Championship Time - The final test!

Preseason

I won't lie to you.. it's been a long year.  The journey to this point has been full of ups and downs, starting with the first curve ball thrown back in July, when I didn't know if I was going to find a team for this season.  Low and behold, just as I was about to lose all hope on playing overseas again, an email from my agents finally came through giving me some good news - Osnabrück wanted me, and on a plane as soon as possible.  Sorry what?  As soon as possible!?  Yet, when an opportunity comes your way, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and hope you're landing in nice, soft pillows and not sharp, pokey nails.  So, the next thing I knew, five days later I was leaving my job in San Diego with basketball shoes in hand and on a flight out to Germany.

Bye fun summer job making sure kids don't run away at the beach, hello 15 hour flight, new apartment, and preseason training.

From there, I unpacked my bags and settled into a month of preseason two a day training.  It wasn't so bad, but I was doing a lot of laundry... Our full team wasn't quite with us at this point, only the dedicated (the ones who still weren't on summer vacation).  But by the time our camp in Berlin rolled around at the end of August, we had our full squad and our American point guard, Angela Pace, on her way - AFTER she missed her first flight!! (Knowing Ang now, this doesn't surprise me)

The Berlin camp was awesome - well maybe not so much for Ang, who was a little out of shape and jet lagged.  However, naturally in the spirit of sympathy for my fellow American, I caught a terrible cold.  As you can well imagine, it is never fun being sick on the road - especially for your hotel roommate who secretly hopes they can sleep in a plastic bubble away from you.  It knocked me out for a good day and a half, but I wasn't going to let it keep me down and from experiencing a city with so much history!  *Pushes up nerd glasses* Plus, someone on our team had to be enthusiastic about doing a little preliminary research about all the cool things we were going to see.

Season

September was rather eventful, as we scrimmaged several first divison teams including Herne (who we would later face in the Final Four), Oberhausen (who ended up moving down this year), and Rotenburg (who ended up getting third place).  Apparently, this prepared us well for our first league test, as we blew our first opponent - Opladen - out of the water by 30 points.  We continued on our winning streak, but our margins of victory were getting smaller and smaller as the season progressed.  Finally, we were to play at the home of the ever-intimidating Göttingen Veilchen (flowers).  The game was very back and forth, but the flowers ended up getting the best of us and handing us our first loss going into Christmas break.

The second half of the season we lost two of our German posts and added Canadian import, Emma Dunkier.  This definitely changed the dynamic of our team, as you can only play 2 imports on the court at a time.  I was then moved from the guard to the post, which I secretly shed a few tears about as it was the first time in my career where I could play a true 3.  Then again, the 4 isn't a bad position either :)

Our first game back was against Pokal (cup game) competition - Heidelberg, who I played against last year in the DBBL 2nd League South.  We beat them at home, earning us a spot in the Final Four, which is quite the feat for a second league team!  It would be like a mid-major D1 school that you've never heard of making it to the Final Four for NCAA college basketball. The Final Four was to be hosted the last weekend in March, so until then we had quite a bit of league competition to be played.  Rounding out the second half of season we suffered a bad upset loss against a small farm town team by the name of Grünberg, lost once again to our flowery nemesis Göttingen, and an unexpected loss to Opladen at their gym.  This left our record going into play-offs at a solid, yet unexceptional, 18-4.

Top Four

Before we got serious in play-offs, we got to have a little fun in Germany's Final (Top) Four.  Our first opponent was Rhein-Main Baskets, an gritty first league team who is known for playing as a team rather than relying on the talent of their foreigners.  With the odds against us, we battled possession for possession with Rhein-Main until the second quarter when they literally could not miss and rained the threes down against us.  That dug us into a 20 point lead that we could not overcome, and a deficit we eventually lost by.  The next night we played the #2 team in Germany, Herne, who had talent at strength at every position.  We mustered every ounce of heart that we could compete with and made it a game until the very end, until one of their players hit three big threes to put them up by 8 as the buzzer rang.

Play-Offs

In the second league, only four teams make it to play-offs.  We took first place in the league so we were matched against 4th place Opladen, who narrowly edged out TG Neuss for that last spot.  On the other side, the flowers played the Wolfenbüttel Wolfpack, who was a strong opponent all season.  They battled it out for three games and Göttingen ended up taking the series as we sort of..well..rolled over Opladen in two games.

This takes us to the present, where we hosted Göttingen last Sunday at home for the first round of a best-of-three championship series.  The game got out to a shockingly terrible start, leaving the score at the end of the first quarter 9-25 with most of the team wondering who just played that first quarter, because it sure as heck wasn't us!  Anyway, it happens, and once you dig yourself that deep of a hole it's very difficult to see the light again... regardless of the odds, we battled back to within 2 by the end of the game and hope for an epic comeback win was glimmering in our sights.  But Göttingen is a strong team, and they weren't about to go home empty handed when they had come so far, and as you may have guessed (since we are about to play our third and final game) they clinched the first win of the series on our court.

We had no other choice but to review the film and analyze what went so terribly wrong.  In the end it really came down to lack of aggression in that first quarter - the aggressor ALWAYS wins.  So here we are, warming up for our second game in Göttingen (this past Saturday), thinking it could quite possibly be our last game together if we don't bounce back.  Fans wearing purple and white started pouring into the gym, and our little fan section wearing white, black, and red pounded the drums in the corner of the gym by our bench.  Their fans lined literally every side of the court and there wasn't a seat left open in the gym.

Do or Die

From beginning to end, the game was the most physical we had played all year, and it felt like at times the refs should of taken a mini time out to relook up the rules on fouling.  Both teams started out slow, letting defense set the tone of the game with the first quarter ending at 16-12 (rather low scoring for such a high stakes game), but then again, defense is what wins is it not?  The second quarter we charged at them, winning it 8-18 putting us up by 6 (24-30) going into half time.  Our momentum carried us into the third, and we won that quarter 12-17, extending our lead to 11.  But, with the thought of not being able to cut down their own nets, pop the bottles of champagne they had waiting in their lockerroom, and of letting down their numerous flower fans in the stands, Göttingen clawed their way back into the game sinking their only 3 three pointers of the game in the 4th quarter.  Our offensive spark had somehow completely run out, and we scored a meager 3 points the ENTIRE quarter up until the last 3.7 seconds of the game... when our center, who hadn't scored a bucket all game, sank a fade-away shot off the extended block to put us up by 1 point as time expired.

What goes through your mind in that moment?
The second the ball is in the air and headed toward the basket, you stop breathing...
...you might as well be sitting on the sidelines as a fan because you don't move anything but your head and eyes as they follow the ball...
....it hits the backboard and for a split second you think I need to try and rebound this if it bounces the wrong way...
...but you're paralyzed in whatever position you were in because you know this is the last chance...
...then it bounces once or twice, it's hard to say, around the rim...
...then through the net and a second of shock is quickly erased by pure abandon and triumph as the gym falls utterly silent and you sprint down the court with your arms gloriously thrown in the air as the final buzzer rings.

The Last Test

We were alive.  And we are still alive!  Saturday is our final test against our arch nemesis (title earned over time).  No one remembers second place, and second place gets stuck in the second league, so there is a lot on the line and the stakes as high as ever.  If it so happens that you've made it this far in reading this long blog post, you may be interested in watching the live stats (there unfortunately won't be a live stream) for the game at 9am West Coast time (8am Alaska time) at www.dbbl.de.  As they say in Germany, "Drucken die Daumen!" or push your thumbs up! :)

Giving Back

I used to think the three community service projects we had to do in college were while, worthy of our time, also a nuisance to plan and commit three or four precious weekend hours to (and believe me when you're a college athlete you cherish any free time you get).  I know, what a ridiculous thing, but when you're 20 you are unfortunately more self-focused than anything.  But looking back  now I wish we had done more!  Who would think that something as simple as putting a ball through a net could impact a community so positively.  While the adults are cheering for you, the kids are wishing to someday be like you.  I never truly realized how special that was until my senior year of college when our coach (current head coach of UAA, Ryan McCarthy) emphasized the importance of giving back by having us think back to when we were 8 years old and how awesome it was to have a visit from someone other than our mom.

I've found it doesn't matter what part of the world you are in either, if you do something that people pay money to come see, then you are a role model, and with that comes great responsibility.  After representing the club or organization you are apart of to the best of your ability, there is also an unspoken obligation to give back.  Here in Germany, about every three weeks we go visit a couple of schools and play basketball games with the kids.  Contrary to the U.S., many of the kids don't even know how many players are on the court at a time in basketball, so it's just as much of a promotional gig for the Panthers as it is for the sport in general.  Nonetheless, they are fascinated by "the Americans".  The fact that I come from Alaska usually gets a couple of "woaahhhh"'s, but when my roommate who is from New York is announced she gets "WOAAAHHHH!!!"'s.  What's so special about a state that is associated with a piece of fruit anyway, we have polar bears!

To conclude, the moral of my short story is: volunteer!  Giving back is a win-win for everyone.  The recipients get the result of someone's unselfishness, which could be anything from soup to reading to the elderly to promoting sports and activity in school.  The giver gets the priceless gift of gratitude, which for me anyway, puts a smile on my face the rest of the day.

AmsterDaaayymm

I say Amsterdam, you say...

Weed?  Drugs? Prostitutes? Red Light District?

Maybe this was just my perception of Amsterdam, but it is in fact a very lovely and charming city.  On top of this, it's an architectural and civil engineering achievement that would make any college professor drool.





















While it is true that anything goes in Amsterdam, it's centuries old, culturally tolerant and accepting society is unlike any other.  Being here was almost just as much a lesson in parenting as in European history.  I know what you're thinking - parenting? what the heck is she talking about?  To me, the city seemed so normal despite knowing that the Coffee Shops weren't just for drinking some espresso, a whole few blocks of the city is a major sex industry, and LED display boards light up across town reading "Caution, Ignore Street Dealers, White Heroin Sold as Cocaine, 3 Tourists Have Died".  And with all this in mind; it was not dirty, there were no signs of crime, and nobody was walking around incoherently high or drunk.

A pair of locked up bikes. We were nearly hit in the narrow streets by a dozen of the ones that weren't unlocked!

And yes I can't say that I wandered the streets of the Red Light District during the wee hours of the night, so my previous statement may be inaccurate at some times, but I would think that the majority of cities have their share of night-life problems.  Where would Amsterdam rank?  According to a data summary by The Guardian news, as far as deadliest cities go, Amsterdam falls down into the middle of the pack with many cities in the Americas being 10-40x more dangerous (based on homicide rates).  So what does this have to do with parenting again?  Well, I couldn't help but think about Amsterdam as that kid in school who's parents lay down some basic guidelines, but make typically "forbidden" things more accessible, and therefore, less desirable as less opportunity is created for rebellious behavior.

Parents: "Come on Ams!  Come have a few drinks with us."  (16 year old Ams proceeds to have one too many with his parents and discovers his drinking limits the hard way.  He throws up under his own roof with his parents chuckling next door and lays in bed the next day with a gnarly hangover.. Ams is much wiser in the future and less pressured in peer situations, and proceeds in life with overall responsible decision-making)

A palace..no wait...a train station?? 

Now we all know about U.S. regulations, federal and state law, this rule, that rule, blah blah blah... A U.S. city, Harrisburgh, Pennsylvania for example, is like the kid in school who gets out of mom's minivan in the morning with a lunch packed with love and good intentions.  This straight A honor student, key club member, and class secretary doesn't stray from the rules all through adolescence under the watchful and strict eye of their parents until the freedom of college is reached and party chaos ensues.

Parents: "Harri, you must get good grades, not succumb to peer pressure, drink until 21, and be home by 11 sharp." (18 year old Harri goes to college and realizes no one can tell him what to do anymore and gets in multiple bad situations from poor decision-making)

While I went off on a huge tangent from the awesomeness of Amsterdam, the point of my Harri & Ams story is how surprisingly charming a kid/city with a "bad" rep can be and how even your most regulated of Townsvilles can't stop dangerous, irresponsible, and illegal behavior.

Westerkerk (Kerk = church) 100m from the Anne Frank House. 

Anyway, enough talk about parenting.  Everyone has their opinions on how to properly raise a child, and I am no where close so time to move on to more present, Amsterdamly matters!

Walking through Amsterdam you would  never begin to think that this large scale city was built on an entirely artificial foundation.  Much like Venice was built into a lagoon, Amsterdam was built on top of marshy swampland.  It's name reflects this as Amstel is the river that flows into the city and Dam indicates just that, a dyke or dam to hold back the sea.  Before driving the pilings for the foundation of the city, the marshland first had to be drained into a semi-circular canal, which today is known as the Singel Canal.  Not only was it used for engineering purposes, it was also used for defense (think giant moat) against attackers and ferocious, man-eating squid.  Okay, okay not the squid.

A beautiful Amsterdam neighborhood on the Singel Canal. 

Amsterdam joined the Hanseatic League in 1369, which back then was like being a shareholder in Google, so naturally with time the city grew rich and expanded beyond the Singel.  They couldn't very well build on the marshland yet, so they had to construct several more canals to drain the ground and pile on the pilings.  Eventually what was created was a ring of canals, which today is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Castle-ish building near the Red Light District. 

More has come out of Amsterdam than just it's illicit drugs (I forgot to mention in my parenting rampage that, unsurprisingly, Amsterdam is Europe's major producer of ecstasy, illicit amphetamines, and other synthetic drugs).  Famous individuals such as Anne Frank, Van Gogh, Rembrant, Abel Tasman (discovered Tasmania), Daniel Fahrenheit, and Gerard Heineken (yes the beer) have also had the pleasure of claiming Amsterdam as home. 

Directions to several notable sites.  Yes you read the middle one right, and
though it may have a funny name, it was built way back in 1987 to commemorate
gay men and women who were the subject of persecution because of their
sexuality.  Just another example the amazingly accepting and tolerant
Amsterdam culture.  

The National Monument built to commemorate the fallen soldiers of WWII.  

 As you could imagine, the work of draining the land and then building on top of pilings must of been incredibly tedious, the Palace alone required ~1,600 of them, but it really paid off for the Dutch as Amsterdam became the capital of Europe's economy with a per capita income 4x that of Paris.  Not only that, but urban cities began to model themselves after the flourishing Amsterdam.  

Our day in the city was nothing short of ordinarily spectacular.  We first found free parking in the most expensive district (the Jordaan) in the city.  Then we walked along the canals while avoiding speeding bikers and ran into the Anne Frank House and Westerkerk, which were to be visited later in the evening when there was NO line.  Next we veered out of the Jordaan district and into the heart of the city where we saw the once nominated 8th wonder of the world Palais (palace), National Monument, and flock of pigeons. Feeling a little hungry we searched for food, mind you there was literally every type of world cuisine available and discovered the sweetest (ha!) little waffle shop and opted to have healthy Dutch waffle lunch - yaaammm, full of vitamins.  

We continued to walk around the city, waiting for something exciting to catch our attention since it was nearing dark, but the only strange thing we saw was my purse trying to strangle me as I took photos at unflattering angles.  As the sun was setting over the canals, we finally went and warmed up and ate some real food then ventured briefly through the Red Light District and then back out into the cold towards Anne Frank's house.  We left the Anne Frank house a little disheartened... humbled by her tragedy... but disheartened by the fact that the city has turned one of the most well known self-documented experiences of the Holocaust into a profit making little machine.  I am willing to bet that the 9 Euro they charge for entry is far more than is required for the type of museum it is and that all members of the Secret Annex would be flattered at the number of people who care to see the place they fought to survive in, but shocked at the changes made to the building and money being made off of their suffering.  

Anyway, that's enough of my opinions for one day.. till next time!

Palace of Amsterdam peaking between two buildings.

Tot ziens!

Sorry Blog, I Hope You're Alwrite

Poor neglected empty, white space on my screen that is my next blog entry.  I'm sorry I've forgotten about you, it won't happen again, I promise.

Onwards!  Hello 2015, what will you have in store for all of us this year?!  I'm excited by the possibilities, ready for the hardships, nervous for the unknown and unexpected, but wanting to embrace this year like no other year before it.  Maybe there's something about the exploding of fireworks, drunken toasting, and company of good people that makes us want to set all these new goals and resolutions for life improvement that eventually fizzles out just as fast as the fireworks... but I think our intentions are good.  My goals for the new year are no more profound than my goals for last month, but if there's one goal you can't set at any other time, it's to make this year yours and live for the moments.  Whether that means making the extra effort to take the little people in your life for an afternoon at the park, to star gaze on a clear night with someone special, to cook a nice meal for friends, or even to just frame and hang up that darn picture you've been meaning to get on the wall, just do it.  Don't wait for another day.  Do it now!

Pour Me Some More Coffee

Alright moment of vanity and bossiness over.  I have exciting news on two types of levels.  The first is personal (vanity aside), I've been lucky enough to sign a contract to play in Australia this summer with my former teammate and very bestest of friends, Sid, for the Logan City Thunder!  That's basically right on Brisbane for those of you unfamiliar with the geography of down undah.  The second bit of exciting news is that the Panthers will be moving on to the Final Four of Deutschland!  Sounds lovely I know, but what does it mean?  Remember those Pokal (Cup) games I've been droning on about in the last few blogs.  Well we've survived another round, defeating Heidelberg (a team I played against last year in the Southern League) and earning a spot amongst three first division teams who have also left a trail of defeated opponents behind. 

Pre-game introductions.

Team huddle before tip-off against Heidelberg.

Some advice from Ang.

Ang driving to the hoop.

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Final Four

Wasserburg Lions

Herne 

Osnabrück Panthers

Rhein-Main Baskets 

The location at this point is unknown, but we are hoping it will be nearby (Herne is only an hour away) so we can bring fans and not make the 8 hour drive to Wasserburg or the 4 hour drive to Rhein-Main!  We are the only second league team left, so anything to our advantage would be a great help.  The Final Four will be played the second to last week of March and we will compete back to back on Saturday and then Sunday to place and hopefully join the ranks among David's who have beat Goliaths!