Hello world!
Well...It has been a little while since my last update! I have posted a couple of times regarding the game of the week this past weekend (which the Jaguaarit won 34-28! YES!!) But I havent caught you all up on the highlights of the past couple of weeks.
As you probably can figure out James and I made it safely back to Finland from our southern European adventure. The remainder of the trip was rather un-eventful, from Andrew and James standards, but none the less exciting. We rode on a train from Pisa to Bern, Switzerland and saw some incredible scenery. Upon making it to Bern, we naturally had no idea how to get to the hostile, and had about an hour before the front desk closed. Although we made it a little too close for comfort we were able to see some sweet castles and an awesome skyline before heading to bed.
When we got up the next day we boarded the first train we could to Munich, which was without a doubt my favorite stop on the trip. For the first time all trip, we were actually able to locate a free tour, and that made the trip awesome. The guide’s name was Mark, an Irish student who just “Loved Munich!” and did tours for free, just living off of tips. I have to say, he made the trip by telling us all about Munich’s history. A bit of a history nerd myself, it was incredible to see some of the ancient buildings dating back to the 1500’s and learning all about World War II. As many of you may know, Munich was a hotspot for the Nazi party, and the city is filled with WWII history. We saw all kinds of memorials, which aren’t the typical type of memorial that you might see other places, considering they are rather small and not noticeable. The people of Munich desired to put up over 120 smaller more un-assuming monuments for the victims of the Nazi party in order for people to have a deeper appreciation for all of the suffering. I would not have even noticed them if I was not on a tour, but that is the monument’s design. Mark explained that this is because many monuments all over the world are just big buildings that aren’t truly appreciated, and in no real way portray the suffering that went on. An interesting idea I thought, but none the less affective. When Mark showed us some of these small monuments, such as golden bricks on a building wall, or small German signs on street corners, I truly gained a whole new appreciation for all of the suffering during WWII. Mark also showed us a picture of Munich immediately following WWII, and that was another shocker. It brought me back to when we were in Lithuania and saw the concentration camp, a feeling of appreciation for my safe, democratic upbringing. I recommend that if you have the chance, take a stop in Munich not only for the beer, but also for an awesome history lesson.
It was after I returned from Munich, and was talking to my girlfriend Megan, that I had less than a month remaining in Jyvaskyla! It has flown buy! I have had an awesome time…But I must say I miss Megan! Her and I have been apart for about 8 months, and I am looking forward to a soccer filled fall in which the bearcats win the NWC and I get to spend some quality time with the lady friend!!! However, there was still a trip to London and three more games before then!
One week after getting back to Finland, James and I finished our traveling by heading to London to meet my brother Braeden. After another crazy experience in the airport, where James and I waited for Braeden with some type of religious group that was singing praises with bongo drums and dancing waiting for their holy one (An old man in a wheel chair) Braeden came out of the gate and we were able to show him his first European experience. Using the metro, and being led by our “Metro Master” (James) we were able to cover many of the cities sites in a day, before catching an overnight bus to Edinburgh, Scotland. Waking up in Edinburgh, Braeden, James, and I enjoyed a hearty Scottish breakfast and walked around seeing many of the sites throughout Scotland. An awesome experience, and I have to say it was a blast hanging out with my little bro, who was a trooper all weekend. He flew to London, and jet lagged like crazy traveled to London and Scotland with his only sleep being on a bus and at an airport (our flight was early the next day….so we stayed in the airport) before going back to Finland.
Once there, the Jaguaarit prepared for the Turku Trojans, a team that we had beaten before. This would be no easy win, considering they had improved throughout the season and were poised to get another win. Well, that win didn’t come against us…as the Jaguaarit held an opponent under 100 yards rushing for the first time all season, and picked up the win 34-28.
Braeden left yesterday, and I really hope that he enjoyed his experience! We have two weeks remaining in the season, and they are sure to be tough games. One against the Butchers and the other against the Border Knights, two teams that we have lost to already. But the Jaguaarit have improved, and I am confident that if we prepare properly we can give both of these teams a run for their money!
I apologize for no crazy stories in this blog! I just thought I would get all of you caught up on how things are going!!!!
God Bless Everyone!!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Game day!!!
Hello world!!
In case you were wondering...James and I returned safely from our trip! We will have updates from that coming soon! But I wanted to tell you all about the game tomorrow!!
The Jaguaarit are heading to Turku to take on the Trojans for the second time. We were able to pull of the win last time, but it is very difficult to beat a team twice. We have had some time off to heal our injuries, so hopefully we will be ready to go!
But the best news is that the game is live on the internet! That is right! Game of the week!!! Check it out at this link:
http://www.sajl.fi/media/netti-tv/
Enjoy! More updates to come soon and God Bless!!!
In case you were wondering...James and I returned safely from our trip! We will have updates from that coming soon! But I wanted to tell you all about the game tomorrow!!
The Jaguaarit are heading to Turku to take on the Trojans for the second time. We were able to pull of the win last time, but it is very difficult to beat a team twice. We have had some time off to heal our injuries, so hopefully we will be ready to go!
But the best news is that the game is live on the internet! That is right! Game of the week!!! Check it out at this link:
http://www.sajl.fi/media/netti-tv/
Enjoy! More updates to come soon and God Bless!!!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Another day in Paradise!
Hello Everyone!!!
So, today in our European adventure James and I decided to take a break from the hectic traveling and catch some rays. Thats right, your favorite California boys headed out to the beach to catch some rays and ride some waves on the Mediterranian coast! Woo hoo!! Only problem was that we didn't have passess to the beach (Which apparently are all private in Italy) and no idea how to get there (Which seems to be a common problem when back packing through Europe)
Anyways, thanks to a kind bus driver, who spoke surprisingly wonderful English James and I made it out! Yes!!! After getting kicked out of about 5 locations we finally handed a guy 4 euro and were able to post up next to a boat of some sort, not 4 steps from the sea!!! So, after shredding some massive waves, lathering up on sunscreen...2 times...and performing on-site surgery (check out james' blog)we showered up and were ready to go back to the hostel!
This is where my blog gets interseting...So we were headed back when we realized
that not only were we extremely sunburned (despite the double lather up)but we were also on the craziest bus ever. This guy was flying around turns...I am not lying at least 80 around round-abouts and pushing 100 on straight aways. Naturally James and I ended up being the only ones standing on the bus and were entertaining everyone as we flew around!
So with Italians laughing and packs flying around, James and I did the most natural thing to do in that situation. Have you ever seen Cool Runnings? You know the Jamaican bob-sled team?? Well we assumed a bobsled position on the ground and tucked and turned into every insane turn. Flying around turns this provided the best form of protection from flying into the bus walls. Needless to say we made it safely, and made a bus full of Italian's day much better. Gotta love Europe!!
Until Next time!
God bless!!
P.S. Please pray for continued safe travels as we head back to Finland!
So, today in our European adventure James and I decided to take a break from the hectic traveling and catch some rays. Thats right, your favorite California boys headed out to the beach to catch some rays and ride some waves on the Mediterranian coast! Woo hoo!! Only problem was that we didn't have passess to the beach (Which apparently are all private in Italy) and no idea how to get there (Which seems to be a common problem when back packing through Europe)
Anyways, thanks to a kind bus driver, who spoke surprisingly wonderful English James and I made it out! Yes!!! After getting kicked out of about 5 locations we finally handed a guy 4 euro and were able to post up next to a boat of some sort, not 4 steps from the sea!!! So, after shredding some massive waves, lathering up on sunscreen...2 times...and performing on-site surgery (check out james' blog)we showered up and were ready to go back to the hostel!
This is where my blog gets interseting...So we were headed back when we realized
that not only were we extremely sunburned (despite the double lather up)but we were also on the craziest bus ever. This guy was flying around turns...I am not lying at least 80 around round-abouts and pushing 100 on straight aways. Naturally James and I ended up being the only ones standing on the bus and were entertaining everyone as we flew around!
So with Italians laughing and packs flying around, James and I did the most natural thing to do in that situation. Have you ever seen Cool Runnings? You know the Jamaican bob-sled team?? Well we assumed a bobsled position on the ground and tucked and turned into every insane turn. Flying around turns this provided the best form of protection from flying into the bus walls. Needless to say we made it safely, and made a bus full of Italian's day much better. Gotta love Europe!!
Until Next time!
God bless!!
P.S. Please pray for continued safe travels as we head back to Finland!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Halftime...Southern European Adventure!! (Thanks Megan!)
Hello everyone!!
I will start this blog post by telling everyone that James and I are alright! We are healthy and moral is high, so thank you for all of your prayers! However, the trip is not over yet so please keep praying for safety as we travel North up to Bremen for our flight back to Tampere, Finland!!!
So as you may have guessed we are at about the halfway point of our adventure! We have made it as far south as we are going to go (Rome) and this morning our headed on a train up to Pisa, Italy for two days. We are looking forward to not only seeing the leaning tower, but to hopefully find a beach and catch some rays!!!! (I am doing my best Megan!)
Anyways, the journey so far….So we flew into Frankfurt, Germany with a low amount of problems. Our hostel turned out, however, to be 120 kilometers from the airport!! This means that we were forced to pay 12 Euro to take a bus to the downtown train station. Rough start to the journey if you look at having to pay an un-expected fare… but we were now able to locate our hostel, and the train station, which is ultimately killing two birds with one stone. One interesting thing about our hostel, however, is the fact that it was located in the middle of the Red-Light District of Frankfurt, so there were literally 10 strip clubs and sex shops within a two block radius! I now understand where Eurotrip got all of their material! That puts Oregon and their amount of sex shops per capita to shame!
So, after waking up that Monday morning we headed to the train station to book our train to Paris. We were able to book the train, however it didn’t leave for 4 hours, so we had a little bit of time to kill…This is the point in the journey where James and I learned an important lesson…Don’t just wonder unless you have PLENTY of time to do so! We ended up straying way to far from the train station, and despite seeing some beautiful scenery were forced to sprint to the train to make it in time! Anybody who knows me well knows that just walking up stairs usually gets the sweat glands pumping, you can imagine what it was like with a 50 lb backpack in 85 degree weather!! Needless to say we made the train and Paris here we come!!!
Paris is a beautiful city. James and I were taken aback at how gorgeous all of the buildings are, and how awesome the Eifel tower is! We made it to the tower at night, so we were able to enjoy it all lit up! It was cool! We attempted to make it all the way to the top, but due to our packs were not allowed to. So we propped up on the lawn by the tower, and due to our budget restrictions, bought an extremely cheap bottle of champagne from a vendor, (I think it was 6 Euro…hahaha) and shared a romantic moment. As many of you know James and I are sort of hetero life-mates, so these romantic moments have happened before. However, I am not going to lie, it made me miss Megan terribly! I hope that one day we get to return to that spot and can enjoy maybe a little bit more expensive bottle of bubbly! Ha!!
So, the next day is where all of the fun begins. We woke up a little late, and thus were not able to make it to Versaille. So, we headed down to the Louvre because we wanted to see what all the fuss has been these past few years regarding the Mona Lisa. But, as you could have probably guessed, the one day that the Louvre is closed is Tuesday…Not Monday…or Sunday…But Tuesday…So we couldn’t check it out! Slightly dejected we headed toward Notre Dame, and then the train station.
Once at the train station we went to book our train to Venice, Italy which is considered an “overnight train”. However, the train was overbooked and we literally had no place to stay! In fact, there were no trains to Venice open for a week! So, due to our hostel reservations on the 22nd in Rome, we decided to work with the nice woman behind the desk to develop a plan to get to Rome. Once it was all said and done, we were headed through southern France through Montpellier, Nice, and then ultimately to Italy.
Despite all of this, we still had no place to stay in Montpellier. But, as many of you Bearcat fans know, we always have each other’s backs! How does this tie in you say? Well many of you remember Arnaud Vidallier! Well, due to those Cat Patch groups we love so much, James learned that Arnaud was from Montpellier! So thanks to an internet café, and facebook, we were able to get in touch with him and were pointed in the direction of food and lodging!! He is currently in Northern France, serving as the starting Strong Safety for the French national team but was able to put us in touch with his friend Dario, who speaks perfect English! Dario again helped us locate a grocery store, and food…(So important!) and train tickets to Nice, where our journey to Italy began!!
As you can probably imagine, arriving in Nice we didn’t have a place to stay. And Nice, being a small town, doesn’t have many hotels. So, by going one by one around the city, we found that we weren’t going to have a place to stay that night. Ahahaah….After the last one rejected us we located a park, a cardboard box, and set up camp! We actually slept on a box in a park. We were complete hobos, and at the time were at a low place…a very low place….Moral was low and rations were lower…we were seriously questioning whether or not to go on, but after a dip in the Mediterranean sea in the morning, and treating ourselves to a nice breakfast, we packed up and headed to Rome.
One thing that I would advise everyone about traveling in Europe, especially by train, is plans are going to change. A lot. On our way to Milan, Italy, which was our connecting train to Rome the train broke down. Yes, stopped on the track, and was not working. After a 1 hour delay the train headed back towards Milan. It was at this point that we realized we were going to miss our train to Rome, which was bad because we already had hostel reservations. “Oh no problem” we said….”They will compensate us somehow!” Well loyal readers, this is not the case. In Italy, apparently when a train breaks down and you miss your train, they don’t give you anything except a ticket on the next train to Rome, which wasn’t until the next morning!!! Ahhh!!!!!
After a dejected walk from the train station, our 10th meal at McDonalds, and another hotel, I was able to gain access to Internet. This is where I was eventually able to speak to Megan and she reminded me of some important things. She, as many of you know, studied in Spain for 5 months this past semester. She experienced several different things that resulted in cancelled plans, no sleep, and extremely uncomfortable situations, and she reminded me that is all part of the trip. She explained to me that we were still going to Rome, although a day late, and could still enjoy the trip. Yes plans had changed, she reminded, but I was still traveling Europe with one of my best friends! This is an awesome experience and she truly encouraged me to enjoy it and not be a negative Nancy the rest of the trip!!!!!
Well Megan, thanks to your advice I was able to push on! And sure enough, things have gotten better! Our train tickets are reserved for our trek home, and Rome was a great time! The metro is awesome, and literally took us to all of the sites we wanted to see! The Coliseum, the Forum, The Vatican, and the Trevi Fountain were all as good as advertised! We are off to Pisa today and I am optimistic regarding the remainder of the trip! Thank you Megan for being awesome, and really helping make this trip great! I love you so much!
Well, off to Pisa everyone, I will try to keep you updated on the adventures of Andrew and James throughout the trip, but internet may be scarce! But until next time….
God Bless!!!!
I will start this blog post by telling everyone that James and I are alright! We are healthy and moral is high, so thank you for all of your prayers! However, the trip is not over yet so please keep praying for safety as we travel North up to Bremen for our flight back to Tampere, Finland!!!
So as you may have guessed we are at about the halfway point of our adventure! We have made it as far south as we are going to go (Rome) and this morning our headed on a train up to Pisa, Italy for two days. We are looking forward to not only seeing the leaning tower, but to hopefully find a beach and catch some rays!!!! (I am doing my best Megan!)
Anyways, the journey so far….So we flew into Frankfurt, Germany with a low amount of problems. Our hostel turned out, however, to be 120 kilometers from the airport!! This means that we were forced to pay 12 Euro to take a bus to the downtown train station. Rough start to the journey if you look at having to pay an un-expected fare… but we were now able to locate our hostel, and the train station, which is ultimately killing two birds with one stone. One interesting thing about our hostel, however, is the fact that it was located in the middle of the Red-Light District of Frankfurt, so there were literally 10 strip clubs and sex shops within a two block radius! I now understand where Eurotrip got all of their material! That puts Oregon and their amount of sex shops per capita to shame!
So, after waking up that Monday morning we headed to the train station to book our train to Paris. We were able to book the train, however it didn’t leave for 4 hours, so we had a little bit of time to kill…This is the point in the journey where James and I learned an important lesson…Don’t just wonder unless you have PLENTY of time to do so! We ended up straying way to far from the train station, and despite seeing some beautiful scenery were forced to sprint to the train to make it in time! Anybody who knows me well knows that just walking up stairs usually gets the sweat glands pumping, you can imagine what it was like with a 50 lb backpack in 85 degree weather!! Needless to say we made the train and Paris here we come!!!
Paris is a beautiful city. James and I were taken aback at how gorgeous all of the buildings are, and how awesome the Eifel tower is! We made it to the tower at night, so we were able to enjoy it all lit up! It was cool! We attempted to make it all the way to the top, but due to our packs were not allowed to. So we propped up on the lawn by the tower, and due to our budget restrictions, bought an extremely cheap bottle of champagne from a vendor, (I think it was 6 Euro…hahaha) and shared a romantic moment. As many of you know James and I are sort of hetero life-mates, so these romantic moments have happened before. However, I am not going to lie, it made me miss Megan terribly! I hope that one day we get to return to that spot and can enjoy maybe a little bit more expensive bottle of bubbly! Ha!!
So, the next day is where all of the fun begins. We woke up a little late, and thus were not able to make it to Versaille. So, we headed down to the Louvre because we wanted to see what all the fuss has been these past few years regarding the Mona Lisa. But, as you could have probably guessed, the one day that the Louvre is closed is Tuesday…Not Monday…or Sunday…But Tuesday…So we couldn’t check it out! Slightly dejected we headed toward Notre Dame, and then the train station.
Once at the train station we went to book our train to Venice, Italy which is considered an “overnight train”. However, the train was overbooked and we literally had no place to stay! In fact, there were no trains to Venice open for a week! So, due to our hostel reservations on the 22nd in Rome, we decided to work with the nice woman behind the desk to develop a plan to get to Rome. Once it was all said and done, we were headed through southern France through Montpellier, Nice, and then ultimately to Italy.
Despite all of this, we still had no place to stay in Montpellier. But, as many of you Bearcat fans know, we always have each other’s backs! How does this tie in you say? Well many of you remember Arnaud Vidallier! Well, due to those Cat Patch groups we love so much, James learned that Arnaud was from Montpellier! So thanks to an internet café, and facebook, we were able to get in touch with him and were pointed in the direction of food and lodging!! He is currently in Northern France, serving as the starting Strong Safety for the French national team but was able to put us in touch with his friend Dario, who speaks perfect English! Dario again helped us locate a grocery store, and food…(So important!) and train tickets to Nice, where our journey to Italy began!!
As you can probably imagine, arriving in Nice we didn’t have a place to stay. And Nice, being a small town, doesn’t have many hotels. So, by going one by one around the city, we found that we weren’t going to have a place to stay that night. Ahahaah….After the last one rejected us we located a park, a cardboard box, and set up camp! We actually slept on a box in a park. We were complete hobos, and at the time were at a low place…a very low place….Moral was low and rations were lower…we were seriously questioning whether or not to go on, but after a dip in the Mediterranean sea in the morning, and treating ourselves to a nice breakfast, we packed up and headed to Rome.
One thing that I would advise everyone about traveling in Europe, especially by train, is plans are going to change. A lot. On our way to Milan, Italy, which was our connecting train to Rome the train broke down. Yes, stopped on the track, and was not working. After a 1 hour delay the train headed back towards Milan. It was at this point that we realized we were going to miss our train to Rome, which was bad because we already had hostel reservations. “Oh no problem” we said….”They will compensate us somehow!” Well loyal readers, this is not the case. In Italy, apparently when a train breaks down and you miss your train, they don’t give you anything except a ticket on the next train to Rome, which wasn’t until the next morning!!! Ahhh!!!!!
After a dejected walk from the train station, our 10th meal at McDonalds, and another hotel, I was able to gain access to Internet. This is where I was eventually able to speak to Megan and she reminded me of some important things. She, as many of you know, studied in Spain for 5 months this past semester. She experienced several different things that resulted in cancelled plans, no sleep, and extremely uncomfortable situations, and she reminded me that is all part of the trip. She explained to me that we were still going to Rome, although a day late, and could still enjoy the trip. Yes plans had changed, she reminded, but I was still traveling Europe with one of my best friends! This is an awesome experience and she truly encouraged me to enjoy it and not be a negative Nancy the rest of the trip!!!!!
Well Megan, thanks to your advice I was able to push on! And sure enough, things have gotten better! Our train tickets are reserved for our trek home, and Rome was a great time! The metro is awesome, and literally took us to all of the sites we wanted to see! The Coliseum, the Forum, The Vatican, and the Trevi Fountain were all as good as advertised! We are off to Pisa today and I am optimistic regarding the remainder of the trip! Thank you Megan for being awesome, and really helping make this trip great! I love you so much!
Well, off to Pisa everyone, I will try to keep you updated on the adventures of Andrew and James throughout the trip, but internet may be scarce! But until next time….
God Bless!!!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Crocs time! Its game day!!!
Hello world!!!
So it is that time again! The Jaguaarit are headed up to Seinajoki to take on the Crocodiles! The Crocs are the toughest team in the league right now, and without a doubt pose an awesome challenge. Both teams are coming off big wins, the Crocs against the talented Butchers, and the Jaguars against the relentless Saints. I look forward to an awesome game!
Also this marks the conclusion of a Maple League season for one of my teammates. However he is not just another teammate, but one of my greatest friends. Lukkes Gilgan after the game will be heading back to the states to start his career as a coach, at Quincy University in Illinois. I have played with Lukkes the past 4 years, and it has truly been an honor. I don't think I have met a person who loves football as much as Luke, and it has been inspiring. I have seen him play hurt, play hard, and most importantly...never...and I mean never...back down from a challenge. He looks at each "challenge" as an opportunity to do something great, and that is going to take him far. I must say, to any potential Quincy readers out there, you are gaining an amazing person. He loves God, his family, and his friends and will give you EVERYTHING he has got. That I can promise you. He will fight to the bitter end for you, and when it seems no one else is there, you can count on Luke. He is one of the greatest people I have known, and it has been an honor sharing the game of football, not to mention these past two years....with him!
But enough of the emotional Andrew...It is gameday! I am excited to see how an improved team plays against the best, and how a Star concludes his season. Stay tuned everyone!
God Bless!
So it is that time again! The Jaguaarit are headed up to Seinajoki to take on the Crocodiles! The Crocs are the toughest team in the league right now, and without a doubt pose an awesome challenge. Both teams are coming off big wins, the Crocs against the talented Butchers, and the Jaguars against the relentless Saints. I look forward to an awesome game!
Also this marks the conclusion of a Maple League season for one of my teammates. However he is not just another teammate, but one of my greatest friends. Lukkes Gilgan after the game will be heading back to the states to start his career as a coach, at Quincy University in Illinois. I have played with Lukkes the past 4 years, and it has truly been an honor. I don't think I have met a person who loves football as much as Luke, and it has been inspiring. I have seen him play hurt, play hard, and most importantly...never...and I mean never...back down from a challenge. He looks at each "challenge" as an opportunity to do something great, and that is going to take him far. I must say, to any potential Quincy readers out there, you are gaining an amazing person. He loves God, his family, and his friends and will give you EVERYTHING he has got. That I can promise you. He will fight to the bitter end for you, and when it seems no one else is there, you can count on Luke. He is one of the greatest people I have known, and it has been an honor sharing the game of football, not to mention these past two years....with him!
But enough of the emotional Andrew...It is gameday! I am excited to see how an improved team plays against the best, and how a Star concludes his season. Stay tuned everyone!
God Bless!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Up 7..12 Seconds left....You had the ball...they had no timeouts...And you won in OT!?!?!?!?!?
Hello everyone,
I have been playing organized sports for as long as I can remember. I have been watching sportscenter for as long as I can remember....and I have even played sports video games forever but never...I mean never...in my entire life have I seen something this crazy!!!
This may rank as the most insane football game I have ever been apart of....Even more then when Joseph Allen from the Vacaville Bengals ran a deflected pass 70 yards to the house with no time left to beat us in the pop warner championship (I cant believe I still remember that...)
Anyways....to the Saints game. We played this past weekend in Tampere...Which is a nice city about 2 hours from Jyvaskyla. The Saints have not won a game yet. "Oh...An easy win you think"...Not quite...The Saints are a hard nosed team with an American coach and 3 imports, and have played hard in every game. So we knew this would be tough......
So the first half goes by as both teams struggle to get on the scoreboard. It is turning into a defensive battle, and as a result is tied 0-0 at halftime. The Jaguaarit make some key adjustments at half time, and are ready to play in the second half. We come out driving...Moving the ball successfully on several plays until an interception, that is returned all the way to our 5...Saints run it in on the next play...Saints 7 Jaguaarit 0...
So, without hesitation we drive down the field again, only for Lukkes Gilgan to make an amazing run where it seemed like nobody blocked, to make it 7-7.
"Perfect....close game you say"...Well things started to get out of hand. On two consecutive series...as a result of two consecutive Saints turnovers, we scored 60 yard touchdowns. Making it 21-7 Jaguaarit as we neared the middle of the 4th quarter.
Here is where it gets interesting....We are forced to punt on a series in the fourth, and the Saints are able to put together an impressive drive, making it 21-14 with 2 minutes left. "Perfect you say...Couple of first downs and this one is over...." Well...to make a long story short we were forced to punt, so the Saints had the ball, 70 yards to go, and 2 TO's with 1 minute 30 seconds left..
And the Saints picked up right where they left off, dinking and dunking the ball down the field until they got to the Jaguaarit 30. Tensions are rising as they only have to go 30 yards for the game tying score. However...The Jaguaarit D did a great job of keeping them in bounds, so the Saints are out of Time Outs. So, after a completed pass out of bounds, our outside Linebackers make two amazing plays, and on 4th and 10 the ball flutters to the turf, giving us the ball with 12 seconds, and a knee away from winning!
So the Victory formation takes the field. For those of you that may not know, that is when a team simply snaps the ball, takes a knee, and the clock runs out, securing the win. Whenever this happens I always remember my High School Coach Steve Ellison yelling "This is my favorite play!!!" whenever we took the field in this formation. Well, as I have learned over the years from my High School coach and all the others, it is important in football to make sure that you always pay attention to detail, so the un-thinkable doesn't happen.
So back to the field...We are on the ball, when I notice that we only have 10 guys...Our Right Guard had been hurt on the series before, and his backup was no where to be found...So I quickly motioned for a WR to stand there, thinking all we were doing was taking a knee so it wont be that big of a deal. However, the snap was fumbled!!! Based on the fact that no one was paying attention, and we didnt have a lineman over the DT....THEY RECOVERED!!! SAINTS BALL!! AHHH!!! Can you believe it!!!???
"We are fine you say..they still have to go 35 yards in 10 seconds!!!"...
Well ladies and gentleman...The Saints QB put one on the money, and yes...the unthinkable happened...the Saints scored, on a beautiful 35 yard TD pass and sent the game into OT!!!!! 21-21!!!!!
"Wow" you say...And all I can do is agree! Overtime in Finland is the same as it is in college in the US, where each team gets a chance to score from the 25 yardline...So if the first team scores a TD, then the second team must score a TD or they lose. On the other hand, if the first team does not score, then all the second team has to do is score and the game is over.
So, after winning the toss we elected to be on Defense first. And I must say, the Jaguaarit showed their true heart on those three downs. Stuffing the Saints for a loss of yards and forcing them to kick. It was incredible that the D was able to overcome that adversity and keep the Saints, who had moved the ball successfully, from getting in the endzone!
Now to the kick! On fourth down the Saints called for what was about a 35 yard FG, which was a chip shot compared to what this guy had made in the pre-game warmup. So, as you may have guessed from the title of the blog, the kick sailed wide left!! YES!!! We can win it!! All we need is 3 measly points!!!
Well to make a already long story a little shorter, our kicker...Who had played tough all game at outside Linebacker, came to the huddle cool as ice. We all offered him encouragement, but he didn't need it. Perhaps more confident then any kicker I have played with, Mika NAILED THE GAME WINNER FROM 20 YARDS OUT GIVING THE JAGUAARIT THE VICTORY!!!
There was Pandemonium on the field...We mobbed Mika, and it just reminded me again why I love the game of football so much.
I love those games....So insane...And yes, I am probably saying this because we won but honestly it was one of the most fun I have ever played in. It was amazing to see how well the Jaguaarit responded to adversity, and shows the true character of these guys. I am having a blast playing with them, and I hope they have learned from me as I have learned from them! I look forward to another great game this weekend against the Crocodiles!!
Stay tuned for more updates and keep checking out the Jaguaarit Website for players of the week and interviews with coach's and players.
God Bless!!!
I have been playing organized sports for as long as I can remember. I have been watching sportscenter for as long as I can remember....and I have even played sports video games forever but never...I mean never...in my entire life have I seen something this crazy!!!
This may rank as the most insane football game I have ever been apart of....Even more then when Joseph Allen from the Vacaville Bengals ran a deflected pass 70 yards to the house with no time left to beat us in the pop warner championship (I cant believe I still remember that...)
Anyways....to the Saints game. We played this past weekend in Tampere...Which is a nice city about 2 hours from Jyvaskyla. The Saints have not won a game yet. "Oh...An easy win you think"...Not quite...The Saints are a hard nosed team with an American coach and 3 imports, and have played hard in every game. So we knew this would be tough......
So the first half goes by as both teams struggle to get on the scoreboard. It is turning into a defensive battle, and as a result is tied 0-0 at halftime. The Jaguaarit make some key adjustments at half time, and are ready to play in the second half. We come out driving...Moving the ball successfully on several plays until an interception, that is returned all the way to our 5...Saints run it in on the next play...Saints 7 Jaguaarit 0...
So, without hesitation we drive down the field again, only for Lukkes Gilgan to make an amazing run where it seemed like nobody blocked, to make it 7-7.
"Perfect....close game you say"...Well things started to get out of hand. On two consecutive series...as a result of two consecutive Saints turnovers, we scored 60 yard touchdowns. Making it 21-7 Jaguaarit as we neared the middle of the 4th quarter.
Here is where it gets interesting....We are forced to punt on a series in the fourth, and the Saints are able to put together an impressive drive, making it 21-14 with 2 minutes left. "Perfect you say...Couple of first downs and this one is over...." Well...to make a long story short we were forced to punt, so the Saints had the ball, 70 yards to go, and 2 TO's with 1 minute 30 seconds left..
And the Saints picked up right where they left off, dinking and dunking the ball down the field until they got to the Jaguaarit 30. Tensions are rising as they only have to go 30 yards for the game tying score. However...The Jaguaarit D did a great job of keeping them in bounds, so the Saints are out of Time Outs. So, after a completed pass out of bounds, our outside Linebackers make two amazing plays, and on 4th and 10 the ball flutters to the turf, giving us the ball with 12 seconds, and a knee away from winning!
So the Victory formation takes the field. For those of you that may not know, that is when a team simply snaps the ball, takes a knee, and the clock runs out, securing the win. Whenever this happens I always remember my High School Coach Steve Ellison yelling "This is my favorite play!!!" whenever we took the field in this formation. Well, as I have learned over the years from my High School coach and all the others, it is important in football to make sure that you always pay attention to detail, so the un-thinkable doesn't happen.
So back to the field...We are on the ball, when I notice that we only have 10 guys...Our Right Guard had been hurt on the series before, and his backup was no where to be found...So I quickly motioned for a WR to stand there, thinking all we were doing was taking a knee so it wont be that big of a deal. However, the snap was fumbled!!! Based on the fact that no one was paying attention, and we didnt have a lineman over the DT....THEY RECOVERED!!! SAINTS BALL!! AHHH!!! Can you believe it!!!???
"We are fine you say..they still have to go 35 yards in 10 seconds!!!"...
Well ladies and gentleman...The Saints QB put one on the money, and yes...the unthinkable happened...the Saints scored, on a beautiful 35 yard TD pass and sent the game into OT!!!!! 21-21!!!!!
"Wow" you say...And all I can do is agree! Overtime in Finland is the same as it is in college in the US, where each team gets a chance to score from the 25 yardline...So if the first team scores a TD, then the second team must score a TD or they lose. On the other hand, if the first team does not score, then all the second team has to do is score and the game is over.
So, after winning the toss we elected to be on Defense first. And I must say, the Jaguaarit showed their true heart on those three downs. Stuffing the Saints for a loss of yards and forcing them to kick. It was incredible that the D was able to overcome that adversity and keep the Saints, who had moved the ball successfully, from getting in the endzone!
Now to the kick! On fourth down the Saints called for what was about a 35 yard FG, which was a chip shot compared to what this guy had made in the pre-game warmup. So, as you may have guessed from the title of the blog, the kick sailed wide left!! YES!!! We can win it!! All we need is 3 measly points!!!
Well to make a already long story a little shorter, our kicker...Who had played tough all game at outside Linebacker, came to the huddle cool as ice. We all offered him encouragement, but he didn't need it. Perhaps more confident then any kicker I have played with, Mika NAILED THE GAME WINNER FROM 20 YARDS OUT GIVING THE JAGUAARIT THE VICTORY!!!
There was Pandemonium on the field...We mobbed Mika, and it just reminded me again why I love the game of football so much.
I love those games....So insane...And yes, I am probably saying this because we won but honestly it was one of the most fun I have ever played in. It was amazing to see how well the Jaguaarit responded to adversity, and shows the true character of these guys. I am having a blast playing with them, and I hope they have learned from me as I have learned from them! I look forward to another great game this weekend against the Crocodiles!!
Stay tuned for more updates and keep checking out the Jaguaarit Website for players of the week and interviews with coach's and players.
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Its Game Day!
Hello world!
This post is dedicated to perhaps the biggest football fan I have ever met! Although many in my family, as well as my girlfriend may argue, that person is not me. His name....Henri Kirjavainen. Team America's first encounter with Henri came within the first few weeks at a night club in town. I was on a train to pick up the beautiful Megan Moore and my two other roommates decided to go out with the guys. It was then that they met a man, who may have been slightly intoxicated, and all he could talk about was how he loved the Jaguaarit and that it was GAME DAY!!! GAME DAY!! He apparently kept repeating it! Well...we all kind of laughed about the story, and shook it off thinking that this guy couldn't really be serious.
But then came our experience at the gym. It was a sunny afternoon, and team America showed up for one of their many weekly workouts ;)...There was Henri, this time not as intoxicated. He again introduced himself and couldn't stop talking about how he was excited for GAME DAY!! GAME DAY!!! He couldnt wait to see us beat the Wolverines!
Although that did not happen, I looked in the stands on that cold and rainy day, and their was Henri, the entire time.
He has never played, but has been a fan of the game for years...He has used blow horns, drums, and good old fashioned screaming to get in the heads of the opposing team. It is awesome to see his dedication, even during the tough start to the season. Although we dropped the game to the Roosters, 34-6, he was in the stands cheering his heart out. I love it. It makes me so happy to see that there are die hard football fans all over the world! And it reminds me what is so special about the game. Everyone coming together and having a blast, while running around and hitting people. Although it seems primative, I love it...Thanks for tuning in everyone, and be sure to check out recent posts and the Jaguaarit website for interviews with coaches, players, and upcoming team events!
Thanks for listening and God Bless!!!
This post is dedicated to perhaps the biggest football fan I have ever met! Although many in my family, as well as my girlfriend may argue, that person is not me. His name....Henri Kirjavainen. Team America's first encounter with Henri came within the first few weeks at a night club in town. I was on a train to pick up the beautiful Megan Moore and my two other roommates decided to go out with the guys. It was then that they met a man, who may have been slightly intoxicated, and all he could talk about was how he loved the Jaguaarit and that it was GAME DAY!!! GAME DAY!! He apparently kept repeating it! Well...we all kind of laughed about the story, and shook it off thinking that this guy couldn't really be serious.
But then came our experience at the gym. It was a sunny afternoon, and team America showed up for one of their many weekly workouts ;)...There was Henri, this time not as intoxicated. He again introduced himself and couldn't stop talking about how he was excited for GAME DAY!! GAME DAY!!! He couldnt wait to see us beat the Wolverines!
Although that did not happen, I looked in the stands on that cold and rainy day, and their was Henri, the entire time.
He has never played, but has been a fan of the game for years...He has used blow horns, drums, and good old fashioned screaming to get in the heads of the opposing team. It is awesome to see his dedication, even during the tough start to the season. Although we dropped the game to the Roosters, 34-6, he was in the stands cheering his heart out. I love it. It makes me so happy to see that there are die hard football fans all over the world! And it reminds me what is so special about the game. Everyone coming together and having a blast, while running around and hitting people. Although it seems primative, I love it...Thanks for tuning in everyone, and be sure to check out recent posts and the Jaguaarit website for interviews with coaches, players, and upcoming team events!
Thanks for listening and God Bless!!!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Battlefield Commissions and players of the game!!!!
Hello World!
Well, I am writing you this blog post to tell all of you that we made it to Lithuania and back in one piece! Woo hoo!!!!! Team America made it out alive and we were able to experience several different aspects of Kaunas. Based on the national day off on Thursday, there was literally nothing open in the entire city. So...we wandered around going through a variety of crazy experiences that you can read about on my teammates different posts (drunk drivers, an "aquarium" that turned out to be a fish tank, a wonderful Lithuanian women who made us feel like children, and the loss of money at a casino...sorry mom) but all in all a wonderful day.
On Friday, we traveled our way up to Ninth Fort, a military base built by the Soviet Union that was eventually taken over by Nazis and made into a concentration camp. Talk about life changing. I had always studied in history class the variety of different concentration camps there were, and the terrible things that were done there. However, I can't begin to explain what it is like being at one. To actually stand where Nazi military officials murdered over 50,000 innocent Lithuanians was an experience that will forever make my stomach turn. It was just one of those times where I counted my blessings, and really thanked the Lord for many of the things he has given me! That trip to Ninth Fort is one that I will never forget.
Now...For what you all have been waiting for...As many of you are Bearcat football fans it is time that I debrief the trip a little bit..As many of you know after every game the Bearcats watch the film, then offer postgame awards and grades to a variety of different players and their plays on the field.I will not only discuss the good things, but I will shine light on some of the bad things that happened in hopes that we can prevent the same mistakes from happening again... So...Without further ado, I will offer up our awards...
Battlefield Commissions:
James Perez-Wins this commission for his sacrafice of valuable sleep. For those of you who have slept in the same building as me, you know that I am very good at snoring. James, not only put up with the snoring, but he also drew the smallest straw when deciding the bed situation, and had to settle for a very uncomfortable futon that basically meant he slept on the hardwood floor!
Lukkes Gilgan- Gained this award based on his supreme navigation skills. Managed to save us from getting lost several times and actually located 3 busses that otherwise would not have been noticed. Nice work Luke.
Anele from the Hostel-Wins the award for awesome tea. She opened her house as sort of a make shift hotel and it may have been the highlight of the trip. She was an incredible host and if you are ever in Kaunas I reccommend just stopping by to chat. She is a wonderful women and really looked out for us the entire time we were there. Not to mention, made us awesome tea whenever we wanted it!!!
Microbus driver #1- When we had no idea how to get to our hostel, he took the phone number we had, called it, and located the hostel. Huge in getting us home. Lets just say, we can win with that.
The only lady randomly working in kaunas on the off day-She earns this award based on the info she provided us. Not only did she come to work on a government mandated day off, but also spoke English!!! (You have no idea how hard it was to communicate!)
She pointed us in the right direction of several touristy areas and reassured us that it was worth it to come to Kaunas. A great big Speckman salute to you!!!
Now for the not so special plays of the trip:
Andrew Ross-Not only did he get us lost several times, but in his tiredness was convinced it would be a good idea to go into a casino and win some money at blackjack. Now, you must remember that the people in Kaunas dont speak English well, and may not even have blackjack. Well it turned out they did, and they did what casinos do best, took all my money. Literally...I had enough for the bus back to the hostel. Not good...We can not win with that.
Microbus driver #2-As was discussed in James' post, he was drunk. The only good thing was that he got us there fast. However, it was scarier then any roller coaster I have been on in my life. Definitely cant win with that.
Aquarium-We were told that this was going to be special. "Big Fish!!" Anele proclaimed..But when we got there it was a slightly larger then normal fish tank. Although they had a small shark...The collection of goldfish was nothing special. hahaha...
All in all great trip! And for our player of the trip we have to give it to Anele. Her hospitality was amazing, and showed us what it truly means to love what you do! She was the highlight of Lithuania for me, and I know the world is a better place with her in it! Great game!
Well everyone, that is enough for today. We will rest up for the next journey. But until then we have three more games (One that will be on the internet...we will keep you posted) so keep looking out for more interesting stories from Team America!!!
God bless!
Well, I am writing you this blog post to tell all of you that we made it to Lithuania and back in one piece! Woo hoo!!!!! Team America made it out alive and we were able to experience several different aspects of Kaunas. Based on the national day off on Thursday, there was literally nothing open in the entire city. So...we wandered around going through a variety of crazy experiences that you can read about on my teammates different posts (drunk drivers, an "aquarium" that turned out to be a fish tank, a wonderful Lithuanian women who made us feel like children, and the loss of money at a casino...sorry mom) but all in all a wonderful day.
On Friday, we traveled our way up to Ninth Fort, a military base built by the Soviet Union that was eventually taken over by Nazis and made into a concentration camp. Talk about life changing. I had always studied in history class the variety of different concentration camps there were, and the terrible things that were done there. However, I can't begin to explain what it is like being at one. To actually stand where Nazi military officials murdered over 50,000 innocent Lithuanians was an experience that will forever make my stomach turn. It was just one of those times where I counted my blessings, and really thanked the Lord for many of the things he has given me! That trip to Ninth Fort is one that I will never forget.
Now...For what you all have been waiting for...As many of you are Bearcat football fans it is time that I debrief the trip a little bit..As many of you know after every game the Bearcats watch the film, then offer postgame awards and grades to a variety of different players and their plays on the field.I will not only discuss the good things, but I will shine light on some of the bad things that happened in hopes that we can prevent the same mistakes from happening again... So...Without further ado, I will offer up our awards...
Battlefield Commissions:
James Perez-Wins this commission for his sacrafice of valuable sleep. For those of you who have slept in the same building as me, you know that I am very good at snoring. James, not only put up with the snoring, but he also drew the smallest straw when deciding the bed situation, and had to settle for a very uncomfortable futon that basically meant he slept on the hardwood floor!
Lukkes Gilgan- Gained this award based on his supreme navigation skills. Managed to save us from getting lost several times and actually located 3 busses that otherwise would not have been noticed. Nice work Luke.
Anele from the Hostel-Wins the award for awesome tea. She opened her house as sort of a make shift hotel and it may have been the highlight of the trip. She was an incredible host and if you are ever in Kaunas I reccommend just stopping by to chat. She is a wonderful women and really looked out for us the entire time we were there. Not to mention, made us awesome tea whenever we wanted it!!!
Microbus driver #1- When we had no idea how to get to our hostel, he took the phone number we had, called it, and located the hostel. Huge in getting us home. Lets just say, we can win with that.
The only lady randomly working in kaunas on the off day-She earns this award based on the info she provided us. Not only did she come to work on a government mandated day off, but also spoke English!!! (You have no idea how hard it was to communicate!)
She pointed us in the right direction of several touristy areas and reassured us that it was worth it to come to Kaunas. A great big Speckman salute to you!!!
Now for the not so special plays of the trip:
Andrew Ross-Not only did he get us lost several times, but in his tiredness was convinced it would be a good idea to go into a casino and win some money at blackjack. Now, you must remember that the people in Kaunas dont speak English well, and may not even have blackjack. Well it turned out they did, and they did what casinos do best, took all my money. Literally...I had enough for the bus back to the hostel. Not good...We can not win with that.
Microbus driver #2-As was discussed in James' post, he was drunk. The only good thing was that he got us there fast. However, it was scarier then any roller coaster I have been on in my life. Definitely cant win with that.
Aquarium-We were told that this was going to be special. "Big Fish!!" Anele proclaimed..But when we got there it was a slightly larger then normal fish tank. Although they had a small shark...The collection of goldfish was nothing special. hahaha...
All in all great trip! And for our player of the trip we have to give it to Anele. Her hospitality was amazing, and showed us what it truly means to love what you do! She was the highlight of Lithuania for me, and I know the world is a better place with her in it! Great game!
Well everyone, that is enough for today. We will rest up for the next journey. But until then we have three more games (One that will be on the internet...we will keep you posted) so keep looking out for more interesting stories from Team America!!!
God bless!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Helsinki and the already crazy trip to Lithuania...and we aren't even there yet!!!!
Hello World!
I am writing you this blog post to let you all know that we had a wonderful time while we were in Helsinki! Lots of pictures to come....however they are already up on Facebook if you want to check them out! There are even some when Megan came so plenty of pictures to take a gander at when you have nothing to do and all kinds of free time!
Helsinki was awesome!!! I will provide a more in depth story this weekend when we are back from Lithuania, but to make a long story short we saw lots of old buildings (I am a history major...that kind of stuff really gets me going!) and even checked out a military fort from the 1700's! The ferry to get to the island that the fort was on was 3.80 round trip! Special as my friend James would say....
So...about Lithuania...We thought we were big time and booked some cheap flights to Kaunas, Lithuania for our brief two week break from football. The stay was supposed to be a couple of days and we would be back in time to celebrate the Juhannus in Finland. (Juhannus is the longest day in Finland, where the sun literally never sets!!) However, I have recently learned why our flights are so cheap! The reality is...Finland literally shuts down for Juhannus so no one was flying out. As a result there are no bussess, trains, and limited taxis when we return! So, we have recently spent the last 3 hours at Coach Jensen's house trying to figure out a way to make it back to our modest home without paying ridiculous amounts of money! So after much deliberation...We found a room in a hotel with two beds for 39 euro in Tampere where we fly in to (about an hour and a half from Jyvaskyla), which was the cheapest we can find. When you split it up it is not that bad, that just means that our trip has extended another day, as we will not be returning on Saturday. As I am typing this to you I am realizing this is a great thing, because we know get to see another city in Finland by accident, as well as celebrate Juhannus with two of my best buds! So all in all the craziness worked out for good. God's got a plan about this trip and I am excited to see where it takes us!!
Look for more extended posts this weekend and next week! Have a great day and God Bless!!!
I am writing you this blog post to let you all know that we had a wonderful time while we were in Helsinki! Lots of pictures to come....however they are already up on Facebook if you want to check them out! There are even some when Megan came so plenty of pictures to take a gander at when you have nothing to do and all kinds of free time!
Helsinki was awesome!!! I will provide a more in depth story this weekend when we are back from Lithuania, but to make a long story short we saw lots of old buildings (I am a history major...that kind of stuff really gets me going!) and even checked out a military fort from the 1700's! The ferry to get to the island that the fort was on was 3.80 round trip! Special as my friend James would say....
So...about Lithuania...We thought we were big time and booked some cheap flights to Kaunas, Lithuania for our brief two week break from football. The stay was supposed to be a couple of days and we would be back in time to celebrate the Juhannus in Finland. (Juhannus is the longest day in Finland, where the sun literally never sets!!) However, I have recently learned why our flights are so cheap! The reality is...Finland literally shuts down for Juhannus so no one was flying out. As a result there are no bussess, trains, and limited taxis when we return! So, we have recently spent the last 3 hours at Coach Jensen's house trying to figure out a way to make it back to our modest home without paying ridiculous amounts of money! So after much deliberation...We found a room in a hotel with two beds for 39 euro in Tampere where we fly in to (about an hour and a half from Jyvaskyla), which was the cheapest we can find. When you split it up it is not that bad, that just means that our trip has extended another day, as we will not be returning on Saturday. As I am typing this to you I am realizing this is a great thing, because we know get to see another city in Finland by accident, as well as celebrate Juhannus with two of my best buds! So all in all the craziness worked out for good. God's got a plan about this trip and I am excited to see where it takes us!!
Look for more extended posts this weekend and next week! Have a great day and God Bless!!!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Upcoming adventures!
Hello everyone!
So...this past week hasn't brought too many new adventures, but I wanted to give you all a taste of what is to come in the upcoming week.
Thanks to an unexpected two week break from the sport we love, the American boys are going to be making two very touristy trips to different parts of the globe. The first, tomorrow morning, to the great city of Helsinki, Finland. We have recently booked a hostel at the 1952 Summer Olympic Stadium in Helsinki. That is right, team America will be staying in the same place that the U.S. Basketball team from '52 led by Coach Warren Womble won Gold. The same place that the Hungary soccer team, affectionately nicknamed the "Golden Team" took Gold as part of the country's 42 combined medals. Also the same place Josy Barthel of Luxembourg won the 1500m. (Thank you Wikipedia). All in all it should be a pretty neat experience....Extended Stories will be posted later.
I know what you are thinking....So what are you going to do the rest of the week? Well Team America has decided to fly to Lithuania. Lithuania? Yes....the flight round trip was 50 euro...haahahha...Seriously I have only heard good things. At one point the country was actually the largest in Europe (Ok...So it might have been the 14th century...but who is counting?) and has several old sites for history nerds like me and Luke to take pictures in front of. Again...Extended stories and pictures will be posted later!
Alrighty...It is time to go cook spaghetti for the 3rd time this week!!! Gotta love the life of a Pro Athlete!
Talk to all you soon and God Bless
So...this past week hasn't brought too many new adventures, but I wanted to give you all a taste of what is to come in the upcoming week.
Thanks to an unexpected two week break from the sport we love, the American boys are going to be making two very touristy trips to different parts of the globe. The first, tomorrow morning, to the great city of Helsinki, Finland. We have recently booked a hostel at the 1952 Summer Olympic Stadium in Helsinki. That is right, team America will be staying in the same place that the U.S. Basketball team from '52 led by Coach Warren Womble won Gold. The same place that the Hungary soccer team, affectionately nicknamed the "Golden Team" took Gold as part of the country's 42 combined medals. Also the same place Josy Barthel of Luxembourg won the 1500m. (Thank you Wikipedia). All in all it should be a pretty neat experience....Extended Stories will be posted later.
I know what you are thinking....So what are you going to do the rest of the week? Well Team America has decided to fly to Lithuania. Lithuania? Yes....the flight round trip was 50 euro...haahahha...Seriously I have only heard good things. At one point the country was actually the largest in Europe (Ok...So it might have been the 14th century...but who is counting?) and has several old sites for history nerds like me and Luke to take pictures in front of. Again...Extended stories and pictures will be posted later!
Alrighty...It is time to go cook spaghetti for the 3rd time this week!!! Gotta love the life of a Pro Athlete!
Talk to all you soon and God Bless
Monday, June 14, 2010
That Stinkin Door Lock!!!!!!!
Hello Everyone!
I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend! It has been rainy and cold over here in Jyvaskyla (Who would have thought in June!!!) but it was still nice to relax after a tough game on Friday. For those who didn't watch on Friday, the Jaguaarit suffered a brutal loss to the Helsinki Wolverines. To make a long story short, we came out amped and ready to go thanks to a spirited cheer led by James (Offense..Defense...What we gonna do...Execute!! Execute!! Whoo!!) and jumped out to an early lead. But the Wolverines kept pounding and when the final whistle blew the Wolverines seemed to be the last ones standing. Literally. We had countless injuries, banged up knees, ankles, and for two of your favorite bloggers a busted up hand, arm, and concussion (X-Rays revealed no broken bones, which is nice!)
Despite the brief summary of the game, the main topic for this blog post centers around the lock to the door of our apartment. Friday had been a long, tough, rainy and cold day and the only thing we wanted to do was get into our warm apartment, make some dinner, and go to bed. However, the lock to our door simply would not cooperate and let us in!!! We tried and tried with all of our keys and seemed to just mess it up more and more! The lock became jammed and each of us reacted in our own individual ways. Taylor (Who has kindly flown all the way from Portland to come see us...Well mainly her bf Luke but it has been great seeing her!) reacted with hysterical laughter! I mean she had been a trooper all day..Sitting in the rain and watching a brutal game so the only thing she could do was laugh. Luke, calmly put his sunglassess over his eyes...walked away...and then began telling the hallway just what he felt about that stupid lock. James on the other hand, took all the keys and began going to work...Twisting prodding and doing his best to save the day. During all of this I just sort of stepped away and observed.
Now...This went on for about 20 minutes and it was after that time that I realized something...This is what we were here for. Wait you say...to sit outside your apartment while James fixes the lock?? No...But to experience these weird stories and tell them later. If it is one thing that I have learned about Europe so far, is that plans change. Locks don't work, emails dont come to the phone, people don't speak english, and the bus never seems to run on time. And truth be told, that is life. We dont necessarily know what lies around the corner for us...But we do know that with things like this, we are going to laugh about them later. And as you may have guessed by the fact that I am typing you this Blog, James fixed the lock and we made it back into the apartment. We have sinced laughed about the story multiple times, and if you see any of us on a regular basis back at home or here in Finland I am certain that you will here the story again. All in all, that is what we are here for, Football scores will fade away, but these experiences and stupid lock stories will last a whole heck of a lot longer. Thanks to all the Jaguaarit for giving us this opportunity, and I look forward to many more stories with all of you.
Have a Blessed day everybody!
I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend! It has been rainy and cold over here in Jyvaskyla (Who would have thought in June!!!) but it was still nice to relax after a tough game on Friday. For those who didn't watch on Friday, the Jaguaarit suffered a brutal loss to the Helsinki Wolverines. To make a long story short, we came out amped and ready to go thanks to a spirited cheer led by James (Offense..Defense...What we gonna do...Execute!! Execute!! Whoo!!) and jumped out to an early lead. But the Wolverines kept pounding and when the final whistle blew the Wolverines seemed to be the last ones standing. Literally. We had countless injuries, banged up knees, ankles, and for two of your favorite bloggers a busted up hand, arm, and concussion (X-Rays revealed no broken bones, which is nice!)
Despite the brief summary of the game, the main topic for this blog post centers around the lock to the door of our apartment. Friday had been a long, tough, rainy and cold day and the only thing we wanted to do was get into our warm apartment, make some dinner, and go to bed. However, the lock to our door simply would not cooperate and let us in!!! We tried and tried with all of our keys and seemed to just mess it up more and more! The lock became jammed and each of us reacted in our own individual ways. Taylor (Who has kindly flown all the way from Portland to come see us...Well mainly her bf Luke but it has been great seeing her!) reacted with hysterical laughter! I mean she had been a trooper all day..Sitting in the rain and watching a brutal game so the only thing she could do was laugh. Luke, calmly put his sunglassess over his eyes...walked away...and then began telling the hallway just what he felt about that stupid lock. James on the other hand, took all the keys and began going to work...Twisting prodding and doing his best to save the day. During all of this I just sort of stepped away and observed.
Now...This went on for about 20 minutes and it was after that time that I realized something...This is what we were here for. Wait you say...to sit outside your apartment while James fixes the lock?? No...But to experience these weird stories and tell them later. If it is one thing that I have learned about Europe so far, is that plans change. Locks don't work, emails dont come to the phone, people don't speak english, and the bus never seems to run on time. And truth be told, that is life. We dont necessarily know what lies around the corner for us...But we do know that with things like this, we are going to laugh about them later. And as you may have guessed by the fact that I am typing you this Blog, James fixed the lock and we made it back into the apartment. We have sinced laughed about the story multiple times, and if you see any of us on a regular basis back at home or here in Finland I am certain that you will here the story again. All in all, that is what we are here for, Football scores will fade away, but these experiences and stupid lock stories will last a whole heck of a lot longer. Thanks to all the Jaguaarit for giving us this opportunity, and I look forward to many more stories with all of you.
Have a Blessed day everybody!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The first few weeks....
Hello everyone!
Thanks for bearing with us as we figured out the new world of blogging. One would think it would have been easy for us three intelligent young men to figure out, but apparently not. Major props to Liz Gilgan to helping us get started.
Ok!!! So the first few weeks have been quite an adjustment period. The whole trip started on an unexpected foot as all three of us got placed on different flights as a result of the Iceland volcano. James ended up in Paris, Luke in Frankfurt, and me in the great London airport (which is massive by the way). However, after two long days of journey we all ended up in our modest flat the night of May 19th, excited to begin the new chapter of our lives!
As for the football...As Lukkes and James have posted in their blogs (Definitely check them out if you can...There is a link to them on the side bar of this blog) we are 1-2 and getting better each week. We are all playing positions we haven't played in a long time, and that has been awesome as it brings me back to the days of youth football where I was able to play every play! It is awesome that in my 14th season of football I can feel as if I am suiting up for the first time! It has been great!!
Perhaps the biggest honor...However..Was that after a team vote the Jaguaarit voted me as one of their captains. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of them, and let them know that I will lead to the best of my ability and always put the team ahead of myself. I have high hopes for this team, and I think with hard work and continued improvement we can really shake things up in the Maple League this season!
And perhaps the main highlight off the field thus far was the visit from my beautiful girlfriend of just over a year, Megan Moore. She spent the past 5 months studying in Granada, Spain and was able to travel to places like London, Scotland, Ireland, Barcelona, Paris and several others! I hadn't seen her throughout the entire 5 months so meeting her in Helsinki was a HUGE blessing! I missed her so much and it was incredible to see her again! We spent the entire week she was here relaxing and getting me settled in (thanks a ton for that baby, as it proved to be a huge help) watching various TV shows (House, Greys Anatomy), and celebrating our 1 year anniversary at an authentic Viking Restaurant!(Check out the pic of us on the side bar in our viking hats!!) It was an incredible week and just reinforced how much I love her!!
As for my note on Finnish culture within the first few weeks (I will try to post something regarding the culture each post)I would like to focus on the Sauna. Apparently saunas are Finnish, thus everyone who is anyone has at least one sauna in their residence. There are all types...Infra red...Steam...Electric...And according to my Finnish teammates, all have different effects. To tell you the truth, I am just trying to build up enough stamina to try and stay in one of those things for longer then 5 minutes!!! Our strength and conditioning coach Jarko, claims that when he gets in the sauna it is for at least 40 minutes!!! Wow!! Props to you Jarko!! All in all the sauna has been an awesome place to get to talk with my coaches and teammates. All are awesome dudes and something about sweating like crazy together in football and the sauna seems to build lasting relationships. I look forward to many more saunas with the team and many more stories!
As of today we are preparing for a tough game vs the Wolverines from Helsinki. They have two tough American Runningbacks and a solid American QB so we will certainly have our hands full! But I welcome the challenge and I think you all should watch to! It will be streamed online (I will post the link on Facebook and this Blog) this Friday at 8:30 AM in the states!
Well I apologize for the marathon post everybody, but I just needed to catch you all up! I will keep you posted on the journeys throughout the trip! Please keep us all in your prayers and feel free to email me and ask me questions about anything. This blog is for the Jaguaarit and all of our fans in Finland and the states so if there are any questions regarding anything please feel free to post on the blog or shoot me an email and I will do my best to cover them!
Thank you for reading and until next time.....
Thanks for bearing with us as we figured out the new world of blogging. One would think it would have been easy for us three intelligent young men to figure out, but apparently not. Major props to Liz Gilgan to helping us get started.
Ok!!! So the first few weeks have been quite an adjustment period. The whole trip started on an unexpected foot as all three of us got placed on different flights as a result of the Iceland volcano. James ended up in Paris, Luke in Frankfurt, and me in the great London airport (which is massive by the way). However, after two long days of journey we all ended up in our modest flat the night of May 19th, excited to begin the new chapter of our lives!
As for the football...As Lukkes and James have posted in their blogs (Definitely check them out if you can...There is a link to them on the side bar of this blog) we are 1-2 and getting better each week. We are all playing positions we haven't played in a long time, and that has been awesome as it brings me back to the days of youth football where I was able to play every play! It is awesome that in my 14th season of football I can feel as if I am suiting up for the first time! It has been great!!
Perhaps the biggest honor...However..Was that after a team vote the Jaguaarit voted me as one of their captains. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of them, and let them know that I will lead to the best of my ability and always put the team ahead of myself. I have high hopes for this team, and I think with hard work and continued improvement we can really shake things up in the Maple League this season!
And perhaps the main highlight off the field thus far was the visit from my beautiful girlfriend of just over a year, Megan Moore. She spent the past 5 months studying in Granada, Spain and was able to travel to places like London, Scotland, Ireland, Barcelona, Paris and several others! I hadn't seen her throughout the entire 5 months so meeting her in Helsinki was a HUGE blessing! I missed her so much and it was incredible to see her again! We spent the entire week she was here relaxing and getting me settled in (thanks a ton for that baby, as it proved to be a huge help) watching various TV shows (House, Greys Anatomy), and celebrating our 1 year anniversary at an authentic Viking Restaurant!(Check out the pic of us on the side bar in our viking hats!!) It was an incredible week and just reinforced how much I love her!!
As for my note on Finnish culture within the first few weeks (I will try to post something regarding the culture each post)I would like to focus on the Sauna. Apparently saunas are Finnish, thus everyone who is anyone has at least one sauna in their residence. There are all types...Infra red...Steam...Electric...And according to my Finnish teammates, all have different effects. To tell you the truth, I am just trying to build up enough stamina to try and stay in one of those things for longer then 5 minutes!!! Our strength and conditioning coach Jarko, claims that when he gets in the sauna it is for at least 40 minutes!!! Wow!! Props to you Jarko!! All in all the sauna has been an awesome place to get to talk with my coaches and teammates. All are awesome dudes and something about sweating like crazy together in football and the sauna seems to build lasting relationships. I look forward to many more saunas with the team and many more stories!
As of today we are preparing for a tough game vs the Wolverines from Helsinki. They have two tough American Runningbacks and a solid American QB so we will certainly have our hands full! But I welcome the challenge and I think you all should watch to! It will be streamed online (I will post the link on Facebook and this Blog) this Friday at 8:30 AM in the states!
Well I apologize for the marathon post everybody, but I just needed to catch you all up! I will keep you posted on the journeys throughout the trip! Please keep us all in your prayers and feel free to email me and ask me questions about anything. This blog is for the Jaguaarit and all of our fans in Finland and the states so if there are any questions regarding anything please feel free to post on the blog or shoot me an email and I will do my best to cover them!
Thank you for reading and until next time.....
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Hello World!!!
Hello World!!
Andrew Ross coming at you from Jyvaskyla Finland!! Here with two of my best buds having the experience of a lifetime! Playing football professionally in the Maple League for the Jyvaskyla Jaguaarit and experiencing Europe for the first time! This Blog will take you through all of the experiences that we have over here! Please stay tuned as we begin to figure out the blogging world!!
Stay Tuned!!!
Andrew Ross coming at you from Jyvaskyla Finland!! Here with two of my best buds having the experience of a lifetime! Playing football professionally in the Maple League for the Jyvaskyla Jaguaarit and experiencing Europe for the first time! This Blog will take you through all of the experiences that we have over here! Please stay tuned as we begin to figure out the blogging world!!
Stay Tuned!!!
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