Monday, August 19 - Sam Shweisky

I got up early to check some email and then came back to my room to do some relaxation breathing and mental visualization. Really excited for the first practice! At practice we warmed up and did hitting lines for a while as everyone sized everyone else up and Tim got a chance to see what kind of players he had on the tour this year. Did a few drills and then played some deep-court. LV Hanson and Mitch Kallick dueled it out to see who would go to “The Professor’s Team” in Kranj, Slovenia for a try-out. (Thanks to my precision passing) LV won, and headed off for the first tryout of the tour. Tim May also left a little later for a tryout in Klagenfurt, Austria. (Editor’s note: Both players eventually signed with these teams)

I met my roommate, Casey Brewer, after the practice. We went to the market and got some cheep Slovenian lunch items and then went back to the room to shower and have lunch. Casey played in Feldkirch, Austria the year before and we spent the afternoon chatting about different leagues and teams here in Europe. I was really interested to hear all about the different possibilities. That evening we had practice again and did more 6 on 6 scrimmage type drills. Tim got a chance to see us in game situations to get more of a sense of each guys' ability. After practice, Tim took us to a nice Italian restaurant for a good dinner of endless pasta, and pizza. $$$ goes a long way in Slovenia.... Then home and off to bed.

Tuesday, August 20 - Sam Shweisky

Got up early again to check email and then stretched a bit after breakfast and before the morning training session. Did some more individual drills so Tim could get a chance to look at everyone's blocking. Then we played some deep-court and hit the showers. Played a club from Maribor (OK Maribor) in the evening. Ryan Burrow and Brad Gordon started at OH, while Mitch Kallick and John Walsh started in the middle, and Lance walker started at OP. Jordan Hove was setting and Casey Brewer was at libero. We lost the first game by a few points. Lee J. came in for the second game and we won. I got to play libero in games 3 and 4 and had a really good time. Felt good passing and was glad to contribute something to the team.

Wednesday, August 21 - Sam Shweisky

Got to sleep in a bit until 9:00am. Had breakfast and then packed up and said goodbye to our lovely hostesses at the Hotel Batj. I was able to get a picture with one of them which I was really psyched about! Then we had a 2-hour bus ride to Kamnik, a little town just outside of Ljubljana (the capitol of Slovenia).

We checked into the guesthouse/hotel and had some nice Slovenian soup and relaxed a bit. Then rolled to the gym and met up with Keith "Paul Mitchel Model" Barnett, Tim May, LV Hansen, and Steve "dad" Caan. Mitch Kallick and John Walsh started at MB, Lee J. Montgomery and Brad Gordon at OH, Ryan Burrow at Libero, Lance Walker at OP, with Jordan setting. We lost the first, won the second, lost the third, won the fourth. Should have won the fifth but some sketchy reffing pushed us to a 21-23 loss. (The game was rally-score to 15 no cap.) Barnett came in and set a few of the games. Don't remember which ones - I just remember not being able to over pass - which was a nice feeling. Every ball I passed near the net he went and got it. Skywalker also came in game 4 and put on a blocking clinic. He got like 5 blocks in a row and then came out and let us finish the game. Tim May had the first ever recorded double kill in one play - where he killed the ball cleanly and then midcelebration we turned around and realized that there had been no whistle - so we set Tim again and he got his second kill of the play. Afterwards we went out to a nice restaurant and had a bunch of different meats, which was a welcome change from all the pasta and pizza we had been eating the past few days.

Thursday, August 22 - Tommy Dixon (aka “Guillermo”) – LMU

The tour bus picked me up in Salzburg Austria. I sat in the front not knowing anyone. I had played against Keith Barnett so I felt comfortable talking to him. I talked to him and Tim Kelly for the most part. The back of the bus was a constant argument about the height of 12 feet 6 inches. It seems that there was a bet about whether or not a volleyball player had ever touched that height in the last 10 years. I was beginning to think the people in the back of the bus were a little crazy. The bus ride was not bad. We got dropped off at the car rental place in Munich, Germany. We got a van and a little car. It took every ounce of space to get all the bags and people loaded in. Keith was in the back of the car and it looked like his knees were next to his ears. From there, it was a short trip to "Unterhaching Outdoor Pool." This is the name of the pool next to the gym. We got some sausages and fries and got ready for the game.

We ended up winning the match in 5. It was a nice victory. Especially when Keith blocked a ball so hard off some guys nose that it bled. Someone from the bench yelled right of his beak. During the second game of the match Keith yelled nice hit Pedro. I could not figure out who Pedro was. So I asked Keith and he told me that he was calling Mitch “Pedro” and that he (Pedro) had no idea of it. This was the beginning of team Mexico.

After the game we gave everyone Mexican names. A new guy to the tour showed up. He was from Santa Cruz and we named him Jose. We showered here and headed out to THE HAUFBRAUHAS for a little dinner and maybe a beer or two. We were told that we did not have to play the next day by Juan. So a couple of us decided that it would be a good night to get wasted. We found a room at the place in the back all to ourselves. Every time someone walked in we yelled “Prost!” and held up our glasses. It got a little crazy before you knew it the room was filled with Aussies and other travelers. In fact one of the girls Casey knew from home. Two girls came by and asked if they could join us. Just ask Jordan about that one. Four litters of beer later Keith, Casey, Zack, and I were walking around this place yelling out each other Mexican names. It was these moments that we wish we had a camera but glad we did not. After about two hours at this place we decided to move on. We hopped in the cars and went to a dance club. There was some dancing going on. John kept telling us if we got separated to go to Unterhaching Outdoor Swimbad. I could not remember that. Hell, I could not remember anything after John bought me a shot (glass full) of Sambuca. I hate that stuff but I guess I had to take it. The ride home I will speak of not remembering. I was told that I kept the sliding van door open on the ride home. We stopped at a gas station. I tried to throw a crate at LV I believe. I fell asleep (passed out) on those crated not too long after. We made it home at sometime.... I don't know when. (Editors note: This story can not be true. Drinking is not allowed on tour at any time)

Thursday, August 22 (Take two) - Jordan Hove (“Cesar”) – UCSD

The first part of our day was spent travelling on the team bus from Slovenia to Munich, Germany with a quick stop in Salzburg, Austria to pick up Tommy Dixon. During this time I was completely hosed by John Walsh. There is no one worse than a person who makes a certain bet and then changes the stipulations of that bet after shaking on it. About five others were also completely hosed by the fact that the bathroom on the bus was out of commission and Tim's repeated estimate of "about twenty minutes" until we get to a bathroom. So, once we got into Munich and everyone was ready to travel again, we picked up our rental cars. One van and one station wagon... a perfect fit for twelve guys and their luggage. We got out to Unterhaching just in time to grab a bite to eat at the pool/gym snack bar and to get ready to play Unterhaching. The team we played against was younger and not quite as good as some of the teams that we had seen on the tour so far, but they played well and we didn't have our best match. We did do some spectacular things, not necessarily positive for us every time, but spectacular none-the-less. In the fifth game, when it really mattered we stepped up and put an end to all the nonsense.
After the game it was time to have some fun and see Munich. And of course to take new Spanish names. Once clean and newly nicknamed we headed straight for the Hofbrauhaus which seemed like a good place for us at the time. My only question is: “How can you get asked to "quiet down a little bit" in a place where there are about 1000 Germans singing and banging on tables”? - especially when your group is separated off in its own room? I think it was Spanish discrimination. Anyway, “Cheers!”, or as they say in German, “PROST!” to all of the Australians and the others who were in the "VIP" room with us. Also I want to take this time out to say a sorry to my boy Casey, you know what for. And also, don't ever go to a place that serves liter beers with Tommy Dixon. And especially, don't ever answer any of his geography questions.

But it was time to move on so we did, most of us took taxis to some of the clubs which was pretty fun. Some of the guys got separated from the group but not to fear they made it back safely even if one of them had to call Tim at around 3 in the morning to get directions back to the gym. Thanks goes out to LV for keeping a level head and making sure that most of the team got back safely. Sleeping in a gym has never been so easy, especially on that king size mat. So, prost to everyone and adios. (Editor’s Note: Again, this must be a fabrication – although I do remember that phone call….)

Friday, August 23 - Kirt Peterson – UC Santa Cruz

We all woke up slowly from the Haufbrauhaus event the night before. My first memory is Keith (among others) noticing his splitting headache. This is where I pass around the Advil (all rights reserved). We gradually packed up and moved our stuff into the vans for the supposed 4-5 hour car ride to Bad Saulgau. This is the most memorable drive because we were all hung over and we had Jon "Mario Andretti" Walsh driving the van. Not to rip on the driving man, he does get the job done safely. But he is not the smoothest of drivers.

I know that Tommy, Zack, and I (among others) were hurting pretty bad because of the drive. After about 4 hours, we find the road to Bad Saulgau is under construction and there is a detour. The problem was the detour did not seem to lead to Bad Saulgau in any way. So after stopping and changing drivers to have LV Hansen drive the van and Jon navigating the boss man's car.

So, after nearly 6 or so hours we finally get to Bad Saulgau where we pick up Jason Weaver. We then proceed to McDonalds (all rights reserved) to get a pre-game meal. On the patio of the McDonalds, I believe this is where the boss man, Tim Kelly, is introduced to the debate of the man who could or couldn't touch 12'6". I believe he said it has never been done. Whether he meant by a volleyball player or in the last 10 years, I do not know.

The game: I'm pretty sure it was a split 2-2. I don't believe any of us were happy with our performance and we decided to not drink like that any more on this tour... especially before a long car ride.

Saturday and Sunday, August 24-25

No Entry: Training Matches vs. Bad Saulgau both days

Monday, August 26 - Kirt Peterson

Monday we went back to Munich at played at this place called Unterhäching again. We walloped these guys. We didn't like them very much because some of them (one guy in particular for sure) were jerks. It inspired us to play hard and love beating them. They would have been a mediocre Division I team. (Editor’s note: Unterhaching is actually a really good German D1 Team. In the preseason (when we are on tour) many teams are without top players. This was the case today. Unterhaching would kill us now that the season is rolling and they have their full team togehter. It should also be noted that Unterhaching is an annual stop on the tour and our thanks go out to Mihai and his boys. Danke!)

Tuesday, August 27 - Kirt Peterson

The day after that we went to Salzburg, Austria. This city if by far the coolest I have seen so far. However, my camera wasn't working so I didn't get any pictures of it. We stayed in Salzburg for a two days. The first day we got there, Brad, Sean, Jason, and I, practiced with the Salzburg team and we warmed up by playing basketball. It was pretty funny because I knew these guys were good volleyball players but judging by their basketball skills, I would say they were pretty un-athletic. As you guys might know, they don't multi-sport like we do in the States.

Wednesday, August 28 - Sam Again…

Had a lazy morning in the hotel. Had some breakfast and just hung around until we left to play the team from Salzburg. I got to play some OH this match which was a lot of fun. Keith hooked me up with a money back-set that I turned line and packed some dude in the face. Casey convinced me to apologize but inside I wasn't the least bit sorry. Hey it's part of the game - you know? I was so amped! We ended up splitting 2-2 and really should have won all 4. They were helped out by Brad Gordon who switched sides mid-match as part of his tryout for them. Didn't help our cause much that he did a solid job for them, but it was fun to be able to talk a little trash across the net in our own language. Afterwards we went out for a team dinner at an Italian place. But as it turned out the portions in Austria don't match the once we were used to from Slovenia. Still a fine meal and a good time as usual. (Editor’s note: Brad Gordon and Lee J Montgomery both ended up signing in Salzburg and Steve Cann ended up signing in Bad Saulgau)

Thursday, August 29 - Laura Benzing (aka “Consuelita”)

(Editor’s Note: The following “short fiction” entry is most certainly not true. Although drinking in a car <by everyone but the driver of course> is technically legal in Europe, it is certainly not something that would be allowed, tolerated, or condoned on tour. Also, throwing up, peeing in bushes, swapping rooms, and picking up Scottish girls are all serious violations of tour conduct and not something any of my players would have engaged in.)

I had been in Linz, Austria for about a week trying out for the local team when I found out that the girl I was replacing changed her mind and was going to accept their contract after all. So I bounced to Enns Austria to catch a ride with Tim and the Men’s Tour Team. I walked into the gym they were playing in and the reality of my situation slapped me in the face. I was going to be traveling with a bunch of non-European, English-speaking people my age! And they’re all boys! Woo hoo!

So after the guys finished playing and showered, we caught a nice dinner and then hit the road for Salzburg. On the way we hit a gas station and everyone purchased some beverages for consumption. I found my good friend Jack Daniel's, and got some Coke to chase him. Needless to say, by the time we made it to Salzburg, I think everyone was pretty happy. After checking into the boarding house, we decided to continue our festivities downtown. Downtown was pretty entertaining. We went to a few Irish pubs that were all steam and smoke. John, Tim May, and Kirt, decided to try to pick up a couple of Scottish girls with a lame Scottish brogue. Well, I was the only girl who came back to the hotel with the group, so I guess somebody needs to work on their game.

OK, so I can’t remember if it was Tim May or Kirt who made the call for the chunk-blowing, peeing-in-the-bushes, and walking-the-rest-of-the-way-home episode before we made it back. I think it was Tim, cause Kirt went back to his room and passed out in his own vomit on the crapper. I want it to go on the record that I finished the majority portion of Jack on my own and was A-OK! Anyway, as for the rest of my evening (morning!), I appreciate the offer Sam, but sometimes three is a crowd. Thanks for swapping rooms. (Sam’s note: “Brad you still owe me one...”)

Friday, August 30 - Casey Brewer (aka “no recuerdo”)

The day started off with a bunch of us heading into town for a laundry session. This was a rare opportunity for us on the tour this year and we were eager to capitalize on not having to hand-wash our clothes anymore. This was the second trip that our fearless leader John had made since some of the guys had gone the day before. On his previous trip John had befriended a local homeless guy who spoke no English. On this particular trip true to form John's old buddy returned to say hello. And admitted to John his undying love with the age old phrase "Ich liebe dich!" Which when translated comes to "I love you". Now many of us had been wondering about John's strict sense of Euro-dress-style and this whole-heartedly answered our questions… Just kidding John. We love you, just not that way...

After finishing up with our laundry the team headed back to the Salzburg complex for our final scrimmage against the team. For the most part this redeemed us from our embarrassment at losing the night before to Enns. We split two sets apiece to the previous year’s third best team in Austria. This was also the night that our new Czech setter (Many thanks to BIP’s own Jirka Honzik) arrived. This left Keith able to play a little opposite for the team allowing John back to the middle since Tim May was leaving us to go back to Klagenfurt. After the scrimmage the team went back to our favorite past time at the Gym which was the diving board at the indoor pool. It was readily apparent that none of us missed our calling as divers.

That night TK treated us to a new experience in eating. We were taken to a restaurant which provides a keg at the center of a revolving table so that the patrons need not worry about finding a server to fetch their beer. Some of us were a little more indulgent than others, which happened to be well documented by the many digital cameras found on the tour this year. One such member who found himself a little more than drunk was our own long-haired journal man Sam. I believe he set the tour record for earliest member under the table clocking in (or should I say checking out) at only 8:30pm. Keith and I, the drivers for the night, decided that it was time for Sam to head back to the hotel since he was intent on sleeping out back of the restaurant. So we shoveled him into the van and nearly made it back to the hostel before Sam decided to decorate the outside of the van. After dropping Sam off, the team partook in the Czech version of a drinking game in which teams of four members must in order finish a beer by; drinking one out of a bowl (like a dog); drinking one through a straw; drinking one with a spoon; and finally pounding one the old fashioned way. I can’t quite remember how that one ended…

Next we all headed to town to hit the bars. Downtown Salzburg is quite a sight and very fun at night. All the bars along the river consist of one room at ground level followed by another at the back a little lower and another a little lower sometimes reaching five rooms. All the bars are packed and in most cases poorly ventilated, but the atmosphere is always lively. At one of the bars we ran into a bunch of Wisconsin girls who some how got the impression that Keith was a Paul Mitchel model... This was a tradition started the year before with Brian Corso (who was preported to be a Abercrombi & Fitch model). Anyway, Keith spent the rest of the night fending the girls off while we had a good laugh at his expense.

Saturday, August 31 - Sam

I woke up at 7:30am completely refreshed after a nice long deep sleep. Had a good breakfast and then all went to the Avis Car Rental depot with TK to discus everyone's plan. Somewhat like in the Hobbit when Gandolf leaves the group everyone was not happy to see Tim Kelly go - but he needed to get back home and become Jerry Maguire in 4 different languages so he could show his clients the money! So off we went to from Salzburg, Austria to the Southwestern city in Germany, Freiburg. What should have been a 4-5 hour trip on the autobahn turned into a 7 hour ordeal due to an accident on the autobahn that they were clearing.

But thanks to Lance's “walkie-talkies” the trip was made much more enjoyable. We developed out our version of trivial pursuit only using information of guys on the tour and their Spanish names or what type of porno-mag they tried to buy in Munich for 17 euros. It was quite an amusing game and helped pass the time. I was driving the van following Keith and Casey in the car who were following Jirka (our newly acquired Czech setter) and John in his car. We finally arrived in Freiburg with just enough time to pick up Lee J and Steve Cann at the hostel and then go to the gym for our match. The combination of the long drive and everyone's motivation a bit down with the tour coming to an end led to a very poor performance from Team Bringitusa. We lost 3-1 and it wasn't pretty. But after a shower and a nice dinner we all felt much better. Went back to the hostel to call family and relax a bit before bed.

Sunday, September 1 - Kirt Peterson

Sunday was the last day of the tour and we played in a Four Team Tournament. There were teams from France, Switzerland, the Freiburg team from the day before, and us. We played the first match and beat them two out of three pretty handily. We played the French team next and lost 2 out of 3. I made the French coach mad because I excessively celebrated a block I had against one of their outside hitters. It was funny at the time because their team would celebrate excessively on every point. I only did it because the outside was celebrating in mid swing before he even hit the ball. I was just continuing his celebration.

We played the Swiss team last. We split the first two games 1-1. Early in the third game, I was late blocking the opposite's hit. So, I went to soft block the guy; the problem was I was about 2-3 feet off of the net. This guy was definitely their best player. He hauls back and just crushes this ball right into the middle of my face. I held my face for about 3 seconds and just became irate. The guy comes right under the net immediately and apologizes. By this time, I'm so mad I can't really take his apology very well and I just slap his hand quickly.

At this point, I've got a large black spot above my right eye. I'm also very mad because I did such a stupid thing. I proceed to play my best set on the tour. I couldn't be stopped in the middle. I've never seen anyone get hit so hard let alone felt it myself. I didn't have a bloody nose or anything - just a little bit of a headache the next morning. One of the guys suggested I get hit in the face before every match. (Sam’s note: I have never seen anyone get packed so hard before in my life! Nor have I seen any one player raise the level of their game so much after receiving such a blow. Kirt must have had 80% of our kills hitting .1000% easy.)

Wrap-up by Sam…

When the tour ended, I went off to Eindhoven, a small city in the Netherlands to meet up with my new team. It's a really great team with a bunch of great guys and 2 of the best coaches in all of Holland. I've been in the Netherlands for almost 2 months now, and I'm getting more settled with a place to stay and a job and even starting to learn some Dutch (klien beetje).

I would like to thank Tim Kelly for putting on such a successful and enjoyable tour. It really was a great experience and I am so glad that I was able to be a part of it. Also a big thanks to all the Bringitusa guys on the tour this year - it was a blast playing and touring with you fine athletes. (Even you guys from Canada....hehehe) Thanks.

Sincerley,
Sam Shweisky (aka “Diego”) - Vassar College