We had our first practice game against another team, the Herlev Rebels today. It was great to be out there and play against some other guys. I happened to have the first tackle of the game, so it knocked all the nerves I may have had right out of me. They have an American QB who played WR at Harvard and is an incredible athlete. He made me look pretty bad a few times! Their coach is also an American who is a fun guy to talk to and be around. We looked pretty good as a team today, especially for it being our first time really hitting. It was fun to be out there with the guys and see them having fun. We are good at a lot of things, but we do have things we need to get better at. After the game, I went to eat with the coaches, as well as the Rebels head coach, at a combo Mongolian BBQ Buffet/ Chinese Buffet. It was fantastic and we sat around and shared stories. The Rebels coach actually brought up the one player he knew from Missouri, and it turns out he is a freshman on the team at Truman. Small world!
Since my last post I have done some fun things I guess. Tuesday was a pretty typical day with coaching the U19 team and practice of my own. I look forward to being out there because everyone I'm with is so great to be around. Wednesday was pretty lazy, I did some laundry and went to the gym, and watched some Always Sunny and Modern Family on my computer. It was a pretty solid lazy day, but everyone needs a few of those.
Thursday was exciting as I joined one of our DBs, Kasper Freiesleben, in his Sport Economy class at Copenhagen Business School. On that day, there was a guest speaker from Deloitte talking about football (soccer) and the revenue it generates for the big five leagues and how it is expanding into new markets and how teams adapt to new markets. What was interesting is how sports teams are different than regular business. With a normal business, the goal is to maximize profits. While sports teams want that, they always want to win. So usually, with the profit the teams make, they spend it on better players. Another thing I found interesting was the growth of the English Premier League in China. I believe the EPL has more viewers in China than it does in England. The professor brought up was could be a possible reason---betting. Hong Kong in particular is known for its gambling and soccer is thought of as a fair game with less chance for match fixing, so that is a possibility to explain for its growth. Also, just the massive amount of people in China make it possible as well. It was very interesting time spent.
The weather Thursday was very interesting. I began my venture to the U19 practice around 3:15. It was a bit chilly, but nothing wild. Around 5, the time the U19 begin practice, it began to hail a little bit, nothing big. By the time the practice was over, and it was time for me to practice, the field was covered in icy snow, about half an inch. We shortened our practice and scrimmaged, and it snowed until about 10. Overall I'd say it was maybe 2 inches of snow, if that. It was my first time playing with snow on the ground.
Friday I spent some time looking at film on the team from France we play first. They are a good team and their QB is a former UCLA player. I believe he had about 60 pass attempts in a game. They like to use him. Their line is pretty big too, but the team they played, in my opinion, didn't look as good as our defense, so I am confident we will be a bigger challenge. I went to the gym as well, but it was packed so it was hard to get a good lift in, but I did my best. It seemed that every time I finished one exercise and had a plan to go somewhere next, someone would jump in right before me. It just wasn't my day.
I didn't have much planned for Friday night since I had to get up around 7 on Saturday for the U19 practice game, however there was a surprise party for a former player that I was thinking about going to. I didn't hear from anyone until about 8 pm, and it was this one fella, Rorbel. He is a huge, older, defensive lineman. Similar in size to my Uncle Mike (for those who know him), and he is known for being a big drinking and making the American's do crazy things. He apparently chipped on guys tooth while trying to force a bottle into his mouth on a team trip. I think I have a way to prevent that, but I can't say it until I attempt it. My initial thought was oh crap, I'm going to be in for a long night, and I can't get out of it. I'm so glad I went. I had a few drinks, and Rorbel made me snort a tequila shot with him. It was only about 1/4 of one and it burned a little, but my nose didn't bleed, so everyone was happy. As usual with everyone in Denmark, the people I met for the first time were incredibly nice and welcoming. It's funny to say it, but I kind of felt like the guest of honor at the surprise party---that's how welcoming everyone is. I absolutely love it.
I made it up Saturday morning for the U19 practice game. We have a lot of athletes on the line, and I was excited to get to see them finally play. The other team was low on numbers and playing some new guys on the o-line, so we were able to rely on our athleticism to out-play them. It was great to watch them play, but I wish they would have stuck to their technique more instead of doing their own thing.
The weather here is supposed to be really nice this week, so I am looking forward to doing some walking around. Tomorrow, I'll spend some time evaluating the film from the weekend and go to the gym. Our next practice game is April 2nd and is our last tune up before the French come. Everyone is excited, and I know we are preparing harder than ever to give us the best shot to win.
Hope all is well back in the states!
No comments:
Post a Comment