On Sunday Becky and Edwige arrived in Valencia, which makes us 5 at practice from now on... sweet... a whole starting line up. (I know that coach is ecstatic to finally get things started on the court)
In the last 3 years Becky and I have played on two teams together: Cras Basket Taranto and Sacramento Monarchs (WNBA) and I am glad to be her teammate again.
Edwige and I have a different story. We've known each other for about 16 years now ... we met as opponents in the Cadets European Championship and continued a friendship as penpals over the years (I don't know if you remember what that was, but BACK IN THE DAYS people used to write things called "letters" on a piece of paper, put a stamp on it, and drop it off in the mailbox). We lost touch when I went to the States to study, but once I returned to play in Europe we met again, but continuosly played on opposite teams... we have always talked about playing together, but for some reason it had never worked out.... until now! Needless to say, I am pumped and I am hoping for great things!!! (No pressure, E!)
Hola a todos,
as many of you have noticed... I do take A LOT OF PICTURES... and today I thought it'd be nice introduce some of our staff members to all of you.
Here are the people that make our days a living....... heeeeeaven, of course ;)
From left to right: Alejandro Toledo (Assistant Coach, Strength & Conditioning "specialist" ;), Jordi Fernandez (headcoach), ME and then last but not least Carme Lluveras i Puig (general manager)
Ljuba and JORDI... our teammanager, a.k.a."busy bee"... if things need to get done, Jordi is there... gotta get registered at the police? Jordi will be there to pick you up at 8am! Got to get your blood taken? Jordi will scoop you up before breakfast! Need some water during practice? Where's Jordi?!
Ruben Guijarro, our physiotherapist... and helpmate during every second of practice
Germán Ros Garcia and me at my presentation and official welcome to Valencia by the media
I don't have anymore pictures at the moment, because I haven't feel comfortable with harassing EVERYbody yet.... but once we get to know each other better here in RosCasares-Land, I'll make sure to post some more pictures.
OH NO... that's all there's to say as an athlete when you are told that you are in for this special "fitness test".
The VO2-Max/Lactat Threshold Test... ON THE TREADMILL.
It's for sure not the worst thing in the world, but come on, a simple EKG-test on a bicycle would do it, too... lol.
In our profession, before our contracts become 100% guaranteed, each player has to go through a physical examination organized by the clubteam. This clause protects the club and assures them that they didn't buy a pig in a poke.
In my career I've been through different types of "acceptance" tests, as I like to call them: from simply shaking the team doctors' hand and telling him that I was healthy, to getting my blood tested, doing step-ups onto a box, to the oh-so-hated Lactate Threshold/VO2-Max Test.
Yep, I mean the word alone makes you say "OH!"
What in the world isthis test about?VO2 Max measures the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during maximal or exhaustive exercise.
Lactate Threshold points out the moment/intensity of an exercise where our bodies rapidly begins to accumulate lactic acid... Simply put, when our muscles start to get tired.
What in the world is all of this good for?
It measures the aerobic fitness and maximal oxygen uptake and helps to determine the most efficient type of practice to "get into shape".
How does such a test look like?
To spare myself the embarrassment, I decided NOT to film myself during the test... lol... but here is a video that show what we go through... and let me tell you, I was almost running as fast as this girl... almost!
Who would have thought that becoming a professional basketball player would lead to all of this?
Hahaha, it's not just running up and down the court and putting a small orange ball into a round wire, but luckily MOST OF THE TIME it is!!!!!
... and here are some pictures of my test:
Enjoy, but don't laugh... or I am going to schedule you to take one, too!!!!
getting started... still all smiles
getting hooked up to the mask.. it's super tight and doesn't smell good... and even though I am not, I felt claustrophobic
still posing
oh oh, here we go!
phew, the treadmill is slowing down... after about 15 minutes of testing... hallelujah!
getting my blood pressure measured..... (As if I am not hooked up to enough cables yet...lol)
And yes, I am a little exhausted, thus the empty stare ;)
the lady is poking my ear for some blood: the lactate sample
come on, lady!!! please I am tired... no more blood!
Well thanks to some nice ladies... I was introduced to a Valencian specialty last week:
Horchata & Fartons
"HORCHATA" is an icy cold refreshment drink made of of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley or tigernuts. (it tastes like a milky sweet slushy) VERY YUMMY.
They are served with some sweet pastry rolls, called "Fartons".... lol, yep... don't laugh at that word... hihihi.... as a combination... VERY REFRESHING!! Luckily I received the treat after a tough 2 hour practice with the boys team, so I was able to indulge a little bit, without feeling too guilty!!
Hola a todos.
It's Friday night and it's 11.30pm... usually time for people to start hanging out and getting ready for the weekend.... well not for me ;)
I just got home 30 minutes ago from practice, threw in load of laundry, finished dinner and now kicked up my feet. I have planned to write a little summary this weekend... but it's not Saturday/Sunday yet ;)
Just to hold you off for a little longer, just wanted to share one of the songs I like to listen to these days when I cruise around Valencia... enjoy!
Hello everyone. Today I feel like sharing something about an old friend of mine.
Her name is Melissa Erickson.
She's a woman who lives in Seattle, and who I met back when I was at UNLV when she was a grad assistant there. She later also has been part of my "Lebe Deine Vision" Basketball camp for kids in Las Vegas.
Before her coaching career she was a great basketball player herself, and fought for the colors of the University of Washington. After college, she also played basketball in Portugal and even in my beloved Germany.
Four years ago Melissa was diagnosed with ALS.
ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. As the disease progresses, motor neurons -- which lead from the brain to the spinal cord and on to the muscles throughout the body -- die, and the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movements is lost, resulting in paralysis, and eventually death. The cause of ALS is unknown, and there is currently no cure or treatment to halt or reverse the disease.
Melissa has a foundation, which works to help her afford her medical bills and the necessary alterations needed in her home. As the organization grows, the Melissa Erickson Foundation hopes to one day benefit other ill and injured former athletes.
Last time I actually saw Melissa in person was at my basketball camp in Las Vegas. I saw her today again, in a video... a video about ALS... and it broke my heart.
It broke my heart to see what this disease can do to people... I had never really been aware of it.
It also woke me up, and made me question all the little things that I complain about, and take for granted.
Melissa is a strong and positive woman with a lot of fight and energy. And that's what I believe in... that she is going to fight this disease, till the disease has to conquer.
As the year is slowly coming to an end, and you maybe still haven't found a worthy cause to donate to, I would like to encourage you to help Melissa fight ALS.
Just go to her website and find out more:
I still remember where I was, what I did, and the numbness that came with seeing the event unfold itself .... as probably many of you do, too.
Today I simply want to pray for all those people that have lost their lives not only on September 11, 2001 but all around the world in crimes that seem to make no sense.
I pray for the families that were left behind, for their strength and healing.
you can look at my blog title from two different perspectives.
NUMERO UNO: moving to a new place is always combined with a lot of "hustle-n-bustle". Practicing, getting situated in your apartment, getting to know the streets, finding your way to the gym, meeting new faces, remember everybody's name (even harder when you get to a new country, and are not used to the pronounciation), buying groceries, going from one doctor to another, etc... oh and yeah, I almost forgot... we practice, too... twice a day that is ;)
One thing over here that I'll be needing some time to adjust to is our evening practice time: 20-22h... when I am at home, at 9.00pm I usually start dragging myself to bed (about an hour after Dr.Phil goes off...lol).
To put it into a nutshell, the City of Valencia has left me with little sleep.
NUMERO DOS: the PR department of our team NEVER SLEEPS. It is so funny, but my husband and my family have known about my day-to-day operations before I even get to talk to them about it.... why? Because it's already on the web.... either on http://www.roscasaresbasket.com/ or their facebook group: click here to join.
This is really putting the pressure on me, leaving even less time to rest, as I need to come strong(er) with some creative blogs to compete with the PR crew of Ciudad Ros Casares. So please people, help me out and let me know what you want me to write about. PLEASE!
Okay now, it's time for bed... tomorrow we are starting the weekend with a two-a-days ;) but we'll be working for a day off on Sunday, so until then.... BUENAS NOCHES.
Here's a photo of my presentation with our president Mr. Ros Casares.
Der Deutsche Basketball Bund trauert gemeinsam mit dem Bremer Basketball Verband um Ulrich 'Ulli' Kegel. Der ehemalige Trainer, Schiedsrichter und Abteilungsleiter verstarb am Wochenende nach langer und schwerer Krankheit.
Kegel war über 40 Jahre für den Bremer Basketball aktiv und engagierte sich insbesondere für Kinder und Jugendliche. Dafür erhielt Ulli Kegel im vergangenen Jahr die Goldene Ehrennadel des Deutschen Basketball Bundes.
"Wir haben mit Ulli Kegel ein Stück Bremer Basketball-Geschichte und ich persönlich einen langjährigen Weggefährten und guten Freund verloren. Sein großes Engagement für unsere Sportart werden wir nie vergessen. Unsere Gedanken sind bei seiner Familie und seinen Freunden", so DBB-Präsident Ingo Weiss in einer ersten Stellungnahme.
I met Ulli a couple of years back when he helped getting my college team over to Germany for some friendly games. He kindly assisted and organized things vigorously. His passion was contagious.
We stayed in touch here and there... but for some years the contact became less and less... today I sadly found out why that had happened when I went onto the DBB website. I was very sad to read about his death.
Rest in peace, Ulli!!! I will always remember your kind spirit and your neverending energy.
Condolences to his family!!!!!!
Ulli has been the second DBB member we've lost this week... a couple of days back a young (18) player by the name of Matthias Mauksch lost his fight against cancer. Also here I want to send my condolensce to his family and friends. Definitely a sad loss as well, even though I've never known this young man. Rest in peace!
