Serbia Day 6

Well Day 6 is pretty much in the books. Been a long day. Started with a blase breakfast and word on the street is that we are getting a new caterer so that could be good...or worse. Hopefully a little better. Biggest thing was that when we went for breakfast at 8:30, we waited in line for 20 minutes and that was just to get a tray. Then we had to go for the food. The meal hall holds 1300 and it was busting.

After breakfast Linda and Deb had to go to the technical meeting so I went on a guided bus tour with the team. It was really interesting. Lots of different architecture and many different sights. The moment that had the most impact was when we pulled up next to a group of buildings and the tour guide informed us that it was the site of a Nazi concentration camp. The bus went silent. IT was a weird moment. I don't even have words for it just a feeling I have never experienced before.

As the tour went along we saw many different things including huge stadiums and a very impressive temple. As we drove down a street with the Canadian Embassy on it we slowed down and the guide directed us to look to our left which was the old police headquarters. It was almost surreal. The building were still standing...in pieces and with big holes in the walls. It was a major site of the NATO bombings in the late 1990's. The whole morning made me appreciate our country a whole lot more.

When the tour ended we came back to the village and the girls went to lunch. The coaches went to, you guessed it, another meeting to discuss practice. After this we met with the girls in a video session to review footage from our scrimmage vs. Taipei. We talked about practice and then headed off with about an hour and a half of private time. I had to get out of my room as overnight I have acquired the three swimming physiotherapists and the little apartment is busy. I wanted some down time so I walked around the village on my own and checked out some stuff. I picked up a few souvenirs and then made my way back for practice. We departed at 4:45 with practice supposed to start at 6. We arrived early and the US men had cancelled their time before us so we went early and got some extra work done. We tuned up some offensive stuff and then I worked on our half court defense. WE finished by installing our zone offense while I did the defense and we scrimmaged for 10 minutes to tighten up our game flow. We felt pretty good about practice although after only 5 days in the gym together we may need a little work. We were invited the home of the Canadian Ambassador tonight but we were practicing and had to turn it down. Just one of those scheduling things. Oh Well, maybe next time.

Another classic moment of international travel on the way home from practice. On each bus we have 2 armed police officers and our interpreter (she is the best!). I guess they asked for some music so the bus driver obliged. It started with some Mariachi music but then he changed it. My guess is it was the only CD he had in English. Last year in China it was Christmas Carols in July. This year in Serbia...well I heard the first few notes and started to laugh...it was the theme to the Muppet Show. It was killing me. Of course I knew all the words.

So we made it back for supper which wasn't bad and less crowded because we were later. After supper, yup, another meeting. Well this time individual meetings with the players as we prepare for competition. Then another coaches meeting afterward to discuss the game tomorrow. Lots of meetings!!!

Tomorrow starts the real fun. We get up early and then the coaches will go and scout Japan/Australia before our game vs. Slovakia. Can't wait for it to start. Bring on the hoops.

And as Stompin' Tom Connors would say "it's Canada Day up Canada way on the first day of July". After seeing some of the sights here I can't even begin to explain why I love Canada. While it has issues like everywhere else, I sure am glad I live there.

So I am going to sit out here and enjoy another beautifully warm night in the village. SPLENDID. Of course it had to get nicer after a NASTY thunder and lightning storm earlier today.

Hopefully some better access and a win to report tomorrow.

Take Care

Coach

Serbia Day 5

Well another day almost done. As I type this I am sitting outside in the courtyard with a good internet connection. It is a beautiful night here. Very warm and nice humidity. The village is really buzzing. The athletes are starting to arrive in droves. With 7500 athletes scheduled to be here it should get interesting and lively. I still give the nod to the African team for the most spirited team as they sang and danced their way to the meal hall tonight.

The day started with an early breakfast with the same old stuff. They gotta mix it up a little or it could get boring. THe lines are also starting to get longer but what can you expect with so many people. I could tell you every tiny detail about the breakfast but then it would sound like twitter..."went to breakfast, ate eggs, ham, bread, went home, pooped!" Don't think i'll get into that detail.

After breakfast we had a team meeting to watch some video for today and set realized some game goals we should have. After this meeting I came back to the room and got a little rustic. Did some laundry in the bathtub. Fun times. Hold on...twitter alert..."weird box of laundry soap, water too hot, clothes hanging everywhere."

The coaches skipped lunch again today as we met about the game and did some prep work. We departed for the gym at 1pm to play Chinese Taipei at 2. They were not a very big team but fast and put up quick shots. They wanted to run and run. Our game goals on defense were to focus on transition defense and rebounding. We needed lots of work on our safeties. On offense we wanted to push the ball, get into offense and hit the post if we could because of the size advantage. Patience was also a key on offense. While we weren't the most patient on offense we did accomplish most of our other goals. We played 5 quarters against them and defeated them bu a score of 93-76. Kelsey played OK today. Struggled in some parts as she is still learning the international offensive game. She did help us out with 9 points.

After the game we came back and had to wait as the dining hall didn't open until 6. Deb went to workout while Linda and I enjoyed a nice Americano Misto coffee at the sidewalk cafe. We chatted about a lot of things. Our teams at Laval and CBU, the CIS and the state of women's basketball, we exchanged a drill or two and talked basketball. It was a really nice chat and very relaxing.

The team headed to supper at 6 which was OK. Not the best but OK. Chicken with peanuts, Moussaka, and Salad. After supper it was time off for the girls but the coaches went and watched the video of today's game. We had a few more technical difficulties but we will get all the bugs worked out before our first game. After that session of viewing the video I came home to break it down to get ready for our video session tomorrow.

Tomorrow it is off for a city tour of Belgrade and then a film session in the early afternoon. Practice at 6 and then the real fun begins. We played 2 different teams with 2 totally different styles so far and I can't wait to watch the rest. As I said before, for clowns like Derrick Hayes Disney World is his ideal vacation. This is mine. (Come on Derrick, If I can't be there to take the shot at lunch time I gotta throw one out there. I know you're hurt by it......you're over it now!!) Actually, a highlight for me will definitely be our first game. As I said before, hearing the national anthem while wearing the red and white is special but on Canada Day makes it a little bit better.

I think it is time to go off and enjoy the village with all of this activity. Thanks for following along.

Coach

Serbia Day 4

Day 4

Well Day 4 is over and it was long and very tiring. I was up at 7 for an 8:30AM breakfast. I couldn’t sleep I guess. I got up and had a good connection to the net so I checked my email. Unfortunately this posting will be late or not until tomorrow because the crappy internet service is not good.

Breakfast was pretty much the same as every day. No surprises except for the tuna pasta salad. Another interesting choice for breakfast. After breakfast we came back to the village and found out that we would scrimmage Great Britain this afternoon at 4pm. The athletes got some treatment and relaxed a bit while the staff met about our upcoming practice. Around noon the players headed to lunch but we skipped it and finalized our plan. Linda and I then went to the mall at around 12:30 just to see what was in it. Very nice with some nice stores but VERY expensive. A lot of things are far more expensive than back home. Linda headed back to rest for a little bit before practice but I stayed and wandered around for a few minutes. I was curious to see the people and the different stores. It was an interesting place. We were leaving for practice at 1:45 and at around a little after 1 there was another thunder and lightning storm with HEAVY rain. Our third since we got here. It rained the entire way to the gym. The gym was called Basketland and there is a basketball high school there. A very nice facility and the people are very nice everywhere we go.

The practice was better than yesterday but we still need so much work. Defensively we are atrocious because we have to spend so much time working on our offense. I think with more time and effort we will improve. Enough to get into the round of the top 8. Not sure but we hope so. We will play 8 or 9 games here in 12 days so it will be interesting. After practice we scurried out the door into some beautiful sunshine and headed across town to another gym to play Great Britain.

The game was an organized scrimmage with no scoreboard and as many timeouts as you wished. We kept a running score and although we played very sloppy we managed to beat them. Our transition defense was non existent and our rebounding needs work. On the offensive end we were a bit disjointed but more game prep will help us. Kelsey scored 5 points in our scrimmage on a 3 pointer and a nice transition jump shot. The scrimmage was great for her I think because it really exposed some things she needs to prepare for.

After the scrimmage we jumped on the bus with the British team which was nice as they sat with our girls and talked the whole way home.

When we arrived back home we learned that we have another exhibition match tomorrow with Chinese Taipei. We will play them at 2pm.

So finally we headed off to supper. The coaches were starving from missing lunch. On the menu was mushroom lasagna, potato pie, chicken risotto, something I can’t pronounce and something else I can’t pronounce. I got in line and I asked the guy behind the counter to give me a little bit of each to try. I think “little bit” means load up in Serbian because when he was done I couldn’t see the plate. Didn’t finish it all but it was good. Some of the players are struggling with the food but I don’t think it’s that bad yet.

After supper we had a very short player meeting to discuss a few things and then the coaches went to have, you guessed it, another meeting. We were watching video for a while when there came a knock on our door. When I opened it the hallway lights went dark. There was this massive person in my door. She said she was a player on the Polish team and that they wanted to play us on Tuesday. Her coach sent her because she is one of the only ones who speaks English. This girl was one of the biggest I have seen maybe ever. I told the coaches we could have rented some gear and climbed her. She was a mountain. Unfortunately we can’t fit in the schedule to play them but I will see if I can squeeze her on the plane and take her back to CBU!!!

So the day was long enough but mine was not done. Deb and Linda headed off and I settled down to take care of my specialty. Breaking down video. Here comes the worst part of my day. The video equipment that Canada Basketball has does not have all the proper cords that I need to run everything. I tried everything I could think of so then Moriah, our manager, and I headed to the mall to try and find some cords. Nothing but while walking home I came up with something that should work. It will make my job a little bit harder but gotta take it in stride.

So tomorrow it is up early for an 8:30 breakfast and then a video session and then off to our scrimmage. It should be an interesting one. The game vs Tapiei will be an interesting challenge.

I hope everyone is well back across the pond

Coach

Serbia Day 3

Pic 1

Banner in our practice gym Day 1
2nd practice gym
1st practice gym
Sidewalk Cafe in the Athletes village

View from just outside the athletes village

My first national team player...a very proud moment for me

Hi Everyone

Day 3 was a tiring day. The body has to make adjustments to time and food which can play havoc with you as I am finding out. I hit a wall just after lunch today where I was dead tired but had to stay awake so I can make sure I am on a regular pattern.

The day started with an 8:30 breakfast. Eggs, sausage, various meats and cheeses, breads and pasta on the menu. Yes pasta for breakfast. An interesting choice but it wasn't bad. The coffee is strong here though. Could put Red Bull out of busness.

One thing I learned last year in this position that it is filled with meetings. After breakfast the players had medicals and we had individual meetings with them to ask them what they felt their biggest challenges would be and to ask what they felt they could gain from the experience. After these meetings we did a walk through of our offensive stuff in the parking lot. We then skipped across to the dining hall. Actually the dining hall is located behind the Holiday Inn which is a 10 minute walk down the road but it's not bad.

Lunch was a really nice greek salad, creamed chicken and i agreed to try something I didn't know the name of. Bad idea. I almost puked when I put a large forkful of horse radish in my mouth. I hate horse radish to begin with but this stuff was like drinking paint thinner. Yucky. I then tried the best thing of the trip so far. Banatska is a Serbian soup made with veggies and ground beef in a reddish brown broth. Outstanding taste. Finish it up with a chocolate muffin and all was good.

After lunch, you guessed it, another meeting to discuss practice. We would have an hour to practice and it would be our first time with all 12 players. We left for practice at 4pm expecting to get there in 10 minutes. Only problem was the bus driver and the police escort didn't know how to get there or took a wrong turn. On the first leg of the journey, we went through some spots that had a few of the girls stating how thankful they are for what they have. The high level of poverty was so evident. Past this area though we climbed through the hills on narrow roads into a very nice area of Belgrade. It was way up on the side of a hill overlooking the city. Very pretty.

Eventually we found the gym and went inside. The security is impressive here. On each bus we have 2 armed officers with a police escort. At each facility there is security and today in practice I witnessed a first. There were 3 entrance doors into the gym with an armed guard at each door. So on to practice.

The only way I can describe this practice is that if she was at a high school dance NOBODY was asking her to waltz. It was worse than ugly in parts. Sloppy execution and no defense but there were a few bright lights and we'll focus on the positive things and build on them. One nice moment for me was when Deb Huband, one of our coaches from UBC, came over to me after watching the pre practice shooting drills and said "Kelsey can just flat out shoot it huh" of course I said "Yup, she works hard at it". So there were bright lights but many dim ones. We have to get the power flowing which is hard with just 5 practices before we play but we'll go at it and see what we can do.

The ride back from practice was uneventful and we stopped off at the dining hall for supper instead of going all the way back to the village. Dinner was Potato Pie, Beef Strips, Moussaka and Serbian Salad which was heavy on the onions. The tomatoes and cucumber in it was phenomenal though. After the meal we figured why not have another meeting so we planned for tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be a jumble as we either have one practice or one practice and a game. WE have worked out an exhibition game with Great Britain but the transportation people are having a little difficulty with it so we will find out in the morning what we will do. We'd like to scrimmage just to get some game action and see what will happen. Hopefully things work out. Interestingly, Tom Mahar, the coach of the China team we played against last year, is the coach of Great Britain now. They have hired him to build the program towards the 2012 Olympics. He is a highly respected international coach.

I thought I would try and share a few pics if I can so hopefully if this turns out and the internet access is OK I will continue.

So that was pretty much Day 3. I will update you tomorrow if we can get a game or not. It is now about 10:15 pm and it is beautiful outside. I may take a short walk around the village just to check things out. So far it has been eye opening like last year and I am sure it will continue.

See you tomorrow.

Day 2 - Serbia

Day 2 Friday June 26

I am not sure why I am writing this right now as the blog may never be useful. The internet access here is not stellar. I wish it was much better but unfortunately it is not. We may be getting access soon but who knows.

Today started at 6:30 with a breakfast..well not exactly. My roommate Nathan (our physio guy) and I slept in a little past 6:30. We were exhausted so we scrambled to get ready and get to the meal hall. It was a decent breakfast with some eggs of different kinds, some meats and cheeses and some sausages. I found something very interesting in my sausage when I cut into it. Not appealing to say the least. There were different breads as well and cereal too. I tried the yogurt which was basically like sour milk.

We departed the breakfast and headed to get ready for practice. Our missing players didn’t arrive yet so we headed off with 8 healthy players and 1 with a bad ankle. The drive through a downpour was interesting and took us through some rather interesting areas. I don’t think we saw the best neighbourhoods. We arrived at the gym and it was a nice practice facility. We introduced some offensive things to the team and basically got them to shoot the ball a lot to work the cobwebs out of their body.

We returned home and found our 3 missing players and 1 coach had arrived. They ended up leaving Munich then went to Vienna and got stuck there. They stayed overnight and then flew here. Unfortunately their bags liked Vienna so much they decided to stick around. The bags eventually made it here tonight.

Around noon it was off to lunch where I sampled “colorful salad” aka Coleslaw. We also had some oriental chicken and a beef kind of meatloaf. The chicken had way too much ginger in it but the meat loaf stuff was good. Different but good. Linda, Deb and I dropped into the mall next door after lunch to get a coffee. As soon as we walked into the shop the gentleman behind the counter said “Ah Canada, Welcome Welcome, Gretzky, Gretzky” as he acted like shooting a puck. When we said basketball he said “Steve Nash, Steve Nash” as he motioned a sign for long hair. We got a coffee which was much different and needed 36 pounds of sugar to get it right. The thing we’re not used to in this mall is that people smoke inside and sit around drinking coffee. Of course EVERYBODY smokes here.

After lunch the coaching staff met to discuss some scheduling issues while the players napped. A player meeting followed at 4pm where we discussed team goals and our mission. We stopped in the Nike store here in the athletes village. It has the fitness centre inside of the store which is neat. I won’t be buying anything thought as the low cut running shoes we looked at cost roughly 200 a pop.

A team supper followed where we sampled just about everything. They had mushroom lasagna, a vegetable patty kind of like a potato pancake, something I can’t pronounce with meat in it and something I can’t pronounce with cabbage in it. The cabbage thing can best be described as looking like a Vachon flaky pastry except replace the strawberry filling with a cabbage mix.

After dinner we met as a coaching staff again to finalize some details and work on an exhibition game.. We sat in an outdoor café here in the village which was nice.

So tomorrow is an 8:30 breakfast followed by a individual meetings. Practice isn’t until 5pm so we should have some time to kill.

So I’ll keep you posted when I can.

Day 1 - Serbia

Where am I??? What time is it?? What day is it??? Why did ATV cancel Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling??? All questions that need answers but I am not sure I can give them right now. To say the least, it was a fully eventful day. Sit back and enjoy because this could be a long post. The posts may also be a little spotty as internet access is sparse at best here. There is an internet centre set up with about 15-20 computers for the 7500 athletes that will be here. As I sit here typing this it is roughly 3pm on Thursday in Cape Breton. I have been up since 7AM Wednesday with 1.5 hours of sleep on the flight from Paris to Serbia thrown in there. Exhausted isn ‘t the word.

So here goes. My Wednesday began at 7AM. I got cleaned up, finished packing and then went to get Kelsey for our drive to Halifax. It was a pretty smooth drive and we made it to the airport around 1pm for our 3:15mpm flight. Uneventful flight to Montreal but we faced a 4 hour wait for our next flight. That went by boringly slow and then we boarded the flight to Paris. The first thing I will say is that after flying Air China last year and then Air France this year, why the heck to we have to buy the crap Air Canada is selling us. The service, comfort and food kicked Air Canada’s ass. So off we go on a 6 hour and 50 minute flight. Mostly French people and French flight attendants (who by the way also kicked the ass of Air Canada!!) who were very nice although they could have asked me if I wanted motor oil in my tea and I wouldn’t have known the difference. The meal was a barley and pastrami salad with Salmon as the main course and chocolate banana cake for dessert. Not bad. I tried to time my sleep so I would be adjusted for Serbia. Just getting my eyes closed when the Sisters of Charity Ladies Auxiliary decide to hold a meeting right behind me. There were 5 older women and they decided to try and out shout each other in their discussion. Needless to say the sleep was thrown off and I never got to sleep on the Paris flight. I did get to see Paris and the Eiffel Tower from the air which was pretty cool.

When we got off the plane we had to scramble to our next gate and we eventually made the plane only to sit on the tarmac for an hour with a delay in finding a passenger. Got in the air with a few bumps during the flight and eventually landed in Belgrade 2 hours and 15 min. later. Very smooth process getting through customs and then onto a bus. Guys with guns basically surround the bus and guide us on then escort us in a police car. The terrain is different. It kind of reminded me of flying into Saskatchewan.

So we land at the athletes village. Impressive to say the least. Huge buildings and cafes and high security. Guns visible and soldiers with dogs on the perimeter. We got settled into our residence and it is impressive except for the bad internet access. We headed off to the meal hall for our first meal and it wasn’t bad. Some stuff that resembled things from home. The hall can hold a few thousand at a time which is impressive in itself. We finished the meal and had to go to a flag raising ceremony with the people from our building present. Australia and Great Britain were there with us and it was very nice. Red carpet, traditional costumes and music. Nice to watch our flag be raised though. Gave me chills.

Following the ceremony we toured the village a little and then got the news that one of our coaches and 3 of our players missed a flight in Munich and we are not sure if they will make it tonight or not. Coach Marquis and I sat at a little café and planned practices based on four scenarios. 1 hour with 8 players, 1 hour with 11 players, 2 with 8 or 2 with 11. Later we found out we get an hour to practice tomorrow so 2 scenarios are out.

While we were sitting in the café a really nice thing happened that you just don’t see everyday. I could hear singing from somewhere behind me. Along came the South African team singing as loud as possible while dancing to their music. It was very nice. Then we got fired up with the sounds of the Guns and Roses tribute band. There is a huge stage setup here with free concerts for the athletes each night.

So now I must get off to sleep. I am sure I forgot something from today but I can’t remember my name right now. Tomorrow starts with a 6:30 breakfast with departure for the gym at 8:10 for a 9AM practice. Let’s get started.

Website

Hello Everyone

Just a quick update before we head out of Halifax. I forgot to list the website of the games. It is http://www.universiade-belgrade2009.org/

You can see all the results and check out the venues where we are playing. Catch you in about 24 hours.

Universiade 2009

Well folks, here we are a year later and back for another National Team Journey. This time I will be an assistant with the Women’s National Development team heading to the World Universiade in Belgrade, Serbia. Many people have asked if I will continue the blogging like last year so the answer is yes provided we have good internet access in Serbia.

If you asked 100 people to list the countries they would most like to visit I would be willing to wager that none of them would have Serbia on their list. For me however, it has been on my top 5 list for many years. Why would I say Serbia you ask? Well as you know, I have a little bit of a passion for the game of basketball and on the international scene Serbia is known as “the land of basketball”. I have always wanted to go there to see just how crazy people are about basketball. I am really looking forward to it and hopefully I will get a chance to experience a lot of basketball. Just to stop you from guessing, Italy, Spain, Greece and Australia are the other 4 in the top 5. All basketball related of course. That’s also why a relatively unknown like Lithuania creeps into my top 10.

We are leaving on the 24th and will be away for 19 days as we train for about 6 days before we begin playing in the tournament. Our team is relatively young but from what I know of the players on the team I think I will enjoy the team. Our team consists of the following players:

Carolann Cloutier - Quebec - Old Dominion University
Chanel St. Amour - Quebec - Universite Laval
Marie Michelle Genois - Quebec - Universite Laval
Zara Huntley - Nova Scotia - UBC
Kayla Dykstra - Alberta - UVIC
Robyn Buna - BC - Simon Fraser
Laurelle Weigl - Alberta - Simon Fraser
Courtney Pilypaitis - Ontario - Vermont
Vanessa Kabongo - Ontario - Delaware
Kalisha Keane - Ontario - Michigan State
and of course our own Kelsey Hodgson

We are in a pool at the games with Australia (defending champ), Japan and the Czech Republic. On July 1 we play the Czech Republic, July 2 we play Japan and July 3 we play Australia. On the 4th we have a day off and then play the crossover section of the tourney after the day off. This will all be determined by results.

As far as travel goes, Kelsey and I will leave Cape Breton on Wednesday morning and drive to Halifax. We will catch a flight at approx. 3pm for Montreal. In Montreal we catch a flight at 7:15PM to Paris. We land in Paris at 8:05AM on July 25th and then catch a flight at 9:35AM arriving in Belgrade at 11:50 AM. Factor in the 5 hour time change and we are traveling for roughly 22 hours straight. Should be fun.

Having Kelsey with me will be nice though. It is her first international trip and I can help her adjust to the travel a little. It is also a great feeling to watch somebody work really hard to make themselves better and then share it with them when they get the chance to realize a dream. I told her that there is no feeling like hearing your national anthem while wearing the red and white. I am looking forward to experiencing that moment with her.

I have to mention how supportive our university has been in this initiative to get Phil Nkrumah, Kelsey and myself to this universiade. The administration and our athletic director are incredibly supportive of what we do and that support is tremendously appreciated.

So I’ll keep the first post relatively short. There will be lots to talk about I am sure. With 7500 athletes and this being the 2nd biggest sporting event behind the Olympics I am sure there will be a lot of stories to tell. So hopefully the internet access will be OK as I know many people like this blog but most importantly, my mom gets to check up on how things are going and keep an eye on me.

So sit back, relax and try to enjoy this ride through the often bizarre eyes of a somewhat rotund and slightly gray haired basketball coach.