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Well, Day 1 went as well as possible. All the players got into the hostel where we were starting the tour with little problems. A few lazy eyes due to jet lag, but that is to be expected for the first day.
The first day of the tour was to get accustomed to staying awake in Europe and being able to make your body function training again at a high level. Some players have played a lot of indoor volleyball this summer to prepare for the tour, and others spent time playing beach volleyball. Regardless, it was obvious that we needed to run them through a general skills day to get them ready for Day 2.
Johan Verstapen, Head coach of VC Amserswil (the top team in Switzerland) was in attendance today to help the guys work out the loose ends and be prepared for tomorrow.
The competition is fierce and there are a lot of talented players on the tour so it should be interesting to see how our game day goes tomorrow. We will be training from 9am to 12noon and then inter-squad matches with the players on the tour tomorrow night from 4pm-7pm. Things will be more clear as far as where players stand after the 2nd day of the tour. Matches vs. pro teams will commence starting from Wednesday.
We will be flying in coaches and managers from teams in Denmark, Austria, Belgium and some local coaches will be joining the tour on the afternoon session. Things are starting to heat up over here in Holland! More news after Day 2.
Day 2 was a busy one indeed. 9am to 12noon practice after a nice sleep, but you could see some tired bodies after Day 1. Most guys got into it pretty quickly and adapted well to the time zone change after 20-30 minutes.
Our new addition to the tour arrived today, Martin Olafson, Danish coach who is the assistant with the Swedish National Team and head coach of Swedish Elite team Orkelljunga Volleyball. After a 6am flight departure time from Copenhagen and a 4 hour trip to get to Valekensward, Martin was very eager to get involved and did a great job working with the guys at the morning training assisting Johan Verstapen.
Today we had managers/coaches/scouts from clubs in Austria, Belgium and Holland show up, all to check out the talent we had. I was very pleased with the way guys handled the pressure. Competition is fierce on this tour. Lots of good players, not much time to impress coaches and scouts, so every moment counts. Some guys stepped up while others are still working their way into the mix.
The afternoon consisted of introductions of clubs to players in which they were interested followed by a lunch at the hostel. A bit of relaxation time and then right back at it with inter squad matches from 4-7pm. We split the groups into 2 courts and battled it out with head to head matches and let the club representatives watch. What better way to show your level than competing against one another.
After the dust settled, I had meetings with the coaches and teams and the following occurred:
Kit Maddoc and Scott Weniger are now heading to Belgium for an extended tryout in which we hope both guys finalize deals.
Patrick Durbin really stepped up to bat tonight and is finalizing a deal with a top team in Switzerland. He will be leaving with Johan Verstapen on Thursday.
Paul Kjos and Bill Sahagian also showed well and look to be joining Klagenfurt this weekend to play out the season.
So it was a very successful day. Tomorrow is a new day and more chances to find jobs. I hope that guys will continue to bring their “A Game” throughout the week.
Today was an exciting day as many of the players were ready to battle at the morning practice after last night’s inter-squad matches. We had told all players that the roster for the evening match vs. Hallen (1st Division team in Belgium) would be chosen based on how guys preformed. That was enough to light the fire and all sore muscles seemed to disappear!
The guys on this tour have been all very eager to learn and train hard. No bad bodies in the gym and a great level of unity between the group. Very pleasant guys to work with at this point.
Last night Martin decided we needed some Danish back-up so he called down one of his coaching colleagues from Denmark; Mikael Jensen, head coach of Fortuna Denmark. 2 hours later, Mikael got in his car and drove through the night (7 hour drive) to Holland and arrived in just enough time to be introduced to the group during the morning training. What a champ! I don't think I have ever seen that many empty Red Bull cans fall out of a car in my life!
The evening roster was a mixture of players which we felt preformed the best in the last 2 days. Although it was a battle, the score ended in a 2-2 draw because the floor became too hot and humid. It was also 35 degrees the last days, so the intensity of the heat was really tough for the guys to deal with. All in all, not a bad day and a good first match.
Tomorrow we will have a morning training and match vs. Maaseik, current Belgium League Champions and top European club. Lets see if we can step up to the test. Should be a great match.
After last night’s match against Halen, we let the guys have a little fun and enjoy some of the nightlife around Valkenswaard. It was a pretty tame night as many guys were taking this tour very seriously. Two-a-days for the last 3 days also could be one of the reasons for the lack of energy at night.
This morning’s training was a light one where guys just ran through some ball control drills and some active recovery workouts with Martin and Maikel. Johann Verstapen and Patrick Durbin drove back to Switzerland where Patrick will finish up the season. Good luck over there Pat.
Today we have scheduled a match vs. Masseik; powerhouse team from Belgium’s Division 1. This club also has been one of the top teams in Champions League the last 5-6 years and has proven to be a top team in Europe. Ok they don’t have the majority of their starters there yet, but most of the Belgian guys were in action and showed us how pro ball is played. We went down 4-0 but had a good match. Kyle Radde and Jasmin Cull really stepped up their game and impressed the local coaches.
After the match I received confirmation from MOK Zagreb that they were offering a contract for Jasmin this season so it was a very good day for Mr Cull. He will be heading out on Saturday to join his new team. Note: Jasmin was actually born in Croatia so he will be heading back to the Motherland!
I also heard news today that VC Tilburg in Holland will be signing libero/outside hitter Arturo Rivera and middle player Aaron Larson. Congrats guys
Now back to the Hostel to get some “R & R”, I am heading back to Amsterdam tonight so tomorrow I will be rested and ready to receive the tour in my home city.
After a long bus ride in typical Dutch traffic, the tour arrived a bit late to the hostel and had to scramble to arrive to the match vs. the Dutch Federation’s ‘HVA Talent Team’ on time. This is a combination of Youth, Junior and ex-Junior National Team players coached by the legendary Dutch superstar player Ronald Zwerver. Ronald was the main man for the Dutch National team during the mid 80s and early 90s.
We started the match well but unfortunately lost 3-1 but it was a close battle. These young kids from Holland can play and have been trained well. We are picking up our game but seem a bit inconsistent at times which prevents us from getting the “W”. So far we are 0-3 on the tour but looking to pick up our act tomorrow vs. a Division 2 team in Zaanstad.
We will be based in Amsterdam for the next 4 days running two-a-day trainings while sending out players on trials to other teams. Jeff Demezza, Brett Olson, and Carter Wells are heading to Klagenfurt, Austria on Sunday. Maikel will be heading back to Denmark today but he will be taking back with him Joe Deimke and Chris Nelson to trial with top team Marienlyst, and our Japanese guy ‘Take’ will be joining Middlefart, Denmark for a trial this week.
The guys have a free night to wander around Amsterdam. Hopefully nobody gets too out of control. We have had a very good start to the tour so far and the group has been very responsible to date. Lets hope this continues!
The weekend in Amsterdam was great. We trained hard, had a good time and every guy had his fair share of Dutch culture. It was a nice combination of volleyball, tourist life, and down time. Something I think the guys really needed.
We lost the match to Zaanstad so officially we are 0-5 on the tour, which is not great, but guys are working on their game and showing well to coaches that are watching.
Player Movement:
Peter Siunolis went on a trial with a D2 team Groningen, Holland
Jody Tebulte is heading to Roermond VC, Holland for a trial
George Macut and Chris Warman are heading up to Copenhagen to trial with a team that plays in D1.
Good luck guys.
Tonight we went to the Boom Chicago Comedy Theater which was hosting their stand up improve show called “Yankee Come Back” a very funny historical show based on the USA and Holland’s political background. Hilarious show to say the least. A few sleeping beers and we were in bed by midnight.
One more day left and then it is time to make some decisions on who will stay in Europe and who will go home. Its crunch time and I got some work to do.
Today was the last day of the tour and it was more or less just a training day and meetings with the guys to see where everyone is at with staying in Europe to travel or head home.
I can’t comment enough on how hard these guys have worked over here in getting a job. It has been a really tough day for me explaining to some good quality players that there simply is a lack of jobs. The market in Europe is very difficult at this moment mainly due to the global economic problems and the past years have shown a heavy decline in possible jobs for players that normally would be placed. I just hope that in the future years the volleyball market bounces back and things turn around. We have too many good players from the USA and Canada that should be playing ball after they leave the university so it is a shame with what is going on over here.
On a more serious note, tonight was a very tough night for Jordan Taormina. After thinking he pulled his ab muscle during the match vs. Zaanstad, he went from bad to critical later this night. Around 10pm, I rushed Jordan to the hospital in which we later found out to be a lifesaving effort. Jordan’s appendix ruptured sometime over the past 2 days and he was experiencing a serious internal infection. He was immediately admitted into surgery in which he had his appendix removed. Not a pleasant ending of he tour for Jordan. He is recovering well and doing ok but wow that was a scare. Looks like Jordan will be spending a few extra days in Holland at the all-inclusive resort, VU Medical Hospital Amsterdam. We wish Jordan a speedy recovery.
Tour is officially over. Some guys are going to just kick it in Amsterdam where others will be going to check out the FIVB Tour stop in Den Haag, Holland. Some guys are heading home, which is sad, but all in all I think the tour was a success. I know everyone didn’t get placed but a large chunk of guys did and I am hoping that we have some repeat tour players back next year to give it another go. I had a blast myself on the tour and really enjoyed working with this group. A really great group of guys.
- Jonathon Walsh
Director of Player Operations
Bring It Promotions Volleyball Management |
