March Madness

It’s that time of year again; the time when sitting on your couch all day and watching TV is a perfectly acceptable excuse for staying home. When college gear and team colors are suddenly visible everywhere – from the workplace to the grocery store. Suddenly your alma mater or favorite team has a huge following and is the talk of the town. Bandwagon jumpers start to boast and brag how they knew ‘their’ team was going to upset Duke. Ahh…March Madness – it’s a disease I’m happy to catch every Spring. The excitement, competitiveness, adrenaline and trash talking that goes on between friends, family, rivals and even strangers make the NCAA tournament a must see – even if you’re not a basketball fan.

Every March I fill out my bracket in hopes of proving I know my college basketball. Sadly, without fail, there are a string of upsets I can never predict. Bracketology isn’t a science; it’s 75% luck. Last year some of my roommates and I printed out brackets and filled in our favorite teams. Being a basketball player with strong knowledge in men’s basketball had me bragging around the house and telling the girls things like “even though Kentucky is the lower seed, they will beat Marquette. The Wildcats simply have the experience in the NCAA tourney as they’ve been a top program for years.” Wrong! I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut with my predictions until they come true. Probably because one of my roommates killed me in the West bracket last year, picking teams based on school colors, cuteness of players and academic standing of the school! Another example of why I love March Madness…

Though I’m across the pond where Euroleague basketball and football (soccer) dominate TV sport stations, I’ve been able to watch games live online through CBS Sports and ncaasports.com. Thank you Internet! It would have been an insufferable March without college basketball. If you click on the bracket below you can see how my picks have fared so far. I think UCLA is going to take home the hardware this year, but then again, it might be North Carolina because baby blue is a great color…☺On a completely different note, a couple of my teammates and I went snowmobiling Friday and it was awesome! I had never been before and it was quite the experience. Nervous at first, I decided to face my fear and drive one of the powerful machines myself. Throwing caution to the wind, I jammed down the accelerator and pretty soon was flying across the undisturbed snow of a frozen lake with tears in my eyes. What a rush! After spending the better part of 2 hours screaming and going fast we cooked hot dogs over a fire, drank hot chocolate and watched patient ice fishers hoping for a catch. It was pretty much a winter bbq that allowed me to get to know some of my teammates better.

Decked out in the team’s winter parka and my red Roots Canada tuque, the last thing I expected was to meet a Canadian on this isolated lake 30 minutes outside Sundsvall. Imagine my surprise when a tall, athletic looking blonde hair blue eyed woman asked me if I was from Vancouver. Excuse me? It amazes me the number of Canadians I’ve met (3 in Finland, 4 BC guys in Sweden) and how we can chat for hours as if we’ve known each other for some time. Lottie isn’t actually Canadian, but I consider her partial as she has lived in Whistler, Vancouver and Smithers for close to 15 years. We hit it off right away, talking about our favorite things to do in Vancouver (beach volleyball at Kitsilano, the Grouse Grind, Commercial Dr. among other things) and what we love about British Columbia. Interestingly enough, she’s a sports reporter for the Sundsvall paper and covers some of our games. I’m going to job shadow her next week to get a taste of the journalism world.

Speaking of journalism, I got an offer from a Seattle sports magazine to write an article for them when I get back. I’m extremely excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to make my mini debut! ☺

Click play above to watch a video of us snowmobiling!

-BW

Välkommen till Sundsvall

After a tearful goodbye to Piia at the Vaasa ferry terminal, I was on my way to Sweden. Both excited and nervous, I had no idea what to expect once arriving in Sundsvall. Would I fit in with the girls? Would management fulfill promises made to me? These questions among others ran through my mind as the ferry docked and I searched for the owner of my new team. I found him pretty quick, as he was the only 6’8 guy looking for me!

With a 3-hour drive from Jyväskylä to Vaasa, a 4-hour ferry ride from Vaasa to Umeå and a 2.5-hour drive from Umeå to Sundsvall behind me, I was ready to call it a night. Peter and I chatted for a bit, but pretty soon I was passed out in the seat next to him. We arrived in Sundsvall around 3am where I was dropped off at my new apartment. A big bed and clean room were quite welcoming as I threw down my bags and promptly fell asleep. Unpacking could wait until tomorrow.

The next morning I was up by 11am to complete paperwork, locate the gym and weight training facilities, learn the bus routes and find out where I ate my meals. This all went smoothly as I was given a bus pass, gym membership, introduced to restaurant owners and loaded up with gear (gear!) Sweatpants, sweatshirts, winter coat, practice shorts (3), practice jerseys (3), a sport bag, backpack and water bottles all branded with our team’s logo were handed over to me. Nice! The Sundsvall management really knows how to treat their players, making sure we are comfortable and have everything we need. HoNsU was good to me, but I often had to keep on them week to week to make sure I got what was promised. Here I don’t have to ask – everything is given to me early and if there is a problem, they want to know right away so it can be fixed.

Later that evening I had my first practice with the team. Though the girls are young, they work really hard. Practices are tough - I almost feel like I’m back in pre-season college training! Since our first game isn’t until March 27th, Henke (our coach), wants to make sure we keep our conditioning up and play at a high level. Most of practice is spent running lines, executing drills at 94 ft and playing full court. Once again I’m the tallest player on the team, meaning I’ll be playing more 5 than 4. I prefer the forward position, but playing center has allowed improve my inside game. I’m now very confident with my back to the basket. The girls are really nice and all fit the stereotype – blonde hair, blue eyes! I feel a bit out of place with my brunette hair and green eyes ☺. Friday after practice the girls surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and sang happy birthday to me in English and then Swedish. It was really nice, but not the same as celebrating with my close friends and family…

The Swedes I have met so far speak English very well. Aside from using the wrong verb from time to time, you can barely tell English is a second language. It’s impressive. Oddly, I already have picked up some Swedish. I find myself understanding conversations to an extent or getting the gist of a situation. The other day I was in a bookstore when the cashier spoke straight up Swedish to me. Deciding to be brave, I used some of my Swedish vocab and got by without her knowing any different! Well, at least I think she didn’t…

As far as professionals on the team, there are 4 of us. Vera is Serbian and has been on the team for 3 years, Felicity Willis is an American who played at Arizona and my roommate Dajana is Bosnian. Vera definitely provides comic relief; she’s quite a character. Felicity is very reserved and Dajana is always trying to improve her English when she speaks to me. They are all older than me (Vera – 25, Fel – 30, and Dajana – 29) but nevertheless we get along well. With the 4 of us adding experience, Vera believes we are going to beat every team in the qualifications by 20 points. I sure hope she’s right!

Click play to watch the video above! I'm not sure why I said 365° view...I meant 360°!

I’m entering my second week here in Sundsvall and am really enjoying the city. I’ve already met a fellow Canadian from Winnipeg who lived in Vancouver for a couple years. Small world. In my spare time I find myself wandering the streets during the day to explore buildings and take pictures of the beautiful architecture. The town is rich with history which has a lot to do with the detail, ornamentation and color of the buildings. Sundsvall used to be made of wood, but was devastated by fire for the 3rd time in 1888. They finally figured it out and rebuilt with stone – 3rd times a charm!

Homesickness is starting to creep in, but I’ve only got a couple more weeks. Miss you all!

-BW

So Long Suomi

It’s hard to believe my time in Finland has come to a close. After 5 months full of ups and downs, I can honestly say I enjoyed myself in this Scandinavian country. From the people I have met, to the sights I have seen, weather I have endured and food I have tasted, my experience was a memorable one. It was tough saying goodbye to the people I’ve become close with – many of whom I may never see again. It’s crazy how people move in and out of your life. The last day of practice was a memorable one as the girls surprised me by dressing up in their most colorful gear. This was a tribute to my November 9th post “Ouch – My Body Hurts.” I definitely got a laugh out of it and realized how much I’m going to miss seeing these girls everyday.With my travel to Sweden all set for today, I thought I’d dedicate this post to the highlights and lowlights of my time in Finland.

Lowlights:

• The freezing weather! Definitely colder than what I’m used to. But, like anything, I became acclimated to the temperature and at times actually found myself enjoying the snow and seeing my breath in front of me.
• Darkness. The first 4 months were bizarre, as it would be pitch dark by 4pm. This completely threw off my inner clock and I would find myself dead tired in the middle of the day. It was something I never got used to, however, since the middle of February it stayed light out until 7:30pm.
• Falling in the snow. Needless to say besides the embarrassment factor, I apparently don’t have the balance to walk long distances in the snow!
• Losing more than winning. I’ve never been on a team below .500 so this season was an adjustment. However, I believe it helped me become mentally stronger as a player.
• Black licorice flavored everything! I don’t mind black licorice, but when it is the flavor of choice for everything you can imagine (candy, gum, ice cream, chocolate, alcohol, medicine, etc) the thought of tasting it again makes me nauseous.
• Being away from family and friends. Though I never got extremely homesick, I definitely had days where I would of done anything to hang out with my family or grab dinner with some friends. It’s been tough being away for so long, but it’s allowed me to find out who those closest to me are.
• Eating pre or post game meals at gas stations. Mmm…
• Cost of living. Almost all my expenses were taken care of, but the cost of everyday goods, eating out, transit, etc were quite high. It was annoying to pay 4€ to ride the bus or spend 10€ on a small shampoo bottle when you can buy a big one for $8 at home.
• My extra-small game shorts
• Free time. Don’t get me wrong – I love being able to chill out and relax, but when your job takes up only 4 hours a day and you’re away from the people at home you like to spend time with, time goes by slowly.
• All stores being closed on Sundays
• Cafeteria food. Eating lunch there everyday was not a highlight. The food was bland and flavorless and I never want to see a boiled potato again! In general, there wasn’t much flavor variety in Finland.
• And finally, getting stuck in a tiny elevator for an hour with 6 people early in the morning. This was scary. And the fact that no one could move made it one long hour before a service crew rescued us.

Highlights:

• Chocolate croissants. One word – amazing!
• Arnold’s Donuts
• The Coffee Shop and its delicious desserts
• Golden Cap/Up Cider - our alcoholic beverage of choice. Light, crisp and refreshing. I still can’t believe this brand hasn’t made it to North America.
• Jaffa orange pop
• Juissi juice
• Our large modern apartment with it’s own personal sauna!
• Traveling to Estonia with Liz and Charlee. A great trip that was tons of fun and is something I’ll always remember.
• The experience of living in another country
• Learning Finnish words and trying to incorporate them into my everyday vocabulary.
• The HOT hockey café owner. I’m pretty sure we went there twice a week to buy a Jaffa just so we could admire him ☺. The guy was gorgeous and always made time to chat with us. He even kissed me on the cheek once…I definitely made a fool of myself and acted like a high school girl with a crush!
• Our favorite cafeteria lady preparing us a special Christmas dinner. She dimmed cafeteria lights, lit candles and even played Christmas music. It was cute!
• Getting gawp for our bottle collection
• Downtown and the walking street
• Watching Top Chef on Thursday nights
• Hanging out at Hemmingway’s with the best bartender in Finland – Piia!
• My teammates and coaches (Mikko and Jaakko)
• Piia – a great friend who was extremely helpful during my time in Finland. I don’t know what I would have done without her. She’s someone I hope to keep in touch with and see again soon.
• Meeting and becoming friends with great people like Gavin, Keena, Crystal, Aaron and Monty. This was our crew. On the weekends you rarely saw one of us without the others. Gavin and I plan to meet up this summer at the Calgary Stampede.
• And last but of course not least, Liz and Charlee! Wow, I don’t even know where to begin with these two. I can’t imagine what I would have done without them. I consider myself very lucky to have been able to play with these two great ladies. Not only did we have great chemistry on the court, but off it as well. You’d think being with the same two people 24/7 would get old, but it never did. We have tons of great memories and quotes that will never be forgotten. Both became great friends who I’ll miss a lot. We will meet again Sartsa and Lissu!

♥BW

Off to Sweden Sucka!

Where do I begin? This week was full of chaos and stress with decisions needing to be made within hours. With 3 regular season games remaining, it became apparent that our team was going to miss the final playoff spot. That’s when the madness began. All of a sudden Charlee, Lizanne and I became hot commodities in the European basketball market. With teams getting ready for playoffs, the business side of basketball began to show its ugly head. Oddly enough the 3 of us share the same agent and I can tell you she was put to work!

With two Finnish teams fighting for her to be on their roster, Liz made the decision to accept an offer from Catz. They currently sit in second place and will likely be playing for the Finnish league Championship. Catz paid HoNsU a nice chunk of change and Liz’s release request was granted. The two clubs wasted no time. After a goodbye bash that evening, Lizanne packed her bags and was on the first bus to Lappeenranta the next day. It was a sad farewell as the three of us had become very close over the past four and a half months.

Next it was Charlee’s turn. Since our team has nothing to play for now (except pride), HoNsU asked Charlee if she would play for the 3rd division team and help them to qualify for 2nd division next season. With more money and bonuses on the table, Charlee accepted the offer and was released from our 1st division team. As an affiliate of our club, Charlee won’t have to move and will be here in Jyväskylä for another month and a half.

That left me. Having already released Liz and Charlee, HoNsU refused to grant me a release to play on another team. This obviously upset me. Not only did they allow Liz and Charlee to go (our primary ball-handlers), I was left as the only foreigner on our very young and inexperienced team. I wasn’t happy, especially because our last 3 games will see us facing playoff teams. Even with my agent battling the front office, HoNsU stood their ground and said I couldn’t go anywhere until I had played in our last game on March 9th. I have to be extremely mentally tough in these next games – which will be a challenge itself. After mulling offers from Sweden to Jordan I told my agent I'd rather go home and see my family and friends on March 10th than play somewhere where the situation wasn't known.

That was short lived, as literally 10 minutes before practice began that evening my agent called to inform me that one of the teams I had turned down wanted to know what it was going to take for me to play for them. Since the deadline to finalize rosters for playoffs was midnight that evening, I told her if they agreed to my specific demands I would sign a contract and join them for playoffs. Practice came and went with the window to midnight getting smaller and smaller.

Assuming they didn’t agree to my requests, I was surprised to receive a phone call at 11pm that evening from the Swedish coach. He gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse and the rest is history. I accepted it and will be traveling to Sweden March 10th to join the Sundsvall Saints in Sundsvall, Sweden. It’s quite the situation. Sundsvall is currently 3-17, sitting last place in the 1st division. When I join the team they will have completed all their regular season games, and will likely be sitting in the same spot. The games I’ll be playing in are for the team to stay in the 1st division. It’s my understanding that the bottom 2 teams in the 1st division and top 2 teams in the 2nd division have to play some sort of playoff series to see who goes to which division next year. Obviously Sundsvall is hoping that I can help them stay in the 1st division. I’ll try my best!

Interestingly enough, Brandi Davis (who played at Oregon and then for the LA Sparks of the WNBA) had been with Sundsvall since the beginning of the season. However, she hadn’t played the last 2 months due to a stress fracture in her leg. They finally sent her home last week to rehab. Additionally, one of the other Americans was recently sent home for breaking team rules. It’s my understanding that it will be me and one other American (who coincidently played in Finland last season) as the only foreigners on the team. My contract is fully guaranteed, so no matter how long I’m in Sweden (2 weeks minimum, 4 weeks maximum) I will be paid the full amount we agreed on. Here’s to another adventure and my 23rd birthday in Sweden…

-BW

Sidenote: Congrats to my bro and his team (UBC) who qualified for Nationals!