¡Ola Guatemala!

Liz and I arrived in Guatemala City on Wednesday evening for the second leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball circuit.  Competition started today with pool play for the 17 women's teams.  Liz and I started off the day at 9am with our first match vs. Cuba.  We started strong and took the lead early.  Unable to maintain the lead, faltering after a couple tough serving aces by the Cubans, we lost the first set 18-21.  We started the second set much like the first, taking the lead early.  This time we were able to maintain the lead, and with some tough serving we won 21-15, taking it to a third set.  The third set we were back and forth.  After a judgment call that didn't go our way, the game was tied at 13-13.  We sided out to put us at 14-13, then I served an ace to win the game!

Our next pool play game vs. Nicaragua is tomorrow, as well as the first round of the single elimination of playoffs.

Here's a link for the Norceca Press Release: www.norceca.org 

2011

Now for an update on what I've been up to so far!

After taking some much needed time off to rest, recover and rehab our injuries, Liz and I started back training in January.  After training for two months indoors in Toronto we moved to Hermosa Beach, California for a month long training camp prior to the start of our season!  Our decision to come to LA was easy, here we can train outside, work with a coach that we've worked with in the past and have had a lot of success with, and have an opportunity to train with some international teams.  We've had some great training opportunities in LA, and I feel that we are improving as a team being here. 

Our training court in Hermosa Beach, Pacific ocean in the background

We were in LA for 3 weeks of training prior to our first tournament of the season, a Norceca event in the Grand Cayman Islands.  Liz and I came in 3rd place in the Caymans after loosing a tough semi-final match vs. Hanson/ Fendrick from USA who went on to win the tournament.  We defeated Puerto Rico in the bronze medal match.  Throughout the tournament we improved as a team, and we got in a few good competitive matches to help prepare us for the season ahead. 

On the podium in Cayman Islands

After that Caymans we came back to LA for a week of training and that's where we are right now!  Next week we go to Guatemala for another Norceca event.  The Norceca events are a great way for us to get back in to competition prior to the FIVB World Tour and the Olympic Qualification Continental Cup (April 15-17th). 

Welcome back!

Hi everyone and welcome back!  I owe an apology for not providing any updates the past few months, but with the start of our season approaching quickly, and lots of time to spare in airports and on the plane, I'm back into blogging and providing updates on my season so far.
I'll do my best to provide a quick recap of how our season finished last year:

Mexico
In October, Liz and I played in a Norceca in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where we finished in 2nd place.  We lost in the finals to Puerto Rico.  Disappointing, but a good experience to prepare us for the final FIVB tournament of the season.

China
After the Norceca in Mexico, we went on to play in Sanya, China in the second last FIVB World Tour event of the season.  We qualified for the main draw after defeating Russia and France.  In the main draw we matched up against an experienced Italian team.  We played well, and managed to take them to the 3rd set, but lost.  Our second match up was against Japan, a consistent team with good ball control.  We lost to them, finishing 25th.  A decent result for us, but I was disappointed with our performance vs. Japan because upon reflection I think if we had changed our game plan, we would have had more success.
Thailand
After China, we then went on to the final tournament of the season in Phuket, Thailand, another FIVB World Tour Open.  In the qualification tournament we first defeated a young Chinese team.  Our second and last match of the qualification tournament to advance to the main draw was against Puerto Rico, the team we had recently lost to in Mexico.  This time around Liz and I came out on top, advancing to the main draw!  In our first match up of the main draw we faced the USA team of Kessy/Ross, the current World Champions.  For me it was pretty exciting to be matched up against one of the top teams on tour.  Liz and I won the first set 21-17, lost the second set 15-21, and won the third 15-11!  It was a great feeling beating a team that you admire and respect, and it was definitely the highlight of my season!  We then went on to beat Thailand.  The two wins automatically placed us in the top 10.  We were then matched up against Goller/ Ludwig of Germany, currently ranked 5th in the world.  We played on centre court which was a lot of fun, but Liz and I struggled with their tough serving, and our side out.  After loosing to Germany we then faced the USA team of Nicole Branagh and Kerri Walsh, a two-time Olympic Gold medalist.  Again it was exciting to be matched up against one of volleyball's greats.  Although Liz and I played well, their experience outweighed our and we lost 21-16,  21-18.  Overall Liz and I finished in 9th place, a career best for both of us!  It was exactly how we wanted to finish our season, and it was an amazing opportunity to play some of the tops teams on the World Tour, giving us an idea of where we stand and what we need to improve on as a team.

Fundraiser

After Thailand, Liz and I came home to wrap up our season with our "Help Us Play Ball" Fundraiser.  The evening was a huge success for me and Liz thanks to the great group of supporters who attended and helped make the event possible.  It was a incredible feeling to be supported by everyone and to raise some of the much needed financial aid to help Liz and I on our journey towards the 2012 Olympics.  Thank you to everyone who attended, friends, parents and family for helping out, Dana Cooke who tirelessly worked to make the event a success, Ahren Cadiex (publisher for Volleyball Source magazine and former national team player) our MC for the evening, Mike Collins our awesome magician for the evening, everyone who donated to the silent auction, and everyone who supported us by purchasing non-event tickets.  And a special thanks to CAN Fund and Conrad, Jane and Ruby who presented Liz and I with cheques for $6000 each.  CAN Fund is a non-profit organization devoted to raising funds and awareness for Canadian athletes.  They directly support hundreds of athletes from coast to coast, allowing athletes like Liz and myself to focus more on training and less on the financial burdens.

For some pics of the fundraiser, click on the photo below: