Getting Close

It's been a busy week full of polo, training, meeting people, taking in the World Championships atmosphere and all the stuff that goes with it. Not as much sight seeing as I'd like yet but we'll hit that up tomorrow. I've been waiting all month to get to La Sagrada Familia.

As far as polo goes, not sure what I last told you guys but we lost to the hometown Spanish team, beat the Dutch, and the Greeks (in a shoot out) to finish fifth. That's one spot higher than 2011 worlds and its great to finish on a win.

The Spanish, Aussies and Hungarians finished 1-2-3. Great atmosphere in that gold medal game. Such a cool experience. Loved being in the thick of the crowd, hear and feel the energy being channelled in support of whatever team that person was pulling for.

I'll have more touristy pics after tomorrow but for now I'll leave you with a mix.

Thumbs up to the amazing USA Women. I love this team and couldn't ask for a better group to represent our country in this sport we all love.

Photo 1: the start of the Men's 50 Fly Final.
Photo 2: cool lifeguard stand on Playa Barceloneta.
Photo 3: CN Barcelona. By far the best pool we trained at.
Photo 4: a view from the pool deck at CN Barcelona.
Photo 5: that amazing team I spoke about right before taking on the Greeks to end the tournament.

Historic

I need to send a shout out to one of USA and Hawaii's finest, Mark Maretzki who has been following my blog since spending a week with us in Holland. Him and his family have been gracious enough to quadruple my readership. Thumbs up and aloha to the Maretzki's out in paradise.

We beat Great Britain on Thursday to win our group and matched up with Brasil to advance to the quarters. This year, the bottom 8 (everyone not in the quarterfinals) goes home. Tournament is over for them. We won that game today and match up with the hometown Spanish team on Monday. Tough draw but exciting beyond words. Eventually someone will have to beat the home team. Why not us? Can't ask for more than that. It'll be a great game. Can't wait.

There are moments in sport that are easy to remember because they were spectacular, or they were sad, or they were inspiring. The Olympics is full of those moments and they don't always have to do with competition. I will always remember watching the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Olympics. The moment that the archer lit the Olympic cauldron will always stick with me. Such a simple yet truly spectacular moment.

Walking around the venues here with a little time to kill between games is an incredible journey through that unique time every 4 years when the world stops for three weeks to watch, celebrate and enjoy sport, competition and inspiration through superhuman feats of athleticism and determination.

It's been hot so it's nice to get out and move a bit rather than sitting in the sun, baking from the inside out. Follow my wanderings with the pictures below.

Thumbs up for history, strength, courage and inspiration.

Photo 1: the Olympic cauldron.
Photo 2: Monjuic pool where diving is going on, ideal vistas of Barcelona. Seriously, La Sagrada Familia off in the distance. That one will get its own post some day soon.
Photo 3: mural celebrating the winner of the Olympic marathon in 1992. He is Korean and I remember being so proud to have witnessed that moment live and to relive that moment here.
Photo 4: the team taking time to enjoy the beautiful pool.
Photo 5: the fan favorite at the polo venue. Anything to beat the heat.

Venga

The games have started and we just finished the second day of competition. I have a couple days to update you on, all of my faithful readers.

We played Greece in the first game and despite a somewhat slow start we were able to pull out a solid win. Today we played Canada which is always a tough game. We got out quick and Canada fought back. We ended up winning 10-8 and on to face a vastly improved Great Britain team Thursday.

I spent most of the day both days at the pool and that wasn't too bad except for a couple potential issues. The venue is outdoors and it is pretty hot and humid here in España. There is little to no shade on the pool deck/stands. Even the little there is can only be accessed by press/media credential, expensive event tickets, or corners of the stands which are less than ideal for filming. I tried to hijack a press spot which worked for a couple games but as soon as the other teams filled in, we got kicked out. So I moved several times before settling in for the day. I ended up in the nosebleeds where nobody cares what you do and the view is nice but the cap numbers are almost impossible to see.

Anyhow I have to beat the sun. Unless I film in my speedo I'm going to be rocking some mean tan lines. So today I brought a large hotel towel and wrapped up head/neck/arms. Have to stay hydrated but the easy access to athlete water makes that easy. All things considered I am in a beautiful city, spending my days at the pool, watching some of the best water polo in the world. What more could I want (other than an EZ-Up)?

By the time the last games of the day start, there is a nice cool breeze, lower temperatures and acrobatic half time shows for the great Spanish crowds.

Day off tomorrow, back at it on Thursday.

Thumbs up, two very tan thumbs up!

Photo 1: night view of Piscina Picornell from the nosebleeds.
Photo 2: Australian assistants enjoying the halftime show.
Photo 3: pic of Kiley I lifted from the BCN2013 website from out game vs Greece.
Photo 4: the team lined up before the game today. Love this.
Photo 5: today's halftime show. Super Xop (BCN mascot transformed into a super mascot after being bit by a magical jellyfish).

Més Que Un Club

It's the day before competition starts and we were able to spend the afternoon with a little free time. Some of the team went to the Camp Nou where FC Barcelona plays.

There is something cool about going to a local landmark and something so important to the athletic culture of a region. With soccer being such a popular game worldwide, FCB is truly a franchise deep in history and incredible athletes from all over the world. It was hot and crowded and not necessarily the rest the girls might have been wanting the day before a game but at the same time, it was an incredible experience, a nice change of pace from the hotel and most important it is a great way to kick off Worlds and really try to get in the spirit of Barcelona and being at World Championships.

Tomorrow we start off play with Greece. I heard the games will be streamed live by universal sports and shown on TV on a delay. If I find info I'll pass it on. **More info at http://www.usawaterpolo.org/genrel/071113aaa.html

Thumbs up for the power of sport and culture. "More than a club".

Photo 1: first thing you see when you walk in. Walls and walls of trophies. Storied history.
Photo 2: Camp Nou.
Photo 3: some of the girls on the field. (Tumua, Jillian, Lolo, Maggie, KK, Kelly, Anni, Rachel, Courtney)
Photo 4: view out of the stadium.
Photo 5: just a few of the trophies.

La Comida Buena

Bonus post. I definitely owe an extra post and this was too good not to share.

After our walk around Barcelona the team met for dinner at a restaurant called: Ciudad Condal for a tapas meal. What's more Spanish than that? The girls have been training hard and haven't really had a chance to get out away from the hotel for exploration and definitely not for Spanish cuisine. (Don't get me wrong the food at the hotel has been top notch, but variety and authentic local food can't be faked).

The restaurant was small and we had a little bit of a wait to get people together. It was crowded which is always a good sign. Waiting and not being sure of what the meal was going to be like tempered the excitement-potential. Finally we just broke up and sat as groups of 3-6 people. Ordering was a little bit of a challenge but Maggie had the ingenious idea to just ask the waiter for his recommendations. Good call Mags.

The food was incredible, the company was great and the overall ambiance and experience was well worth any inconveniences along the way.

Thumbs up for one of the best meals and meal experiences. Barcelona: killing it.

Photo 1: the team soaking it all up waiting to be seated.
Photo 2: celebrate jamon. Key to a great meal.
Photo 3: a quick view of our meal: various samples, huevos cabreaos, jamon, shrimp, veal and pepper, seasoned grilled mushrooms, asparagus (incredible wrapped in the jamon), seasoned toast and of course dessert: chocolate soufflé, marshmallow lemon cake and fruit.
Photo 4: luckiest man tonight to share an amazing dinner with these beautiful women. The incomparable Jillian, Rachel, Kelly, Maggie and Anni.
Photo 5: great view of some of the restaurant's style and grace.

Ramble On.

We are a couple days out until our first game against Greece July 21st. It's getting close, anticipation is starting to build.

The team took the trip to Club Natació Montjuic for training. Beautiful views from up on the hill, not so great driving by our bus driver through the steep winding roads into the club so we walked the last little bit.

After training we had some time to explore the city before dinner in the city. We explored the Main Street through the touristy part of Barcelona, La Rambla. Last time I was there was 1997 and I don't remember much of that trip. It was crowded and crazy with people touristing it up, people selling stuff, no doubt people there to take advantage of the deep open pockets of people too busy looking elsewhere to watch their wallets and policemen to keep an eye on those opportunistic criminals.

We roamed by gelato venders, sketch artists, guys with strange whistle/noise making toys that are pretty annoying. We stepped off La Rambla and were able to go by a cathedral I thought was designed by Gaudí, turns out it is much older. I thought it was a little conventional/traditional for one of his buildings. But, it was beautiful and made me want to see La Sagrada Família even more. Hopefully soon.

Thumbs up, today I'm the tourist.

Photo 1: the team after training in Montjuic.
Photo 2: Ashley trying to pick from the plethora of delicious gelato options.
Photo 3: marketplace with as many amazing colors and people as beautiful fruits, vegetables, candy and jamon.
Photo 4: Barcelona Cathedral aka Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia.
Photo 5: beautiful details on a door near the Barcelona Cathedral.

España.

Sorry for being MIA. Of course that is assuming someone out there is actually reading this (thanks mom and dad).

We arrived in Barcelona on Monday and have been training with the Spanish team. They're a really good team with a different style and that's been a good shift for the team to see. The Dutch and Spanish couldn't be more different. So all in all it's been a really productive time leading up to worlds.

The cool thing about this tournament is that it's in a city that hosted an incredible Olympic Games. We have been training in the Olympic pool next to the stadium I remember watching during the opening ceremonies where the Olympic cauldron was lit by bow and flaming arrow. I had a speedo swimming sticker that I put on the family Volvo that said "No Pain, No Spain". This was one of the first Olympic Games I remember staying up to watch. Biondi vs Popov. And you can't forget the Dream Team. The original one and only Dream Team. Serious memories. The beginnings of my love of sport.

Them there's the rest of Barcelona. The art, architecture, food, people and so much more.

Hopefully I'll have all sorts of amazing pictures and updates for you coming up. Can't wait to see this beautiful city.... But business first.

Thumbs up Barça! Estamos aquí.

Photo 1: our home for the next three weeks.
Photo 2: the Olympic Pool - Piscines Picornell
Photo 3: the competition pool. Still getting signage and decorations up. Beautiful, you can feel the history.
Photo 4: BCN 2013. A quick shot during training.
Photo 5: improvements as we train. This guy was scaring the shit out of me with his drill and lack of general caution. Drill pointed right at his chest/throat trying to get through that metal railing. About 100 of those exact holes to drill. Cuidado hombre!

Quickly

So it's been a couple days since my last update. I have been bouncing around hotels and countries the last several days and I'm just getting caught up. No update tonight, already 3am but I'll put something together tomorrow.

Thumbs up for quick updates. Talk to you all soon.

Finally.

First full day in Gouda and it felt like our trip had finally started. We did a competition pool stretcher this morning and prepped for game day. We played Canada this evening and won. It was close until we ended with a 7-1 4th quarter. Great to see the team play a real game again, see the team in game day gear, game day moods etc. Then there's the line up, and national anthem. Nothing like looking at the team, hand over their hearts listening to the Star-Spangled Banner.

The venue is very cool. It was opened in April so it is really new. It's hot in the pool area and for sure hotter where I sit to film. Nothing will be worse than Shanghai. Well, let me check out the Barcelona pool and I'll get back to you.

Thumbs up to game days. Go USA!!

Photo 1: lunch area and the line of hungry athletes. I took this from the spiral staircase, 1st floor
Photo 2: team posing out front of the pool, game day swag.
Photo 3: the pool area is warm but it's not bad. Seriously, it's a great facility.
Photo 4: the pool has a bar. The flat screen TVs all show a different section of one of the many pools. The best part, the parents are not allowed on deck. But they sit and watch the screen for the moment their kid is done with their swim lessons.
Photo 5: railroad bridge built over the canals. I'm assuming the structure of the bridge is the draw part so boats can get around. I would love to see it work but it looks pretty good just like this.

B-Sides

There was so much going on I figured I'd put up some more pictures. These didn't make the big show on today's blog but still good ones worth a showing. Enjoy.

Thumbs up for too many pictures.

Photo 1: trees from our time in Zeist.
Photo 2: Gouda takes public urination seriously. This is the view from a semi enclosed actually more accurately a shielded urinal near the church. Not such a great smell, great view. I guess it's better than drunk pub-goers taking it out on the church or in the canals.
Photo 3: sculptural and functional. Nothing says "pee here" than an artsy sculpture in the city that also has a built in urinal.
Photo 4: they also take their pastries and sweets serious here in Gouda.
Photo 5: just a variety of the beautiful doors from the walk around the city.

Gouda. Smoked Gouda.

This morning was the last training in Zeist. Nice morning swim (my swim was nice and easy, team swam much harder) lunch and then off to the next town.

So, quick bus ride with the Canadian team (cramped quarters) to our next city of Gouda. Spelled like the cheese but pronounced "how-da" with a throaty angry German 'H'.

We took some time after check in to explore the town. True to its name there was all sorts of cheese for sale and rumor has it we missed the weekly cheese weighing this morning.

The town is built on a network of canals that are lined with old beautiful homes and shops. In the center of town there are some incredible buildings, churches, cheese weighing houses and more.

Beautiful little city. I'd love to spend more time exploring which I'm sure we'll get to do. I definitely want to take in more of the local cheeses.

Thumbs up for cities named after cheese. First game tomorrow.

Photo 1: Lolo, Maggie, Tumua, Kami and Betsey making the beautiful sights of the city even more attractive.
Photo 2: Cheese!!
Photo 3: cheese museum in an old weighing house
Photo 4: local canals. Loved the little porch off this house
Photo 5: Also in the city center, not quite sure what it is. I hope it's a cheese making factory. I'd love a tour of one of those.