in pool and in Round of 16, but came together for GOLD Score C-

Fabio and Marcio: Prediction? Had them choking, but did throw in the tidbit about Fabio getting the monkey off his back Actual Result? Came up big with SILVER Score C (Would have been worse, but did throw them on my favourites list!)

Total Score? C+

I am not sure what the significance of my scoring system is, considering I have no scale or anything to compare it with. However, C+ sounds pretty bad. Having said that, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that my predictions weren't that far off base, except for the part about Wu/Xu doing well. Somehow they let things slide in the Round of 16. I suppose the pressure of playing at home got to them. But overall, I'm gonna walk away feeling "okay" with my predictions. Anyone disagree?

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:27:39 -0700

Brazilian-born, Geor (Renato Gomes) and Gia (Jorge Terceiro) from Georgia always seem to have a few surprises up their sleeves.

Going way back to the 2006 season, they surprised many of us by announcing they would play for the never-before-represented country of Georgia, switching citizenship in a blatant abuse of the system, allowing them to bypass the logjam of top Brazilian teams and enter the tournaments without country quota restrictions. Then they added insult to injury by mockingly calling themselves Geor and Gia, despite the fact that they likely had never been there for longer than a brief visit. At the time, I thought it was a bold, but crafty move. After all, I figured that the country quota rule must be a very frustrating thing to contend with, especially when you are good enough to play on the World Tour but are from a country with such a strong talent base, like Brazil. Good for them I figured. And I was right, it was good for them, because they continued to surprise everyone with their decent play.

In 2007, they made their way into the main draw with 5th and 7th places in the second and third events of the season, followed by twelve more top-ten finishes over the next year and a half. It was easily enough to secure a much coveted berth in the Olympics, something that only nine other Brazilian men have managed to do over the last four Olympics. Another surprising statistic is that they are the only team to play in every World Tour event since the beginning of the 2006 season. They are the ironmen of the World Tour!

But they saved their biggest surprise for last, scratching and clawing their way to an Olympic semi-final result! Nobody would have predicted that, as they had never made the final four in their previous 45 tournaments. And the way they did it was just as surprising. They went 1-2 in pool play, winning only against the inexperienced Angolans. I still have no idea how they managed to get a bye directly to the Round of 16 and avoid playing in the lucky loser draw with a 2-4 sets record (meanwhile Heuscher/Heyer and Boersma/Ronnes, both with similar identical 1-2 pool play records, both had a 3-4 sets record but were relegated to the lucky loser draw, where they both lost). Afterwards, the lucky Georgians somehow went on to upset teams from Austria and the Netherlands to advance to the Olympic semi-finals. In fact, the latter match against the Dutch, which I watched in its entirety yesterday, was the surprise match of the tournament for me.

After all, I had picked the Dutch to win the whole thing! And they did look good in the early stages, and even better, I figured, when they drew Georgia in the quarter-finals. I was able to tune into the game online, and was confident that the Dutch would handily dispose of the Georgians. But they just couldn't get anything going in the early stages of the match, with Georgia getting some breaks, making some good plays, and generally carrying the momentum. I wasn't worried though, because I knew the Dutch would turn it around in the second set. But when the breaks were still going Georgia's way, and it got into double digits with the Georgians carrying a point or two lead, you could actually see the Dutch tense up and start to worry that they could actually lose. Nummerdor uncharacteristically started hitting into the smallish block of Renato, they started getting upset with the ref, and generally not capitalizing on Georgia's shaky play. But I was sure that Super Schuil would be there to save the day with some timely serves and blocks (as I had seen him do several times on tour). But even when Schuil finally slammed Georgia's Renato, the ball bounced off the Georgian's head and slithered back over the net for a key point. Then, after a Schuil 90+ km/hr serve up the pipe near the end of the set, the Georgians still managed to grease out a desperate side out! All the Dutch could do was shake their heads in disbelief. Surprise, Surprise! Georgia beat the Dutch! Gia, (or can I please call him, Terceiro?), subsequently took off into the stands, climbing the stairs to the top of the stadium and let out a Brazilian-like roar, right beneath the Georgian flag. Admittedly, I cringed at the sight of that as I thought of all the attention something like that brings, but I suppose he was just so grateful to the Georgian Volleyball Federation for giving him a chance to realize a dream.

Four years ago, after Athens, if you had told me that one of the biggest matches of the 2008 Games would be between the Netherlands and Georgia (both countries not having any teams in the last two Olympics), I would have laughed at you. But that is one of the great things about sport - there is always something that surprises you, like an Olympic fourth place result from a team that, three years previously, were at least eight teams deep in the Brazilian country quota. Or, for that matter, that a couple of Athens-playing, indoor players from the Netherlands would be one of the medal favorites!

As a fan of the sport, I suppose surprises are a good thing. And, of course, I look forward to more surprises during the next four years of FIVB World Tour play. Maybe we'll see a couple of guys named Barb and Ados, or perhaps Ken and Ya, or better yet, Mo and Rocco!

HEESE'S OLYMPIC PICKS

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 09:26:06 -0700

I have two kind of favourites. The first kind is my favourite from a personal standpoint. The second is my favourite in terms of who I think will contend in Beijing.

Let's start with my personal favourites, or to put it another way, the players that I hope will be on the podium. For some reason I have a certain faith in all these athletes, perhaps because I like them as people, but also because they are all very fine players.

1) Christoph Dieckmann is solid in all respects, and it has been a pleasure to see him develop and mature over the years into one of the tour's best. I hope to see him lead his young partner through a pressure-filled Games, and reach the podium.
2) Kais/Vesik is likely my favourite team. Somehow they find the right balance between being fierce competitors, and showing a love and respect for the game, each other and their opponents. After being the first team to miss the cut in Athens, I hope they can overcome injury trouble to make the most of their first Olympic experience.
3) Jake and Rosie are a close second, in terms of my favourite team. Their style of play is very entertaining, and I have enjoyed seeing them battle their way to some great victories. As well, I think their coach, Mike Dodd, really seems to understand what coaching on the beach means.
4) Patrick Heuscher is another guy that I have watched improve immensely over the years. He is a true professional and a good guy. Athens bronze looked good on him, but I would be happy to see an upgrade come his way in Beijing.
5) I don't really know Alexander Samoilovs very well, but from what I have gathered, this kid could be the guy that loves the sport more than anyone. He plays with everything he's got on each rally and with his unique style and technique, as well as his crazy mop of hair, always seems to make me smile. That kind of enthusiasm deserves some kind of medal. Not sure if it is good enough for an Olympic medal just yet, but it sure would keep me smiling if it does.

Now for a list of the teams that I believe will put it all together in Beijing:

1) Nummerdor/Schuil of Holland - I can't believe how good these guys have gotten in such a short period. They have made the quickest transition from indoor to the beach than any other team in FIVB history. It's not that surprising that they have learned the game so quickly, after all, it's not rocket science. But what is amazing is that normally the beach makes mincemeat of the minds of indoor players who turn to the beach. But somehow these two have maintained their confidence throughout, to the point that they are now one of the mentally toughest teams on the beach and definitely a real medal threat.

2) Wu/Xu of China - They knocked on the door for about a year, and finally burst right through with several medal finishes during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Playing at home may give them the edge they are looking for as they look to do the home crowd proud. Tiny (Xu) plays the game on a different stratosphere, hitting over the biggest blocks on tour, and his partner Wu has had a ton of practice siding out as a result. Look for them to make some noise.

3) Jake and Rosie from USA - These two will go to China as underdogs and will not have to deal with too much hoopla, leaving Phil and Todd to deal with the brunt of the media demand. Their coach has been there before, and will surely have them ready to compete. I can see them helping Team USA make a return to the podium after a noticeable absence in 2004.

4) The Brazilians - I, of course, have to leave the door open for one or two Brazilians to make the podium. However, with Ricardo's ankle giving him trouble, and Fabio's mental game struggling for much of the season (despite getting the monkey off his back with a victory in Marseille), I wouldn't be surprised if they had trouble climbing the podium this year.

5) Phil and Todd. I like them both and they have played amazingly, as they have torn up both the FIVB and AVP tours these past two years. So leaving them off the favourites list would likely be a mistake. But something tells me that all the pressure of having the "gold-medal favorite" tag may catch up to them in Beijing.

Not so exact prediction: One medal to either Phil/Todd, Emanuel/Ricardo, Fabio/Marcio and two medals to either Nummerdor/Schuil, Rosie/Gibb, Wu/Xu

Exact prediction: Nummerdor/Schuil - Gold, Emanuel/Ricardo - Silver, Jake/Rosie - Bronze

JUST FOUR THE RECORD

Thu, 7 Aug 2008 09:24:12 -0700

Miguel Maia, Jaoa Brenha, Bjorn Maaseide, Emanuel, Martin Conde, Mark Heese. What do all these athletes have in common?

You guessed it - they all started the 2008 FIVB season with a possible fourth Olympics on the horizon. With every player from the list above starting the season in the top 30 of the Olympic Ranking, the prospect of them all making it to Beijing was very possible. In the end though, it was only Emanuel of Brazil and Conde of Argentina that were able to pull off the feat.

Maia/Brenha of Portugal, known for their defensive wizardry and unmatched ball control, were quite competitive during this Olympic run, rattling off several decent finishes, but just couldn't find the magic of old that helped them become one of the most successful performing teams at the Olympics (4th Atlanta, 4th Sydney, 9th Athens). They finished 28th on the 2008 Olympic Ranking.

Bjorn Maaseide, who teamed up with the mighty Jan Kvalheim for much of the 90's as well as two Olympic appearances (7th Atlanta, 9th Sydney), had a decent run with Iver Horrem over the last eight years, including an unlucky 19th place in Athens. This Olympic run, however, proved to be too challenging for the 40-year old household name from Norway, never recovering well enough from an off-season knee injury to make it back to full form.

Martin Conde, who has been one of the best players in the world for what seems like forever, was unable to start the 2008 season, opting for late off-season surgery to fix some problems in his knee. This was not a major issue for the 16-year veteran, as him and long time partner Mariano Baracetti had basically locked up an Olympic berth with some solid results during the 2007 season. However, his knee took longer than expected to recover, and although he reserved his place in the history books as one of only two athletes to play in all four Olympic Games, he was not at full health to really compete like he normally can, and settled for a disappointing 19th place in Beijing. In fact, the Olympics has been Conde's achilles heel. For a guy that has over 50 top-four finishes on the World Tour, he has had some tougher luck at the Olympics (Atlanta 13th, Sydney 9th, Athens 9th, Beijing 19th).

Which brings me to none other than the most successful athlete the World Tour has ever seen, Emanuel of Brazil. This is an athlete who saw his first two chances at Olympic glory fizzle out with two disappointing 9th place finishes with Ze Marco in 1996 and Loiola in 2000. However, since hooking up with Ricardo, Olympic silver medalist from Sydney, he has finally enjoyed the type of Olympic success that matches his World Tour dominance, with Olympic Gold in Athens, and Olympic Bronze in Beijing.

And me... well, if you are a reader of these blogs, you are likely familiar with my fate. After having fairly successful Olympic appearances in Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens with longtime partner John Child, I was unable to lead Ahren and I to the Beijing Games, finishing 26th on the Olympic Ranking.

So the consecutive Olympic field has been narrowed to only two athletes. Can they hold on for another Olympic appearance, bringing the record to five? Well, if I was a betting person, I would have to say no. That would put bad-kneed Conde at 41, and Emanuel, who would face the highest level of competition from other Brazilian teams, would be 39. Having said that, I would love to see someone conquer the normal age-barrier, and these two athletes have proven longevity streaks, so you never know.

Good luck to both of them as they ponder about the four-year commitment toward a possible five.

BAD NEWS

Wed, 6 Aug 2008 09:22:25 -0700

Here are some more articles about our team. Unfortunately, they all have a bit of a disappointing theme to them, i.e. us not qualifying. But if you want to belabour the issue, go ahead at the following links:

London Free Press
http://www.londonfreepress.com/perl-bin/publish.cgi?x=articles&p=241017&s=beijinggames

A Toronto Beaches local publication featured an article on me:
http://www.insidetoronto.ca/Sports/Beach/article/52261

Globe and Mail's James Christie:
http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080718.wolymbeach18/GSStory/GlobeSportsOther/home

Global TV
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/bc/story.html?id=77699628-702f-40ee-8495-6f7c1e533837

Volleyball Canada
http://www.volleyball.ca/news.asp?NewsID=987

REACHING THE GOAL

Sun, 3 Aug 2008 09:19:00 -0700

I can think of a bunch of reasons why we didn't make it to Beijing. They keep rolling through my mind, like a sports ticker on the bottom of a television screen. I feel silly thinking about them so often, because they are all just excuses. I suppose it is natural when dealing with disappointment, as you search for answers and look to move on - a defense mechanism of sorts, even though deep down I know what the real answer is.

But here is my excuse ticker first:
tick, tick, tick..... I didn't take our planned break during the Barcelona event, which perhaps led to extra strain and worry about being away from family for so long, as well as a lack of rest leading to my shoulder problem. tick, tick....I was financially stressed due to delayed funding accessibility, a struggle finding sponsorship dollars, both leading to a lack of necessary support on the road at key times, not to mention a constant worry about the financial situation at home with regards to bills, etc. tick, tick.....We didn't get any breaks during the last five events (as in lucky breaks, not physical breaks), while the teams that we were competing against seemed to get key ones at key times, e.g. Latvia getting a lucky loser entry into the main draw in Barcelona, leading to a 5th place and passing us in the Olympic ranking, or Japan getting the 23rd or 26th seed in both the last two Grand Slams, which allows them to draw the weaker host nation team in their pool both times. tick, tick..... I hurt my shoulder with three tournaments to go in the Olympic process forcing me to play injured at the Norway Grand Slam and miss the Russia Grand Slam. tick, tick... Due to red tape, our coach and physiotherapist was not able to be funded to go to our last event in France, despite the obvious importance of the tournament. tick, tick....Blah-blah, blah-blah, blah.

I am sad and embarrassed as I type these "off-ramps" (a term that our coach, John May, likes to use instead of excuses). I know that off-ramps are the worst thing in the world to take. You don't learn anything by taking off-ramps, and it is like spinning your wheels forever and ever. So once and for all I will leave them here on this blog and hopefully out of my mind for good.

Besides, the real reason we didn't make the Olympics is that we just weren't ready. When the opportunity was there to clinch a spot, we fell short. We obviously didn't have enough focus, drive, preparation to feel like it was ours to take at the right moments. Like a hockey player fighting for the puck in the corner, we just didn't dig hard enough to come out with the puck. It was right there to fight for, and it felt like we worked hard to get it, but it hopped over our stick just when we thought we had it.

Leave it to a Canadian to use a hockey analogy to describe how we didn't make the Olympics in beach volleyball. But that is exactly what we were missing... the Canadian hockey mentality of going into battle and coming out the winner. We were prepared to battle, but when it came time to win, we just weren't ready to shovel it over the goal-line.

HAVING A BLAST

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:16:01 -0700

Beach Blast , the indoor beach volleyball facility in Toronto, conducted an interview with me, and have posted on the Beach Blast website. It took place back in May, and I meant to post it as a blog, and thought I did, but looking back in the archives, I can't find it. So, it's a little late, but here it is anyway.

See it at the following link:

http://www.beachblast.ca/index.asp?page=237

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:14:18 -0700

CBC has an online chat series that I was asked to take part in the other day. Readers simply send in questions to CBC correspondents (and as an athlete blogger for the Olympic site, apparently I qualify as a correspondent!). I'll simply provide the link below if you are interested in checking it out:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourquestions/2008/07/mark_heese.html

MAKING THE CUT

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:11:24 -0700

There are twenty-four pretty excited teams out there right now, a few days after the Olympic teams were announced. The Japanese team of Asahi/Shiratori, are probably the most excited, having clinched the last berth with a clutch 13th place finish in Marseille. That leaves at least twice as many teams on the outside looking in, with a handful of them, including us, making it close all the way to the end. We finished 26th in the Olympic ranking, which includes country quota, wildcard, and host nation considerations.

We are the second reserve team, which I suppose leaves some glimmer of hope, if two other teams have to withdraw for whatever reason, but for all intents and purposes, we might as well reserve a nice cozy spot on our livingroom couch, because that is where we will be watching the Olympics from.

The Brazilian team of Harley/Pedro, the Chinese team of Li/Zhou, the French team of Deulofeu/Salvetti, the South African team of Augoustides/Flisberg, and of course, us, are the five teams that will have the most heartache to overcome, as all of those teams came within one match, or in some cases, one spike from qualifying.

It's amazing to think that four years of planning and preparations can all boil down to one play to determine your Olympic fate, but that is what has happened to some of these teams, including us. I suppose that is what is so exciting about our sport. Nothing is sure, nothing is safe, and things can change so quickly, for the better or for the worse. And in hindsight, I suppose I am able to find a tiny slice of solace in the fact that we had that opportunity (plenty actually), which may make it a bit more frustrating to deal with, but then again, there are many people out there who dream of having that opportunity. So, despite still being pretty bummed out about the final outcome, I can already see a (very) small silver lining in the fact that we had put ourselves in a position to create chances and opportunities. Not capitalizing on them is a completely different issue, one that will take some time, I'm sure, to make sense of, and to learn from.

So, as I search for some positive angle on the whole thing, a glimmer of hope and a very small silver lining is all I can come up with at this point. But that is a start, I suppose, and a start so soon after the big letdown is something to build from. After all, I have gotten up from other letdowns in my life, and I don't expect this one to keep me down for too long either.

MESSY JESSI

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:05:40 -0700

Ahren has found a young gun to help clean up a messy situation. With me sidelined with a shoulder problem, Ahren was in a bit of tough spot looking for another Canadian player to step in last minute to play in the next two Grand Slams in Austria and Switzerland. However, young Jessi Lelliot has confirmed that will step in to fill my shoes, or feet rather.

Ahren still wants to compete for the rest of the summer, despite falling a bit short on qualifying for Beijing, so has asked Jessi to play with him on the World Tour for the time being while my shoulder gets some attention/rest. Hopefully it all works out well for both Ahren and Jessi. They'll start off with some good news, as it appears that Jessi will bring just enough points to qualify for main draw status for both events.

We'll be following the results boys, so good luck!

EGO CHECK

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:57:03 -0700

There really is no worse feeling than losing a game by making an error, or in this case, two errors - especially a game that was our last chance to qualify for the Olympics. It was a mistake that ranked right up there with other costly errors from the past, i.e. the hit out at match point in the semi-finals of the Atlanta Olympics vs. Karch and Kent to lose 15-11, or the hit in the net at 14-13 against Ricardo/Ze Marco in Sydney to miss out on the semi-finals.

It all looked good for a moment, here in Marseille, as we had a 9-6 lead on the Norwegian team of Skarlund/Kjemperud in the third set of a match that we needed to win in order to stay alive. It looked good too, when I made a dig and converted it from the bad side to go up 14-13 to gain a match point. But after a Kjemperud sideout, I managed to make two hitting errors in a row; the first just out down the line, and the second, also a down-the-line attempt, hitting the antenna. And that was it. Game over. Beijing over.

I sat in our timeout, somewhat in shock, as it was clear now what our fate was.... we will NOT qualify for Beijing. I was really surprised. The possibility of not qualifying was obviously staring us in the face for the last few weeks, but I really thought that somehow it would all work out. After all, every other time that I had Olympic aspirations, and committed to reaching some related goals, it at least worked out to the point of actually qualifying. Even when we were on the brink of not making it in 2004, somehow it all came together, in part, I believe, because of the ability to hang in there and not give up. So as we hung in there during the last month, and committed against giving up, I had a strong expectation that it would work out again. And now that it hasn't, I am still shaking my head in disbelief. The egotistical voice inside is saying, "this doesn't happen to me". Apparently though, it does. And it's the ego that will have the most difficult time accepting it as a reality.

I still can't believe it ended that way. I mean, I guess I can, because it did, but it sure feels strange and empty. Strange because surely this empty feeling isn't all I am going to get from the last four years.... is it? Because if that is the case, then I feel like I got ripped off. Surely there is some kind of payoff for all the training and time away from the family, as there was in years past. This can't be it. Where is the risk-reward concept when you need it?

Perhaps the reward is still to come, but at this point it appears that the twenty four rewards that I had in mind are going to pass us by. And if that is the task at this point, i.e. to find the reward in all of this, something tells me it will be a long rest of the summer.

PRESS ON

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:55:26 -0700

Once again, we have had a number of media related things go on lately. I thought I would post them here and provide a link for those who want to take a gander:

The CBC Olympic site has been following our progress. Here is the link to their Beach Volleyball Olympic site, where there are a number of archived articles and updates regarding our progress:
http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/beach-volleyball/recent-headlines/

The Toronto Sun's Bill Lankhof did a piece on us as we were travelling over to Marseille, at this link:
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Lankhof/2008/07/16/6173381-sun.html

The Edmonton Sun did an article on Ahren as we were leaving for Marseille as well:
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Sports/Beijing2008/2008/07/12/6137786-sun.html

Replay Magazine, the publication handed out in all SportChek locations across Canada did an article on our team with some nice photos. Pick it up at your local Sportchek, or see it online here (just flip through the online magazine using the arrows to find the article "Net Appeal" on page 30 and use the magnifying glass to zoom in to read the article - Note the big Bolle advertisement on the adjoining page!):
http://viewer.zmags.com/showmag.php?mid=hrqqq&pageid=34

One of our latest matches, a 2-1 win against Portugal to gain entry to the main draw of the Norway Grand Slam, can be seen on OverkillTV. Just click on HIGHLIGHTS at the top of the page.

AFRICAN SURPRISE

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:50:46 -0700

The Angolans, Emanuel Fernandes and Morais Abreu, have done the impossible, or should I say the "difficult". They won two qualifying matches here in Marseille (which, by the way, doubled their productivity for the last two years), qualifying for the main draw and guaranteeing them at least 42 points toward their Olympic ranking. If that doesn't sound all that amazing, consider the fact that with the win they have managed to pass the South African team by 2 points, to secure a berth in the Beijing Olympics! (For those who are unfamiliar with the Olympic qualifying rules, an African nation (and at least one nation from every other continent for that matter) is guaranteed at least one berth in the Olympics, regardless of where they are in the Olympic ranking)

It was a heartwarming experience to witness these guys clutch out some great plays at the end of their qualifying match against Andorra. Many of the players on the tour were secretly cheering them on all season, as they were working very hard to try and catch the team from South Africa, who were perhaps more skilled, but not quite as committed and passionate as the portuguese-speaking Angolans seemed to be. As a result, many of the Brazilian and Portuguese players worked them into practices throughout the season, and gave them pointers to help them along. And sure enough, many of the players were gathered around their court cheering them on when it all came together for them. Strangely enough, the South Africans, who were good guys as well but perhaps not so good at math, didn't even bother showing up to the event, figuring that they had the spot clinched. I guess they weren't counting on the Angolans winning two matches to nip them at the wire.

Not bad for a couple of 40 year-olds!

Here is more from the FIVB website:

http://www.fivb.org/EN/BeachVolleyball/Competitions/WorldTour/2008/beach_page.asp?TRN=MMRS2008&PG=PRE&No=17661

ARE YOU NEW?

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:44:44 -0700

Marseille has had an FIVB World Tour Event since the early 90's. It has been one of the mainstays of the tour and the promotor, Marc Crousillat, has certainly helped contribute to the success of the sport in France and Europe.

Having said that, I can't say that I have ever looked forward to going to Marseille. From a player's perspective I have always disliked the hard-packed sand conditions, the extreme wind, and the high heat that have always characterized the tournament. In addition, the hotel and food provided to the players has typically been below average.

In fact, over the years we have done our best to avoid going there, by either choosing to take a break from the tour during that week and go back and visit the family, or scheduling other events in Canada to replace it. This year, however, we didn't have a choice. We needed to come if we want to make the Olympics. So, as we prepare to play over the next few days, it occurs to me that we better choose a better attitude about it. Our results in Marseille over the years have gotten progressively worse, in part because of our crummy attitudes and distaste for the event. But maybe this year can be different?

In fact, after the first couple of days here, BK, our friend and videographer, who has never been here in Marseille, was raving about how much he likes it! I reacted to his positive comments, with my typical, "What are you, new?", but then realized (aside from the fact that he was new) that perhaps my biased view of the place could be clouding my judgement. Perhaps in response to my "new" comment, BK suggested that we call it the "new Marseille", perhaps recognizing the fact that a positive label on the event may help with our overall approach and help contribute to a decent result.

And you know what? The new label has helped! My view has slowly changed over the last couple of days, and I have begun to see the place from a different angle. Admittedly, it helps that the event has been moved over to the Vieux Port, a few kilometres down the coast. It really is a neat spot, with decent restaurants, plenty of entertainment on the streets, and generally a good vibe that I have never noticed in Marseille before. My ten year old attitude about this city and event, is starting to shift.

Thanks BK! My new view of the city can only help my overall attitude. Let's just hope there is a carry-over to my overall game. Can't see how it can hurt.

Here's to a new Marseille!

THINK AGAIN

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:37:12 -0700

As we head over to France, there are a few things going through my head.

One, we need to stay positive. Letting thoughts of the possibility of not qualifying for Beijing creep in, despite being quite possible, will not help in the short term. Fighting off that line of thinking, and instead, focussing on playing our hearts out and battling with everything we've got, while keeping the faith that despite all the obstacles we will be in Beijing, is definitely a key attitude.

We have to call on ourselves to be at our best. Reach down for our best performance, and depend on ourselves. This is it. This is when all our patience, commitment and teamwork will pay off for us. We've had some opportunities, and haven't capitalized, perhaps in part, because we knew there would be more. But this time is different. There will be no more opportunities. This is the last one. So be READY.

What more needs to be said about it?

GET THE PICTURE?

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 08:16:41 -0700

At every tournament we seem to run into a fellow Canadian who either lives in Europe or is visiting and just happened to stumble across the tournament. It's always great to get a slice of home, not to mention having someone cheering for you from the sidelines. In Germany, there were a number of Canucks that approached us to say hello. I suppose it is a popular spot for Canadians to either live or visit.

Either way, I wanted to thank one of the Canuck fans in particular, who not only came over to say hello, but took a bunch of photos of our match vs. Brazilians, Harley and Pedro, and sent them to us. I told him I would post one of the photos as a blog. So here it is, Vincent! Thanks for your support, and thanks for sending the photos!