Ben Jammin

A rude awakening

2012-01-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! To friends, family, and my muscles (or lack thereof). Hope everyone's holidays were as enjoyable as my own.

Don't you just love getting back into the gym after a couple weeks of diminished workload? The first day is always great, your body feels fresh and you're excited to get started again.You feel like you should push extra hard because you can. You think, What a great start to the year, this season is gonna be a breeze.

Then comes day 2.
Your whole body aches, if you hadn't already scheduled your gym time for the next few months you would spend the next week in an ice bath. Stairs seem taller, walks seem longer, lifting your arms is a brutal chore. You think, - scratch that, you don't think, it's too hard.

Maybe I exaggerate slightly, but after working muscles that haven't been used in a while it's always quite the wake up call that training isn't all fun and games. With the new year, my sand training has resumed, so don't get me wrong, it is fun, and there are games. But through the first week of sand and physical training together, I'll just say it was no picnic taking that first step out of bed on the morning of day two.

As tight as my muscles get though, I don't despair because of a few aches and pains. If I did, what kind of athlete would I be? In fact, I actually take solace in the fact that the more sore I get, the more I will benefit in the future. No pain, no gain, right? I've already almost passed out and thrown up in the gym this year, and I still came in the next day to do it all over again. On the stiffness front, the first week is always the worst, so it's all downhill from here. But that won't stop me from pushing to my limit, day after day. There will undoubtedly be more pain to overcome, and to grow from.

On a side note, my physical trainer, Thomas Lam, has been bugging me about posting another "Cooking with Ben Jammin" video. So I'm gonna let people get involved here. If you have a favorite recipe, that you'd like to see me cook, or at least attempt to, then you can send it to me. I'll give my best attempt to the recipe that most catches my eye, but also looks delicious. I probably won't be making peanut butter and kraft dinner or add 18 layers of bacon and Jack Daniels or anything like that. Something unique, or a different sort of cooking process, or if your friend made something that you thought was amazing, ask if I can use their recipe. Heck, if I get enough idea's, maybe I'll make it into a little series. Email meal idea's to: bsaxto@gmail.com with the subject: Recipe.

Atlas the Snowman

2011-12-23T19:11:00.000-08:00

Well it wasn't my best work, and unfortunately, thanks to strong winds and oddly enough, above zero temperatures in Calgary, it didn't last for very long. But after roughly 9 hours of work, I finished my snowy version of Atlas the Greek mythical character who holds up the earth. The movie jumps here and there when I took breaks, but otherwise, Enjoy!

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

The Big Reveal

2011-12-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. The time you've all been waiting for. No, not Christmas, that's still over a week away. Besides this is even more exciting. It's snow sculpture time! I know, I know, I can hardly contain my excitement either. I've just returned home for the Holidays, and conditions are perfect. It's cold but not too cold, there's a solid layer of building material on the ground, and there's nothing good on TV. Conditions are perfect. (Flight of the Conchords reference for those who missed it).

The last few weeks I've been bombarded with questions and requests for what I'm going to build this year. And by bombarded I mean more than just my parents have asked me. I'm going to film the whole making of, and get some better pictures this year, just to show everyone that I'm making it life sized, not only that but Ben Jammin sized. This years sculpture is looking like it'll be just under 7'. I'll post the video shortly after creation is complete, so expect that shortly.

Without further ado, here are my hand drawn blueprints:

Family and Friends

2011-12-03T11:00:00.001-08:00

November

An off month from the sand, but there was still plenty that went on. After finally receiving cancellation confirmation a couple days before the last NORCECA event in Nicaragua (as organized as ever, I know) It was finally time for my first break from sand training in about a year. So where does someone who travels year round go for a vacation? Why, back home of course, to visit friends and family.

I only managed to get out west for a couple of weeks, my longest home visit since Christmas last year, but it was long overdue. After months in airplanes, foreign countries and hotel rooms, it's such a relief to be some place comfortable, among loved ones. As enjoyable as life is playing volleyball, I've gotta take a few moments away every now and again otherwise my brain will turn to mush. Like watching too much TV or eating a lot of candy. Problems that are easily solvable by taking a little time off and letting mom take care of me for a little while.

Following my break, I came back out east to Mississauga for the Olympic Excellence Seminar. An event to help hype up many of the Canadian 2012 Olympic hopefuls. Headed by our enthusiastic Chef-de-Mission Mark Tewksberry, we were led through a series of workshops to promote teamwork and Olympic Spirit.
It worked. Surrounded by past, present, and future Olympians, my desire to join their ranks, as strong a desire as that is, was further strengthened. Though our qualification process will last up until about a week before the actual event, the opportunity seems even more real and even more attainable.

I spent my birthday being filmed and interviewed, something I'm really not yet comfortable with, but I had a bunch of new friends helping me stay composed through it all. Beach Volleyball isn't exactly high profile in Canada, yet, but with time and future success, we'll start to get more support. These media days organized by CTV are a good way to get a little bit of exposure, and good practice for when that exposure starts coming more frequently.

To summarize, I spent November seeing old friends and making new ones, I experienced the comforts of home, and I upped my motivation to keep dreaming the Olympic dream. Such an exotic vacation, it was exactly the break I needed.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

The hardest part of playing beach volleyball

2011-10-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

The hardest part of volleyball has nothing to do with the game itself. It isn't the physical drain of training, the abundance of high pressure situations, the constant travel or even the associated cost of all of the above. Those are all cake compared to sport politics. Speaking on behalf of a large majority of athletes in all sports (and probably a lot of NBA fans at the moment), there's nothing that irks us quite so much as having our fate be manipulated by the higher ups.

One of the main factors that drew me to beach from indoor was the appeal of being in control. No matter who the opponent, the teammates, the coach, or whiny parent's who demand their son get more playing time, when I play beach there is a 100% chance that what I do will make an impact in each and every match I play. Now don't get me wrong, I was extremely fortunate indoors. The teams I was a part of were always top notch, with excellent coaches who had faith in me. Shout out to (in order): Russ Reimer, Rich + Connie McDonald, Art O'Dwyer, Chelsea Sommerville, Tim Masse, Dwayne Wenaas, Ryan Marsden,Tim Smith, Kerry McDonald, Ray Sewell, Terry Danyluk, Dale Johns, Aaron Schulha, Brad Poplawski, and of course Mom + Dad. As far as i could tell, my teammates parent's weren't too bad either, but you'll have to ask my coaches. And I always either felt almost immediately like an impact player, or else worked my ass off to feel so eventually. But even with all the good fortune, excellent support, and achieved successes indoors, it all pales in comparison to the sense of accomplishment of all of the above on the beach. Sure there aren't as many people to share the excitement with, but there's always, without exception, the knowledge that what I contributed was significant.

To sum up the previous overly long paragraph: Indoor is great, but the beach is for me.

In case some of you forgot, this blog is about politics (I forgive you, my background story took a little longer than anticipated.). For someone like me, who chose beach volleyball in large part to have as much control as possible over my own development and results, the foreseeable hardships don't appear as difficulties at all but simply as steps along the path to success. Steps which I will gladly take (thanks goodness for my long stride). It's the unforeseeable and uncontrollable that can really throw a wrench into the works. That's where the politics come in (Finally).

This may come off as over the top, but the greatest purpose served by sport politics is as a distraction to athletes. Of course sport bodies are needed to facilitate administration and organization to help us dumb jocks along. But it never seems to end at that.

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord John Acton

No matter how much control over my future own future I'd like to have, there seems to always be someone or some group that insists otherwise. Right when I think things are going right, out of the blue I get hit with all the reasons I don't know what's best for me, or that I can't achieve one thing without participating in another, or tournament point allocation gets changed, or worst case scenario, a rule is mysteriously altered to screw us in a tournament (If you haven't heard about that last one, don't ask, it upsets me). And here I was, thinking that in order to become the best volleyball player I could rely on my own abilities and motivations to accomplish my own goals. Silly me.
I hate politics.

Now what is the best part about playing beach volleyball?

Once the game starts, no more politics. No one can tell me what I can or can't do on the court. It all comes down to me and my partner in the end, everything else gets drowned out in the crowd. Now that's what I signed up for.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Puerto Vallarta Part Dos

2011-10-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Toronto wasn't cold over the past week back in Canada, in fact it was rather pleasant. But it doesn't compare to down here. It's even a little cooler down here now that the hurricane scare is over and done with, but the difference is still night and day. In fact, I would compare night here to day back home, I'm kind of dreading when it actually starts to get cold there.

But lets get down to the real news, that being the Pan-American Games. I've been asked by almost everyone I've talked to if I'm excited. Of course I am, this is the most hyped up tournament I've ever had the privilege to be a part of. I've earned my way here, and now its time to earn my way to the top of the podium. One chance for Christian and I to prove just how clutch we can be, or else we'll have to wait 4 years for the opportunity to redeem ourselves.

We'll have to get through some solid competition in order to do so, including current World Champions Emmanuel/Alison of Brazil, but it is not out of reach. And we'll be in the sun for one match per day so the heat won't be nearly as much of a factor. That's right, no excuses, win or lose, there is no one or no thing to exalt or to blame but ourselves.

Thanks to everyone who supports us, we hope to do you proud,

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Welcome Home

2011-09-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

The first words spoken to us upon our arrival at our hotel in in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It`s not quite how I picture home, but I like it nonetheless. It implies that Mexico is a place to kick your feet up and relax, my kind of place. We don`t get mama's home cooking, but the hotel staff do try to make sure guests are always enjoying themselves. Even if that does mean we have to turn down several cervezas per meal to keep ourselves game ready, it's hard not to relax in this atmosphere

As soon as we leave the hotel, however, all hell breaks loose. This NORCECA is as disorganized as any before. A comedy of errors as I've come to expect on this tour, self-proclaimed the best tour in the world.
-The courts are still being fixed as we speak with gameplay starting less than 24 hours from now, The venue itself is still a long way from done, they say it will look great for the Pan Am Games in a few weeks, but that doesn't help us for this weekend.
-We're still trying to figure out the whole FIVB points situation, we hear something new about that every day.
-During our practice this morning at 11 we heard we needed to check in to the tournament by 1:30. So we get back to the hotel early and find out they've changed check in to 4, and not earlier.

Standard NORCECA.
As long as the nets go high enough by the time the games start, I'll be happy. Then after a hopefully strong result this weekend we can go back to Canada and really be welcomed home..... before having to come back a few weeks from now for the Pan American games.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Casey and Me

2011-09-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

A week after the fact, I realized I still haven't told about my weekend tournament with living California legend Casey Jennings. A bit of background info on Casey for those who aren't familiar, he's a 6 time AVP tournament champion in his 12th year of competitive beach volleyball. Though his wife, Kerri Walsh, may have the more storied career, Casay himself is consistently on one of the top American teams since 2004, and is currently one of the most well known men's beach volleyball players in the world. One highlight I remember was back in high school, I think the summer of '05, when Casey and Matt Fuerbringer had to come all the way through the loser's bracket in order win the Hermosa Open, while I and a group of my peers were there at a sort of training camp. Needless to say, his never give up attitude made me a fan, and him a bit of an idol.

So when he gave me a call the Tuesday before the tournament and told me he needed a partner for the NVL Championships in Miami, he caught my interest right away. Then he stroked my ego a little and told me he only wanted to play with a blocker he felt he could win with, so if I turned him down he wasn't sure if he would even play. Now I'm not sure if someone as dedicated to the sport as Casey Jennings would have followed through on that if a relative newbie such as myself couldn't make it, but my tires had been pumped up enough that I couldn't say no. Even if it did mean cutting my down time short.

When I got to Miami, it poured rain. It was still warm, but the rain came down hard. I almost wish some of it had stayed for the weekend, but alas it was not to be. I personally went through a flat of Gatorade, and at least as many bottles of water over the course of the weekend, and I still felt dehydrated at the end of the weekend. But no matter how dead I felt, Casey had a knack for keeping me and himself fighting for every point and I found myself getting better no matter how drained the longer the matches went. Probably for a combination of the following reasons:
- Casey is one of my heroes, I didn't want to let him down
- The best players find a way to make both themselves and their teammates better
- His refusal to let hecklers get the best of him helped to relax me, take the pressure off.

Overall, I was upset we finished 7th. I thought we could just as easily been semi finalists. But it's not every day you get to play with one of your heroes, and overall we didn't play poorly, just let the heat take its toll in our eventual demise. So all I have left to say to Casey is thank you for continuing to be a mentor to me, whether you knew you were one or not.

An additional note. My new roommate, Breanne Duncan, insisted on making me a Twitter account, so I guess I have one now. I don't know much about it, but I'll give it a try. So feel free to follow my official Twitter feed: BenSaxton13

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Thomas Quinet

2011-09-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I wrote about my little cousin and his battle with Cystic Fibrosis. On Sunday, September 4th the fight became too much. Unable to find a sufficient donor in time, Thomas Quinet passed in the Toronto Children's Hospital, with his family by his side.

Over his last couple years, I got to know Tom a little bit. Despite their circumstance, he, my aunt and my uncle all shared very optimistic outlooks, that have helped me to see past all my own little worries, which were always minute in comparison. Whenever I was able to make a visit, Tom was always eager to kick my ass at Madden, or MLB, or Wrestling, or Racing, or whatever Xbox game he was playing at the time. I may be an athlete in real life, but Tom could sure outplay me at sports games. He and his parents even managed to make it out to watch the 2010 National Championships (though I didn't do so well). And even though I hate to lose, I was glad to see that my inferiority gave him pleasure, because he deserved every opportunity to smile that he could get.

A few times during my visits I was able to accompany Thomas and my uncle Marc out for a walk. It wasn't too far at first, just to the end of the hall and back at first, but the last time I went we made it a couple blocks. Those walks were what really cemented Tom's spirit in my mind. He fought hard for every extra step, just as he fought hard for every breath during his lifetime and his parents were proud and supportive of every moment.

A few weeks ago, however, things took a turn in the wrong direction. A donor had yet to be found and breathing was becoming too much of a struggle, and Thomas was forced into intensive care to be attached to an artificial lung machine. My aunt and uncle stayed by his side almost the entire time, and pushed for donors through media outlets, while all of us, his family and friends, prayed for a positive match to be found. Marc and Suzanne managed to make it out to Ashbridges Bay to watch Christian and I win the 2011 National Championship title. I was overjoyed that I was able to give them a positive experience during their time of hardship and some good news to relay to Tom in his hospital bed. But without a match, it was only a matter of time, and at 14 years of age, Thomas finally gave everything he had.

His fight was inspirational, as is the fight of every man woman and child in need of our help. All it takes is one person to donate to save another persons life. Let Tom's battle be an inspiration to all to support finding more donors. Even if his body can no longer be saved, his memory can be preserved by helping to save others. From what I knew of him and my aunt and uncle, I know they all would want that.

Rest in Peace
Thomas Paul Quinet
1996-2011

Ben Jammin

Champions

2011-09-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

It seems like the National Championships came early this year. Even though we've been competing since April, the summer felt like it has just blown by, and now here we are getting into the Fall. For those of you who followed the results on here, or Facebook, or any other source (not the VC website, which still has yet to post Nationals results) you know that Christian and I managed to end of the Summer in the best way possible. On Top.

In front of one of the biggest crowds I've seen at this event we played a really strong semi against two ex-National Champions (Rich Van Huizen and Chaim Schalk) and in the final we battled hard to beat the red hot Maverick Hatch and Sam Schachter, who had the top Canadian results in every event held in Canada this Summer up until that point. We went in to the tournament as the number 1 seed, but between fellow countrymen, the seeding doesn't always mean much, especially considering how high a level all teams are playing at these days. In the end, the top 4 seeds did make it to the semi final, but none of us made it in straight sets. Considering most of the teams there consisted of guys around my age, or even younger, I'm expecting Nationals to get only stronger, which is great news for the development of all of us in the future.

Am I happy? Absolutely. I'll need to win 10 more times before I'm through to surpass Mark Heese's record of ten total, and I hope every one tastes as sweet as this one. Sure we whine and complain about the steep entry fee, and smaller than normal prize money, but we are prideful creatures, and when it comes down to it, we all want to win this tournament just as badly as any other. This year, the crown is ours.

Congratulations to Kacie MacTavish and Julie Rodrigue who won the women's side, and thanks to everyone who posted on our facebook group and "liked" our comments. And thanks especially to sponsors, friends, and family who came out to watch in person, because we love to show off what we're capable of in front of you, and we love to make you proud.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

People Don't Care About Meh

2011-08-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Be sure to note the H at the end of this blog's title, just in case anyone thought I was having a mental crisis.

In fact, I'm blogging about self promotion. Inspired by a speech given today by Dave Caughran post National Championship Technical meeting, I've decided I need to keep my blog updated. I'm not sure what I was expecting going into Dave's spiel, but the title of this blog will probably stick with me. Even though in person I may seem a little withdrawn, and a lot of attention might make me blush a little, I do like to know when something I've said or done has impressed someone. Meh upkeep of my blog won't keep people interested, just like meh tournaments results won't impress.

So let's start this weekend. Time to bring home some hardware. Not only would that make me happy, but it would give me something much better than meh to write about.

We start early tomorrow though, and it's already late tonight, so I need to get my 40 winks.
I hope to see a lot of people out at Ashbridges Bay in Toronto this weekend to catch all the action.
Our first match is at 8:30am EST vs. Chitan/Brooks on Center Court

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Problems in Poland

2011-08-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

Things went from bad to worse this last week in Stare Jablonki, Poland. Our poor play against Kazakhstan hit the hardest for me, personally. Liz Maloney and Heather Bansley, excelled en route to a solid 9th place finish, but the rest of the Canadians had a weekend that matched the atmosphere in last week's rainy weather. Glum.

For one thing no one else qualified, on the women's side it was unfortunate that one Canadian team had to knock out the other, and the Lucky Loser draw didn't go in Marie and Annie's favor either. The two men's team also got beat. I won't speak for Rich and Josh, but our match was disappointing to say the least, no matter how good a tournament Kazakhstan ended up having. And that's just what we had to deal with as players.

Our stay at the hotel Anders was anything but pleasant. Unfortunately, as the only hotel within a ten mile radius of the venue, there aren't many other options, and even though it is the main draw hotel of the tournament, they don't really care to accommodate the athletes. Over the course of the week we had to move through two cabins and one hotel room, never certain which room they would kick us out of next. Christian had been trying to contact the hotel about a reservation since February with little response, and when we got here, they almost wouldn't let us stay even with a reservation, and even then only for a couple nights. Let's just say customer service is not a priority at the Anders. Add a weak internet connection that can only be found in the lobby, and you have the recipe for not the greatest week on tour.

To top it all off, on our last night while having to share a single hotel room with Rich and Josh, we got robbed. Rich and myself were fortunate enough to have all of our belongings intact, but Christian and Josh were not so lucky. During a brief 45 minute span or so when none of the four of us was occupying the room, someone, somehow, came in and stole Josh's MacBook Pro and Video Camera, and Christian's Dre Beats headphones and phone charger. This was determined after an extensive search of the room, and with the hotel staff being as helpful as ever, no culprit was found and no items were returned. If you're reading this, robber, please return my friends things. Can someone please translate that to whatever language it is that the thief speaks?

When I look at some of the other Canadians bad luck over the week, I can only count my blessings at how mine wasn't quite as bad as theirs. Josh and Rich took the brunt of poor fortune, to top it off they still haven't made it here due to a cancelled flight. At least I'm already in Austria.

To end this blog off in a positive way, I'm really looking forward to this event. Klagenfurt is the most highly rated event on tour, with crowds upwards of 10,000 people. From what I've heard, this event caters more to the athletes than any other on tour, which would be quite the opposite from last week, so that's something to cheer up about. Also I've come up with a fundraising opportunity which will be advertised here, the Redmann/Saxton facebook fan page, likely at the Volleydome in some capacity, hopefully through word of mouth, and anywhere else that likes the idea. It's an interactive fundraiser that I'm actually kind of excited about, so stay tuned, I will hopefully have it set up by the end of the week

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

On Home Soil

2011-07-25T02:46:00.000-07:00

It came and went awfully quick. A little too quickly for our liking as we weren't able to take advantage of a weaker draw. A little frustration with my own poor play ensued. But I'm calming down and getting ready for our next event here in Stare Jablonki, Poland.

Looking back at the event, I can't stay too upset. I got to see and spend time with a lot of familiar faces. All over the city we had family, friends and fans supporting us, it's a shame we couldn't do more for them, but a shout out to all of you nonetheless. Thanks for coming out, I hope you all enjoyed yourselves. The venue itself is awesome, easily breaking into my top 5 favorite places to play to date. I may not have seen as many venues as most, but Quebec city really went above and beyond their expectations for a first time event host. Even though many European teams didn't get to experience it, Canadian fans certainly did, with huge crowds even during the early days of the tournament and continuing on to support the 10 Canadian teams (6 Women, 4 Men) in the Main Draw of the event. I know Heather Bansley and Liz Maloney certainly appreciated it en route to their career high 7th place finish.

Another positive was I got a little free time before Quebec to get out to BC to see the ever popular Vancouver Open, one of my personal favorite events. Even though I didn't get to play in it, and even though the weather wasn't quite optimal, it was still a grand old time, and congrats to Maverick Hatch and Sam Schachter for taking the crown for men, and the two American women I don't know for the women. It was nice to get a little time to myself after almost a month straight on the road.

So after a week in the home country, I'm recharged. The next phase of Euro events starts right now, and we hope to do even better this time than the last.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Getting over the hump

2011-07-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

This is kind of a follow up from last weeks blog. After being so frustrated from another weekend getting 25th in Stavanger, Christian and i finally broke through to the playoffs in Gstaad, Switzerland. Turns out bitter might be better after all. After a couple months of climbing uphill, we've finally pushed past pool play. The next step will be to get some playoff wins, and we'll finally be at the greener grass on the other side. Once the confidence that we can get, should get, and have gotten results, the downhill will finally get started, and results will get picked up along the way.

What better setting to talk about moving up and downhill than Gstaad? A small tourist town right in the midst of the Swiss Alps. This is one of the only places this year that I've I actually been somewhat of a tourist. It's hard not too, when everything there is oh so Swiss. Swiss cheese, Swiss chocolate, Swiss banks, Swiss army knives, Swiss Alps, Swiss dairy cows, a Swiss Chalet and whatever else Swiss that I can't even think of right now.

The most notable moments aside from getting through the qualifier yet again, and finally getting out of our pool:

1 - Cheese Party with the Canadians in our chalet:

Say Cheese!

2 - The View

3 - Jumping off a Mountain:

4 - Last but not least, Having lots of Swiss Chocolate bars to take home with me. Let me know if you want one before they're all gone!

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

On the Brink

2011-07-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

We're so close to getting some big wins its frustrating.

This past weekend, Christian and I qualified for the 3rd time to play in our 4th main draw of the season. We're succeeding in that area at least. As long as we keep making out of the qualifiers, our seed will increase little by little. Getting passed this weekend's qualifier, was no small accomplishment, don't get me wrong. We took a couple big wins in the pouring rain against two higher seeds, one of which being Georgia who've beaten me a couple times in the past. But in order to start making big jumps in the pecking order, we're going to have to start winning some of the money matches.

We're on the cusp of being great at the moment. We missed out on beating this tournaments eventual champions (Ricardo/Marcio) by less than a handful of sideouts. And did the same later that day against the Russians (Semenov/Likholetov) while they pummeled their serves into the heavy wind. Only to stumble on Canada day against an American team (Rosenthal/Gibb) that could do no wrong.

One or two more breaks could have made all the difference. Unfortunately, we weren't quite able to turn them in our favor just yet. Once we get that first big win, others will follow, but right now the hardest part is getting over that little hump. Our patience will only get us so far, once we hit that moment, the win won't be handed to us, we'll need to take it. But we will, and soon, because I'm getting sick of losing the close ones. As our coach, John Child, tells us - Bitter means Better. Meaning the more pissed off you are, the more likely you are to make something happen out of spite. I might not fully agree with the concept, but I do like the end result, so let's go for that.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

When in Rome

2011-06-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

I've had a slight problem with electronics over the last couple weeks, but everything has now been resolved and I can finally post about 2011's biggest tournament. In retrospect, i probably should have taken more pictures, because Rome is easily the most eye-catching venue I have ever played at. The Championships were played at Stadio Olympico, with giant statues surrounding the side courts, and a 10,000 seat stadium to view center court. Thanks to a new advertising initiative by the FIVB (FIVB Heroes) there were giant posters of a few of the athletes all over the city. Kerri Walsh and Emanuel Rego even got their own statues.

Though Christian and I didn't get any statues, we did turn a few heads with our play. Every tournament we're getting a little bit better, and making fewer mistakes. We had a chance to eliminate Ricardo/Marcio (both ex-World Champions) from the tournament if we had closed out the third set of our match, and then they went on to finish 2nd in the tournament. Just a couple more points here and there and results will start flowing. I know I'd rather make it start happening sooner than later, Christian and I will be pushing for some top 10 finishes before this summer is through.

I won't waste all your time reading and looking at pictures though. The highlight of this blog is in fact a highlight reel of Christian and I during the 2011 World Championships in Rome, Italy. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Fight!

2011-06-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

After a long two match qualifier, Christian and I have qualified again in China. If I told you it came easy this time, I would be lying. It's never easy, but this time was particularly exhausting.

For starters, our first match was in midday heat, and that sets up the rest of the day for shortness of breath and jello legs. Thankfully, Austrians are not much better suited to heat than us Canu- (Whoops, almost endorsed Vancouver's playoff run there, go Bruins?) Than us Canadians. We plugged through that first match, took it one point at a time, and BAM, final round.

Now as if the heat wasn't enough, we decided to play a marathon match. On the FIVB website it says we had the longest match of the day at 61 minutes. In actuality, it began at 4:30 and ended at 7:00. Confused? Allow me to explain. For starters, the first set went deep into extra points. It was a sideout game through and through, neither team made mistakes. Nobody led by more than one point until the last whistle blew in their favor.

Second set started slowly with an early 10-5 deficit, but that was quickly dissolved and we went into the first technical only down by one. So much for neither team giving up points, now it was back and forth runs, and so it went until the last couple blocks to close the second set in our favor.

Now during this whole match, the sky began to darken. At first it was relieving to know that the heat would be less sever, but as the points rolled along the calming shade of gray evolved into a very ominous shade of black with flashes of white and drops of clear (the last two colors describing the lightning and rain). But we didn't stop there. Third and deciding set, momentum on our side lets keep playing! And it worked in our favor, but it gave them an out. At 12-8 in the third set, the Austrians refused to continue due to weather. I'm surprised they didn't do it sooner to be honest. And then the sky really opened up.

For the next hour and a half we waited. We waited and hoped to continue because we had been informed that if a weather delay persists for an excess of 4 hours, the match resets at 0-0. When you've just spent the last hour battling your way a 4 point lead in the final set, the last thing you want is to start over completely, let me tell you.

But we did continue. The lightning continued to race across the heavens, but clear sky was on its way back into the picture, and we had the well lit Beijing Olympic Center Court to play on no matter how dark. Playing those last few points was one of the strangest things I've ever done. It was like an all new match, but we needed 3 and they needed 7. It's the most awkward thing to get so excited for such a short period of time. Thankfully we won, so the excitement lasted the rest of the night.

Now we need to ready ourselves for Alison/Emanuel, currently ranked 2nd in the World, and fresh off a big win against Phil and Todd, the only team to do so this year. And now they have to face us.

They won't know what hit em.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

A Big Announcement

2011-05-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago, the entry list for the FIVB World Championships in Rome, Italy were announced. We are on it. It's official, Christian and I will be attending the biggest tournament of the year as the only Canadian team on the male side. Only by the narrowest of margins did we make it ahead of fellow countrymen Josh Binstock and Rich Van Huizen, and even then only thanks to the promoter choosing us as a Wildcard. It's a shame only one of us could get the Wildcard, because both teams have shown they deserve to be there by qualifying for main draws, but at the same time I'm glad we were the team chosen. And we intend to make the most of it.

This will be Christian's second World Championships, and my first. Hopefully the first of many, but for now my focus is on Rome. If Ryan Marsden was our coach, I imagine our team name would be YQR (Your Quest is Rome), though I suppose YQL might be more fitting. Rome will be the biggest tourney of my career to date, and therefore biggest chance to prove myself. And Christian is probably kind of excited too. Not to mention Worlds could play a major factor in qualifying for the Olympics in 2012. Can you tell I'm excited?

Another milestone comes in a week and a half. My first Grand Slam event in Beijing, China. Another big tournament that, until this year, I have not had enough entry points to attend. Thanks again Christian. I'm honestly not a big fan of China, but we did pretty well last time we were there, so let's do it again, this time in Beijing. The venue will be exciting enough at least, the tournament is being held at the same venue where Beach Volleyball was played at the 2008 Olympic games.

To top it all off, I was able to take a brief trip home to Calgary. Whenever i'm there I always make sure to do some blocking work with my dad, just for a little refinement. And I always seem to block better for the few tournaments afterwards, which is great timing, since the next couple tournaments are the same ones previously mentioned in this blog. Plus being home is always so relaxing, takes away a lot of the stress that living out of a suitcase for months on end can bring. Just the break any athlete loves to take.

All in all, a good week.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

One Tournament at a Time

2011-05-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

Two weeks after our first successful qualifier tournament (QT), it's time to do it all over again. With a few plane rides and a short repose back in Toronto, we find ourselves back overseas. This time in Prague, Czech Republic, for the first male only event of the season. Hopefully without all those bikini's around distracting us, we might be able to do even better. We will need to eventually, so that we can skip the qualifiers and start our tournaments directly in the Main Draw (MD).

This event has a full 64 team quali. Which means no byes. No shortcuts. Every team present has to play a full 3 matches in order to join the top 24 ranked teams to complete the 32 team MD. And this is our life. Pretty soon the tournaments will happen week in, week out, and until we prove ourselves to be among that top 24, we'll have to get through the quali. Which is exactly what we intend to do.

A single loss is enough to send a team packing, but a single time though to the MD is extremely rewarding. And of course, as soon as the Main Draw starts, it's still anyone's game. Casey Jennings and Kevin Wong came out of the qualifier and finished first in the MD in the Nederlands last year. There really isn't much difference between the top 24 and the rest of the field, every team is beatable. Sure Phil and Todd haven't lost in a while, but they'll probably be shaking in their boots if we match up with them out of the qualifier.

First match is tomorrow at 1:15 pm. 7:15am in Toronto. 5:15am for Mom and Dad. We play Greece on Center Court, so hopefully we can give a strong performance to all those who watch on bwin.com or FIVBtv. I'm not sure which is the best for viewing, if either. Tournament schedule and results can be found HERE.

Baby Steps

2011-05-04T02:41:00.000-07:00

One, Two, Barbeque.
That's what people say about a team that finishes 25th, or last, in the main draw, as we did this weekend. It's a pretty hard pill to swallow, especially considering we had opportunities in both matches to turn things in our favor. I'll probably be a little pissy about how i played and dwell on a missed block here, or a failed side out there. But we live and we learn.

I'm not saying we played poorly. If I look back on both losses today and both wins in the qualifier yesterday, we made far more good plays than bad. Those bad points in my mind are so few that they will fade away, and be replaced by the many positive plays that came out of these last couple days. And as the season rolls along, those mistakes will continue to be replaced not only in my head, but on the court as well. In Main Draw play, all it often takes is one extra break, good or bad, to make the difference between winning and losing. The teams that stay on top are the ones who have a tendency to make that break work in their favor.

On a positive note, we did actually play pretty well all weekend long, with the exception of one set, where we got picked apart by the Brazilian serving. We advanced through the qualifier easily, taking down a higher seeded Swiss team in the process. We were the only Canadian team to do so. We pushed Fuerbringer/Lucena (One of the top teams in the U.S. and one of the hottest teams on tour at the moment) right to the wire (11-11 in the third set, before missing a few opportunities at the end).

To top it off, after our worst performance of the tournament, I ran into Phil Dalhauser in the elevator of the Main Draw hotel. The first thing he said to me was: "Nice blocking out there, you got Thiago a bunch." Coming from unquestionably the most dominant blocker in world, I took it as a pretty big highlight. I think I managed to play it cool for the rest of the conversation though. That was as long as we've spoken since I've started playing on tour, so I guess you could say we're pretty much best buds now. It will be pretty embarrassing if he ever reads this.

All in all, there is a lot to be said of our first FIVB event ever as a duo. It may have had a rough ending but there is a lot to be taken from it, and used in future events. Even as I write my sour mood from our loss is being alleviated, you can probably all tell that the tone of this blog gets lighter as it goes. But in future, it will always be nicer to write about winning a few games than BBQing.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

In Transit

2011-04-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

It's begun.
Jumping from one country to the next, never much longer than a week at a time. Hardly ever getting enough time to grow accustomed to the surroundings before the next travel day is upon us. Home for one week, submersed in a completely different culture the next. Do we ever really have a final destination? Because soon it will feel as though it's just one 5 month long travel day. Every country we play is a layover before we head to out next stop.
If we had a single flight itinerary it would look something like this:

Flight: ------ Departs: ------------- Arrives: --------------- Meal: ------------- Date: -------- Flight Time:
IA 111 ----- Home ----------------- Guatemala City ------- I ----------------- April --------- Too Long
MB 222 ---- Guatemala City --- Boca Chica -------- Really ------------ | --------- Too Long
EI 333 ------ Boca Chica --------- Los Angeles ------- Hope ------------- | ---------- Too Long
NG 112 ---- Los Angeles -------- Vancouver ------------ So ------------- | ---------- Too Long
SO 223 ---- Vancouver ----------- Shanghai --------------- I ---------------- | ---------- Too Long
CR 331 ---- Shanghai ------------- Prague --------------- Hate ------------- | ---------- Too Long
EA 122 ----- Prague --------------- Beijing ------------------ It ---------------- | ---------- Too Long
TI 233 ------ Beijing ---------------- Rome ----------------- When ----------- | ---------- Too Long
VE 311 ----- Rome ---------------- Stavanger --------------- I ----------------- | ---------- Too Long
WI 132 ----- Stavanger ----------- Gstaad ---------------- Have ------------ | ---------- Too Long
TH 321 ----- Gstaad -------------- Moscow ----------------- To --------------- | ---------- Too Long
ES 213 ----- Moscow ------------ Quebec City -------- Starve ------------ | ---------- Too Long
EF 121 ----- Quebec City ------- Stare Jablonki ------- On -------------- | ---------- Too Long
LI 232 ------ Stare Jablonki ------ Klagenfurt ---------- Flights ----------- | ---------- Too Long
GH 313 ---- Klagenfurt ----------- Aland --------------------- I ---------------- | ---------- Too Long
TN 131 ----- Aland ----------------- Toronto ---------------- Pray ------------- | ---------- Too Long
AM 212 ---- Toronto -------------- Puerto Vallarta ------- For -------------- | ---------- Too Long
ES 323 ----- Puerto Vallarta --- Home ------------------- Food ------------ October ------ Too Long

First person to find the hidden message in that itinerary will get an all expenses payed high five.

As you can see, every flight is too long, and I'm always looking forward to my next meal. When people tell me they're so jealous i get to travel all the time, it makes me wonder. Since every destination just leads to the next, one after the other, am I really getting to experience any of them? Or is it just one really long travel schedule in which I end up back where I started?

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

PS. I really hope everyone sees this on a big enough screen, because it was really a hassle to make the itinerary look just right.

Continental Cup

2011-04-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

You couldn't ask for a better venue. Cloudless blue sky, courts placed alongside crystal clear ocean water, all inclusive tournament hotel. If the organizers of NORCECA had any idea how to run a tournament, they could turn this into a tournament to remember. As it stands, we very likely won't know who or when we play until about 5 minutes beforehand, which is unfortunate considering this is the first in a series of Olympic qualifying events. You'd think they'd be as motivated to run it smoothly as the players are to participate in it.

What we do know about the draw is pretty interesting. This tournament will be played out like no other i have played in to date. For both the men's and women's Continental Cup, it will be country vs. country. What this means is that each country is represented by two teams that will face off against two teams from each other country in a double elimination format. For example, if Canada were to play USA, then the first round would look like this:
CAN1 - USA2
CAN2 - USA1
CAN1 - USA1
CAN2 - USA2

The winner is whichever country wins the most matches out of 4. If it ends in a 2-2 tie, then any 2 athletes from either delegation will be selected to play in the "Golden Set" - A single set to 15 points - to determine who will advance to the next round. Top four countries come Wednesday night, advance to the next and final Continental Cup tournament, winner of that earns a berth in London 2012.

I won't delve to deep into the future, for now I'm keeping my mind in the moment because this tournament comes first. The teams representing canada are:
Men:
Christian Redmann + Ben Saxton (CAN1)
Martin Reader + Chaim Schalk (CAN2)

Women:
Annie Martin + Marie Andre-Lessard (CAN1)
Heather Bansley + Liz Maloney (CAN2)

For the first time ever, we are actually teammates with another Canadian team. We are still unsure of whether we'll be playing at the same times as Martin and Chaim, but either way it will be interesting to be able to cheer for fellow countrymen without secretly hoping that they don't do better than us. And for those supporters out there, you no longer have to worry about picking favorites (us of course, don't worry, I won't let Marty and Chaim know) and can finally shout out an unbiased "Go Canada Go!"

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Tercer Lugar

2011-04-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

Third Place.

Not exactly the placing we had hoped for, but thank you to everyone for the congratulations. And considering all we had to put up with, I suppose things could have gone worse. But there is no use dwelling on what could have gone better, or been organized more smoothly. Instead, let's take a page from my anonymous little brother's blog (annuxdossitt.wordpress.com), and focus on the positives that came out of our trip to Guatemala. Positive thinking is way more fun than the reverse anyhow.

For our first tournament, both outdoors, and as a team in general, with only one loss to a solid team, third isn't so bad. Sure it's not what we intended to accomplish, but first is a lofty goal in any tournament. We experienced our first loss as a team, and it sucks, but it happens. Even Phil and Todd lose matches here and there, no matter how few and far between those losses are. The most important part was how we bounced back from that loss, with a decisive win over Puerto Rico, who had come off a second place finish at the previous NORCECA.

Aside from how we played, the Guatemalan teams consist of a truly awesome group of people. They spent the entire week shuttling us around too and from the airport, our hotel, practices, to meals, tourist locations, etc. Plus made sure to warn us of any and all dangers we may happen upon while visiting their country. There are three players in particular who really made our stay in Guatemala memorable, and we made sure to snap some pictures with them so that I can show them off to the world. This blog will serve as a very public thank you to our friends, chauffeurs, translators, tour guides, training partners, competitors, and so on, all embodied in the following three athletes: Erick Garrido, Julio Recinos Ocana, and MaJo Orellana. We would not have had nearly the same experience at this tournament without you guys. If any of you are come near us in Canada, we'll have our Whatsapp ready.

Julio is on the right

Erick is in the white t-shirt, and MaJo in the middle.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Partner Change Imminent

2011-04-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

APRIL FOOL'S

Not quite as elaborate as last year I realize, but I figured I might as well do something. Christian and I are, in fact, getting very excited as our first tournament looms just around the corner. As i write, we are in Houston on a layover between home and Guatemala. Though if we keep getting crammed next to each other on planes, who knows how long I'll be able the stand the guy.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Just Jump

2011-03-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

This season has seen me in the gym more often than any other season to date. Thanks to everyone at FITS Toronto for helping out getting me noticeable physical results, and therefore plenty of incentive to keep coming back. I made a little montage of Christian and I in our training leading up the 2011 season. It's just a sneak peak, and mine and Christian's workouts don't always coincide, so it's mostly footage of me. But that's ok, no one wants to see Christian pushing around his light weights anyhow (you'll see what I mean during his squat footage). So without further ado:

Edit: My apologies for the technical problems yesterday. The video should be working today.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Blogiversary

2011-03-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

I'm off by a few days, but I was looking back over my past submissions and realized that just over a year ago (A year and 7 days) I blogged my first blog. Since then I have posted 55 times in 53 weeks, which is actually better than i expected. Last year around this time, I was so excited about having a blog, I was blogging 3 times a week without fail. That lasted pretty much until my season started to kick into high gear, then my mind wandered elsewhere, and blog topics started to evade me. It's clear to me that 3 blogs in a week is a lofty goal, but I'm confident that I can at the very least maintain the once a week average achieved over the last year.

If there is anything that should be added or changed, I still welcome any and all feedback. According to blogspot statistics, "Modern Hairfare" - Where I asked everyone to vote on my next hairstyle back in July, is still my most popular post. Now I'm not sure if I'll pull that particular stunt again, but I'm considering running some sort of contest, because it seems like you guys enjoyed getting involved. Possibly some sort of auction or prize giveaway, potentially involving both me and Christian (but he doesn't know it yet). I just haven't quite decided on how to go about it yet. Any ideas on this would also be greatly appreciated, may even increase your odds of winning.

Here's a short list of things to expect on Ben Jammin over the 2011 season:
1- Better Results
2- More Video Blogs - "Dinner For Schmuck" has quickly risen to top 3 in total hits
3- Better Interaction Opportunities (Contests, Surveys, etc.)
4- A blog/week average
5- High Fives All Around

Travel starts in just 10 days. Let's start this volleyball and blogging season off right.

Cheers,
Ben

Just Play

2011-03-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

My strength and conditioning trainer, Thomas Lam, recently asked me if I ever get angry. Apparently i give off the impression that I'm always relaxed and content. When I'm playing, it's a different story, I get upset at myself all the time. But by the time the next point rolls around, it's forgotten, there's no use crying over spilled milk. I don't think it was game play frustration that Dr. Lam was referring to, however, but everyday life.

Those of you who know my current situation probably understand that for me at the moment, there should be plenty to be upset about. There is some unnecessary drama that has taken place over the past couple weeks, just enough to stir the pot. So as not to extend said drama any further than it's already gotten, I won't say any more than that. Instead I've put some thought into how very like a game of beach volleyball life really is. That's right, it's about to get all philosophical up in here.

Beach Volleyball - A Metaphor for Life

For this metaphor, let's imagine we're all playing an important, high-pressure match. Life is the opponent. One set to infinity, win by 2. So how do we win?

Any way we can, but there are always ways in which to better yourself. Life will come at us in many different ways, in order to stay on top it's important that we practice. It takes a combination of many different skills in order to truly succeed. Every point will be different than the last, so it's important to experience as much as possible in order to be prepared for what future points will bring. The more quality time spent perfecting our passion, the greater the returns, and the better we will play.

Then comes the warm-up. It's important to have some sort of routine. Something that consistently helps us to stay relaxed, or to get pumped up, or whatever it is we need in order to be at our best every morning, or every game. Minor adjustments can be made to a warm-up, but as we get closer to game time, closer to that high pressure scenario, the more comfortable we will want to feel, and the less we will be willing to sacrifice from that routine. Life is always the home team, we all have our own supporters, but no matter how many fans each of us has, everyone will face adversity at the hands of Life. Any advantage we can take, we need to be sure to capitalize, making every preparation an important one.

Just like that, the first whistle blows and Life comes at us. Have we prepared enough? Whether we have or not, it's time to put up the best fight that we can. If we spend all our time worrying if we are good enough, or smart enough, or strong enough, or fast enough, then we won't be. Confidence is the key. Once game time hits, it's too late to wonder if we're ready, it's time to know it. Life is not about to let up for us, if we give up an early lead, then we'll have to dig extra deep in order to take back control.

There will undoubtedly be frustrations along the way. Life will earn a few points. I have never seen a perfect game (except Charlie Sheen, who is apparently winning even when he's losing.) Whether we're beaten by the uncontrollable let serve, or we lose a hard fought battle of a rally, our opponent will take a few points from us no matter how hard we push, or how consistent we play. But the importance does not lie with how we are beaten, but by how we respond. Will we show defeat? Or will we be ready to win the next battle? Like the saying goes, "A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins." True in all facets of life and volleyball. Any point Life scores against us is just reason to come back stronger.

How we react to any situation Life throws us, win or lose, can make all the difference. Everyone has their own style and personality which will be effective at times and ineffective at others. No player is perfect, but Life isn't unbeatable so no one has to be. Whichever side has scored more points when the game ends wins. It's a simple concept, so why spend so much time analyzing it? Life challenges us all, in the end, the best thing to do is to just play.

So do I ever get angry or frustrated? Yeah, I do. But then my 12 seconds are up and it's time for the next rally. Frustration isn't going to do me much good, it's time to chin up. Life is going to come at me again, but I am very confident in my training. I've worked hard to get where I'm at, and not matter what Life throws at me, I'm ready. Win or lose, the game is on. I've just gotta play.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

PS. Feel free to check out mine and Christian's new Facebook fanpage by clicking the link on the right. There's not much on there right now, but when the season hits it will be a chance for you to interact with both Christian and I and get instant updates on our status as the season plays on.

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

2011-03-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

March has begun, and the 2011 season is fast approaching. For those not in the know, I've spent my winter months on the beach volleyball court. Big surprise there. I would sound more excited if winter training were spent somewhere warm. On the plus side, the snow is starting to melt here in Toronto, and Canadian summer will be here before too long. From the sounds of things global warming is already hitting in Alberta, apparently it was a balmy -30 or so in Calgary the other day. So thinks could be worse out east I suppose. Fortunately, weather is the only thing I have to complain about. Once I escape the wind biting right to my core, and get onto the court, or into the gym, my spirits get heated right back up to melt any chilly thoughts I may have concerning the cold outside.

The climate isn't the only thing heating up as Spring creeps out from behind Wiarton Willy's shadow (who predicted early spring by the way, good call. Not.) Sand practices and workouts are picking up in intensity as well. I think next week, I'll bring my phone into on of my workouts and give everyone a little sample as they transition from strength to power. Which means today I talk about sand.

Sand comes in many different colors and gradients. Some is light, some is heavy.....................

Just kidding, I know no one wants to hear about the differences in sand right now. And no, my sand sculptures are not nearly as good as my snow creations. If you are interested in noting a difference or two, and you happen to be in Calgary, there are bottles filled with sand from several of the different venues that I've competed at over the past few years on display in the office of the Volleydome.

Sand training might be more what you came here to see, or read, or whatever (I still haven't completely decided whether I should be blogging as if readers are sitting beside me experiencing it with me, or whether I'm telling it as a story, I apologize if i tend to flip flop a little.) Since Christmas, beach partner Christian Redmann, have been put to work by friend/coach/mentor John Child, and National Team Head Coach Lennard Krapp. We spend a few days of every week with one, and few days with the other as they put us to work to help us develop in time for the start of the 2011 season. I'll post our summer schedule tomorrow on the right side of the page. We're looking to kick things off strong with a NORCECA in Guatemala, followed by an Olympic trials tournament in the Dominican Republic, both happening in mid to late April.

With only a month and a half to go before tournaments begin, we're moving to less reps, and more gameplay. Training in very competitive environments with many of Canada's top experienced and up and coming beach volleyball players. The list of regular training partners includes, (in no particular order): Rich Van Huizen, Josh Binstock, Matt Zbyscewski, Jessi Lelliott, Chaim Schalk, Martin Reader, Maverick Hatch, and Sam Schachter. You may have heard a few of the names, you almost certainly will hear of the others. The more we all work together, the more we all improve. Every Christian and I step on the court, it excites me that things are about to get into full gear pretty soon.

I work myself hard almost every day, but my job is amazing.

Work = Play, Play = Fun, and I love fun, therefore:

I love what i do.

Dinner for Schmuck

2011-02-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple months I've been schooling myself to try to eat substantial, nutritious meals. Thanks to a very well organized meal plan create by CSCO nutrionist Maggie Amos, not only have I been doing just that, but I've been cooking and preparing everything that goes down my gullet as well. Rather than tell you about it, I figured I would show you first hand my new found cooking prowess in this, the first (and maybe not last, depending on the feedback) video blog. I apologize it's hard to hear in some areas, I didn't take into account that sizzling meat is noisy. But considering it was all filmed on my phone, I have to say, it's not half bad. Enjoy:

It's a little rough here and there, I know, first time I've used my phone to film something, but it did the trick. Here's a few other meals that have recently become additions to my Haute Cuisine:

Homemade Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries and Salad

Roasted Chicken breast with Veggie Rissoto

Thai Soup. Suprisingly, probably my favorite dish

Homemade Whole Wheat pizza Dough

Turned into this

Steak Stir Fry with Asparagus

Feel free to email me if you want any of these recipe's. I realize for some, none of these are particularly difficult to make. For a cooking newb such as myself, this is progress.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Christmas in California

2011-01-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

Seeing as Toronto has been cold and crummy the past couple weeks, I'm going to take one last trip down memory lane and revisit my family's nice warm Christmas trip to Huntington Beach, California. It's one of my favorite places to be any time of year, no exceptions, so keeping my mind out there should get me through the biting cold that is Toronto winter.

The days I found most memorable are the days I took pictures of, though it may just be that I remember them best because I have pictures of them. Regardless, since those are the days that I can illustrate, those are the days I'm going to detail. The fact that I have pictures at all comes as a surprise, I'm tend to forget about immortalizing moments on camera. But enough rambling, it's Christmas all over again, I'm excited.

The first interesting (Every day in California is interesting, but the first MORE interesting day) was when the men of the household all went out for a gentlemanly sail a little ways south of Huntington. My sister's boyfriend Tom has spent the last couple years fixing up an old sailboat with a friend of his, and he was kind enough to bring my dad, brother and I out on the water with him. We went out expecting a little turbulence since it had been rainy for the last few days, instead we got dead calm. There wasn't even enough wind to fill the sail so we just drifted most of the time. Looks like the wind was taking a break over the holidays too, can't blame it.

Dad steering

Dustin at the main (only) mast

Seals sleeping on the buoy

Captain Brownbeard

Then we went to Universal Studios on my recommendation. I thought I remembered a lot of great rides and whatnot, plus I had heard there was a new Harry Potter section of the amusement park. As it turns out, that's all at the Universal Studios in Orlando. Tough one. We still managed to enjoy ourselves with all the 3D rides they had here, almost as good as the real thing.

All pictures from the Jurassic Park ride

Finally came Christmas. A day enjoying each others company and a night of the same plus feasting. To top it all off, a photographer friend of Milou's took a nice family photo of our very own "Family Tree":

Family tree, with gift Tom

Happy Belated Holidays,

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

PS: For those of you who didn't believe my Halloween costume was me, I've posted it to the left. The same friend of Milou's took that picture as well. Notice the same backdrop and same color tint. Believe it!

All Work and Snow Play

2011-01-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

Since over the last month or so, I've been fairly inconsistent (non-existent) in my blogging, I shall recount my holidays one story at a time. I know it's no longer the holidays, but everyone likes to make memories last.

Upon my return to Calgary for the holidays, the first thing I saw was snow (it engulfed everything, I'd be surprised if it wasn't the first thing I noticed). So I immediately began planning my activities. Actually, I suppose I should say my activity (singular), because the only thing i wanted to do was build a snow sculpture to rival those of the last two years. Quick refresher for those of you who haven't met my artistic side. I only seem to get creative in the winter, so I don't blame you for being surprised:

February 2008:
During reading week at St. Joe's, my residence during my second year at U of A, myself and handful of other residents decided to recreate a picture hanging on the wall in the common room. In case you can't tell from the picture, those are monkeys displaying the proverb "See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil" as well as the Joe's special addition "Do no evil". I headed the operation, but it would not have gotten done without the help of several St. Joe's Rangers. Cheers Boys

December 2009:
Last Christmas I decided on a solo project. I was in the Christmas mood, so Santa seemed like the obvious choice. It took about a week and constantly brushing off new falling snow, but I got it done and it doesn't look half bad if I do say so myself. Unfortunately the pictures weren't very clear, it was a cloudy day and I had to leave the next morning back to Toronto, but I do have more. If you want to see them let me know, I'm always ready to show off.

December 2010:
I wanted this year's masterpiece to eclipse the previous couple short lived works of art. See how many pictures it take you before my intentions become known:

Camille and I heading towards the build site

Getting started

Laying the foundations

home made sculpting tools

Block art

Sketching

Halfway done

I even dug out the inside

The sleigh was all ready for us to sit inside before.....

This happened

Unfortunately, while at home I didn't have a residence full of engineers to help me out with the structural integrity. The problem with having my own design and following it to a tee, is that packed snow is heavy, something I didn't factor into my blueprint. Thanks to gravity, heavy things fall. Thanks to gravity, heavy things are hard to pick up and put back into place. I suppose this year was not meant to be, but I'll learn from my mistakes, and there's always next year.

P.S. In case anyone is wondering why there were two big blocks, the smaller one was supposed to be a reindeer.

It's Business time

2010-12-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

People tell me what I do isn't a job, because it's something I love to do. Well I have another job now, and it might not be my passion, like beach volleyball, but it seems to make the everything run a little better. Sure, I'm busy from 9AM-8PM every weekday, but it's almost like a breath of fresh air.

Firstly, it's not something I'm unfamiliar with. I work at Canuckstuff in Scarborough, mostly filling mail orders, packing boxes with volleyball gear. Seeing as I've played the sport for the entirety of my life, plus the fact that the original Canuck Sports Stuff was owned and operated in my house when I was a kid, I know the products. When walk in customers come in, I have no problem giving descriptions of shoes or kneepads etc, because I've tried and tested almost any volleyball brand or equipment you can think of.

Second, my days are no longer wasted. I don't spend my days on the couch in front of the tv anymore, I'm up and doing something all day long. I'm not really sure about the science behind these kinds of things, but I'm actually less tired with the full workload. Somehow it's more draining to channel surf than to be on my feet all day picking items, or stocking shelves. It may also have something to do with the fact that the busy day helps me sleep better during the night. My sleep schedule is now fairly consistent, which it wasn't before. I go to bed around 11PM, wake up at 7AM. Eight hours of solid snoozing, and the constant tiredness I used to experience all of last year is now hardly an issue.

Thirdly, and importantly, it gives me a chance to give back to a couple of my sponsors. Canuckstuff and Overkill help me out, so I'm more than happy to help them out as well. Sponsors are pretty hard to come by for a developing athlete, and this way I get the chance to demonstrate outright my appreciation and dedication to contribute what I can to those who have given me their support.

Finally, I'm making money. And that is never a bad thing. Enough said

So to all those who called me lucky because I never had a real job, I'll tell you this much. I have a real job now, combine that with my other "job" and its well over the average 9-5 grind. But I wouldn't say I'm any less lucky. If anything having a real job that complements my beach volleyball schedule so well makes me even luckier.

Now I'll end this off with a little video that's relevant in title alone, but I think is hilarious:

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Home Sweet Home

2010-11-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

After a much enjoyed month in California, I am back in Toronto to get things going again for next year. It will be nice to get back in the sand after almost a month long break. Its time to refine my skills and get physical for the next few months, and I'm ready to work my ass off. But we'll talk about that when it happens.

My major concern at the moment is accommodations. The house hunt has begun. Over the last few weeks, I've been scouring craigslist and kijiji, trying to find the right place for the coming months. Here's what I'm looking for:

Location:
I'm hoping for something centralized. The most promising places so far are located between the two training facilities (beach blast and downsview hangar). If I could find a place that makes it easy to get to both and Ashbridges Bay to boot, that would be ideal

Price:
As glamorous as it seems to be a full time athlete, I need something affordable. I'd like not to have to depend on my parents forever. Since my income will be equivalent to my carding dollars, (maybe a little more, if I can find a job that works around my training schedule) it will likely be difficult to be able to pay rent and still have enough money to eat. Fortunately, I have all my furnishings in storage, so a fully furnished place is not necessary which gives me a little more leeway.

Non-smoking:
Wherever I live, I won't tolerate the smell of smoke every day. If people use the front entrance as a place to take a drag, then that place is no longer on my radar. I had enough of that with the last place. I have not smoked anything my entire life, and I don't intend to. If someone has to smoke, I won't make them stop, but they'd better not expect me to hang around.

I'm not overly picky, I'll take what I can get. And over the next few days I'll be visiting a few places that look promising. If anyone who reads this knows of somewhere, I'd love to hear about it. This will be my home away from home for the next while, as long is it's liveable I'll be happy.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

A week in the life

2010-11-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated in a week because, let's face it, who doesn't want to look at the glorious beards and mustaches of all our heroes for a few days longer. Also because I wanted to post pictures of Halloween, but the edits to make them extra spectacular are still in the works. Expect them in the near future. Instead, I'll go over what a week on vacation entails. Don't get too excited, it doesn't involve much.

The typical day starts at about 11 and end around midnight. Note how I've included all the important details.

Not entertained? Alright, here's my second effort. I eat all my meals, and I go to the gym every other day or so. Otherwise, my off season is spent in relaxation. If an errand pops up, I have all the time I need to get it done. This past week specifically has seen me spend a lot of time trying to get my phone to work again. No luck so far, but hopefully it gets sorted out shortly. Not that I need it out here much anyhow.

Every so often, I take a bike down to the beach and just take in the scene that I know so well. Its a shame I'll be out of here by the end of next week. After all this time off from volleyball, it'll be nice to get back to the game, but I'd be lying if I told you leaving this California weather behind won't be upsetting.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Man = Beard

2010-10-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

It's time to talk about a very important issue in my life at the moment. Facial Hair.

A thick mustache or a big burly beard are a telltale sign of manliness. Plain and simple. And after going two months razor free, I know why. Anyone who can suffer the constant itchiness, strange looks, constant grooming, and leftovers from breakfast sticking with them till dinner, the bearded deserve to be recognized above other men.

Here are a few notables:


Tom Selleck

Mr. T

Monopoly Guy

Lions

Don Saxton

Abraham Lincoln

Clint Eastwood

Mario

King Tut


This Guy

Jesus

Anyone in the NHL who's ever made the postseason. Sorry Maple Leafs

Chuck Norris

There have been a few exceptions to the beard rule though. I very rare cases a facial hairstyle can be sullied by a man's reputation:

Or Vice Versa:

Fortunately, as you can see below, my beard is one of the good ones. I'll leave you to gaze at my beauty:

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Reunited

2010-10-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

If only Dustin had been around this weekend, then all the Saxton kids would have been in one place for the first time since Christmas. Looks like he missed out. Meanwhile, my two sisters, Milou and Camille, and I were joined as Camille's team, the Oregon State Beavers, played a couple powerhouse teams from LA.

They played the UCLA Bruins the first night, who had just come off of a very solid victory versus the previously undefeated Stanford. I've never seen Camille's team play before, so I can't really say whether they played well or not, but they did take a set off their opponents and lost in 4. When comparing both teams records, I'd say that's not too shabby.

Saturday night saw the Beavers get off to a great start up 7 early against the USC Women of Troy. But the Californian team clawed their way back and won the first set in extra points. They went on to win the match 3-0. Camille got to play for the majority of this match, and when she was allowed to pass, she didn't miss a beat. Her skills are solid, and I keep telling her that as soon as she's ready for beach, VC would be lucky to have her.

After both games, we all managed to go grab some food. In case one of Camille's coaches is watching, she was a perfect little angel and only ate healthy food while the rest of us pigged out. Then we hung out at her hotel for a bit and did some catching up. I personally hadn't been in the same city as my little sister since last Christmas, so a good catchup was overdue.

It'll be Christmas again soon, and then the whole gang will be together again. Camille's gone back to Oregon with her team for now. I'm glad she's doing well, and I hope her team shows some fight for the second half of the season.

Go Beavers!

Ben Jammin

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2010-10-23T00:51:00.000-07:00

After a 5th place finish in Mexico, it's finally the off season. Don't get me wrong, I love volleyball, but there is such thing as too much. And after a couple tournaments of dying in the height, I finally get to have a little relaxation time in nice cool Los Angeles. Or more precisely, Huntington Beach, California.

Normally, that would be ironic, because the weather in LA is usually pretty consistent. Consistent in the fact that I could play beach volleyball outdoors all year long here if I wanted to. Except for this last week. I have never seen so much rain come down in this area as I have in the last week. Tuesday there was even a thunder storm that lasted the entire day. It was still above 15 degrees, mind you, but soggy nonetheless.

Here's a small article I found about the storm:
LA Times Article

The best part about thunderstorms in this area is watching how the locals react. It was raining, but still warm, so I took the bike out and rode over to a local restaurant to grab some lunch. On the way over, it began to hail, which is absurd in this part of the world. The kids just getting off from high school at the time agreed with me, but handled the situation in an entirely different way than I would. I calmly locked up the bike walked into the Greek food place, and ordered my food. They decided the better course of action would be to run around the parking lot screaming with their shirts off. As I ate, they came inside to dry off for a bit while making plans to go run around the golf course half nude so they would have more space. Which of us was more rational about the situation may remain a mystery. Or not.

Fortunately the weather has been clearing up over the past few days. There has been precipitation each and every day since my arrival, but it lessens as the week goes on, and should be clear from next week on. It's not exactly the ideal beginning to my little vacation, but I've heard it's already snowed in Alberta, so I suppose it could be worse.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

First round win

2010-10-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

We had a marathon match in mid day heat today vs. some high flying Cubans. Thankfully we won in 3 sets 21-15, 25-27, 15-13, and I promptly took a cold shower so that I could lower my body temperature and get back to something that I rather enjoy, breathing. Sadly for everyone at home, I'm compensating by making a short blog. But, I will leave you with the tournament website:

http://extranet.rumboal2011.org.mx/voleibol/

And the tournament committee told us matches would be streamed on the following website:

http://www.guadalajara2011.org.mx

But I'll be darned if I can navigate either website, because the English versions are not working for me. In the immortalized words of Ron Burgundy: "Baxter, you know I don't speak Spanish!"

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Sent Packing

2010-10-11T21:13:00.000-07:00

Fold clothes.

Pack clothes.

Pack personal items.

Pack Computer

Zip up bags.

Fly.

Unzip bag.

Unpack computer.

Unpack personal items.

Wear clothes.

Repeat.

Repeat again.

Repeat several more times after that over a 6 month+ season.

I have been folding and refolding my Overkill clothing so much over the last half year, I'm surprised Freddy hasn't given me the call to start stocking shelves at Canuckstuff (Yes that was a shameless sponsor plug, thanks for noticing). Though only before a trip. After a long week of playing where I'm left with a stack of soiled garments, I'll often just stuff them in my bag, thus dirtying the rest of my suitcase, and making stops equipped with laundry machines a real treat. And stops with mom to do said laundry extra special.

My packing skills have evolved over the course of the season, let's take a look:

Early Season:

I'm excited to travel, picking out all my favorite clothes, and buying items I'll need on the road. Checking and double checking to make sure I have everything. Filling my suitcase neatly to the brim, pushed right to the edge of any airlines weight limit. Two carry-on bags filled with miscellaneous junk to keep my occupied on the trip. Everything ready the day before I fly. Itinerary at the ready to keep me focused and make sure I'm on time for my flight.

Now:

Tired of travelling all summer, same clothes as always. Fewer even thanks to a couple trips back home and a dropping a few previously thought essential items. If I'm missing anything, the hotel will usually provide it. Suitcase as light as possible to make walking around airports easy. One carry-on holding all the essentials. Packing starts approximately 30 minutes before I leave for the airport, tossed in haphazardly if necessary. Itinerary locked to memory, no excess waste.

Laziness? Maybe. I prefer to look at it as upgrades in effeciency. I do consider packing a chore, and the less time spent performing the task the better. But it's getting late, so I think I'll pack it in.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

One for the kids

2010-10-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

I know my time in India is done and gone, and that I've already spent a considerable amount of time talking about the lows of the travel and the competition. The one part of the trip that has yet to be revealed is the thing I will likely remember most. Or at least remember most fondly.

A couple days prior to the opening matches of the tournament, 9 athletes from 3 countries managed to make a trip a little ways out of town to the Jeroham orphanage. Tom Lord from Great Britain, Mike Morrisson and Eyal Zimet of USA, and Martin Reader, Chaim Schalk, Kara Zacrewski, Julie Rodrigue, Steve Marshall and myself of Canada. We brought fruits, candies, an assortment of sports balls, and open minds. None of us spoke any Indian, and none of the children spoke any English, but we all understood that kids of all ages just need to have a little fun sometimes.

Everyone understands the language of play. They took us out to a little open area near the orphanage and showed the excitement and wonder that only children can. We had to take it in shifts sometimes due to the intense heat, but we did our best to keep up. I can't imagine it would be easy growing up with the adversity they've had to face, but they didn't miss a beat in front of us. Each one showing off their energy in their own way. Letting us see how talented and interesting they all can and will be. With their new balls and cricket bat, if one of them makes it big, I will be really proud to say I helped make a small impact.

But the real difference maker in the kids lives is kids home founder, Pastor Suhin. He started by taking in one troubled young girl, forced into the drug world at an early age to help support herself and her mother. What started as one child has now extended to over 20 youths of various ages, and thanks to the Pastor can now live lives with shelter, food, schooling and the company of other children. If anyone deserves a pat on the back, it's him. If you'd like to learn more about the Jeroham Children Home, you can visit their website here:
www.compassionchildrenhome.org

I may or may not ever be back in India. But I know that at least one really solid experience came out of this trip. Helping out kids is one thing that is impossible to regret. No matter who you are, it is nearly impossible to put a smile on a child's face without a smile of your own to match it.

Cheers

Ben Jammin

Driven Crazy

2010-10-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I just got finished with 4 flights and a good 40 hours of travel time between Chennai and Los Angeles, my brain is a little sluggish. Fortunately I found an interesting little article about driving conditions around the world. By all means, take a gander by clicking on the link below:

Ten Worst Cities to Drive In

So far, I can vouch for half of them, most recently in India.

And that's all I got for today.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Extreme Conditions

2010-10-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

37 degrees Celsius, 98% humidity

This was the temperature of our morning match of the first day of the tournament. Needless to say, it was difficult. It was difficult even to breathe, much less play a match of volleyball. Lucky for us, Norwegians are similarly affected by the heat, so it was just as tough for them. Unlucky for us, our next night game did not fair so well, and we lost a tight 2 set match to some Czechs.

Day 2 - 3:30 pm
34 degrees Celsius, 77% humidity
Playing in the heat once was bad enough. The slight difference in temperature and humidity was actually noticeably better, but still incredibly draining. Again we played a pair of Norwegians, and again it worked in our favour. Sadly, I was not able to recover enough in the hour between our first and second matches, and the Greeks had a slightly higher tolerance to heated conditions. By the third set, I was jello, and my lack of body control led to our dismissal from the tournament in a disappointing 13th place.

It's tough coming from a country where, at this time of year, the best I can hope for is rain with sunny periods. We can train as hard as we can there, but there is nothing we can do in Canada that could prepare us for the intensity and thickness in the air that I experienced playing over the past 2 days.

Meanwhile, teams from Iran and Turkey are thriving under these conditions. Solid teams to start with, they have that extra push under the sun that us northern folk can't quite match. Using familiar temperatures to their full potential. Countries that experience winter will never see the conditions that permeate India on a daily basis. As great as I find the sport of beach volleyball, I don't enjoy the helpless feeling that I got the displeasure of experiencing today.

On the plus side, playing a NORCECA in Mexico two weeks from now should be a breeze.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

P.S. To those who noticed I missed Monday,
It was out of my control, this is the first time I have been able to access the internet since my arrival in India.

Last Minute Details

2010-09-25T02:26:00.000-07:00

En route to Chennai, India and my pre tournament to do list is almost checked off. It took a bit of improvisation, but things got done, and now they just need to get done on the court:

1. Get entered into Challenger - Check
This was actually harder than it sounds. As the season comes to a close, Steve and I have the 3rd most FIVB points of all Canadian teams. Unfortunately, this put us third behind the two teams of Reader/Schalk and Redmann/Van Huizen. Due to the limit of 2 teams per country at this tournament, that made us the alternate. To avoid having a country quota (where two teams of the same country play off in a pre tournament qualifier), only the top 2 teams were registered, and we were placed on call. A couple days after the registration deadline, Rich and Christian made the decision to pull out of the tournament

This is where things got a little hectic. Since the deadline had passed and we were not yet registered, we were afraid of the standard FIVB 1000$ late entry fee. Thanks to Beach National Team Coordinator, for working nonstop sending emails back and forth with tournament organizers and quite probably sweet talking his way into getting us to replace our fellow Canucks at no extra cost.

2. Train for Chennai - Check
Again, tougher than it sounds (you'll notice this trend throughout this list). Originally the plan was to head down to Huntington and train with the locals. Sadly, since we only received confirmation of our entry to the tournament a week and a half ago, we needed all the time remaining for our Indian visa applications. Whatever training we were going to do, would need to be in Canada, weather permitting. So the week and a half has been spent in Whiterock, BC, with the help of Steve's longtime coach Kyra Iannone. (Thanks again)

3. Book Flights to India - Check
For this one, the difficulty was expected. Flights to India are pricey enough as is, now try booking them within a week of traveling there. After searching every travel site in our arsenal, and searching from all nearby airports we could think of, Steve came through in the clutch and managed to find some almost affordable flights leaving from Seattle.

4. Get Indian Tourist Visas - Check
As with any travel visa, you apply one day, then collect your visa a few days later. In this case it was lot of trouble to apply, and a bit of a scare to collect. After sitting in the Consulate for about 2 hours before finally having my number called just to hand in my application form and passport, I then had to wait about 45 minutes for the bus to show up, for the hour long transit home. Bus rides there and back considered, and the application process took about 5 hours.
The collection scare was my own fault. After losing the receipt, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pick up my passport again before our flight. Fortunately, all I needed was my name, birthdate, signature, and my lovely face in order for them to verify it was my passport.

5. Pack - Check
No problems, but I hate packing. And laundry, which also needed to get done. At least this time I made sure to pack all my playing shorts in with my carry on this time. Lost luggage won't be getting me down on this little trip. As with most trips, I should remember something that I forgot shortly.

6. Write a Blog - Almost there
Finally, my to do list is my all done list.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

The Return

2010-09-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

I thought I told you all to give me a smack if I was slacking on my blog duties. Shame on you.

Only joking. Really it's shame on me. I have been getting reminders from friends and family that I need an update or two, but it's sheer laziness on my part that has caused this lack of Ben-formation. So I find myself apologizing to followers yet again. It seems as soon as I strayed from giving myself deadlines, my motivation to blog went with it. But no more, the schedule is back. Twice a week. Mondays and Fridays. Even through the off season. Sure it isn't as often as it once was, but it's more often than in recent months, and I don't intend to have to apologize again.

Now that that's been cleared up, it's time to fill you in on what I've been up to since Nationals. This blog will be split up into two major sections: Chilling with my cousin, aunt, and uncle, and being back at home with friends and family.

Part 1:
First I'll give a little background info on my cousin. Thomas Quinet was born with Cystic Fibrosis. CF is an inherited disease which causes a thicker, stickier mucus to build up in the lungs. The buildup of mucus can be the cause of many severe bacterial infections, which in time causes the lungs to be very damaged. Tom was diagnosed with the disease at birth, has already had a double lung transplant, and is currently on the waiting list for his second.

For more info on Tom's condition from the man himself, you can visit his facebook group here. And I know he would be happy to here any words of encouragement you might have for him.

But I won't talk about Tom's CF anymore, because while hanging out with my cousin, that's not what was noticeable. I find it amazing how the people who have been thrown the toughest curveballs in life are the ones who tend to take the biggest swings of the bat and live life to the fullest. Thomas is one of those people who can get knocked down, but always gets back up with a smile on his face. For the whole week I got to hang out with him, he was always positive.

I used a baseball analogy earlier for a reason. The first day back in Toronto, Steve and I were invited to join Thomas, and his parents, Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Marc, at a Jays vs. Yankees game. What was special about this game is we got to experience the grand opening of a new addition to the Rogers Centre: the new Jays Care Box. A booth in the stadium specially made for children with illnesses and disabilities, giving them an opportunity to hang out at the game with other kids, eat and drink for free, and even meet a few of the Blue Jays themselves.

Tom has gotten the chance to hang out with more famous athletes than I have, and I play a sport for a living. He even got a chance to shake hands with my personal favorite NFL player Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. Here are pictures of a few notables that my cousin has had the chance to hang out with, which I think is pretty cool.


Peyton Manning


Donald Jones


Antoine Bethea


Ron MacLaen and Don Cherry

Daniel Alfreddson


Forgive me, but I don't really know baseball players

Ace


Ben Saxton

I figured I'd throw myself up there cuz I'm hoping to be among the big names by the time my career is good and done. Though apparently my video gaming skills need a little work, because Tom mopped the floor with my attempts at challenging him in his domain. Fortunately, I got to the chance to show him what I'm good at when he got the chance to come watch the last day of Nationals. After a disappointing day of play Saturday, Steve and I managed to win the Consolation side with my little cousin cheering from the sidelines.

Intermission - Get up, grab a snack, I know this blog is a long one, I need to make up for lost time. Second half is coming up now.

Part 2:
After Nationals and the tryout camp for next years national team, I had a little bit of downtime where I managed to get home to see some friends and family. First to Edmonton to hang out with the Bears. I even managed to get a practice in with the guys, before a weekend of good old fashioned Golden Bears fun. As well as a lot of Starcraft II, which I promptly bought for myself. If you have it and feel you can pose a challenge, bring it on. You can find me via my e-mail address bsaxto@gmail.com

From Edmonton, I went home to Calgary for a little over a week. Since my sisters are both currently living in the U.S., it was just my parents, my brother, me, and a whole lot of relaxation..... for the first evening. Come the next morning, it was off to the Volleydome to put my carpentry skills to the test building new benches to go around the both the new and old courts.

There aren't many people who have seen how the Volleydome came to be. I have not only seen, but contributed to many parts of the dome's development. But there is no one who has put more time and effort into the company's literal and industrial growth than my parents, Don and Mylene Saxton. The Volleydome is essentially their fifth child. They've nurtured and molded it, and continue to do so in order to see both the company, and facility evolve right before they're eyes.

If I were to sit here and analyze it, it's as though I have another brother. Just like my other siblings, Dome Saxton and I have grown up together, and contributed to each other's development. I helped put in floorboards and sand for the indoor and beach courts, he gave those courts right back to give me a place to train full time. I played a hand in many of the banners that now hang above the courts, and the Volleydome gives back as my top sponsor. As long as the Volleydome and I both still exist, we will be involved in each others lives, just as any good siblings are.

Before my time there was done, my dad took over as coach and my mom took over as personal trainer. With my dad, I got in some much needed blocking work. With my mom, I was put through workout circuits while waiting for new Team Canada trainer Steve Topham to send out our pre tournament exercises. With my brother, I got rides to and from work.

So that's what you missed. Now it's back on the road. Training in Whiterock, BC this week before we take off next weekend for a Challenger in Chennai, India. Then Mexico a couple weeks after that. Hopefully my family doesn't miss me too much. And vice versa.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Nationals

2010-08-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

It's about that time again. Nationals championships are under way, and all the top teams in the country are here in one place, vying for the top spot. I'll keep it short, since it's late, and we have an early match tomorrow morning. We're going into the tournament with the 4th seed, and we're looking to come out of it with number one. But it will in no way be a cakewalk to do so, as there are several teams that could contend on a good day.

Anyone who's in Toronto and interested in coming to check us out, here's our match schedule:

Friday:
9:00am - vs. QC (/Ouellette)
10:00am - vs. QC (Allaire/Fecteau-Boutin)
2:45pm - vs. ON (Podstawka/Goss)
Saturday:
9:00am - vs. ON (Gatto/Hauser)

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Friday the Thirteenth

2010-08-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, this isn't a horror blog. No hockey mask clad, chainsaw wielding psychos were present today, though I suppose the night is still young, and who knows where Jason Voorhees is these days. If anyone can bypass the hefty Norwegian prices, it might be him.

But enough about that, like I said earlier, that's not what this blog is about. In fact, I only have good news to give. Finally. For those of you who read a couple days ago, you've probably already guessed at the info. My luggage finally decided to join me in Norway, just in time for me to head on out to the island of Aland, in between Sweden and Finland.

It's not the first time the number 13 has been good to me. For some, the number is an ill omen. For me, it has brought nothing but good things. For volleyball in particular.

Looking back on my indoor volleyball career, every time that I wore the number 13, the team I was on won a National Championship. 18U Club Nationals with Canuck YQM in 2006, and twice with the Golden Bears in 2008 and 2009. The fact that I wore 13 had absolutely no bearing on us winning or losing, but it's an interesting coincidence.

Thirteen is my favorite number, and it's only fitting that a Friday the Thirteenth would be the day to turn a rough week into a positive start to the weekend. The trip to Aland starts tomorrow, so I can only hope things keep getting better and better.

Now before you get off your comp, I suggest you give this maze game a try. I bet you can't get to level 4.

maze game

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Bad things come in 3's

2010-08-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

It's a saying that someone said to me very recently. Here's a question, if more than three bad things happen, does that falsify the statement, or does that mean the bad streak will continue until I hit 33 bad things, or 3^3, which makes 27, so I guess I would prefer that. I may never know the answer, but I have learned something. Many bad things happening in a row tends to make for a pretty ugly week.

It started off well enough. I used some upgrade coupons on the first couple legs of my flight. From Vancouver to Toronto, then Toronto to London, I was riding in style. When I showed up in Toronto, and my luggage hadn't made it, I wasn't overly worried. They told me it would make it on the next flight and be in within half an hour, which was fine, I had plenty of time until my next flight. I took it as a good thing because odds were, that if it didn't make it on this flight, then they shouldn't get lost again, right?

Wrong

I landed in London with 4 hours until my next flight on to Norway. The first hour was spent waiting and speaking with baggage services. According to them, there were no flags put on my bad, which caused me to wait around for yet another hour as alerts were sent throughout the airport looking for my bag before I finally filled out a baggage claim form and headed to my next departure. Things have not looked up from there.

Here's a list of all the problems we've had since passing through London:
-Steve's bag also got lost on the way
-This is the one time I decided not to pack my playing shorts in my carry on, so I was forced to play with shorts that say "Schalk" - Thank goodness there are other players on tour with shorts similar to ours, and thank you Chaim for lending them to me
-We got a very good draw to match up against very beatable teams in the qualifier, and then played just awful
-Norway is so expensive and we are losing money fast, especially since hotels cost about 200$/night, and a cheap meal is 25$
-Thanks to the above, I'm very close to maxing out my credit card
-Thanks to no luggage, I've had to wear the same clothes all week

Saturday morning we leave for Finland, and I only hope I will at least have my luggage by then. As soon as that bag gets here, I will be extremely excited, hopefully it will make for a much more pleasant next week.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

My New Haircut

2010-08-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you who weren't in Kelowna this past weekend, here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for. I took a few pictures of the best pre, mid, and post haircut moments.
So, without further ado:

Yes, the mustache was necessary. It completed the look.
Hair stylist: Steve Marshall
Hand Models: Top - Ben Saxton
Back - Ben Chow

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Modern Hairfare

2010-07-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last rocked a wild hairstyle. I used to do it for nearly every game/tournament a little over a year ago. Terry Danyluk, Golden Bears head coach, once commented how he found I always played more focused and intense when I had a crazy mane. Here's a few examples of past hair disasters/triumphs (to each his/her own opinion):

I'm not entirely sure why I went away from taking out the clippers and gel before I play, but I think it's about time to go back to a good thing. But I'm not going to go back to one of those old styles, I've already worn those out. This time I'm really going to take a walk on the wild side for Center of Gravity in Kelowna, during the August long weekend. Here's where blog followers come in, I've attached a poll to the right of this blog entry. That's right, I want you to pick my next fashion statement/faux-pas (again, whatever your opinion may be). Here are the styles I'm prepared to take on:

The Reverse Mohawk - I've already done a Mohawk, lets see it in reverse.

The ZigZag Mohawk - A small addition to a classic hair adventure.

The Checkerboard - Unlike the picture, I want it to cover my entire head.

The Face - This design speaks for itself. Literally, it has a mouth.

The Handprint - Perfect for petting.

Those are your options, and don't think that if I don't get any votes I won't do it. One of these is happening, and that's that, so you might as well pick your favorite. Voting on the right ---->

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

A look back

2010-07-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

Just because I haven't been writing blogs for a while, doesn't mean I've left out one of the most important parts: Answering questions. I went back a ways trying to make sure I found all the queries that have been neglected but not forgotten. I will leave them all anonymous, for appearance sake (One day I'll get questions from more than two people). So, with out further ado, I give thee answers:

How does your strategy or approach for a game day change to anticipate the weather conditions? What are your most favoured weather conditions?

It really depends on a few different factors. Wind direction, severity, and consistency.
Whether its a side wind or a headwind will is factored into which side of the court we'll choose, what part of the endline we want to serve from, whether to step back or forward on serve receive, sometimes even which player will be hitting with or against the wind on what side of the court.
On a calm day, no adaptation is required, but the stronger the wind, the more drastic the adjustments that need to be made.
Wind consistency is probably the toughest factor to adjust to. A very gusty day will make the ball move in any direction at any time. The less consistent the wind, the more consistent as a team we need to be. Maybe that means taking a few less risks, but keeping the ball in play. Trying to force the opponents to make errors rather than go for the direct kill all the time.
Slightly off topic, I'm glad there's a question about wind, because its the perfect opportunity to put up a few pictures I took just recently here in Marseille, France. Marseille is renowned for consistently being the windiest tournament on tour every year. (Note the bending flagpoles)

Judging by the length of that first answer, this could be a long one folks. Bear with me.

When you're playing against a beach opponent who is left-handed, how does this affect your beach game? In your experience, do many beach VB lefties actually convert to right-handed styles of play?

I don't find it affects how I play at all. Lefties are exactly the same as righties, just in reverse. Everything I would do against a right handed player on the rightside, I would do against a southpaw on the left. Every individual has their own style of play. Like snowflakes, no two opponents are the same, Be they right or left handed, every opponent gets their own game plan. Which, coincidentally, is the perfect lead in to the question.

When you study your opposition what do you look for and how does it improve your understanding of the game?

When making a game plan, it's time to get mean. We're looking to pinpoint every little weakness that the opponent has, and exploit it to our benefit. If we could break down every facet of an opponents game to the point that we knew exactly what they would do, and when, then volleyball would be easy. The problem is, just like there are no identical players, there are also no identical games. Nobody does the same thing every single time, but everybody has preferences. Sometimes an opponents favorite shot plays perfectly into our defensive style, in which case, we want him to do that as much as possible. If someone plays in a way that we aren't comfortable with, then its our job to figure out how to make them play the way we want them to.
The key is staying one step ahead, because the whole time that we're analyzing our opponents, their gaze is directed right back at us, often in just as piercing a glare.

To finish off today we have a fun question that I answered in my head within about 10 seconds:

Which newspaper cartoon character would you want to be and why?

This may or may not surprise you, depending on how well you know me. My answer is Garfield. Especially after a difficult day of training or playing, all I want to do is sleep and eat, and who better personifies that post exertion desire as the fat cat himself.
I'm actually kind of curious as to what other comic strip characters get idolized. Please leave a comment answering the question yourself if you have the time. Let's see how many more Garfield's there are out there.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

We Now Return to our Regularly Scheduled Program...

2010-07-20T03:44:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, I am alive and well. I apologize for taking so long to update everyone with a new blog. Would you believe me if I told you I've spent the last few weeks trying to think up a topic to keep everyone enthralled? Well good, because you shouldn't. Rack that one up to sheer mental laziness. Shame on me!

So here's a quick rundown of how things went during my internet absence since the OVA tourney ended way back in late June, complete with several pictures. Enjoy:

Got a ride back to Toronto from Jay Nuttall, thanks again Jay.
Picture taken by Jay himself, by accident, but very artsy nonetheless.

Became a Star Alliance Elite Status Member
Received several Upgrade coupons in the mail

Flew home to Calgary, took a quick break

Trained at the Volleydome for a few days with
Scott Lahey, Jason Hofer, Josh Muise, Jeremy
King, and of course, lifetime coach, my dad

Played an AVA tournament at John Fry park in Edmonton. Finished second to Lahey/Hofer.

Stayed in Edmonton for the week, played several games of Settlers of Catan with Justin Merta and Jeff Ross. Went 1 for 10 - Brutal.
Trained at Malmo beach courts with young National athletes, Cam Wheelan, Ben Chow, Garret May, and Nick Del Bianco.

<<==Cooked dinner for Steve and I. Bon Apetit!
^^^Had a little too much fun at West Edmonton Mall....^^^

Finished 3rd at Sawridge Pro-Beach event in Slave Lake, AB

Used a coupon and flew first class to LA.
Cuz we're Ballers!
(No I'm not holding anything, my hand is just like that for some reason)

Trained in Huntington Beach for a week and coached some developing youth athletes. I don't know everyone's last name, but best of luck to all six athletes in the future: Alex, Brett, Cole, Jack, Mac, and Sean.

Flew out to Marseille, France to make some final preparations before Steve and I appear in our first FIVB World Tour Open event together.
Qualifier starts tomorrow, wish us luck.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

2010-07-09T20:06:00.001-07:00

Forgive me for taking so long to update. I planned on doing so upon our arrival in Slave Lake, but my connection to the internet is almost non-existent. I'm taking advantage of the little access I finally just got in order to update the page and let everyone know a new post will be up shortly. There is a live webcast of all the games for the current Sawridge Pro Beach event at the following link:

http://www.sportscanada.tv/

Cheers

Ben Jammin

Here's the Scoop

2010-06-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while, and I know some people have been anxiously awaiting to hear whats up. The truth is, the lack of material is mostly due to the fact that I've been trying to get everything figured out myself. Fortunately, it looks like the pieces are starting to come together. Going in a new direction with a new partner and new goals. We're both ready to play the rest of the season, and see where it leads.

New Direction:
I'm playing with one of the other young guys who's ready to break out on tour, Steve Marshall. It's the first time since high school that I'll be playing with someone in the same stage of development as myself. The last few season's have been spent with older players, who were all great mentors on and off the court. I learned a lot from all of them, but now, with Steve and I on the same level, it's time to learn from our own experiences and become masters of the game on our own terms.

New Partner:
Name: Steve Marshall
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Age: 20
Height: 6'3"
Spike touch: higher than mine
Stats: Steve just came off a solid CIS season, ending up with a national all-star and a silver medal around his neck. Very athletic, and extremely fast twitch. The only thing he's lacking is experience. We played in an OVA tournament this past weekend, teams gave me way too much respect, and Steve got served a lot. Little do the other teams know, the more opportunity Steve has to side out, the faster he's going to rack up that essential experience, making our team that much stronger.

New Goals:
-Let's start with a big tournament win with the Sawridge Pro-Beach Tourney in Slave Lake, AB, July 9-11
-Take home a big Cheque at Centre of Gravity, August long weekend
-Play, and do well at, the last 3 FIVB World tour opens in Marseille, France,- Kristiansand, Norway, and Aland, Finland
-Take on North American teams during NORCECA events in September
-Hop on the podium at Canadian Open Nationals in late August

It'll take a little time to develop, and we might not win tournaments and games instantly, but hopes are high. The tracks are being laid and the Saxton/Marshall train is about to leave the station.
All Aboard!

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Tribute

2010-06-09T11:09:00.001-07:00

I'll get right to the point. Jessi and I have decided to end the partnership. I won't go into details as to how or why, but in the end there were no hard feelings, and I wish Jessi all the best in his future endeavors. To commemorate our journey, I've made a little slide show of highlights. Sorry it's not longer, I didn't take a whole lot of pictures on the road. Most of the ones I do have I got off facebook and tournament websites, so thanks to them. Its a big change, and we'll see where it takes us both.

Enjoy the movie, sorry the quality of pictures isn't all that great.

I know there's still a few questions to be answered, but I figured this needed to be addressed.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Cyberworld

2010-06-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

We really take constant internet access for granted. Only when we don't have it do we realize how much we wish we did. Such was the case at our recent event in the very small town of Pnov, Czech Republic. We actually did relatively well at the tournament, finishing 3rd, but there is still a bitter taste in our mouths after a 16-14 loss in the 3rd set to top Czech team Kubala/Benes in the semi final. I have the scores of all our matches written down somewhere, but I can't find it at the moment, so hopefully I have them posted by the end of the night.

Back to the original topic, The Internet. Such a useful tool for all of us on tour. With our constantly changing schedules, it's often necessary to make a last minute hotel booking, or flight change, etc. and roaming phone charges would be ridiculously expensive, make the net a top priority. When we don't have it, we'll find a way to get it. In Pnov, for instance, Martin Reader, Chaim Schalk and I all ended up at the summer home of brothers, tournament hosts, and competitors, Petr and Joseph Benes so that we could get a quick email/facebook/world update.

As a means of communicating to friends and family, where would we all be without email. Blogging only lets me send info, not receive it. Though its not like I could much of that down in southern Czech (could be southern, i have no idea, I'm just venturing a guess. My internal compass does not exist here). Sometimes it's just nice little pick-me-up to receive a little message from someone back home, even if all it says is "Good Luck" (bsaxto@gmail.com in case anyone back home has forgotten. Hint hint). So when I go to somewhere without the net, those little emails just pile up (Maybe someday they will anyhow), and it takes all day to respond to them. I struggle with responding to emails even when I'm not away from a computer (bad habit, I'm trying to break it).

To conclude today, when beach vballers lose internet access, it's almost like losing a piece of ourselves. A luxury that didn't even exist for players 20 or so years ago, but for us technology crazed kids, it's like the third arm that we wouldn't know what to do without.

Cheers,

Ben

2010-05-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone wishes they could see the world, and people always tell me how lucky I am to be able to do just that. The reality of it is, I still wish I could see the world. Sure, I'm in a different city every week, but traveling as a tourist is one thing, as a beach volleyball player it's a whole different ball game. I know tourism isn't a ball game, but I'm sure you catch my drift.

Since we do all our training at home, those are the conditions we're used to, and those are the conditions we want to play in. Which means an all these trips we take, were not trying to experience how different their culture is. We just want to make it feel as much like home as possible. The most cultural things that we inevitably come across are the people, and the food. Especially pre-tournament. Afterwards there might be a little more time to be a good old fashioned tourist.

For example, this last week in Poland, two days before the tournament, Jessi, Josh Binstock, Matt Zbyscewski, Christian Redmann, and Rich Van Huizen didn't go hit the town and see all the crazy sights that Myslowice has to offer. Instead we went to a nice little restaurant, then thought about seeing a movie, but ended up going bowling instead. Essentially, something we might have done back home to have a little fun. Matty Z is quite a Big Lebowski by the way. Though he didn't have the pleasure of bowling a turkey like I did at the end.

Now that, literally, is a whole different ball game.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

So Tired

2010-05-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

I’m tired.

I’m often tired, but nothing compares to jetlag. Especially when I’m crammed in an airplane seat, making it a struggle to stay in one position, much less sleep to try to get adjusted. So now it’s about noon on Sunday in Toronto, and I have around 2 total hours of sleep since Saturday morning. Hence me being tired.

But I refuse to take a nap. I’ve got three days to get my internal clock adjusted, and no matter how heavy my eyelids get, I’m going to keep them from closing at all costs for another 5 hours or so. By any means necessary. Blogging will cut away some time, Dinner will eat away some more. I brought along the board game Settlers of Catan, so maybe that will take care of a good chunk of my evening. Hopefully I won’t have to resort to taping my eyes open, but I won’t rule it out just yet.

It doesn’t help that the only things in our hotel room are two beds and a bathroom. All it puts is sleeping on the mind. Kinda tough when the only thing I shouldn’t be doing is sawing logs. I’m actually surprised I’m awake enough to write about how asleep I want to be. Though the longer I wait to fall asleep, the less sleepy I become, since it's actually only about mid afternoon in Toronto.

Most of the guys on tour use Melatonin. A naturally occuring hormone, which your body automatically produces more of at night. The production of Melatonin is a little fragile though, as it is affected by changes in light and surrounding. Your body gets habituated to a regular sleep cycle producing less during daylight, and more when you sleep. So when you through of that regulated pattern, you produce Melatonin at the wrong times. This is the basic concept behind jetlag, so many people find taking Melatonin tablets helps them adapt sooner.

I don't use it. Or at least haven't yet. I'm still uncomfortable ingesting any sort of pills or powders. Even though Melatonin is already found in every human body, you never know how pills or powders were prepared. And I would hate to be kicked out of sport for popping a pill that I thought was good for me.

Fortunately, I tend to adapt pretty quickly to time changes on my own. Or at least I have to date, it's only the first day that's difficult. Let's hope adapting to Myslowice, Poland for our next event is no different.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

2328 Danforth Ave.

2010-05-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we move out. I can't say I'll miss the place too much, though the rent was cheap, and it isn't far from the beach. Our little 3 bedroom place situated directly on top of the Blue River House pub served its purpose over the fall and winter months. With a summer loaded with travel forthcoming, that purpose has now been fulfilled, and it's time for us to move on to bigger and better things.

Originally, we were expecting awesome adventures like the cast of modern day sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, who also live just above a pub. If a TV show can revolve around a group of people who go for a beer every night at McClaren's, then why can't we do the same at Blue River House, right? Well technically, I suppose we could have, and Harmand, the pub owner is a nice enough guy. It's just the area of town that sets us back. In the show, it seems their place is surrounded by babes. Instead, we deal with the sketchy, sometimes rowdy characters that occupy our block.

But like all places of residence, there were memories, both good and bad.

The Good:
-Getting free furniture from craigslist and friends to furnish the place
-Many random conversations with Harmand at our front door
-Countless Bruins vs. Flames best of 7 series's on NHL 10
-Attempts at cooking
-12 packs of Oreos for 10$
-Mario Parties
-Getting an exercise ball and foam roller that seldom got used
-Caleb and Adam Barthel, the Sailors
-2-4-1 Pizza being right next door

The Bad:
-Cold Nights
-Loud Nights
-Sketchiness
-Taking lots of critisism on my attempts at cooking
-The distance from our place to the airport
-Animosity between Chaim and Maverick. Particularly during volleyball or aforementioned NHL 10 games

The Ugly:
- My bedroom for the majority of the year

And thats just what I remember. But it's time to move on to bigger and better things. To make new memories, hopefully with more goods than bads, though it's possible wherever I live my room will always be ugly.

Cheers,

Ben

Making Changes

2010-05-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

It appears that the schedule hasn't been followed very meticulously as of late. It's difficult to keep writing at the front of my mind when we're practicing twice a day. The more playing and practicing we do, the more other aspects of life seem to downgrade slightly. Sometimes you'll get home and all you want to do is sleep, never mind shopping, cleaning, or writing blogs. Unfortunately, that means I took you all out of the loop, so it's time to get my head back in the game. But I may have to alter the timetable a tad, bring it down to twice a week. There's only so much I can think to talk about in a week anyhow. And don't you all be afraid to yell at me if I miss a day, you won't hurt my feelings. much.

So what's the schedule? I haven't decided yet whether it will be a fixed schedule or not yet. I'll mostly just maintain at least two blogs per week. Yes, at least. So if I'm ever feeling it, I might even write and extra one. Or maybe two, but let's not get carried away. And how does that affect All Request Saturday? I will still answer any and all questions, but Ill answer then when I get them, so you no longer have to wait until Saturday to get the answers you seek.

Speaking of which, I think I'll answer a question that is overdue for an answer even by my old schedule. It's another from beach volleyball superfan, Jay Nutall. Thanks for the continued and everlasting support, Jay.
You already know the men's side of beach volleyball very well. What one or two key things from the women's side of the game might be of greatest advantage to you? - Jay Nuttall

I'm not sure if I've interpreted this quite how you meant me to, but here's my answer.
Number one has got to be bikinis. Milou, I know you might disagree, and you've written at least one paper arguing the FIVB clothing regulations, but bikinis do make a difference. There's a reason beach volleyball has been the most watched Olympic sport over the last few Olympic years. Yes, it is an exciting game to watch. The changes made to the ball, court size, and point system makes rallies longer, and the game faster paced. But when it comes down to it, a ton of people are watching because it's the hottest sport on earth, and I'm not talking about the temperature. If it were played by men and women in snowsuits, viewers would be much less likely to take a second look when passing through the channels. Plus, the fact that a bunch of scantily clad, athletically built women will be at all of our tournaments doesn't hurt in terms of incentive.

How does that help me? Publicity never hurts. The more people who get follow the sport, the more sponsors want to get involved to those same people are watching them too. The more sponsors interested in beach volleyball as a sport, the more opportunities there are for athletes, male and female alike, to get sponsorship dollars. In Canada, where much of the travel and housing costs comes out of pocket, every dollar counts.

I guess now is as good a time as any to mention and, more importantly, to thank all my current sponsors. Links to their sites can all be found on the right side of my blog. So thank you to the Volleydome, Overkill, Canuck Stuff, Volleyballstuff.net, and finally Volleyball Canada. If I'm forgetting anyone, let me know, I'll be sure to get your name up here.

Be sure to check for the next book in Benny's Book Club tomorrow, as for today, that's all I've got.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

I'm Ba-ack

2010-05-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

After a week long Hiatus, I have returned to the silver screen. or at least the LCD Screen. China was a difficult place to blog from due to the nation wide ban on mass communication sites. But thanks to a 19 hour trip back to Canada, and then a 4 hour flight back home to Calgary, I'm back to free speech, and full blogging capacity.

What? You had no idea I was coming back to Calgary?

Well first of all, it isn't for long, just a few days, then I head back to Toronto for some pre-Poland training. Second, I didn't know know myself until Tuesday evening after being eliminated from the qualifier. Losing hit me hard, home sickness set in a little, and I decided its time for a little break to clear my head a little. Its the first chance I've had to come home since the Christmas holidays, and what better time to do it than Mother's Day. What better gift to give than to give her another mouth to feed, laundry to wash, and most importantly, an oldest son to love. Thanks Mom, and thanks to all the other mom's out there as well.

I also happened to be around for the Men's Open Indoor Volleyball National Championships. I didn't realize it in time to get my name on a roster, but I did manage to catch up with several of my old Golden Bears team mates playing for FOG. They won the title

for a 6th straight year, and 10th time overall according to club founder George Tokarsky.

All in all it's good to be back. Back to blogging, back home, back with friends, and back with my family. And after a nice relaxing break, it will be good to be back on the sand in a couple days as well.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

All Request Saturday #4 (on Sunday)

2010-05-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry I’m late. After landing in China, I have discovered that I have zero access to my blog due to the Chinese internet censorship laws. I’m not sure of the exact parameters of the censorship, but there are several websites that I know of that have been completely banned all across the country, including: Blogspot, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and I sure many others.

My e-mail address is still operational, however. So hopefully with a little help from my big sister, Milou, I’ll be able to get the word out there while I’m out here. Unfortunately, while I can’t connect to facebook or my blog, I can only see questions that are emailed to me directly. I apologize if that means I miss one this weekend or next. I only have one question in front of me at the moment, so let’s have at er.

What was your most successful experience in arguing an issue or point with a beach volleyball official? What would you recommend to other beach volleyball players about how to succeed in arguing points/issues with the officials?

-Jay Nuttall

Referees can be very stubborn. Whether they’re in the right or in the wrong, they will seldom give in to complaints. But it’s not just coincidence, refs are taught to be this way. If one were to give in every time a player contested a play, then the whole game would be spent arguing instead of actually playing.

I don’t think I have any successful experiences arguing with officials. I only have experiences that are slightly less unsuccessful than others. I’m not one of the most controversial players, I tend to try to settle bad calls by winning the next point. The most I remember discussing anything with an official in recent history happened in the Cayman Islands, but not until after the match had ended.

During the match, an opponent tried to play a shot just over my block down the line. He didn’t shoot it high enough, I saw it, and threw it back to the sand with one hand. I was promptly called for an open handed tip. Needless to say, I was rather unhappy. I let the ref know, and in his opinion, I was attacking so his call stood. I let it go and we finished the match. Afterwards, once the adrenaline had stopped pumping, he and I discussed it calmly. I was confident that since I was blocking an attack, my block couldn’t be an attack. He saw my point and we took it to the referee supervisor. Apparently both our points were valid, but had I protested it, I would likely have won since it was more of a reaction play than an actual attack. Oh well, too late to change it now.

I don’t recommend arguing with officials unless you’re absolutely sure you’re right. Read the rulebook inside and out, then you’ll know which calls are even allowed to be argued. If it’s any sort of judgement call, the ref wins. It doesn’t hurt, however, to remind an official to keep a high standard in terms of setting. Don’t yell and scream that you’re opponents hands are garbage, just calmly ask to take a closer look on the next play. More often than not, the next time it happens, the whistle will blow. It’s not necessarily turning a ref in your favour, just helping them to stay focused. In my personal opinion, if you’re spending all your time arguing, you aren’t spending enough time winning. It’s your call which you’d prefer.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

The Evolution of Ben Jammin - Part II

2010-04-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

As promised, some pictures of el Gordo, courtesy of my mom. I’m not sure if I’ve gained a pound since then. Now let’s get on with the story.

We rejoin our hero on the brink of adolescence. At 10 years old, I began to play volleyball. It was inevitable. My parents are both ex Indoor National Team members, who own and operate the Volleydome in Calgary, a facility dedicated to the sport. I was bred to play and for the last decade I haven’t stopped. I played indoor over the fall, winter and early spring, and beach filled in the remainder. By the time I hit 17, beach was already my favourite of the two.

High School had its ups and downs. I kept my head over water in great thanks to varsity athletics. My grades were never in any danger. It was my sanity that the sports kept in check. I often wish I could still play them all. Basketball in particular brings back some very fond, very competitive memories. High school basketball fell in line with club volleyball, which meant I missed a fair number of bball practices. Thankfully my coached valued my athleticism, sometimes calling on me to play as much as 38 out of 40 minutes per game. But as much as I miss that game, I don’t regret forgoing it for this game. Except maybe during March Madness, because I would have loved to have a shot at that.

By the end of high school I had already had my first few tastes of international play. In the summers of 2005 and 2006, then partner Will Pasieka and I played first in St. Quay Portrieux, France, then Bermuda at the U19 Beach Volleyball World Championships. We earned little success, neither year making the playoffs, finishing in 19th place both year. I also got a taste of the indoor junior NORCECA Championship game. I tried out, and made the squad as a leftside, but when an unfortunate illness came over libero Steve Kung, I was put to the task of replacing him until he recovered. It was the first and only time I ever played libero. We won the bronze, so I cant have been all that bad.

Then came the University of Alberta. Its a whole other lifestyle. I was immediately living on my own, having to manage my own meals, course schedule with practice and game times, roommates, free time, etc. I recommend that everyone experience it at some point if you haven’t already. To this day I fall back on KD for lunches, with a few hot dogs or a can of tuna added, dinners. Outside of the kitchen, as a Golden Bear, I had an advantage. Being on the team gave an immediate close circle of friends. Most of whom had already been living the life for a few years, and didn’t hesitate to show us the ropes for balancing the stresses of school and university volleyball. Even if “the ropes” constituted a lot of partying whenever possible, I still consider it an advantage. Since it led to 2 National Golds and one Silver, I can't really complain (not that I intended to).

Just before my 18^th birthday, I was invited to the National Beach Volleyball ID Camp. The thing I remember most is not the camp itself, but the heated PVB forum debate over whether or not I deserved to be there. I wish I could track down the thread to let everyone read for themselves the controversy that one little name caused. But whether I deserved to be at the tryout or not, I am where I am, and I no longer hear of anyone saying I'm out of my league.

And the rest is history. I know this half of the story was a lot more volleyball related, but once I started playing, I didn't stop. It consumed my life then, and continues to do so now. So what makes me who I am? You've got the rundown now, you tell me.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

The Evolution of Ben Jammin - Part I

2010-04-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

What makes me who I am? Why do I do what I do?
Instead of just throwing out my own theory, I'm just going to give a quick rundown of my life, (the memorable parts anyhow) and you can all feel free to analyze me how you will.

Our story starts in the year 1988. Ancient history, I know, but bear with me. It was a lovely day in late November (Could have been, I don't actually remember all the details of my birth strangely enough), when young Ben Jammin was born. All 11.5 pounds of him. That is correct, back in the days preceding my memories, I was fat. A couple months later, my mom, sister and I followed my dad to Spain while he played professional indoor volleyball in Barcelona. The spanish called me "el Gordo", which in English stands for "Fatso".

As a baby, I'm not really sure whether this was before or after Spain, my parents bought a dog. A Black Labrador-German Sheppard cross which they named Dudie. She and I grew up together. My parents trained her, I played with her. She could sit, shake a paw, and stayed away from traffic, and that was just perfect for us, and I think perfect for her. Dudie and I shared birthdays, and she was a fixture in our lives until she died of old age when I was 16. Over 100 in dog years.

My elementary school years were pretty standard. All I remember is recess, as any young kid should. That and class plays. I used to be a crier, and I really remember crying about not being able to remember my lines as Papa bear in our 2nd grade performance of Goldilocks. I was so frustrated and teary eyed, my mom had to calm me down by bribing me with a skateboard if I could memorize it all. I had a new found determination, and I got that skateboard. A lot of good that was on our gravel driveway. To this day, I can barely even ride a longboard. But I sure made a darn good Papa Bear.

Middle school brought about the mingling of the french fries and the english muffins (French and English immersion students for those of you who don't speak kid). Again, most of us majored in recess. And all the boys played football. Tackle football if the teachers weren't looking. My nickname was "Hardcore Ben", because I refused to be tackled. Keep running at all costs is all I would think about.

It looks like there's a little more to write about than I thought, so I am now officially making this blog a two part series. Look for Part II on Thursday. I'll try to get a few more old pictures from my parents before then too, since I don't have many for this entry and I know how much everyone wants to see "el Gordo".

To be continued....

Cheers
Ben Jammin

All Request Saturday #3

2010-04-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

I won't waste any time this week. Let's get right to some questions, shall we?

So, in all honesty, does being a sports star get you women? - Anonymous

Those who know me, are aware of my lack of detail about my love life. So to answer your question (as evasively as possible of course):
If I ever become a sports star, I'll let you know. For now I'm just an athlete, to be a star you've got to have recognition. And I wouldn't really consider a weekly blog the source of stardom. Maybe the next time I have a chat with Dalhauser and Rogers I'll ask them about it.

As I write this, 4 Brazilian teams are the last undefeated teams in the tournament. Obviously the Brazilians are ahead at the start of the season after their pre FIVB tournament schedule. Next year will you go to Brazil in March or can the NORCECA tournaments prepare you just as well? - Don Saxton

I've been asking this same question to myself. As of right this moment, it's a little too early to tell. There are several options for next preseason. Brazil, with their strong National tour, and constant good weather is obviously in the running. California, with it's constant sunshine, strong teams to compete against, and feel-at-home atmosphere is also a strong candidate. There is also the option of remaining in Toronto for another winter, to stay near the full time coaching and all the strength & conditioning staff and facilities available to us here. But like I said, that won't be decided until after this season is coming to a close. We need to focus on catching the Brazilians on tour right now, we'll save the rest for next preseason.

Are you a natural flier? What are the 3 main things you do to make yourself as comfortable and rested as possible on international flights? -Jay Nuttall

At 2 meters tall, the answer is simple. No, I am not a natural flier. It's hard to be, when you don't even fit in the seats. And I haven't yet perfected the Rich Van Huizen method of guaranteeing himself a good seat, so sometimes I just have to settle for the window, the aisle, or even the dreaded middle seat. The 3 things aren't things I do every time I fly, but when I think about them, they usually help an awful lot.

1 - Ask for the emergency exit row
This is a must. Exit rows provide that extra foot of leg room, and I will take as much space as I can possibly get. If they're already taken, or cost extra I'll then ask for a window seat. I prefer window to aisle. With the wall of the plane there, I'm guaranteed a place to rest my head, just in case the head rest don't quite make it.

2 - Make friends with the flight attendants
By making a point of laughing with the flight attendants about how I don't fit through the door, or under the emergency exit signs, or just don't fit in the seats in general, I single myself out. They notice the big guy with the big smile and can't help but take notice. Once I've caught their eye, I'm way more likely to get an extra snack, or meal, or free headset. Anything they can do to make my flight enjoyable. As long as the flight attendants know I exist, they're bound to be generous (or pity me, either works).

3 - Try to get an empty row
At the very least, an empty seat next to me. That way there's not need to sit at right angles for the entire flight. Sure it might be good for my posture, but it's only comfortable for so long. Plus, there's nothing worse than having to sit crammed next to a stranger. Always afraid to use the armrest, because they might want to. Never wanting to bother them if I have a window seat and have to pee. Dreading them having to pee if I have the aisle.

That's it for the questions this week. But I'd like to address a comment that I've received from a few people since I began this blog. It might be because it's true, but for all I know people are just saying things to make me happy. For now I'll feign ignorance and thank everyone for complimenting my on my writing style.
I can't take all the credit though. Some recognition needs to go to books. I love to read. Any genre works, I usually choose reading material by recommendation from friends and family. So to respond to the praise, whether you meant it or not, I'm going to start Benny's Book Club. Basically, I'll post whatever I'm reading, why I'm reading it, what I just finished reading, and what I thought about it. You'll be able to find it in a little sidebar to the right. I'm doing this both to recommend books to everyone who's interested, and so that people will approach me with new reading material to keep myself entertained during my rare moments of non volleyball.
Hopefully I'll have Benny's Book Club up and running by tomorrow. I may get made fun of for it, but I love to read, and if this gets me a few more books this summer, then make fun all you like.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Moving On

2010-04-22T04:38:00.000-07:00

Qualifiers can be frustrating. No one wants to travel halfway around the world just to play one match. When you win, and make it into the main draw, it's all worth it. But when you don't, it's hard to stay positive. I sit there sulking over what I should have done better. If I had just done this, or done that, then it might have been a happy ending.

But hindsight is always 20/20 vision. Getting pissed off won't make life any easier. Nobody wins everything. The ability to learn from and bounce back from a loss is part of the reason the best teams are so revered. If anything, the anger and frustration from a first round loss should only be used as fuel for the next match. And I fully intend to use it as such.

My creative juices aren't really flowing today, so I suppose I'll finish off with a quick recap of our match yesterday. The Venezuelans consist of two high flyers, with solid ball control. The match started out all right, we went point for point, and led 11-10 at the first technical. The second half of the set saw them earn a few points, and us miss a lot of serves. The second set started similarly, with us going up 11-10 at the first technical. They started to serve tough, tagging lines, and we fell behind quickly. We clawed our way back, but it wasn't enough. They went on to win their next game handily as well, and are now in the main draw of the tournament.

It could just have easily been us if this or that had happened. But it's no use to cry about it now. We'll be back bigger and better for the next tournament. And we'll only get stronger in the tournaments to come.

Excitement

2010-04-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

It's easy to get excited. In most cases, all it takes is one little thing to set the mood in motion. An action, an event, heck, even a pretty girl walking by. Anything that gets your heart racing and your blood pumping. No, I'm not about to write about all the lovely Brazilian ladies (Though there have been one or two who merit a second glance). It's time to talk tournament. The qualifier for the Brasilia Open is only a couple days away and, as with any tournament, emotions are starting to set in.

ANXIETY:

Hurry up and start already. Let's get things going, I've been training all winter, it's time to play! What is taking these last few days so long?!

NERVOUSNESS:

I hope we get a good draw. Did we prepare enough? Did I? How well will our opponents play? I hope the food here is good and won't make me sick. Did I set my alarm right?

CONFIDENCE:

We can beat anybody out here. We've done it all week at practice. It's time to beat down on some chumps. Bring me my next victim.

CALM:

We're ready. This is what we're here for, time to relax and let things happen. One match, one set, one point at a time. Let's do what we came here to do.

AWE:

Is that Dalhauser? Rogers? Ricardo? etc. They're pretty good. I wonder if I'll get to play them. That would be sweet to tell all my friends.

HAPPINESS:

Time to play. Awesome, these tournaments is the reason I do what I do. Let's have some fun. I love this game.

Which, when it all gets thrown together in my mind, yields:

EXCITEMENT:

Did I prepare enough? Absolutely! I just want to play! I hope we get to play Phil and Todd, so we can show them what we're made of. But until then, we just gotta take it one play at a time. As long as we stay healthy, this should be a solid tournament. Time to get the ball rolling, time to do some serious damage!
I love this game.

In Addition

2010-04-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

I know it's not part of the regular weekly rotation, but I received a question yesterday afternoon and after looking it over, realized it wouldn't really make sense to provide the answer next Saturday since by then our tournament in Brasilia will be done. So I decided I would write a quick response today as an addition to yesterday's All Request Saturday. You wouldn't want me to cut into the really riveting Monday topic tomorrow after all, now would you?

Do you think you're ready? and what are you doing to prepare for international events?
– Derrick Kolke

I'll start by explaining how we've prepared, because that more or less leads into the answer to if we're ready.

The preparation for this season began when the last season ended. About a week after getting back to Canada from Sanya, China (the location of our last event of the previous season), I was back in the sand. All winter long I've been doing beach training at Beach Blast in Toronto with coaches Lennard Krapp and Angie Shen, and physical training with CSCO Director for Sport Lab and Physical Preperation, Chris Dalcin. Jessi's been training with us on the sand, but has his own hired physical trainer. The NORCECA's also served to prepare us for competition, and though we aren't happy with 2nd place, it just serves to motivate us further.

As for preparing for Brasilia specifically, we've spent the last week in Joao Pessoa with a fairly elite training group of a few of the top Brasilian (also top World Tour) players. This way we get a feel for the climate, and for the skill level with which we will need to compete.

Now, do I think I'm ready? Personally, I seldom think I'm ready. I am a bit of a perfectionist when I train, and there's always something that can be improved in almost every set of skills.

Do I think Jessi and I have the capability to tear it up at the coming World tour event in Brasilia?
Absolutely.

Is there still a lot of work that needs to be done?
Always.

All Request Saturday # 2

2010-04-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well it seems I'm a little bit more popular this week. Either that means more people are following along, or more people are giving in to me begging them to "please, read my blog!" Either way, muito obrigado (thanks a lot in portuguese). So I'll start things off in response to a comment from my little bro.

It could use a bit more comedic flavour. -Dustin Saxton

Well Dustin, to put it as maturely as I possibly can:
-I'll be funny when I wanna be funny, so there.
or maybe
-Your face is pretty funny looking, so I posted that.
Either response should adhere to Dustin's comment to his satisfaction. I hope nobody is turned off by the little bits of family teasing I post up here, and Dust, I hope you feel the brotherly love bud.

Now lets get to a few serious questions. Here's the first one I received:

How does knowing that you're representing Canada (i.e., both as an official Canadian player and as a reflection of what Canada and Canadians are to the spectators and officials at the event) when you play internationally affect how you prepare during your pre-match training and how you play your matches while on court? -Jay Nuttall

During the majority of beach volleyball tournaments, there are so many games over the course of a few days that it's hard to even think that I'm representing Canada. Every game against every opponent needs the same amount of focus as the last, or the next. The amount of preparation and motivation should be the same for every event. When we play, it's almost better not to act like what people would expect of Canadians. It doesn't always help to be the "polite pushover" that a Canadian is supposed to be. Sometimes we need to play with the "win at all costs" American attitude, or the all out "heart on the sleeve" emotional Brazilian style.
In short, I love being Canadian, and I'm proud to be able to represent Canada at every opportunity, but I don't really think it affects how I play or train for a match. It just gives me a little more to brag about afterwards.

The next question is a typical mom thing to ask:

What are you eating down there? Are you choosing from lots of options or take whatever looks good? Cheap to buy food? Mylene Saxton

Doing good, Mom.

I'd probably get an earful if that's all I answered with. While on the road, it's not always easy to get to a grocery store and pick up all the healthiest options. Fortunately for Jessi and I, we live very close to a restaurant that serves all you can eat lunch buffets with a really good variety. For breakfasts we've been having granola mixed with frozen blended acai berry, a very healthy fruit which I find pretty tasty, though it would be nice to have a little variety now and again. Dinner often consists of finding a restaurant thats affordable and has a decent menu. Along the beach in Joao Pessoa, finding healthy inexpensive food isn't overly difficult, just go to the nearest coconut stand. But once we get to the European countries, it can put a real dent in the wallet.

And now onto the last question:

Of all the places you have visited/trained in/competed at thus far, which has been your favourite and why? -Kristy Giacobbo

I know it may not seem very far and exotic. But my favorite places are the beaches of Southern California. First of all, it has nice weather all year round, who wouldn't like that? Next, it embodies the beach volleyball lifestyle, so much so, that every time I'm there, I never want to leave. Finally, the people speak English. No offense is intended to any other language, but I just feel a lot more at home when I understand what the people around me are saying. Though I must say, after going to the Cayman Islands a coupe weeks ago, Cali is still my favorite, but not by as much.

Last week I was worried I needed to stretch out my answer, this week I might have written too much. I might have to put a limit on how many questions I can answer per week. Please, keep sending them in though, I'll respond on a first come first served basis. If you don't see an answer right away, expect it the next Saturday. I will try to get to everybody in time (as long as it's PG rated of course).

Cheers
Ben Jammin

Hot Topic

2010-04-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

It is HOT here. All I can say is I'm glad we came a week and a half early. The heat is so draining, it's tough to get through even one training session at a time. So far we've been getting to the courts at 7 AM to beat the heat, which is draining on its own. By the time we get back home, all we want to do is sleep. Even blog writing seems tedious, but I'll power through it, don't you worry.

The heat is to be expected. I do, after all, play beach volleyball, the hottest sport on earth (Until someone invents volcano ball or something to that effect). It's just a little difficult to adapt when coming from when we're overjoyed about it hitting 20 degrees so that we can finally play outside. But adapt we shall. We've been training the last few days with Pedro and Ricardo, a few younger Brazilian players, and Renato "Geor" Gomes and Jorge "Gia" Terceiro who finished 4th at the last Summer Olympics in Beijing. They're actually Brazilians who play for the country of Georgia in order to give themselves a better shot at qualifying for international tournaments due to the very strong showing by all Brazilian teams. The two other Brazilian teams at the Olympics finished 2nd and 3rd. With such a strong training group helping us along, Jessi and I should be ready to do some damage come the qualifier on Wednesday.

Now lets talk about Brazil itself. Joao Pessoa anyhow. As long as there's shade, its a very neat place to be. Such an interesting culture here. Anywhere you look along the beach, you can find people playing either beach football (soccer), or beach volleyball. Almost everyone there has a beach jersey, and when practicing, there is always at least one person shagging to keep the practice running smoothly. I can only dream of that in Canada. At Ashbridges Bay in Toronto, if a ball rolls, someone needs to go get it, or it's bound to get stolen. It's funny considering Brazil's rate of crime is so much higher than in Canada. If you get thirsty, no problem, there's a coconut stand on every corner. Apparently coconut water has 3x the eloctrolytes of Gatorade, so it's the perfect sports drink and I've made very certain I have learned enough Portuguese to order as many as possible.

It's the people that are the most interesting. Everyone seems to be up with the sun at 5AM, and long past when it gets dark at 5PM. The coconut stands stay open 24hours for all I know. Jessi and I haven't really partaken in the party life, even when Pedro invites us to join him at the Casino. Or tells about his friend being set up with a prostitute. Apparently that's a normal thing for them. Such aspects are pretty shocking, though I'm sure there are parts of any culture that would make me check my ears, blink my eyes, maybe drop my jaw a little. Whatever it is that goes on here, they seem to play good volleyball, so I respect them for it. And I likely won't ever do everything Brazilians do, but some day, hopefully in the near future, I'll be as good as they are at the world's hottest sport.

Cheers,
Ben

Tuesday audible

2010-04-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

My apologies for missing yesterday's blog deadline. I thought that since I would be spending over 20 hours in transit I would be able to squeeze one in between flights, but with delays, customs, and security checks, I didn't have quite as much time as I predicted. So this week it will be a Tuesday blog. Though sleep is hard to come by in airplanes for taller gentlemen such as myself, so bear with my tired vocabulary and story telling capabilities.

Just a warning for those of you interested in hearing about how my tournaments end up: I hate to lose. Even if we finish second like we did in Guatemala, I get bitter. If we're good enough to make the final, then we should be good enough to win it, and anything else disappoints me whether it should or not, and I don't like to talk about it. Unless we win a tournament, I likely will not divulge a whole lot of information here. Scores and results will be posted promptly but if you want the details, you'll have to address me personally because I like to keep my blogs a little more on the light-hearted side.

Alright, thats enough of being a big downer for the day. Lets get back to the long voyage to Joao Pessoa, Brazil, shall we? As poor athletes who want to get the most out of every penny, we booked our flights through the Volleyball Canada travel agent. That way we could find the cheapest possible Star Alliance route to save money and collect miles all at the same time. Brilliant, right? Almost, the problem being that the cheapest route isn't always the most traveller friendly. This flight being a prime example.

Had we gotten a flight directly from Guatemala City to Joao Pessoa (if one even exists), I estimate it would have taken about 5 hours, give or take. Instead, we first backtracked north 3.5 hours to Houston, then took a quick nine hour flight to Sao Paulo in the South of Brazil, then finally another 3 hour hop northwest to our final destination of Joao Pessoa. Thats 15.5 hours just in the air. Now add layovers in Houston and Sao Paulo, divide by the square root of four, then add ten (I used to be a math major, just making sure I still got mad algebra skills), and that makes over 20 hours of travel time. Now subtract sleep from that equation (keep in mind planes are not always tall person friendly) and that makes about 35 hours of being awake while travelling. Now you're probably second guessing asking me for help on your next homework assignment. But keep in mind every hour spent traveling feels twice as long, and I was only able to sleep for about 2.5 hours.

When we finally reached our destination, we were picked up by a good friend of Jessi's, and a top 10 FIVB player over the last 4 or 5 years, Pedro Solberg. Within two hours, we were running on the beach, and before the sun went down, we played a quick set against Pedro and Olympic Gold(2004), Silver(2000), and Bronze(2008) medalist, Ricardo Santos. We lost, but not convincingly, and we're set to train with them for a full practice early in the morning.

But Jessi's ready for bed and I'm not opposed to the idea myself. Our room is extremely hot, so hopefully we can get a fan going. But it just now started pouring rain so it might not be so hot after all. I'm just rambling now, so here's as good a time as any to call it a night.

Cheers,

Ben

All Request Saturday #1

2010-04-10T15:19:00.001-07:00

As promised, Happy Birthday Milou! You are officially old. And as long as you are older than me, I will consider you such. Aka. Forever. Enjoy :)

On to all request Saturday. I only received one question, so today's post is going to be short and sweet.

Ola hijo mio. Soy en Mexico ahora entonces hablo en espagnol. Mi pregunta para tu Sabado requisito es: Jo sais que tu nomalmente adivinar que es el mejor competicion para cada tournamiento. Que piensas par esta competicion. Los Mexicanos premiere tambien, ou outros?? Su padre.

After writing about the language barrier, and my struggle with Spanish, this question was conveniently written in said language. Thanks Dad. With a little help from Jessi (He and mom both say your spanish needs work by the way), I've managed to translate it as follows:

Hello my son. I am in Mexico so I will speak in Spanish. My question for all request Saturday is: I know that you normally predict who your strongest competition will be in most tournaments. Who do you think it is at this competition? Are the Mexicans strongest, or someone else? Your Father. - Don Saxton

First I'll fill everyone in on my dad's status. He is also currently at a NORCECA tournament in Mexico, coaching a Canuck Club U17 team. I don't have any info on their status, but good luck Canuck! Or in this case, good luck Canada!

Now, to answer the question, I have to say that the strongest opponents here are Cuba and USA. I'm not sure the reason, but Mexico did not enter into this event, or they would be up there as well.
Cuba consists of two tall athletic young athletes with good ball control. So far this tournament they have not faced any opponents who have challenged them. Puerto Rico should have challenged them today, but they had a little hiccup, and ended up losing earlier in the tournament.
USA consists of two veteran athletes from San Diego who play a little on the AVP tour. They're a scrappy team that will make anyone work hard for any point, and find ways to score even when it doesn't look like they will. We played the Americans today, and after a tough back an forth match, we pulled out the three set win to put us into the Semi Final tomorrow. I expect the Americans to battle back in order to face the Cubans tomorrow in the other semi final.

So far things are going well for us, we will still have a tough battle in tomorrow's semi against whoever we face. But I hope to see either the Cubans or Americans in tomorrow's final.

Cheers,
Ben

Language Barrier

2010-04-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

First things first, Happy Birthday Camille! Don’t worry, I didn’t forget. Milou, you’ll get a shout out in a couple days. Dustin, you’re S.O.L for six months. For those confused, Camille, Milou, and Dustin are my siblings, and my little sis turns 19 today. I almost forgot, but fortunately, while sitting at lunch in Guatemala this afternoon, one of the Canadian women, Kara Zakrewski (sorry if I butchered it), asked how old my sister is now. After considering when her last birthday was for a couple seconds – Oh! Her birthday’s today. So Camille, you can thank Kara for the shout out. Not really on topic, but family comes first.

I consider myself bilingual, though I don’t have a certificate. I took French immersion all the way through until the eleventh grade. My mom, Mylène, was brought up in a French speaking household, and made sure that all of my siblings at least began our education in immersion. All but Milou, the oldest, switched out of it before graduating, making her the only one of us who is formally recognized as bilingual. But that doesn’t stop mom from speaking to us in French when there’s company over so that they can’t understand. Plus you can’t win the World Francophone Games if you can’t speak French, right? Wrong, Jessi doesn’t speak a lick of French, but if anyone asks it’s true. Hence my self declaration of bilingualism.

Then we get to a place like Guatemala, where the majority of people speak Spanish, and it’s back to square one. I try to make sure I learn how to say hello (hola), goodbye (hasta luego), yes (si), thank you (gracias), and the numbers 1-10 (uno – diex) in every country that I visit. Then I try to pick up the rest from there with very little success. Fortunately, Jessi gets us by. He knows Portuguese, which is very similar to Spanish. French has a few similarities, but I can only catch a few words here and there. Often I find myself communicating with locals through the universal language of hand gestures and facial expressions. It must look pretty funny to see two people who don’t understand each other try and get a point across. Almost like a very strange dance, possibly the inspiration for Jessi’s girlfriend, Dianne’s, very unique “Awkward Dancing” technique. I might have to get a video of it up here sometime for the world to see if she’ll let me.

I’m very fortunate that the Universal Language of Sport is English, because that means there will always be a translator to help out. Though it’s even hard to understand them sometimes, not for lack of effort, but some people struggle with the differences between the languages. When we all went swimming with dolphins in the Cayman Islands a few weeks ago, the trainer could not pronounce the letter B. I tried coaching him to pronounce my name correctly, but it always came out “Ven”. After about two minutes of trying to get it right, he announced “It’s ok, I call you Matteo”. Close enough I guess.

I really enjoy the fact that I can speak two languages, but I always wish I knew one more whenever I’m around a new one. But with so many different languages around the world, I don’t think I will ever be able to learn them all. If someone ever does, my hat is off to them. I only hope that by the end of my playing career, I will be able to say thank you to all my different fans all over the world. But for now,

Hasta Luego, Au revoir, Auf Wiederzein, Ciao, Sayanora, Cheers

Ben Jammin

P.S. Just a reminder, the first all request Saturday is coming up. So far I don’t have many questions to answer. Even if it’s just mom and dad asking for now, I hope to be able to answer something, or I might have to change the theme for Saturdays.

The Wind Is My Friend

2010-04-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a very chocolaty weekend. Don't worry, I won't ruin anyone's holiday by telling stories of my fancy fast food and microwaveable Easter dinners. Though I do thank the whole Burrows family for the invitation to theirs. It's too bad the Mike Snow concert came up at the same time, so that I couldn't go to both. The music was good, but I won't be recounting that either. Today we talk about wind. After a the first few outdoor practices, with a few small struggles all around, and big struggles for some (namely me), it seems appropriate.

My dad will be happy to see that it's time to go down memory lane. We'll go back about 6 years to when I was 15 years old, and just starting to decide I like beach volleyball better than indoor (sorry Terry). Myself, 4 other young athletes, Deagan McDonald, Ed O'Dwyer, Will Pasieka, Mike Ruus, and then coach, future partner, Mark Ellingson, all went to live in California for a month to let ourselves become a part of the lifestyle. Experience beach volleyball the way it was intended, as more than just a game as a lifestyle. Eat, sleep, and play volleyball. It was the first time we would be living away from our families. None of mom's cooking, no constant encouragement from family members, we did get Colonel Connie's Cookies (Connie McDonald's specialty, a favorite of all of ours) but only in doses. Nothing but each other, beach volleyball, and the 30-45 minute walk to get to and from Hermosa Beach from Redondo Beach every day for practice to occupy us.

All California beaches have their own personality, and their own differentiating traits. Hermosa, for example, has the reputation of being one of the deepest beaches in the world. One thing they all have in common is a constant side wind coming off the Pacific Ocean. It takes some getting used to, to say the least. To say the most, it takes constantly being aware of what side of the court you're on, which way the wind is blowing, which way the ball is coming from, what kind of spin is on the ball, etc. Almost any skill used in volleyball, can and will be affected by a breeze. We all thought we were pretty good after taking home a silver medal at the U16 Midget Open, which hosted over 120 men's and women's teams that year. A couple minutes in a sea breeze and we were all just about ready to pack it in and go home.

Thank goodness we had Mark there to whip us all into shape, and keep us working at it. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you figure things out, you realize that for every disadvantage brought on by the wind, there is an advantage that can be exploited. It's the same story every summer. The first few times outside are always a struggle, but as we get a few more reps under our belt, we adapt, and we grow stronger.

Its been interesting being coached by Canadian greats, Mark Heese and John Child over the past few days and getting their takes on the transition phase. Mark is not one to be shy about sharing his thought process and makes sure that everyone understands why he runs a drill or a practice a certain way. In his opinion, when transitioning, it's almost best to start from phase one when going outdoors. During his practice, there were a lot of passing and setting reps, then we finished with a bit of gameplay. He even made a comment on how he did not intend for it to get so intense, but we are all very competitive athletes so that was bound to be the case in any competitive drill.

John's practice plan seemed to focus a little more on the attack and making sure we were able to get ourselves into positions where we can be as offensive as possible. When it's as gusty as it was today, that can be a struggle. John is not afraid to tell someone exactly why they suck, which at practice I think is a good thing, it tells me exactly what I need to fix. On a day like today, unfortunately, he didn't need to. Every contact seemed to need fixing. But it did get better, by the end of the practice, I was starting to feel at least semi comfortable.

With Mark Ellingson's teachings to persevere, Heese's focus on the basics, and John's offensive interest, I should have everything I need. Like any friendship, my relationship with the wind will take time. By the end of the season, as long as I keep working and focusing, The wind and I should be BFF's (Best Friends Forever for those of you as old as my parents. Just joking mom and dad).