FRÖHLICH'S "Food For Thought"

COMING TO VEGAS

2011-11-16T21:27:00.001+02:00

Hello everyone,

wow. It's been a looooong time... and there's so much catching up to do... unfortunately today I don't have the time to even start... but I am going to try my best to get things up and going again by the beginning of next week... that's a promise *gulp* and I hate breaking promises!

This is what's going on this weekend. There's a Rebel Reunion in town, and I am going to be there... finally! After nine long years of playing overseas during this time of the year, I finally have a chance to come back and support my UNLV Lady Rebels.

Below you can find the information for the schedule of events on Saturday.

I would like to encourage as many of you to bring your children to the free clinic... it will be a lot of fun!!!

And of course to all those you haven't been to a Rebel game yet... COME ON OUT and say hi!!!

I've missed my Vegas family and am looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Hope to see you there!! Go Rebels.

Schedule of Events for Saturday, November 19th

1-2:30pm LadyRebel Tune-up Clinic (All boys and girls in grades 2-8are encouraged to attend this free clinic.)

2-2:45pm AlumnaePre-game Reception

3:00pm LadyRebel Tipoff vs. San Jose State

Halftime LadyRebel Alumnae Introductions

Post-game Lady RebelAlumnae & Current Lady Rebels Autograph Session

IF YOU ARE FROM THE SEATTLE AREA....

2011-08-26T00:59:00.001+03:00

...please go out and support my friend Melissa Erickson and her fight against ALS.
Unfortunately I wont' be able to make it, but IF YOU CAN please go... it's for a great cause, and for a great woman!!!!!!

It's the RING AROUND THE NEEDLE PUB CRAWL EVENT

Date: Saturday, August 27 at 1 - 5pm. Check-in begins at 11:30am.

Check-in location: Jabu's parking lot in Lower Queen Anne on Roy between 2nd & Warren (map).
Check-in time: Check-in and day-of registration begins at 11:30 a.m. on August 27th. The pub crawl is from 1 to 5 pm.

For mo' information CLICK HERE

SUMMER TIME... AND THE LIVIN' IS EEEEEASY

2011-08-07T05:02:00.003+03:00

Hello to everyone.
I just wanted to check in and tell everyone that I am doing well... just enjoying the summer. I haven't been back on my blog for a while, but I am planning to be back more frequently soon, so please keep checking back in and thanks in the first place for even reading this.

At the moment I am coaching some kids in the Fytt League of Corona, and what initially started as a volunteer job has now turned into an all out commitment. The boys (6-7 years old) have conquered my heart with their joy for life and their excitement about basketball.

My team, the LAVA EAGLES are practicing once a week and on Saturday we usually have a game... today we had our third game of the season and so far we can show for 3 "W"s :) Go Lava Eagles.

One of my next blogs will be about the Fenerbahce Fans. Somebody requested it on my facebook page and I am going to make sure to write about it soon. If you want me to blog about something, just let me know :)

being silly

time out.... what is Coach Linda yapping about now? ;)

I think I've always underestimated the emotional side of a coach... it's tough being on the sideline.

Freethrows for the Lava Eagles.... it's a contact sport ;)

PLEASE SUPPORT!

2011-06-17T07:56:00.002+03:00

...

2011-06-02T00:21:00.001+03:00

R.I.P. MARGO DYDEK

2011-05-30T06:04:00.000+03:00

I've been trying for some days now to find a picture that I took over a decade ago when I first met Margo, but without success... I took it at the European Championship in Poland 1999 when I was allowed to travel with the women's nationalteam on injured reserve. It was the year when Margo won the gold medal with Poland.

At tournaments like these, it's usually on the last day that all players mingle to catch up or meet for the first time... and that's when I "met" Margo for the first time.

As a youngster (18 years old) I was in a constant state of awe during the whole tournament.

And needless to say when I got a chance to take a picture with the lady that led Poland to the Championship, I was super excited. I remember feeling a little bad too, though, because I thought that maybe many people asked her to take a picture due to her height. But if you know me, at the end of the day that didn't keep me from taking a snapshot for the memories book... and now hearing and reading all the stories about Margo, I know she didn't mind either :)

The next time I met Margo was in the WNBA, about 4 years later... on my way from the gym to the hotel room, I had gotten lost in the kitchen/washing-machine area of the Mohegan Sun Hotel... when all of a sudden, Margo came around the corner. She immediately talked to me... (did she remember me from the picture years back?). She was absolutely sweet and I remember thinking, when I grow up, I wanna be like that.

So that was almost 10 years ago now... after that we'd meet again in Europe playing against each other, but never together. I guess with those two encounters that we've had I received enough of the Margo-spirit. Reading all the facebook comments and articles, I see that that woman had a lot to give, and that now a lot was taken from her family and friends.

So I am going to close now by sending my heart and prayer out to Margo's husband, her young kids and family, and all those who are mourning her loss.

With Margo closing her eyes forever now, it should be a wake-up call for all of us.
A wake-up call to remember what's important in life. LOVE. Love those who are around you. Appreciate them. And in the spirit of Margo: Just be nice to people.

Rest in peace.

In Russia: Margo suited up for Ekaterinburg and me for Spartak Moscow

Here she played for Ros Casares while I represented Fenerbahce

BLAST FROM THE PAST

2011-05-25T00:22:00.000+03:00

Yesterday after our friendly game against China (which we won 84-45), I was pleasantly surprised by two "old" supporters from college. Tina and her dad used to live in Vegas and cheer the Ladyrebels on whenever they could, and now after relocating to the Midwest, they came out to surprise me..... and believe me when I say: IT WORKED.

LET'S GO MAVS!!!!

2011-05-22T04:49:00.000+03:00

The Mavericks are tied with Oklahoma 1-1.... let's keep moving tonight Mavs!!!! AUF GEHT'S DIRK!!!!!!!!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

2011-05-21T01:31:00.000+03:00

Hello again...
I MADE IT... I made it into the first Rooke Video Blog by Angie Bjorklund... you got to be a little patient to get a glimpse of me, but how does the American saying go? "Save the best for last"... hahahaha, just kidding.

Good job, Ange with capturing these moments behind the curtains of the media day... for the future, let's work on that "steady hand" a little bit though... I am fighting nausea right now after watching you change frames 10 times per second ;)

Here you go everyone: THE FIRST OF MANY MORE TO COME:

WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN

2011-05-18T06:27:00.000+03:00

Alright everybody,
so today we got the day off from practice for Media Day, and of course that was "good news" for the tired training camp body.... but little did I know... this media thing wears you out!!! We started at 9.30am and got done around 8pm.

It's been fun though... getting to know most of the Sky staff and putting faces to the people "behind the scenes"... I liked that. It was also nice to spend some "off-the-court" time with the ladies ;)

Besides that, I also got an opportunity to finally use some of the things I've seen on Heidi Klum's show "Germany's Next Top Model".... lol.

Below are the pictures I took with my camera, but I am sure that within the next couple of days, you'll be able to catch some more on the Chicago Sky Website. ENJOY!!!!

checking out Sky Guy's muscles... this dude got guns!!!!

Look who I found on the way to our lockerroom.... too cute!!

... and of course, we HAD TO GET one silly picture in :)

Get it, Catty Cat!!!

"proof-stretching" the game uniform!!!!

The new WNBA uniforms presented by.... CAROLYN SWORDS

I love the baby blue and pink shoes... love it, love it, love it!!! The SKY colors are the best!

Piph is soooooooooo long!!!

our PR boss Michelle and T.

Go ROOKIE!!!

feel free to print this out and add your own personalized message from Erin :)

our guys "behind the scene"... in their self-made "water office" for today;)

taking pictures of others getting photographed

Meka taping the Jumbotron chants!!! I CAAAAAAAN'T HEAR YOU!!! Are you game?

now THIS is BEHIND THE SCENES stuff!!!!

Jo chit chatting with our cool PR staff :)

filling out questionnaires.... fuuuuuuuuuun!

MADE IT TO CHICAGO

2011-05-15T04:52:00.000+03:00

After a couple of days of, as I like to call it "TWILIGHT ZONE".... I can finally say, I am here.
I arrived in Chicago- and what you see on the pictures above is not necessarily how it looked today... at the moment the Windy City reminds me more of my old days in good old Germany: it's rainy and cold... so I felt right at home!!! This is perfect weather for practicing... NOT! It inspires you to bring out the heavy blankets, brew up some tea and cuddle up on the couch for some Christmas movies ;)

But that's OF COURSE NOT what has happened... Since my arrival last night, I have already completed two successful team functions: first was the physical this morning and then secondly, this evening we had a little welcoming dinner. BOTH WERE SUCCESSFUL!

The most important/exciting part is still ahead though: the first practice. Tomorrow at 9.30am we are going to be on the court, laced up, ready to go at the Sachs Rec Center (the former Bulls practice facility).
Depending on my state of wellbeing, I will report to you afterwards ;)

I ask you all for your patience, as I am getting to know my new teammates these next couple of days and I need a little while to get comfortable with them so I can open up to them about my addiction: all the girls seems very nice, so it shouldn't take long until they hear this sentence: "Hello ladies, my name is Linda... and I am a PHOTO-holic... yes, I am!"

At ATHENS INT'L AIRPORT ELEFTHERIOS VENIZELOS again

2011-05-15T04:24:00.000+03:00

Hello everyone... At the moment there's so much to say, I don't know where to start... Let's begin with this video :)

HEADING TO THESSALONIKI

2011-05-03T20:31:00.000+03:00

We are getting ready to board the plane... First game of the play outs start tomorrow... At 4pm at the PAOK gym.

Good wishes are welcome :)

PROTEAS "DRAFT" PARTY- Πάρτυ Έναρξης Τουρνουά 2011.

2011-05-01T21:33:00.000+03:00

Dear Proteas Family....
... yesterday the ladies of Proteas stopped by after practice when the tournament season was rang in for the young ballers of the club. On this day all the kids, their parents and siblings came together to wait for the teamrosters, to hear who their coaches is going to be, and to ultimately have fun, eat, drink and shoot some hoops together.

I tried to take a couple of pictures.... CAN YOU FIND YOURSELF???

Our coach Dimitris Mini-Me... and no, he's NOT his son!!!

Who's our coach going to be?

I wanted to take a picture with this young man, because he was rocking the Proteas gear....poly kalo!!!!

big decisions needed to be made before the snack table

... and decisions WERE MADE!!!

Big Chicago Bulls Fans!

yep, this lady baller is only 14.... BRING IT ON!!!!

FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD

A Greek A-lister as the DJ of the event... had to take a little picture: Alexandros Parthenis

Look at this cutie.... representing PROTEAS... little Vouligan in training!!!

My #1 and #2

Our team captain Aspa with her boyfriend ;) well, soon-to-be boyfriend... I think I got
something rolling when I "forced" her to take this picture... yep, you can call me
"CUPID"

some of my Chicago bulls boys again... with a big Messi fan (in yellow)... were Soccer players invited.... hahahaha.
JUST KIDDING

Myrsini... one great young player... with a bright future and a sweeeet three point shot!!!!

BLESSINGS TO KATE & WILLIAM!

2011-04-29T15:41:00.000+03:00

It was a beautiful wedding. The bride was stunning. The groom melted everyone's heart when he whispered "You look beautiful". Definitely a fairy tale moment.
Let's hope that the marriage will last as long as the ceremony and not like the long-anticipated kiss for the crowd... (so cute and shy)... I wish the newly weds ALL THE BEST!!!!

P.S.: As a little girl, of course, Prince William was one of my crushes, next to Donnie Wahlberg from New Kids On The Block ;) So I am happy to see that he's in good hands.... Kate is beautiful and seems very nice!

INTERVIEW on GREEK WEBSITE

2011-04-18T22:07:00.000+03:00

Just wanted to say thanks to www.compra.gr for publishing this interview with "ΛΙΝΤΑ ΦΡΟΛΙΧ" (hehehe, yeah that's me... it's my name in Greek letters). It was written very nicely and my answers seem to have been translated correctly into Greek... according to google.translate.... hahahaha :)

Click on the photo below to get to article:

AS PROMISED...

2011-04-11T22:18:00.000+03:00

... some more pictures here from yesterday.... courtesy of Anna Maria Darousou

just like the big ones... high-fiving the fans :)

Just love this crazy bunch!!!

yeah ladies... I made the sign myself ;)

Proteas on Three--- ena, dio, triaaaaaaaaaaaaa :)

Proteas' First Lady and I posing in front of my self-made signs!!!!
Please note the GREEK LETTERS.... yeah, DID THAT... lol

a proud brother watching his big sister ballin' out ;)

CHEEEESE :)

LITTLE VOULIGANS

2011-04-11T00:26:00.000+03:00

I had a beautiful day today... getting some rest, cooling my achilles, and watching my little Vouligans play their first game in the Top 8 Series. They won... and I must say... I AM IMPRESSED... they played some pretty good basketball, and I hope that next week they will win again and qualify for the Final Four :) Just like their "big Proteas sisters" :)

So here are a few pictures.... more are to follow once I get an email from the "photographer of the day" ;)

Just a couple of days back they were supporting the womens team at the Final Four....

.... and today it was my time to cheer for them!!!!!

Here we are meeting up to drive to the game gym... not all the girls are there yet... but Ruby, my self announced #1 fan here in Glyfada and also the reason why I "happened to know" that they had a game today!!!!!
Thanks for the invite, Ruby... I had a blast!!!

Girls like my "Little Vouligans" are one of the reason why I love playing basketball. Because it serves as a common bond between practically strangers: it brings people together through enthusiasm: young and old, men and women, kids, teenagers, parents, grand paretns, different cultures, different nations, etc.... I REALLY LOVE THIS GAME!!

GREEK CUP TONIGHT... against the Top Team in Greece Sony Athinaikos!!!!

2011-04-04T14:04:00.000+03:00

THANK YOU EVERYBODY

2011-04-01T13:41:00.002+03:00

.... for all of your wishes, emails and thoughts.

Happy Birthday to me :)

SPECIAL DAY IN GREECE

2011-03-27T17:41:00.000+03:00

Two days ago Greek people were getting BUUUUSY!!! On March 25th, the country celebrates two things at once:

Greek Independence Day- historically
The Feast of Annunciation- spiritually, because on this day in the Greek Orthodox calendar, the archangel Gabriel appeared to the maiden Mary and announced the news that she was pregnant with the divine child... with this "a new spirit was about to be born in Greece".

I wanted to use this day of celebration and appreciation here in Greece to answer a question that one reader had asked me a while back (sorry for taking so long to reply, Michal, but I could never find the right timing). The question was: "what did make u to choose greece as next station?"

Well, the easy thing to say would be "only God knows why", but I know that you wanna know a little bit more about my thinking process and motives. So, I'll give it a try to put them into words...

When my agent first called me and told me that I had an offer from Greece, I was a little hesitant. Simply because I had never played in Greece before, never really had followed the Greek league nor had any experience about Greece... in 2003 I had been to Greece once for the FIBA Cup-- ironically to play the team in Glyfada back then... that's all.... so for me it was all very unfamiliar.

I started giving it a second look though, when I saw the effort that the management of Proteas was making to bring me here after they had found out that my contract in Valencia had ended. I felt valued and honored... definitely a good baseline ;)

So I started asking some of my friends who had played in Greece before, and via facebook I then contacted Ashley and Emily, who at that point I didn't know. Everybody had only good things to say... I was getting a little angry, because I had set my mind on not coming to Greece... and then last but not least one of my ex-teammates and Greek friend Anastasia Kostaki guaranteed me that I would have a good time here, and that this club would really be good to me... so ultimately I decided to opened my heart to giving Proteas a chance.

Even though I had some other offers, I woke up one morning and all of a sudden had this peace about coming to Greece. I went with that gut feeling and signed the papers... Thankfully in my career I can say that this feeling has never led me astray... THANK YOU GOD!!

Today I am just happy to be here. Sometimes in the professional basketball world (we can't forget that IT IS a BUSINESS) the goal is so present at all times that the journey gets overlooked... and I believe that life is about enjoying the journey... and I am happy to be brought "back to this truth" here at Proteas. Yes, basketball is about the results... I understand that... I am a competitor... I loooooove to win and hate to lose... and here at Proteas, despite the ranking, I do feel like a winner... I feel that EVERY DAY we are getting better, and it's a good feeling.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to live in a country as beautiful as Greece for a part of my basketball career.... I was told before that it was beautiful, but I didn't know it was THAAAAT beautiful!
Thanks to the staff of Proteas for having me and for letting me be a part of this great journey in the history of your club.

And thanks to my lovely teammates-- Greeks and Americans-- for being such great women, for all the laughter and the hacking in the practice... ahm, I mean... for working hard each and every day!!!! YOU ROCK.... WE ROCK.... let's go PROTEAS!!!

A LITTLE BIT HURT

2011-03-26T21:47:00.000+02:00

So as I was going through my weekend routine of checking several European game results, I came up on this website... where on the Women's Basketball page, there's a photo of a cheerleader... and not only is it a cheerleader, it's also titled "The beautiful side of Basketball"............................................ ................... ........ ....................................... ................................. .hhhhmmmm........................... definitely 'FOOD FOR THOUGHT'!

GIRLS NIGHT OUT

2011-03-21T19:45:00.001+02:00

On a "wild night out", Ashley, Emily and I decided to go to...... THE MOVIES.... yeah, that's right.... ROCK 'N' ROLLIN' IN GLYFADA!!!
The new movie out here in theatres (thank God for original movie theatres here in Greece!) was the following one with Adam Sandler and our lovely Jennifer Aniston:
Initially I was a little worried about the corny-factor as well as worn-out jokes, BUT I must report that this movie was just adorable. I loved the plot, the actors/actresses are beautiful to look at, and the scenery is breath-taking.... a great movie for a girls-night-out :)

IF YOU HAVE 1.5 HOURS TO SPARE...

2011-03-15T16:14:00.001+02:00

....check this out:

YEAH.... I WAS "THAAAT GIRL"

2011-03-07T17:45:00.000+02:00

So at the beginning of the week, I was invited by one of my teammates to her birthday party... and because we were having a free weekend without a game I ended up agreeing to come, which IF YOU KNOW ME is a total exception... (I really don't like to leave the house past 9pm.... don't judge me!!!)

So anyways, when I got the invitatition my teammate said "come Linda it's going to be fun... it's also gonna be carneval, so you can get dressed if you want, but you don't have to!!!"
Well, and unlike my other teammates I must have not heard the last part too well.... lol.... so to make a long story short: I WAS THE ONLY ONE to dress up for that party.... Muhahahaha! There's always a first (-and I am happy I had mine far far away from home, where nobody knows me... lol).

It was half as dramatic after all, because there was indeed an actual 'Carneval theme' at the cafe that we celebrated at.... and I ended up not being alone... phew!! Here are some pictures of a picture puuuuuurfect evening with my ladies :)

getting the party started... here I was still wearing my gloves...
later on it got a TAD BIT too warm for them ;)

that's how I like to hang out... good company ;)

Thaelia is trying to scratch my little kitty nose

Cat Woman and Barbie- the birthday girl... it was great, thanks for the invite!

home made tail ;) gotta show it off

Mati and Me

The Kate and William of Proteas Basketball... my dream couple :)

Ash- the MN Gopher and me

Rumba, Lil' One and me... I don't know if a mouse was taking this picture, but my eyes are unnaturally wide open... eeek

Reina, our physiotherapist who is taking good care of me

As I ended up on the dance floor, I was happy I brought this bad boys....
My compression socks!!! LOL

after getting jiggy with Will Smith and raising the roof with Public Enemy, it was time for a good ol' TIMEOUT

last but not least, I add this photo so you could see that I was NOT the only one dressed up... lol

MOMENTS OF MAGIC

2011-02-23T00:59:00.001+02:00

One perk of being a professional basketball player and traveling the world is that sometimes you just get to see magic happening right in front of your eyes. You get exposed to things you thought never existed.
So I just took my clothes off the drying rack... and look at this:

MY SOCK IS STANDING ALL BY ITSELF
IT'S MAGIC!!!

MTV CRIBS "GREEK EDITION"

2011-02-20T18:28:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone.
Today is Sunday, and we have a day off. Not just a regular day off, but one AFTER a big win on Saturday, which- as every athlete knows- makes a day off even sweeter than it already is :)
Even though it's cloudy outside, I'm having a good time: just lit up some candles and made myself comfortable in my apartment. Sometimes I like it when the weather is like this, because it gives me an excuse to stay inside, cuddle up and be lazy.
But hey, I can't just do NOTHING (ask my husband, who has nicknamed me "busy bee")... so I decided to share a couple of pictures about my "inside living". I had initially envisioned to do a video, but I couldn't find a cameraman or -woman, who'd follow me through my Greek version of MTV Cribs, so I decided to just do a little photoseries.

So here I am on my couch

Let's take a look outside on my balcony...
when I signed with PROTEAS they had promised to get me a house at the water, and they didn't lie
it's right in my frontyard!

Behind the trees that's where the water is.... gorgeous... unfortunately I am unable to capture the real view.

Being that I'm on the 4th floor, it enables me to catch a peak at the water through the tall trees

I like to just come out and STARE... and yes, I have just gotten up, so that is my "MORNING STARE"-look

k, so that's me on my couch again...
I don't use this too often as I have fallen in love with this chair that you can see in the picture below

yeah, I am still old school going wire... but for some reason I still haven't figured out how to hook up
my wireless

alright alright, this is STAGED... because I never really use the fireplace... still, it looked good ;)

book and tv, that's what I like to do in my freetime :)

And then of course, there are still some chores... that no one can avoid unless you are very rich, I guess...
Here it's me doing laundry EUROstyle, I don't have a dryer, but I have a rack, which comes with the guarantee
that your socks come out nice and crisp!
No need for pedicures anymore... they are built into your socks ;) SWWEEEEEEET

ME, MYSELF and MY purse-sized LAUNDRY MACHINE... I can take it "to-go"... lol.
And to all the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Beverly Hills, etc: do not worry:
I was NOT going to put the red in with the whites... I am just posing!!!
(with my stinky laundry in my hands, yeah gross, I know!)

doing dishes... this can't be good for your skin... but hey a "WomanGottaDoWhatShe'sGotToDo"

i.e. just stand in front of the sink, hoping that the dishes will wash themselves ;)

or wave to your neighbors (on the 4th floor--- yeah, very realistic!!!!!)

or let the chores be chores, pour herself a nice little cup of tea and REEEEEELAX.....
after all, it's Sunday!!!

and this wouldn't be an attempt at MTV Cribs, if I wouldn't show you the place
"WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS".......... After all that's what "ballers" do: SLEEP, EAT, PRACTICE, SLEEP, etc.... (<--make sure click on that link!)

Alright everyone... one more pose.... and.....

.... I am out the door!!!!!

Well actually, you guys need to get out the door ;) I AM STAYING!!!
It's 6pm now and most of my day has been purposefully spent already... I want to continue with that...
so I am getting off this computer now.

I wish you a nice Sunday and we will talk soon!!!

Adio,
Linda

SPRINGTIME IS NEAR

2011-02-15T23:03:00.000+02:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S/LOVE DAY!

2011-02-14T23:13:00.001+02:00

There's no getting around it: Today is a highly commerical day, where businesses are trying to "get theirs" and earn a little extra "holiday" money.
"Frugal" as I am, I'm not too fond of this aspect, BUT I do like Valentine's Day in general!
It gives us the chance to take some time out of our busy schedules to be reminded about the people we love. Of course, its origin is to celebrate the love and affection between two "lovers", but depending on the circumstances I'd like to expand the meaning of it, and just celebrate LOVE.
Under "circumstances" falls the fact that I am 8000 miles apart from my husband today, and there's just no way to celebrate it with him today... so why let a beautiful day like this go to waste? :)

I want to wish everyone a HAPPY VALENTINES DAY, and hope that all of you felt especially loved today!!!

And to my big love, I send this video across the ocean:

A LETTER TO COACH ARGI

2011-02-09T09:59:00.000+02:00

Dear Coach-
I want you to know that I was glad to have met you and that I was able to be your player even when it was only for a short time... actually it's been less than a month, but it feels like I've known you forever ... WOW!
You are a great man with love and passion for your players and for basketball. A "combo" which was nice to see and is very rare, especially in professional sports.
For whatever reason, things on the sidelines didn't work out for you this year the way you'd probably envisioned them, but fact is that without your commitment over the past couple of years, and your love and care for each player and this club team, this team might have never gotten to where it is today.
So with all of this in mind, I want to thank you for everything, Coach. We will miss you for sure!!! But remember that even though you might not be on this team 'on paper' anymore, you are still in our hearts.

In these circumstances a passage from the Bible comes to my mind from ECCLESIASTES, which I would like to share with you. It's Chapter 3, verses 1-8.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

Coach, I am happy we had OUR TIME.

Much love from your German player LINDA.

GLYFADA-CAPE SUNIO and BACK

2011-02-07T00:35:00.001+02:00

YASOU. TIKANIS? Hello. How are you?

Today we've had a day off, and I feel that it's been my first real day off since I've gotten here. Even though last Sunday I was already set with my apartment, car and everything else, the weather was playing "Armageddon", so I had to stay in all day and night to push against my windows from the inside so the wind wouldn't break them open ;)

Anyways, so today I packed up my two "foreigners" (Emily & Ash), squished them into my Benz, aaahm I mean, my car... and off we went. After our unfortunate and very disappointing loss last night, it was definitely nice to get away for a while and clear our minds. Our destination for today: CAPE SOUNION.

As usual, I was equipped with several cameras and plenty of storage on my memory cards to capture the moment. Being that I was the "designated driver" today (well to be exact I ALWAYS am, because I am the only one who responsibly can drive a stick shift), I want to give special thanks to my assistant photographer Emily Fox who was in the back of the car taking pictures like a pro...making me proud! Of course the Greek nature definitely makes it easy for anybody to capture stunning views, but Emily was in the back working like a trooper... all the loops, curves, and change of speeds definitely didn't make it easy to be a photo taking passenger in the back seat!!! Great job, Dookie!!! Thanks for not throwing up!!

Cape Sounion was reached pretty easily... we just kept driving along the coast and distracted by the breathtaking views along the way we got there in no time.

We didn't get to stay for the infamous sunset at the Cape, because I, a.k.a. "abuela" had to head home, so I could make my curfew, but we've had more than enough: We'd breathed in a lot of fresh air, more than we are used during our usual daily routines, and I don't know about the other two gals, but "sightseeing" always seems to exhaust me a little more than other activities, so we were ready to go home.

It's funny, because the trip back reminded me of the trips I used to have with my family when I was younger: on the way TO the place of interest songs were sung, games were played, siblings were teased, and Mom and Dad were bombarded with one million questions, excitement and anticipation was in the air! And then, on the way back drained of all energies the whole car would be filled with silence and that stuffy "outdoor" aka "wet dog" smell. You'd hear some random little baby snores...and despite the exhaustion that everybody was feeling, there was "success" in the air... Success to have participated in life today... and that's how it felt today!

Believe it or not, but the following pictures were all taken within just a few hours and within max. 50 km ~31 miles.

It's just amazing how many landscapes and natural wonders only this little stretch of Greece has to offer. I was in steady awe for the breathless views and endlessly thankful for God's creation.

Now please go ahead and enjoy!

a scenery like this tempts every woman to bring out her inner model! ;)

this, and the two pictures below belong to my favorite spot of today

isn't this gorgeous... in the midst of rocky roads, this fresh green piece of land popped up!!! WOW

that's where we are going!!!!

the three sightseeing musketeers!!! or: ONE REBEL plus TWO GOPHERS!

at the end of the trip we treated ourselves to a little cone of Italian Gelato :) I do miss Italy after all... ciao tutti!

So, before I went into my apartment I snuck two more picture right in front of my door steps.... this view is hard to beat. THANK YOU JESUS!!! Hope that everyone had a good weekend too and is ready for a blessed new week!

LADY REBELS REPRESENTING IN GREECE

2011-02-01T00:48:00.002+02:00

Today on: www.eurobasket.com

Fröhlich's double-double lands her Player of the Week award - Jan 31, 2011

31-year old power forward Linda Frohlich (188-F/C-79, agency: LBM Management) put on an amazing game in the last round for Proteas and receives a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 13.
She had a double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds, while her team outclassed, the league's bottom-ranked team Amarillida (#12, 0-13) with 32-point margin 64-32. The game rather meaningless between the teams, which do not have any influence on the top of the standings. Proteas maintains the 10th position in Greek A1. Too late to salvage the team, which is currently ranked such low. They already lost 10 games and recorded just three victories. In the team's last game Frohlich had a remarkable 54.5% from 2-point range. She just recently signed at Proteas, being already a very valuable addition to the team. Linda Frohlich averages just after three games 20.0ppg and 12.7rpg.

Second best performed player last round was Randee Henry (186-F-82) of FEA Neas. She is American forward in her first season at FEA Neas. In the last game Henry recorded impressive double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds. Bad luck as FEA Neas was edged in overtime by the higher-ranked Aris (#4, 8-5) 79-76. FEA Neas is still in a red zone at 8th spot in the standings. Her team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 6-7 record. Henry is a newcomer at FEA Neas and quickly became one of team's most reliable players. She belongs to the best scorers in the league with 17.1ppg (#2). She also registered 8.8 boards per game.

GO REBELS!!!!

VASILOPITA, A.K.A. "New Year Cake"

2011-01-31T02:14:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone,
some time has passed since my last entry, and I sincerely apologize for that, but as my mom always says "if I don't see you online all day, Linda, I know you are doing well".

In the past couple of days/weeks I've been quite busy with getting settled here in Glyfada, but I can now happily announce that I have finally arrived :)
I:

moved into my apartment
got my car
have 3 games under my belt as a member of the Proteas family (2 wins and 1 loss)
practiced
lifted weights
explored a wellness bath with my teammate Pepe (sooooo relaxing!)
been to the movies and watched "The Tourist" (Johnny Depp is cute!)
met up with Ruth Riley at Starbucks
tested quesadillas at different restaurants around town with Emily and Ashley (I've been fasting from meats and sweets for 3 weeks so that was the only thing I could really eat on the menus)
tried to avoid picking up "bad words" from my Greek teammates (hahahaha, just kidding)
tried to avoid extra line sprints in practice due to "misdemeanors"
learned a Greek Christian song today, but after a couple of hours already forgot most of it. It was something about agape, eirine, theo (before I leave here I will memorize it though and then sing, or rather rap it (to spare you from my lovely voice) on video.
successfully finished my fast today... I think I am suffering an overdose of sugar now!!!

So as you can see, everything is well.... everything except the weather... (this is NOT what I had signed up for, Mr. President...hahahaha!!!!!!). It's been "cold" and very windy these last couple of days... but when I look at the big picture: last year around this time I was posting pictures from snow storm and -22 degree Celsius temperatures.... so I guess, I shouldn't complain about +10 degrees Celsius in January.

So as I said earlier, today I ended my fast, which I had started back home with the couples class at my church who had joined in with the Jentezen Franklin Media Ministries.

What great timing when I found out that today we would celebrate "Cake Cutting Day" for PROTEAS VOULAS, where all the teams from the club got together to participate..

I called it "CAKE CUTTING DAY", but the Greeks call this ritual the cutting of the "vasilopita", which is one of the few primordial customs still surviving from the "Kronia" (a celebration of the Greek god Kronos) and the Roman equivalent "Saturnalia of Rome" (a festival held in honor of Saturn). FYI: Kronos and Saturn are "the same"
Today the Orthodox tradition combined this custom with the New Year cake.
On New Year's Eve everyone gathers around waiting for the vasilopita to be cut as the new year rolls in. When the time comes the father, in a solemn ceremony, starts to cut the cake. The first piece is for Christ, the second for the house, and then pieces for everyone present. The one who gets the piece with the coin will be the lucky one of the year!

So here are a couple of photos I took at this event, enjoy and I will talk to you soon.
LINDA

Ashley, Rumba, Mati and Pepe getting ready for the ceremony

5 of us are missing, but the nice guy on the right makes sure to lend us an extra smile :)

the stands were filled with parents, family and friends :)

and on the court were all the Proteas Ballers... from really little to reaaaaally tall

anxiously waiting for the cake

at the same time medals and trophys were handed out to teams that had accomplished something special in the previous season... and of cours I PROUDLY ACCEPTED the cup that the Proteas women's team had received for winning the A2 championship and moving into the 1st division... I graciously received a handshake... for absolutely doing nothing :))))) You are welcome Proteas.... hihihihihihih :)

Here our president Christos Vassiliades was getting ready to sing a song.... just kidding! THE CUTTING OF THE "VASILOPITA"

PROTEAS ADULT TEAMS.... us ladies taking a snapshot with our mens team.... GO PROTEAS!!!!

leaving the festivities... families zipping up their jackets, putting on their hats to stay warm in the "cold" Greek weather

Mati- a 3 point machine... and also "quite" the talented translator...
she promised me to teach me good Greek words.... I TRUST YOU MATI!!!!

OOOOOOO HOW "O"SOME :)

2011-01-25T15:24:00.000+02:00

When I was younger Sesame Street and the "Sandman" were our "good night" shows... after that we had to head to bed. Good ol' times!!!

It's so awesome to see that the WNBA has also been represented in the Sesame Street... that's BIG TIME!!!
I'd love to do that, too... hang out with Big Bird & Co, and do the ABCs with little kids.

GOOD JOB LADIES!

2011-01-20T00:29:00.000+02:00

People call it "hump day": it's the middle of the work week... And yeah boy, we got OVER that hump today.
Today at practice people were dropping like flies, but we showed character and toughened it out till the end--standing tall with some extra bruises and sore and tired muscles. I'm really proud of my teammates, and I love being around each one of them.

We have taken the challenge to get better each and every day, and it works... Gotta look at it day by day. Sometimes you gotta step back before you move forward, but as long as you are moving, you're alright... And we are!!!

Kalinihta- καληνύχτα!!!
Good night everyone. Abuela is tired!

Linda
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

MAY I INTRODUCE... THE PROTEAS CRAZY BUNCH

2011-01-18T21:55:00.001+02:00

waiting for practice to get started

one of our pointguards...
I need to make sure to be on her good side, if you know what I mean ;)

Well, these two girls thought they pulled a fast one ON ME,
but they don't know who they are messing with.
The German usually gets the last laugh ;)

FROM and ESPECIALLY FOR THE "LIL ONE"

2011-01-17T23:44:00.001+02:00

This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember her name :)

She doesn't need her name up in lights
She just wants to be heard whether it's the beat or the mic

It's not about the salary.
It's all about reality and making some noise, makin the story ;)

Never concerned with status but still leavin them star struck
Put it together herself, now the picture connects
Never askin for someone's help, to get some respect!!
She's only focused on what she "wrote", her will is beyond reach
And now when it all unfolds, the skill of an artist.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES...

2011-01-16T19:24:00.000+02:00

At this time last week I was sitting at church in Southern California, and today I am sitting in a hotel lobby in Glyfada, Greece. It's strange how unpredictable life (as a basketball player) can be at times.

Looking back, I've had a lovely week so far. The team has really tried very hard to welcoming to their country and their "club's family".

Yesterday we had our first game, it was on the road in Volos... it took us 5 hours on the bus to get there, and I am happy to announce that WE WON!!! It was nice to compete again after having resting for over a month now. The score ended up being 59-70. For boxscore click HERE.

Alright, off course I have been taking pictures like crazy... BUUUT I left my camera upstairs... aaaaand I am way to lazy to get up out of this chair now... lol... so I promise that next time I will post some pictures.

Now I am going back upstairs to my room and turning on some episodes of
this show has filled my last couple of days with laughter and enjoyment... I love it!
Alright everyone, have a nice Sunday and I will be back soon.
Lots of love,
LINDA

DAY ONE IS OVER WITH...

2011-01-11T22:44:00.001+02:00

... and I was NOT disappointed... except by the rim in the gym.. hahaha... it seemed to closed up every time I attempted to shoot on it.. hahahaha!!!

This evening at practice I met my team for the first time, the coaches, president and some people from the management. Everyone here is really nice here.

FUNNY STORY about how I got to meet one of my teammates today: this morning after breakfast I decided to step out of the hotel and check out the beachside a little bit, when a girl in running shoes and an ipod all of a sudden stood next to me at the crosswalk... we looked at each other, and she said "Liiiiinda?"... and I said "Eeeemily?" That's how I met Emily Fox... she was on her to way to get her morning jog on.
Well actually inofficially we have "met" before, because when I was doing my research on Proteas I had looked up Emily and Ashley on Facebook to ask them a couple of questions about the club, etc. And obviously they said the right things to convince me to come here :)

The names of my other teammates is going to be a little bit more difficult... I'm just not yet used to Greek names and their pronounciation... in Turkey it took me 2 weeks to understand and remember the names of my teammates.... but now I can name them all from Nalan, Nevriye, Murat, Serhan, Mustafa, Nilay, Saziye, etc.... and it's going to be the same with my Greek teammates... as a matter of fact, I just wrote all of their names down, and I am going to go to my room now and study!!

On that note, I wish everyone a good night.
LINDA

BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT

2011-01-11T10:28:00.001+02:00

Because my contract was so "spontaneous", when I arrived yesterday, I was put up into a hotel here in Glyfada... It's a normal procedure as the team has to look for an apartment for me now.

So when I came to the hotel, I had to make a choice: either get a room with direct WIFI-access or one with ocean view... Guess which one I picked?!

Needless to say, the doubt that I had last night while I had to sit in the lobby during the late night hours to be online was erased!

And just as my decision to come here was based on faith, I pray that my stay here will be as beautiful as this view!!

MADE IT TO ATHENS

2011-01-11T02:18:00.000+02:00

If you haven't heard it yet, I decided to come to Greece to play for the remainder of this season.

A.E.O. Proteas Voulas that's the name of my new team, and we are going to strictly compete in the Greek league... no EuroCup, no Euroleague, which will definitely be a change for me.Our first game is going to be this Saturday...but hey: first things first.

Tomorrow I am going to see the city (I arrived at midnight, so I it was dark), meet the team, and have my first practice.

I am very excited about it... the teammanager Elias picked me up today, and he set a good and friendly tone!! I don't expect anything less from the other people in this club now: NO PRESSURE!!! ;)

Alright everyone, I got to go to sleep... and as I've learned in Greek today... "Kali Nickta"... well I learned how to pronounce it, not spell... hahahaha.

Sweet dreams from Greece!!
LINDA

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!

2011-01-04T22:20:00.000+02:00

STILL A FREE AGENT

2010-12-27T08:23:00.000+02:00

As the Christmas break is slowly coming to an end, I just wanted to inform you that I still haven't signed with a team yet.... I am definitely eager to see which uniform I am going to wear in 2011 and which team I am going to be able to represent in the new year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-24T07:57:00.005+02:00

I hope that everyone is able to enjoy this time together with their loved ones.

What I have learned in these last couple of days of "pre-holidays" is that it is not about the amounts of gifts you will give and/or receive, but about being with people that you love and enjoying precious moments with them!!!! So I want to remind you to not stress yourself out with the "superficial" things of the holidays, but indulge in the little ones: i.e. baking cookies with your sisters, setting up the Christmas tree and breaking some of the ornaments, putting up candles that smell like apple cinnamon, planning Christmas dinner, having a cup of eggnog, skyping with your parents, wearing green and red outfits, etc....

I myself don't want to spend too much time on the computer now, so I am going to get back to my family now, but I want to leave you with my favorite Christmas song this year: When I went to my church's Christmas Concert a couple of days ago, and they were "SAAAAAANGIN' this song.... and in this video Mariah is doing the same:

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

HOHOHO...

2010-12-22T04:29:00.001+02:00

... From 24h Fitness... Where I'm making room for some extra CHRISTmas cookies this upcoming weekend ;)
Hope all of you are well.
Linda

UPDATE

2010-12-13T04:47:00.001+02:00

Hello everyone.
I am sitting in my living room right now, the Christmas tree lit, and I am about to order a movie ("The Lottery Ticket"... hoping to get a good laugh in). We celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday today, and it was the first time that I got to see my friends and family again since I've gotten back.

This has been the first time in years, to be exact 12 years that I am enjoying an early Christmas AT HOME... it definitely wasn't planned, but as Dorothy said "there's no place like home".

It was funny, because all of my friends at church were super careful on how to talk to me... after the "incident" in Valencia... just to find out that I am doing well. I do believe that God is in control of everything, good and bad, and that this situation is going to turn out for the better eventually.

I still check on "my" Valencia girls each game day, and follow live stats, but besides that I am moving on from my life in Spain. Still missing the friendships I shared with all of the girls on the team. The weather here in California has been outstanding- thank God, and it's been definitely an upgrade to the rainy and windy days right before I left Valencia :)

Right now my agent is putting in overtime, trying to find a team for me for after Christmas. I've been getting some very good and interesting offers, and I am excited to make a decision soon.

Make sure to check in with me again to see where life is taking me in 2011.

Much love,
LINDA

No Place Like Home!!!

TIME TO SAY GOOD-BYE

2010-12-01T18:12:00.000+02:00

Halfway through writing this blog, I started to get bombarded with emails... emails from supporters, friends and fans of Ciudad Ros Casares.... and I am overwhelmed by all the love that you guys have been pouring my way.

I am sad to annouce that my contract here with the basketball team of Ciudad Ros Casares has come to an end today.

To all the fans: I want to thank you for your support, for visiting my website and being actively involved in my life as member of "your" team. For smiling and waving back to me everytime.

To the organization: Thanks for the opportunity you've given me to be a part of this team and to experience this beautiful city.

To the staff (too many to list each of you individually, sorry): Thanks for making everything run smoothly behind the scenes. For smiling, when you don't feel like it. For working hard without getting the applause: Muuuuuuchas gracias. Sin vosotros, nosotros no somos!!!

To my chicas: I will miss you dearly... we've had a great time.... and I will keep you close to my heart forever!!!! Make sure to enjoy the journey and go ahead, do one extra set of abs (25) for me.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!!

P.S.: The video above is a last tribute to my efforts of the past couple of months to understanding Espanol... being that I live in California it'll definitely be an enrichment to my social skills

THE ANSWER

2010-11-29T16:53:00.001+02:00

Brad "BELLICK" from Prison Break....

TELL ME I AM WRONG!!!!

DOPPELGÄNGER

2010-11-26T22:18:00.000+02:00

I tend to always meet people who remind me of somebody else that I know, or know of (for example: Monica Bello and Michael Jackson, Ticha Penicheiro and Liene Jansone, etc)... most of the times my friends laugh at me and say that I am absolutely wrong!!!
But I still believe in my ability to find people's doppelgänger! And I won't stop.

So here I have another one... this time I am asking you to participate.
Here is a picture of our teammanager Jordi... WHO DOES HE REMIND YOU OF?

HINT:
It's an actor from an US tv series ;)

TAKE ONE MORE STEP

2010-11-14T15:08:00.001+02:00

Happy Sunday everyone, time for some soul food again.

Enjoy, and I'm going to take a nap now before our game here against Girona tonight.

As I've been sidelined for a week now due to a spasmed back, I feel like this is some nice encouragement for moments when things might not necessarily go your way.

Enjoy!

"We get knocked down, but we get up again." 2 Corinthians 4:9

Failure can feel like a punch in the gut. And when it keeps happening it's tempting just to give up. But you can't; you must "get up again."

Failing doesn't make you a failure, quitting does. H.E. Jensen said, "The man who wins may have been counted out several times, but he didn't hear the referee."

A failure-free life feels safe, but it fosters boredom, apathy and low self-esteem. Ever noticed that the Devil never reminds you of what you've learned? No, he wants you to keep reliving the painful details. Learn the lesson, then forget the details! Victory requires building on what you've learned and moving on. Theologian Brooke Foss Westcott said, "Great occasions don't make heroes or cowards, they simply unveil them…

Silently, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak, and at last some crisis shows us what we have become."

This article ran in The Wall Street Journal: "You've failed many times although you may not remember. You fell the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim. Did you hit the ball the first time you swung the bat? Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot. R.H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on. English novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before publishing 564 books."

H. Jackson Brown gives us two rules for winning: Rule One: Take one more step. Rule Two: When you can't take one more step, refer to rule number one.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

SEASON OPENER!

2010-11-08T02:12:00.000+02:00


UNLV Lady Rebel Seniors 2002

Today the day has come that every college student-athlete in the United States is waiting for..... THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON & the end of pre-season.
Enough with the long running session in the early mornings, endless weightlifting, and training without the ball.

I want to send my best wishes to the LADYREBELS.

Below I added this season's schedule... go out and support women's basketball in Las Vegas.

GO REBS!!!

2010-2011 SCHEDULE

( Click on an event for complete event information )

Date	Opponent / Event	Location	Time / Result

11/08/10	vs. Grand Canyon (exhibition) $	Las Vegas	5:30 PM PT
11/12/10	vs. Southern Utah	Las Vegas	5:00 PM PT
11/19/10	vs. San Diego	Las Vegas	5:30 PM PT
11/21/10	vs. Nevada, Reno	Las Vegas	2:00 PM PT
Hyatt Place Lady Rebel Round-Up
11/26/10	Pacific vs. Rutgers (Lady Rebel Round-Up)	Las Vegas	5:00 PM PT
	vs. Oregon State (Lady Rebel Round-Up)	Las Vegas	7:30 PM PT
11/27/10	Consolation Game (Lady Rebel Round-Up)	Las Vegas	5:00 PM PT
	Championship Game (Lady Rebel Round-Up)	Las Vegas	7:30 PM PT

11/30/10	at Nebraska	Lincoln, Neb.	5:00 PM PT
12/05/10	at San Jose State	San Jose, Calif.	2:00 PM PT
12/12/10	at North Carolina	Chapel Hill, N.C.	TBA
BTI Classic
12/18/10	SMU vs. Texas (BTI Classic)	Las Vegas	12:30 PM PT
	vs. South Florida (BTI Classic)	Las Vegas	3:00 PM PT
12/19/10	South Florida vs. SMU (BTI Classic)	Las Vegas	5:00 PM PT
	vs. Texas (BTI Classic)	Las Vegas	7:30 PM PT
12/20/10	Texas vs. South Florida (BTI Classic)	Las Vegas	5:00 PM PT

Duel In The Desert
12/18/10	Louisville vs. Marist (Duel In The Desert)	Las Vegas	1:30 PM PT
	Nebraska vs. Houston (Duel In The Desert)	Las Vegas	4:00 PM PT
12/19/10	Houston vs. Louisville (Duel In The Desert)	Las Vegas	4:00 PM PT
	Nebraska vs. Marist (Duel In The Desert)	Las Vegas	6:30 PM PT
12/20/10	Marist vs. Houston (Duel In The Desert)	Las Vegas	4:00 PM PT
	Louisville vs. Nebraska (Duel In The Desert)	Las Vegas	6:30 PM PT

Pepsi Rainbow Wahine Invitational
12/28/10	vs. Cal State Bakersfield (Wahine Invitational)	Honolulu, Hawaii	7:00 PM PT
12/29/10	vs. Columbia (Wahine Invitational)	Honolulu, Hawaii	7:00 PM PT
12/30/10	at Hawaii (Wahine Invitational)	Honolulu, Hawaii	9:00 PM PT

01/05/11	at BYU *	Provo, Utah	6:00 PM PT
01/08/11	at TCU *	Fort Worth, Texas	TBA
01/11/11	vs. San Diego State *	Las Vegas	8:01 PM PT
01/15/11	vs. Air Force *	Las Vegas	3:00 PM PT
01/18/11	at Colorado State *	Fort Collins, Colo.	4:45 PM PT
01/22/11	at New Mexico *	Albuquerque, N.M.	1:00 PM PT
01/26/11	vs. Wyoming *	Las Vegas	7:00 PM PT
02/01/11	at Utah *	Salt Lake City, Utah	7:00 PM PT
02/05/11	vs. BYU *	Las Vegas	2:30 PM PT
02/09/11	vs. TCU *	Las Vegas	7:00 PM PT
02/12/11	at San Diego State *	San Diego, Calif.	TBA
02/16/11	at Air Force *	Colorado Springs, Colo.	TBA
02/19/11	vs. Colorado State *	Las Vegas	3:00 PM PT
02/23/11	vs. New Mexico *	Las Vegas	7:00 PM PT
02/26/11	at Wyoming *	Laramie, Wyo.	1:00 PM PT
03/05/11	vs. Utah *	Las Vegas	3:00 PM PT
2011 Mountain West Tournament
03/08/11	MWC First Round	Las Vegas	TBA

CLASSIC

2010-11-05T23:47:00.000+02:00

This photo was taken in our locker room today.... it doesn't need much explanation!!!!!

POWER ELECTRONICS

2010-11-04T00:40:00.000+02:00

For whatever strange reason my teammates here have started to call me "abuela", which is the Spanish word for "grandma"..... Well ooooookay, to be honest I could actually name a few reasons...lol... like going to bed early, driving slowly, not walking too much in my free time, etc..

Even though I consider this a positive and endearing name to be given, I am still trying to fight it at times, trying to go wild and live on the edge. After all, I am still a REBEL!!!

So today I decided to head out to the Power Electronics game... it started at 8.45 PM(!) and I was at home at 11PM!!!! That's almost midnight!!!!

Power Electronics is which I like to call "our mens team".... even though there's not much cooperation at all, nor any benefits we gain from their presence in the city, hahahaha. Oops, I take it back!! Sushi Town has been giving us a 15% discount, and I love going there!!!!

I do like to show solidarity though and support OUR MEN with a cheerful voice and clapping hands.... and I can proudly announce that they gave CSKA Moscow "the business" tonight... good job chicos!!!

Alright, it's reeeeally getting late now and "Abuela" Fröhlich needs to head to bed.... until next time.

GAMETIME... against Bourges. Let's go Ros!!!!

2010-11-02T19:46:00.002+02:00

HEADING BACK WEST

2010-10-28T11:25:00.000+03:00

After a successful night in Orenburg, we are happy to announce our return to the West today... at the moment we are enjoying a 4 hours layover in Moscow, which is much better than the 5 hours that we spent at Domodedova airport on the way here two days ago, or two nights, maybe even three days??????
Oh gosh, I don't know... this trip has been so confusing... we've been all over the place.. and three different timezones... I feel like the people in "Lost" who are timetraveling on the island... not knowing what's going on.

Anyways, just a few more hours and we are back on CET... Central European Time, baby!!!

We are not heading back to Valencia quite yet though, but directly to Barcelona where we are going to enjoy some extra hotel time. Barcelona is home to many of our players, so I am happy that they will be able to get to see their families. I am not a hater!!!!

On Saturday will be playing against CB Olessa and then head back "home" to enjoy our first day off in..... I don't know how many days/weeks.

It's been a long couple of days, and I am looking forward to returning to the four walls of my Ciudad Ros Casares apartment... and to hopefully get some sun on our day off :)

Here are a couple of pictures from our trip to Orenburg... enjoy:

after waking up at 5am and traveling a total of 17 hours on 3 planes,
we've proven to be some real troopers


GAME TIME... by the way... she missed that shot! ;)

E, Becky and Ka-Tee acting a fool in front of Becky's Russian ride

having dinner with two of our opponents, Becky and Tina....
Good times! Many giggles! See you again in Spain!


just a sign... funny translation

Becky and Ka-Tee get inspiration from the Russian Teambus for future
home decorations

getting "our stretch on"... at 8am Spanish Time... no need to describe the atmosphere ;)

if our pointguard has this much legroom on the plane....
can you imagine our postplayers?

NONE!!!! it should be forbidden... it's not humane to sit like this for hours!!!!

SUNDAY THOUGHT

2010-10-24T11:19:00.000+03:00

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...” Psalm 23:6

It's a Sure Thing

Let’s break this Scripture down: ‘Surely goodness and mercy.’ People may disappoint you, but God’s goodness and mercy are sure things! ‘With [God] there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency’ (James 1:17). Our devotion to God may falter, but His devotion to us never does: ‘If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful...’ (2 Timothy 2:13). David didn’t say, ‘maybe, possibly, I hope so, I’ve a hunch’. No, he said, ‘Surely’ and that’s a promise you can stand on. ‘Shall follow me.’ That sounds like another promise God made to His people: ‘all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee...’ (Deuteronomy 28:2). Note the words: ‘follow… come on… overtake’. You can’t get away from them!

God’s goodness and mercy followed Jonah to the bottom of the sea, Daniel into the lions’ den, and John into exile, opening heaven to him.

Stop and look back. Think of the scrapes God’s brought you through, the messes He’s helped clean up, the doors He’s opened, and what do you see? Blessings you don’t deserve, can’t escape, and are new every morning. With God, it’s a sure thing! ‘All the days of my life.’

Think of the days ahead and what do you see? Days at home raising a family? Days in a dead-end job, struggling to get ahead? Days of loneliness and poor health? Days of caring for a sick loved one? Days of battling disappointment and depression?

‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.’ Goodness to provide, and mercy to pardon; you’ll never have a day without them!

SUNDAY THOUGHT

2010-10-17T15:47:00.000+03:00

Hello, I just came up with the idea to share my favorite devotional of the week with all of you on Sundays :)
Whatcha think? I hope you are going to enjoy it.

Today's SUNDAY THOUGHT comes from Bob Gass's Online Devotional.

It's about self esteem, and where it SHOULD come from. Please feel free to comment and share your opinion.

ISAIAH 43:1
“I have called you by your name; you are Mine.”

Your Self-Esteem Must Come from God

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Though you are one of the teeming millions in this world, and though the world would have you believe that you do not count and that you are but a speck in the mass, God says, ‘I know you.’” How wonderful is that? Take a moment and consider the things in life that rob us of self-esteem. Words such as, “I don’t want you; I don’t love you anymore.” Or “You’re unsuitable for the job; sorry, we have to let you go.” Or, “You keep making the same stupid mistakes. You’ll never get it right.” Or, “Why can’t you be like your brother, or your sister, or so-and-so?”

Understand this:
(1) Your self-esteem cannot be based on what you do for a living. Because when you can no longer do it you’ll feel worthless. Think about some of the famous people you know: athletes, artists, speakers, etc. When they can no longer do what they do they get depressed, even suicidal.

(2) Your self-esteem cannot be based on what you own. Recently the U.S. housing market lost up to 40% of its value in one year. Millions of people saw their social status go down and their financial security go up in smoke.

(3) Your self-esteem cannot be based on other people’s opinion. Because it will always make you vulnerable to rejection.

What’s the solution? Discover what God thinks about you and build your life on it.

“Thus says the Lord, who created you…who…redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” It doesn’t get any better than that!

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2010-10-04T00:40:00.000+03:00

Well after Ljuba, Taj, Becky, Edwige and I ended our own little World Championship here in Valencia on Friday by playing three practice games against the Young Mens Team back-to-back-to-back, today in the Czech Republic the real World Championship has officially come to an end.
Congrats to the United States for winning it all!!!!
Great run, Czech Republic... Dobre Holki... and congrats to my new fellow athletes from Spain!!!
Last but not least, congrats to Belarussia... it was nice to see 3 out of 4 teams in the top positions to be from Europe!!!

On the sidelines of the final games, FIBA has held a conference on women's basketball in Karlovy Vary to discuss ways of making the sport better, and more appealing to a wider audience. In reference to that I found this interview with Mr. Patrick Baumann (FIBA's Secretary General), who was commenting on some of the results of that conference.

In the comment section, let me know what you think :)

http://www.fibatv.com/page/Video/0,,12805~1664034,00.html?tabb=interviews&pnumber=1?WT.mc_id=fibacxt

POSITIVITY

2010-10-03T00:01:00.000+03:00

Well, this "fin de semana" we are having COMPLETELY off ... the last double-off day till Christmas, so I think it's well deserved.... and NOW day#1 is slowly coming to an end.

It's been a good one: woke up late, talked to some friends, spent some time at the pool with some teammates, went to Lidl, watched tv and last but not least spent some time on the computer.

While doing the latter, I came across this video. I love it!!!!!

I am not a big rap fan per se-- probably because in half of the songs I don't understand a word they are saying (English is after all my second language, so please forgive me!) and then the ones I DO understand, I don't agree with the message. IN MY OPINION most of them (NOT ALL!) talk about too much negative stuff, glorify worldly stuff and mislead their fans to yearn for stuff that is unnecessary for leading a happy life.

Anywhoosers, enough about my opinion... so I came across this rap video today, and I felt like sharing it on here... IT'S DIFFERENT:

VAMOS A LA PLAYA

2010-10-02T09:00:00.000+03:00

Before you scroll down to view the picture, please click on the link below, and let the music run while you are looking at the photos below:

I don't know about you, but I love me some Valencia ;)

FINALLY FIVE

2010-09-29T00:53:00.000+03:00

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!)

STAFF OF ROS CASARES

2010-09-28T17:00:00.002+03:00

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.

FITNESS TEST

2010-09-25T08:30:00.000+03:00

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 is this 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!

Done!!!!

PRACTICE WITH ROS CASARES

2010-09-23T16:07:00.001+03:00

Here just a couple of randoms pictures of our practices... this was before Taj arrived one week ago... just L&L (Ljuba & Linda)

getting ready to rumble: our practice uniform

Coach Alejandro loves his conditioning "circuitos"... 4x10mins of running around and over cones... aaaaah!

it's getting hot in here.... sweaty legs during our stretching

the floor después de (after) stretching

best part of practice..... the end.... hihihihi

leaving the "battlefield" behind.... for the day... will be back tomorrow

After practice... pheewww... happy to have had a good workout... and looking forward to the weekend ;)

after practicing... the sweat that was in only my shorts.... muy caliente!

GAME TIME

2010-09-21T15:41:00.000+03:00

Well well well, not "real" game time yet... but kind of... this evening we are going to have our second practice game since we've gotten here...

with numbers on our hands instead of jerseys:

with our temporary team/practice partners: the Under16-Boys Team or rather "YoungMen"-Team of Power Electronics Valencia ;)

With our new teammate Taj McWilliams-Franklin who joined Ljuba and me last Thursday for some preseason training:

HORCHATA AND FARTONS

2010-09-20T01:00:00.002+03:00

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!!

Muchas Gracias to Bea, Nuria, Virginia and Miry

WEEKEND JUST AROUND THE CORNER...

2010-09-18T00:30:00.000+03:00

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!

MELISSA ERICKSON

2010-09-15T01:44:00.000+03:00

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:

MELISSA ERICKSON FOUNDATION

Thank you so much for your time to read this.

Much love,
Linda

9 YEARS AGO

2010-09-11T11:42:00.000+03:00

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.

CIUDAD ROS CASARES, THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS!!!

2010-09-11T01:08:00.000+03:00

Hello everyone,

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.

"JOURNEY WOMAN".... LOL

2010-09-02T03:09:00.001+03:00

REST IN PEACE

2010-09-01T03:27:00.000+03:00

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!

MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED...

2010-08-28T00:36:00.000+03:00

Today is Friday, I think... once you get into a tournament mode or into a season, there are only game days, practice days and off days... no such thing as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or even a weekend ... We are in Kosice (Slovakia) now... our last stop in this summer's Euro Qualifier.
...let me try to summarize the last two weeks of no-blogging.

GREAT START IN THE UKRAINE:
We started with a big win in a sauna-like environment in Kiev. I can honestly say that have never played in such a hot and steamy gym like this before in my life...(not even in the Bahamas).
The only upside to that situation was that it was fair game: also the Ukrainian ladies had to fight the steam.
With endurance and fighting we were able to come out on top.

Funny story: many of you might know that I have a hearing loss of about 60% in my left ear due to tinnitus, which has tendencies to increase when I work out... so while we were playing in those tropical temperatures all I heard was the crown shouting: "SUPA-LIN-DA".
At the end of the game I asked my teammates i they had heard that cheer as well... everyone just shook their head and said that it was "UUUU-KRA-EEEEE-NAAA".... lol... hey, whatever floats my boat!!!

ALMOST A DREAM COME TRUE:
In Wolfenbüttel a very special guy joined the team.... my husband!!! He was able to take some time off from work to cheer us on during our 3-game-Germany-tour. For our first game, he was joined by one of my sisters and my mom, who took the 3 hours-roadtrip in the middle of the working week. For the first time ever, my husband and family united at one of my German national team games. A dream come true... well --almost-- because in my dream we also won the game... but that day we didn't. England was able to get the upperhand :(

HALLE/WESTFALEN:
What a bath of mixed emotions. Arriving in Halle we were in awe about the facility and the hotel that was presented to us and FOR US... mixed emotions, because we knew that this royal treatment was only possible, because we were about to play a double-header with our mens team.... Then a win against the then-favorite Slovakia washed all that away, because at the end of the day... winning that's what it's all about ;)

BACK TO REALITY:
After a 5-hour bus trip we finally arrived in Berlin at around 1am... better that way, because who wants to be on the bus on their day off, right? Well that's what I thought. Now looking back, I wouldn't have minded to stay another night at a 4-star hotel in the shadow of the men's team.
From being treated like royalty during our one night in Halle/Westfalen we were thrown right back into our reality... all I say is youth hostel "hotel"...oops, did I say "youth hostel"... well, I meant it. The hotel was shocking and to tell you the truth I was embarrassed to host any team in a place like that. Due to dirty plates, "crunchy" lettuce, and filthy rooms diarrhea, headaches and sleepless nights weren't far.
Nevertheless, it wasn't an excuse enough for our bad performance against the Ukraine... just like IN THE UKRAINE a couple days back, it was a even playing field, and unfortunately the other team was stronger this time.

YESTERDAY IN LIVERPOOL:
Don't want to lose many words about the game (we lost).
It was my first time in England and I must say that I was delighted... I would definitely like to return... next time for a little vacation rather than a butt-whooping.

OUR RECORD NOW: 2-3

THE FACTS:
#1: we will have to win on Sunday against Slovakia to give ourselves a chance to directly qualify
#2: Ukraine has to lose against Great Britain

I want to close this post with one of my favorite songs... which are so fitting for this occasion.

AUF GEHT'S DEUTSCHLAND- I BELIEVE!!!!!!

FIRST CLASS

2010-08-12T07:28:00.000+03:00

Legroom on the train to the airport... Gotta love it... One of the few times being tall actually turns out to be a disadvantage.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

MADE IN GERMANY... THIS IS GERMAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 2010

2010-08-09T13:06:00.057+03:00

This is a teampicture we took in Borken... aren't we cute?
And look how tiny I am... I should be in the front row... lol.

The Final Roster for this year's qualification has been set:
# 4: Roli-Ann Nikagbatse (ohne Verein)

# 5: Anne Breitreiner (Club Athletico Faenza/Italien)

# 6: Dorothea Richter (TSV Wasserburg)
# 7: Lisa Koop (BC Pharmaserv Marburg)

# 8: Sarah Austmann (evo NB Oberhausen)
# 9: Stina Barnert (TV Saarlouis Royals)
#10: Romy Bär (TV Saarlouis Royals)

#11: Margret Skuballa (BC Pharmaserv Marburg)

#13: Linda Fröhlich (Ros Caseres Valncia/Spanien)
#15: Petra Gläser (ohne Verein)
#21: Birte Thimm (evo NB Oberhausen)# "gosh, I'm not sure...sorry Kat": Katja Bavendam (Hondarribia/Spanien)

Because there are only 12 players allowed on a roster, we had to say "see you later" to Katarina Fikiel and Tina Menz.
As for me, it was a pleasure meeting them, and I am sure that in the future they are going to be great players who will represent Germany.

We missed them very much, and girls: will be fighting for you, too!
MIT HERZ UND HAND!!!!

WHILE WE WERE MINDING OUR OWN BUSINESS...

2010-08-06T01:03:00.000+03:00

... at the airport in Cologne. So did they: Jeffrey Atkins and his crew.
You wonder, 'Who is Jeffrey Atkins?'

"Holla Holla"... yo man, Ja Rule!

At the conveyer belt in Bucarest we met up and "Ja" recognized us ;) and asked us to take a picture for a keepsake.... he wanted to come and watch us play, but he had a gig lined up in another city during that time... oh well, maybe next time, Ja!

AIRPORT IN COLOGNE

2010-08-04T11:47:00.001+03:00

This morning we left our hotel in Mettmann to move to our final destination in this preparation phase: Bucharest.

We'll be playing two games against the Romanian nationalteam there and I'm actually really excited about it, as I get to see some friends from last season again :D
Well, at the moment we have some time at the airport to spare... To be exact 2 hours, which our travel coordinator thought to be a good enough buffer for a domestic flight.... Geesh!
Here are the different ways we utilized this spare time:

Liso is studying

Peti is wide awake...

Coffeebreak for our odd couple Stina & Kat (one is the shortest and the other one the tallest).
And Nine-A, our physiotherapist is looking cute

Tinchen is relaxing and reading a book

Ex-DBB-President and now director of operations, Roland Geggus and watching the funny bunch from afar

The "Bear" is hibernating

Our Sku-Balla already finished a little powernap

a pilot who had the audacity to wake our bear from hibernation... well, he got what he deserved: stanky-feet-in-da-face

Annie Bananie taking a quick trip to La La Land

You might think they are glued together... this picture doesn't help to prove otherwise
Birah (Birte & Sarah) reading some high-quality news

Roli-Ann Andarina Edward Ogharanemeye Nikagbatse is stretching her back

"M" to the "E", to the double-"T." ... Mettmann. Mettmann

2010-08-03T00:57:00.002+03:00

So many things happened in this city where my favorite German Comedians Hape Kerkeling has danced the samba before.

In big fashion, our visit started with an invitation at the mayor's house, where were welcomed by the leader of the city who gave us an insight into the "specialty" of Mettmann. It's the city of the Neanderthal... most of us didn't know that about that city, so it was definitely educational. The mayor and the organization staff showed a lot of enthusiasm about the upcoming event and made us feel very special.

In the end, we were allowed to signed our names into the city's guestbook, and took a picture with the proud mayor.

Signing the guestbook in Mettmann

Somehow we managed to "serve" the mayor a shirt that was a tad bit too small... but he showed to be a great sport and sported it the next day at the game against Belgium.

WHERE'S LINDA????? can you find me?

Unfortunately we weren't able to win against Belgium, not at home on Saturday (in Mettmann) nor on Sunday in Sprimont, Belgium.

Maybe it was still the fluke that I had brought onto our team at the day of our away game in the Netherlands... I had painted my fingernails in German flag colors: red-black-gold.... BUT... I messed up with the order in which I painted them... I lined them up like the Belgium flag... no wonder Belgium won twice... I had secretively had been their supporter. Shame on me! I am sorry ladies.

But hey, that's what this preparation phase is all about: to get all types of the little faux-paux out of the way. That's why it's called PRACTICE GAMES!

Speaking of practice, here are two pics from us riding back to the hotel after practice... in our Escalade team bus ;)

THANK YOU METTMANN for a great event.
Thanks for laying out the wooden floor... especially for us!!!!! For athletes, that's like rolling out the Red Carpet.

Now we are off to București (Bucharest, Romania) tomorrow morning.

Photos at the Mayor's house: courtesy of Dietrich Janicki

BORKEN

2010-07-29T17:00:00.115+03:00

Last Friday at 3.30pm I boarded my flight eastbound to arrive on Saturday around noon at the Düsseldorf airport. I must have been the biggest woman at the airport to cry like a little baby when I had to say "see you later, a.k.a. in a couple of months" to my husband. You might be fooled and think that it gets easier the more you do it, but that's a lie!!! It's a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie!

It's so funny, but this time I had such a great seat on my flight to Germany that I was mentally not able to go to sleep, I know, it's a little bizarre... it's just that I totally wanted to enjoy each and every second of that comfortable flight :)

Since I had already been to Europe for a tournament in Italy with the nationalteam one week before, I was able to shake the jetlag real quick and have been ... being up for over 30 hours total throughout the trip, probably helped too ;)

Alright, so our first leg of our training camp is finished: we are leaving Borken.

It has been a reeeeeeeeeally neat experience... and not only because for a change we all had single rooms. Nothing against you personally, Peti (my usual roomie), I am just saying.... a grown woman appreciates some space sometimes... especially when you travel together for three weeks straight, eat together three times a day, practice twice, have team meetings, watch game film, etc... and all of that DAILY within only 24hours... So to come to your own room at the end of the day is nice and we want to than :)
So thank you, Hotel Lindenhof for providing us with this luxury.

Besides that, the staff worked very hard to make it an all around great experience for all of us. Thanks to Heiner Kiebel and the basketball support staff of the RC-Hoxfeld Basketball Club and the mayor of Borken for meeting up with us for dinner.
Special thanks to Mrs. Lüpke who made sure that each inch of the court had 'the perfect grip'!
And last, but definitely not least... thanks to the 700 people that came to watch us play.

Everybody was definitely a part of our 65-67 win against the Netherlands.
Before this trainingscamp, I-- and most of my teammates-- had never heard of Borken (population of 41.000), but now we'll have many great memories to share about this city in the middle of the "Münsterland".... and hopefully we will be back one day again.

Here are some pictures to remember a great week:

This is us before the game- with Siggi, the German Eagle Mascot... please note how tiny I am in the backrow ;)

Siggi and the Borkener "Black Widows" present us to the crowd

singing the national anthem... well, most of us.

Mit Herz und Hand- Ein Team- Deutschland!

Germany getting ready to play

The "Black Widows" in action

Fighting for the ball

Siggi kept the crowd entertained

DBB Womens Team joined some young players to answer some questions and take a cool picture together

THANK YOU BORKEN!!!!

A strong Borkener crowd gave us great "back support"

NEXT CHAPTER

2010-07-28T03:52:00.002+03:00

Weeks have passed since my last entry... weeks that I have taken to:

recover mentally from a looooong non-typical season (leaving Brno, playing in Kosice for a month and then joining Targoviste for the rest season)
recover physically from my "Romanian" ankle sprain
stay away from 'facebook' for a while
spend some much-needed time with my husband, family & friends
clean up my house
get some sun
and run the typical errands that a housewife has to run :) P.S.: I am not a desperate one yet though...

As for basketball, I was fortunate to sign a great contract with a great team two weeks ago... I will be playing for Ros Casares in Valencia, Spain in the next season.

There I will play in the Euroleague again, reunite with my old teammate from Taranto and Sacramento, Rebekkah Brunson and finally be teammates with my longtime friend Edwige Lawson (we've known each other for 16 years now and have always dreamed of being on the same team, crazy huh?).

After playing in Brno, Kosice and Targoviste during the past winter months, I am definitely ready for sunny South again. I remember playing in Valencia a couple of years ago, and I absolutely loved the city... So there are many, many great things to be looking forward to.... except the early arrival date on September 6th, which won't give me a chance to go back after the nationalteam's qualifications round.... *Sniff sniff*

Yeeeees, you heard right... I am back with the nationalteam... I'll definitely be writing more about that in upcoming blog.

At the moment, I am in Borken, Germany gearing up for game#2 against the Netherlands. Yesterday we played one homegame here in Borken (we won!) and today we are driving out there to play them in Nijmwegen. GO GERMANY!!!

On that note, I got to run... they got us on a tight schedule here... but I wanted to make sure to touch base with you again, and let you know that you can gear up for some Frohlich Food in the nearest future.

God bless you and ttys,
LINDA

SUNTEM CAMPIONI

2010-05-19T04:43:00.006+03:00

CONGRATS TO EVERYONE AT MCM Targoviste.
Thanks to all the staff who has made this season possible... behind the scenes and hands-on.

Special thanks to ALL THE FANS and thanks for taking the long journey on the bus to support us in Arad.

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

1-0 MCM Targoviste

2010-05-15T14:03:00.007+03:00

© Cristi Dudea

We were able to get a good start in the Finals yesterday with a great win against ICIM Arad. 92 – 55.

After three weeks of being completely sidelined with an ankle injury, I was happy to be back on the court again. It felt a little awkward at the beginning, but definitely with each minute on the court I was feeling better and better.

Having to sit out as an athlete is a reality check for sure... you get reminded how temporary this whole career is and that everything could be over in a heartbeat... so it is, like with everything else in life... CARPE DIEM!

Ecclesiastes 5:19

"Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God".
Here are a couple of pictures of how I spent the last couple of days in the rehab clinic at the "Atlantis" Club & Spa in Pipera:

Even got ultrasound from a celebrity.... look who I found... Sarah Jessica Parker in Bucharest ;)

ROMANIAN LEAGUE FINALISTS ARE SET!!!!!!!

2010-05-11T21:10:00.000+03:00

This is the audio announcement/commercial for our team's final series.. and even though you might not understand anything (the only things I understand is Targoviste and Arad.... lol) it's gonna get you pumped.... gosh, I WANNA PLAY RIGHT NOW!!!!!
Hai Targoviste... let's go girls!

Dates for the Finals against ICIM Arad:

FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2010
in Targoviste
at 7pm

SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2010
in Targoviste
at 6pm

TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010
in Arad
at 6pm

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2010*
in Arad
at

SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2010*
in Targoviste
at 6pm

*if necessary

SHAY DORON

2010-05-11T00:26:00.000+03:00

Hello everyone.
This is a cool little video of Shay Doron's life here in Targoviste.
Check it out... BTW: most of you don't speak Hebrew, but she is only saying good things!!!!

sport5.co.il - אתר ערוץ הספורט

MAYBE....

2010-05-02T20:48:00.002+03:00

WELCOME MAY!

2010-05-01T12:16:00.000+03:00

As a woman, who loves to takes pictures, I must say that unfortuately our photoshoot a couple of weeks ago only lasted 15 minutes or so, but with the help of a talented photographer we were able to get some great photos out... courtesy of Florian Ispas

Samba, Tina, Moni and Linda

ROMANIAN ALL-STAR GAME 2010

2010-04-25T15:01:00.000+03:00

Good news: I was voted to be on the "Rest of the World" Team for this year's Romanian AllStar Game. THANK YOU ALL FOR VOTING FOR ME :)
Bad news: I sprained my ankle last week during practice and won't be able to participate :(
Nevertheless, I think the ladies are ready to put on a great show.

I want to encourage you to join in today at 5pm on TVR2.

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE (Semifinals)

2010-04-25T01:00:00.004+03:00

Dates for the Semifinals against Satu Mare:

MONDAY, MAY 3, 2010
in Targoviste
at 6pm

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010
in Satu Mare

TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2010*in Targoviste
at 6pm

*if necessary

FRÖHLICH'S "Food For Thought"

COMING TO VEGAS

IF YOU ARE FROM THE SEATTLE AREA....

SUMMER TIME... AND THE LIVIN' IS EEEEEASY

PLEASE SUPPORT!

...

R.I.P. MARGO DYDEK

BLAST FROM THE PAST

LET'S GO MAVS!!!!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN

MADE IT TO CHICAGO

At ATHENS INT'L AIRPORT ELEFTHERIOS VENIZELOS again

HEADING TO THESSALONIKI

PROTEAS "DRAFT" PARTY- Πάρτυ Έναρξης Τουρνουά 2011.

BLESSINGS TO KATE & WILLIAM!

INTERVIEW on GREEK WEBSITE

AS PROMISED...

LITTLE VOULIGANS

GREEK CUP TONIGHT... against the Top Team in Greece Sony Athinaikos!!!!

THANK YOU EVERYBODY

SPECIAL DAY IN GREECE

A LITTLE BIT HURT

GIRLS NIGHT OUT

IF YOU HAVE 1.5 HOURS TO SPARE...

YEAH.... I WAS "THAAAT GIRL"

MOMENTS OF MAGIC

MTV CRIBS "GREEK EDITION"

SPRINGTIME IS NEAR

HAPPY VALENTINE'S/LOVE DAY!

A LETTER TO COACH ARGI

GLYFADA-CAPE SUNIO and BACK

LADY REBELS REPRESENTING IN GREECE

VASILOPITA, A.K.A. "New Year Cake"

OOOOOOO HOW "O"SOME :)

GOOD JOB LADIES!

MAY I INTRODUCE... THE PROTEAS CRAZY BUNCH

FROM and ESPECIALLY FOR THE "LIL ONE"

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES...

DAY ONE IS OVER WITH...

BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT

MADE IT TO ATHENS

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!

STILL A FREE AGENT

MERRY CHRISTMAS

HOHOHO...

UPDATE

TIME TO SAY GOOD-BYE

THE ANSWER

DOPPELGÄNGER

TAKE ONE MORE STEP

SEASON OPENER!

CLASSIC

POWER ELECTRONICS

GAMETIME... against Bourges. Let's go Ros!!!!

HEADING BACK WEST

SUNDAY THOUGHT

SUNDAY THOUGHT

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

POSITIVITY

VAMOS A LA PLAYA

FINALLY FIVE

STAFF OF ROS CASARES

FITNESS TEST

PRACTICE WITH ROS CASARES

GAME TIME

HORCHATA AND FARTONS

Well thanks to some nice ladies... I was introduced to a Valencian specialty last week:Horchata & Fartons

WEEKEND JUST AROUND THE CORNER...

MELISSA ERICKSON

9 YEARS AGO

CIUDAD ROS CASARES, THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS!!!

"JOURNEY WOMAN".... LOL

REST IN PEACE

MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED...

FIRST CLASS

MADE IN GERMANY... THIS IS GERMAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 2010

WHILE WE WERE MINDING OUR OWN BUSINESS...

AIRPORT IN COLOGNE

"M" to the "E", to the double-"T." ... Mettmann. Mettmann

Well thanks to some nice ladies... I was introduced to a Valencian specialty last week:

Horchata & Fartons