Young Comets!!
I had a great time with the kids, it was a lot of fun!! I think it's important that we develop a good relationship with our younger teams, because they are the future of the Comets organization!! And whatever I can do to help this, I'm in favor for!! And sometimes it takes something like this to remind you that younger kids do look up to you, and the best thing you can do is lead them in the right direction to be successful in basketball by just being yourself. And me providing my basketball knowledge and experience gives them, hopefully, a greater chance!! I'm looking forward to working with the youth!!
Basketball drills!!
All the girls and me!
Elin, on of my biggest fans!!
These days are kind of boring with everyone gone. Today I had lunch with Maria, then went and got my hair done by Frida! So that's exciting!! Now it is off to work-out at the gym and then maybe training with the div. 3 team just to get some shots up and some running in!!
Less than a week now until Spain...I CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!
Peace out!!
The Goodbyes Begin!!
*Gina was the first to leave back to Hungary. She made the drive back with her parents, and kind of lucked out due to the ash in the air...she didn't have to rely on a flight.
*Next to leave was Johanna, who traveled back to Luleå on Sunday. She isn't too far away though.
*Pam ended up leaving Monday after her first flight on Thursday was cancelled. She has made it back to America and I am sure so happy!
*Today Tony went back home to Ireland. Last night was a small gathering at Lottas for him. Lot's of people showed up and was a fun time spent together.
All four of their futures are yet to be determined and what they will do next year, but it was a pleasure having them here in Umeå and a part of our team this year. They will be missed and it's a little surreal now that they are gone. Not as busy and a little more quiet in these parts. We had some really good times together and memories that will last for a life-time!! I love this picture by the way!! HAHA, Pam is classic!!
Before
After
My departure back home will be May 25th!!! I come home earlier than last year and looking forward to visiting all my friends and family. They are all over the country now, so it's going to be a lot of trips and visits this summer. I'm looking forward to it!!
Today I am going to workout for the first time since our last game on Wednesday. Julia and I, some of the few remaining...will pump some iron in the gym!! I've been fighting a cold these past couple of days, so it's good today to be a little more alert and have some energy! Tonight I will coach some young girls in our club. Not much else going on.
Take care everyone!! Have a great week!!
KRAM
Win Over Järfälla
Check out how awesome our crowd is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So sweet!!
A Fight Till the End!
Well if you couldn't tell from the photos and video clip...we won our game Wednesday night vs. Järfälla 75-72!! And it feels amazing right now!! We were down 10 pts in the 3rd quarter and fought our way to take the lead with about 3 minutes or so to go in the game!! Then we were able to hold them off and win the game by 3 pts. SWEET!!! We get to stay in the league another year, and we really proved that we belong there...and best yet, this win shows that WE all want to be there!!
Järfälla came out strong to start the game. Their 3-2 zone defense gave us a lot of problems and it resulted in a lot of forced turnovers on our part. I believe we had around 14 at halftime. Our passing was off, our shots weren't falling, and our defense wasn't the best. We knew we had to pick it up and fight harder. Second half things begin to improve. We only had 4 turnovers and we begin to go on a scoring spree!! We begin to figure out Järfälla's defense a bit, and our shooting confidence grows. Johanna makes 2 key 3-pointers to give us the lead and the security at the end, after she struggled some from the field going 0-9 from the field before her last 2 3's. But once again, this really was a TEAM EFFORT and everybody contributed to the victory. Carro played amazing defense vs. their basketball legend Nina Baresso, holding her to only 13 pts, and making some key baskets at the end. Pam fought her way on the boards again, pulling down 14 and producing 24 points to go along with that. Johanna hits the 2 key 3 pointers to give us the lead and secure the lead. Gina pulls down 10 rebounds. Julia comes on the court after being sick and plays solid defense and an uplifting 3 pointer. And I have a game high 31 pts and 13 rebounds. But also 4 blocks reported in the stats (I think it was a bit more than that). It seemed like more anyway.
SO YES!!! WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It really felt like we were the underdogs this entire time in the kval. Just no respect from people around the basketball community and it was sad to see. Especially after the damligan webpage posts our loss vs. Kvarnby illustrating all our bad plays. But I guess I can thank them for the motivation!! Definetly urged me to prove them all wrong, and I am so glad the team responded also to it! I want to play in the play-offs next year, and prove something there also.
I want to give a special thanks to our public at the game. It was freakn' amazing and it really felt like EVERYONE was cheering!! Over 450 people at our game and it included all of the them standing up and cheering us on in the last 1 minute of play!! OH SOOOOOO SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!! I am just so happy we could give them a good show. And everyone I talked to after, said that was one of the most intense games they have ever watched. Very thrilling and I think everyone was riding on nerves!! The joys of sport!! THANKS GUYS, YOU WERE AWESOME!! They defintely helped to lift us up!!
After the game, the team went to All-Star to grab some food and a celebration drink!! Went to O'leary's later in the night and had an amazing time with the team. Lot's of cheering and dancing!! I think even some champagne. After O'Leary's I thought I could give Johanna a ride on my bike, and instead...I end up falling on my face in the road and the result......
...........I woke up with a black eye. HAHA!! Can't believe it!! I guess it's a sign of a good night!!
Tomorrow night is our end of year team party and also goodbye party for a couple players. Should be a great time with the girls for the last time this year!! I'm gonna miss you girls!!
Now I'm going to try and go back to bed.
GOD NATT..SOV GOTT
News!
WIN!!!
WE WIN OVER JÄRFÄLLA 75-72!!! FEELS SO SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!
PLAY-OFFS NEXT YEAR FOR SURE!!! I PROMISE YOU THAT!
YEAH COMETS!!
Göteborg Pics
Gothia Hotel...team going on a LONGGGG walk
Time for some shopping!! Going the Avenue!
FLOWERS!! Spring is in the air!
Good to see some color...and NO more snow.
Starting to get green here. The sky was so clear.
HAHA!! Okay so I took a picture of these girls because they look like they came RIGHT out of a H&M catalog and Tony is in the picture so it wouldn't be so awkward...haha!! They all looked the exact same and classic stereotype of a Swede.
Sitting in the sun eating ice cream!
Playing poker with the team before our game. Pam was the big winner...I lost all my chips, big surprise there.
The team out for lunch.
TOMORROW is our BIG GAME vs. Järfälla. We play at Gammliahallen kl. 19.00 in a must-win game. Then season will be officially over. Let's end it on a high note!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!!
KRAMAR
Nu Kör Vi!!
VK photo.
YESSSSS A WIN!!!
FINALLY we beat Brahe tonight 77-70 in a must-win game!!! It feels great to get this victory and now we must win one final game on Wednesday vs. Järfälla at home.
What was great about tonight's game was that everybody on the team really "STEPPED IT UP!" Which forced Brahe to not put so much focus on just Pam and myself, like they have done in the past. We have played them twice in league, and lost both times...and then again lost the first round of kval against them. So the fourth time we FINALLY pick up the much deserved win!! We really fought hard in this game and responded to the challenge!
We started the game strong, coming out with a 15-2 lead in the first 5 minutes. Then Brahe responded and fought back to have a 1 pt lead at halftime. The game was very back and fourth...we would gain the lead, then Brahe gained it back...and then finally in the last 5 minutes of the game, we end with a 16-7 run!! YESSSSSSSSSS!!! A very close game that we were able to come out with the win!! But the most important thing is that it keeps us alive in the kval!
Johanna made some key 3-pointers and ended with 12 pts, Carro also had 12 pts and 6 offensive rebounds, Julia had 5 pts & 6 rebounds and a solid defensive performance, Gina had 5 pts and 5 rebounds, Pam had an impressive stat line of 15 pts, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists (1 assist shy of a triple-double), and I had 27pts and 12 rebounds. An all-round SOLID performance by EVERYONE!!! Which is extremely important and the main reason why we won this game!!
ALRIGHT LET'S GO GIRLS AND FINISH THIS OFF NOW!!! I AM SO EXTREMELY PROUD OF EVERYONE!!!
YEAH COMETS!!
Loss
As a result, I am now sick. But it's a stomach sickness so I hope it will be gone by later today or tomorrow.
We were very lucky yesterday that we made our flight back home. We flew out at 8.20 and made it to Umeå with no cancellations. I guess they ended up closing all the airports in Sweden later that afternoon due to the Icelandic volcanoe. Courtney and Dan made it to England on the last flight in, but are now stuck there. But they are just changing their trip around now and should have a good time there also. I talked to Courtney briefly online.
Now I am going back to rest. I have to fight this sickness and get ready for our must-win game vs. Brahe on Sunday.
Take care!
More Pics from Home!
I love this pic! I think it reminds me of my Grandpa Mohr for some reason?! haha
Today we leave for Göteborg around 19.40. We play tomorrow at 19.00 vs. Kvarnby in our second match-up of the qualification series against them. Last game we won by 2 pts but that was after over-coming a 10 pt lead they had over us with about 5 min remaining in the game. They have won all their other games in the series also, so it's a huge game for us. Järfälla beat Brahe the other night making us the ONLY team not to beat Brahe yet (this year). We will face Brahe at home this Sunday the 18th and then our last game vs. Järfälla on Wednesday the 21st. This is going to go fast I think! Come on Comets, let's go now!!
We return Thursday morning to Umeå. The weather has been great here so far this week and the snow is FINALLY reaally starting to melt away!! Hopefully when we return it will be ALL gone (wishful thinking).
I will keep you posted on the outcome of our game. For now, it's a 2-day away road trip down to the south! Take care everyone!!
KRAMAR
Team Work!!
My wonderful teammate Julia!! Enjoy this really bad interview with Julia...in swedish!!
KRAM
And Then There Was Grass!!
Oh the things you get excited for in life sometimes!! Yesterday I saw grass in the yard at my place for the first time in a long time!! The snow is melting slowly but surely...but it's happening!! Great to see!! Hopefully the snow will be completely gone by the end of this month.
Today is Saturday and it is our last weekend off from playing with everyone here. We have 3 more games left in qualifications and will be finished a week from this Wednesday. We play Wednesday away in Göteborg and then Sunday and the following Wednesday at home to end the qualifications. What has seemed so long and drawn out, is finally showing the end of its path. Kind of sure-real thinking that that Pam will be gone now in less than 2 weeks (22nd of April)....and same with Gina who is driving back to Hungrary with her parents. And not to mention I will be coming home the end of May...that will be here before I know it.
May is going to be a VERY busy month for me. May 5th I leave for Spain for a week, then my sister and her boyfriend will follow me back to Umeå, and then my cousins Kyle and Kelsey are coming to visit May 16th!!! I'm so excited to have more visitors come and see me. I've waited all year for that, and then I get 4 visitors right at the end. Yippeeeeeeeeeee! It will also be nice to have all of us here at the same time...Courtney, Kyle, Kelsey and me...th 4 of us!! Now I have to plan something good!!
SO EXCITING!!!!
Alright, off to begin the day! Going to watch Umeå FC play a practice game, then fika with Tony and Carro, and then team get-together tonight!! What a day!!
Hope everyone has a greattttttt weekend!!
KRAM
YES!! A WIN!!
A LONG over-due Johanna shot 7-11 from the 3 pt line and ended with 26 pts as the match leader!! SOOOO HAPPY for Jo, because we have all known that she is capable of this and it's finally great to see her acheive it!! I'm very proud of her!!! Härligt!! She came out gunning and was able to connect on some shots that gave us the momentum from the start. We lead the entire game and at one point lead by as much as 16 pts. It was a game of runs and everytime we went on a run, Järfälla would respond with another run. Their biggest run came just after our 16 pt lead, I sat on the bench with 3 fouls, and Järfälla cut the lead to 6 pts. But we never gave up and came back with another run, including a 13-0 run! I've always said, basketball is a game of runs, whoever has the last one generally wins!! And thank goodness it was us!!
Lot's of good things happened in this game for us. Julia had 10 pts, including a 3 pointer and many drives to the basket....Pam had 23 points but also having an impressive stat of 11 assists...Gina had 0 turnovers and some key plays, including a 3-pt play at the end of the game...Carro had a solid defensive effort and survived the never-ending press...and I ended up with 20 pts and 15 rebounds. So as you can see...an all-round effort by the entire team!!
Very proud of the team and next Wednesday is our next game vs. Kvarnby in a very important match!! We can control our own destiny at this point! Kvarnby beat Brahe last night by 7 pts, so that leaves 3 teams with the same record now.
Let's go Comets!!
TEAM on 3
Stockholm Tomorrow
So now I'm going to leave you with some pictures of my best friends babies back home!! So adorable in the Easter outfits!!
Cute little Norah!! I love the dress!!
What a stud...Dean!!
Cute, little, happy Charlie!!!
When I saw their pictures I almost melted because they were so adorable. I love these little guys so much and miss them a lot. I haven't even met Charlie yet. Can't wait!!!!
I remember an old Easter tradition we had in my family, and that was going and buying a brand new Easter dress. It was always a special dress and symbolized spring!! I loved picking out my Easter dress and I'm glad to see these little ones are lookn' nice in their Easter outfits!! Love ya kiddos!!
Alright, time for bed and preparing for the game tomorrow!!
KRAM!
A Great Easter Weekend!!
This weekend was a great Easter weekend here in Umeå. Spent a lot of time with my team and many friends!! Fun times for sure!!
On Friday night, Gina, Hjort and myself went to dinner and ate tacos. Then came back to Pam and Gina's apartment. Julia joined us there. We had it planned earlier in the week that Pam would teach Gina and myself some NEW dance moves, so the lessons began Friday night. I think I was good for some laughs more than anything and I don't think I will take up those dance moves in my future. Maybe Gina though ;) Hjort went home and Pam, Gina, Julia and myslelf went to O'Learys to check out some live music and to just hangout. 
Saturday we had off from basketball. I had a nice morning just relaxing on my sofa and eating breakfast. Had a great time just taking it easy!! Later that day, I went over to Petter's appartment to eat dinner with him and Claesson, and then Jonas came and joined us also. Kidde came after dinner to hangout and it was just a night spent talking and discussing things with one another. A little mixture of english and swedish. Since they know I know some swedish, they force me to use it...so I guess it was fun :-P
At around midnight, Pam and I traveled over to Fred's house to watch the Final 4 which started 12.00 over here. We watched Butler vs. Michigan State in a very good game!! Came down to the wire and Butler pulled out the win. We stayed up to 2.00 watching but I did not last for the second game witch started at 3.00 in the morning here. But Duke destroyed West Virginia, so I'm glad I didn't stay up for that. With Dukes win, that means I won my BRACKET CHALLENGE, having only 1 out of 4 teams picked in the Final 4. But thanks to Duke...they kept me alive and gave me the win in the bracket challenge!!! I don't think we will be able to stay up tonight for the final game. It starts at 3.21 here in the morning, and I need a good night sleep for our game coming up on Wednesday.
So that brings us to yesterday, Sunday. EASTER SUNDAY!! I woke up late, took a nice long walk with the sun shinning, went to practice, and then got ready for dinner at Anna Unneby's apartment with Frida!! It was a great dinner and what a beautiful apartment Unni has!! The food tasted amazing!! It was great company and fun "girl-talk"!! Including the planning of a nice wine night in our future!
After the dinner, it was over to Carro's appartment for another Easter celebration of food! Carro made a lot of food for everyone with a wide-range of selection. I had no idea it was going to be so much. My favorite was her home-made bread that she decorated into a chicken laying eggs. And then her Easter-festive ice cream cake!! The whole team was over so we spent the night all together and watching Evan Almighty on TV. 
Home-made bread
Lemon, ice cream cake!
The team!
But that is what Easter is all about, spending time with friends and people who care about you! It was a great day and I am so thankful for everybody in my life that I care about!! The company was great and the time spent together remembered!! THANKS TO EVERYONE!!
Hope you had a great Easter!!
KRAM O PUSS!!!
HAPPY EASTER...GLAD PÅSK!!!
Happy Easter everyone!! Glad Påsk alla!!
Today it's Easter over here in Sweden. In America we celebrate it on Sunday, but here it is celebrated on Saturday. So today I have the day-off from basketball and nothing much really planned since many people are with their families and many of my friends have gone off to the mountains or summer houses. Last year we made the infamous trip to Hemavan for a 3-day ski trip. This year we are still playing basketball so it has limited me to stay here in Umeå. It isn't so bad though, feels nice to have a day to relax and reflect on what Easter really means. Had a nice morning so far of sleeping in, eating breakfast while lounging on my couch, and watching tv.
Later I think I will go on a nice long walk. The weather has been warmer and the snow is really starting to melt...FINALLY!! Easter is really beginning to mark the start of spring and new life!!
But let's not forget the real meaning and reason we celebrate Easter, and that would be the resurrection of Jesus.
-Early on Sunday morning as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him and they fell into a dead faint.
Then the angel spoke to the women. *Don't be afraid!" he said, "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come quickly and tell his disciples he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. you will see him there. Remember, I have told you". -Matthew 28:1-7
Easter means a lot to me being a Christian. Because it is the foundation and reason we are Christians. Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead. He was crucified and then resurrected. It is a pretty spectacular thing to think that He died for ALL our sins so we could be forgiven for those sins. Jesus was brought to us from God to demonstrate the values and practices of true christianity. Now we can only try to live our lives following the Lord's path and remembering the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for us! Easter is a day for Christians to reflect, give thanks and to praise Jesus for this. And this is what Easter means to me! 
"But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again." - 1 Corinthians 15:20
I hope everyone has a great Easter and spends some time with their loved ones and family! 
A Technical Game
Nevertheless, Brahe did execute a good game plan that left us frustrated and unable to produce offensive points. They face fronted me and Pam and played a triangle zone on our other 3 other players. They took us (Pam and me) out of the game It was a physical match and our reactions got the best of us. Coach Tony experienced that first-hand when he received back-to-back technicals, and he was ejected from the game. Maybe the 1st technical was deserved, but the second one was a joke as he waved off the ref and he gave him a T for that. (Imagine if that happened in America, oh wait, it never would). That left us with NO coach on the bench because our assistant Chris did not make the trip.
So for the second half of the game, we had no coach and I took that responsibility for the last minutes. More technicals followed that...Pam pickd up a technical for clapping after call against her. And then later our bench of 3 people picked up the fourth technical after telling the ref to wake up. I went up to the ref to talk to him about it but he ran away from me. Not very professional in my opinion. So while they are shooting, I go over to him again and I tell him he just gave a technical foul to our bench with no coach and didn't even warn them ONE TIME. He says he doesn't have to, I tell him his the professional here, not them. What is the deal with refs not wanting to talk?? I'm the captain of the team and they still won't even talk to me. They won't even have a discussion with me on anything, they are just so challenged or something if you question anything they do, they react so malicous. Why are they so defensive?? I didn't even yell at them, I was just trying to talk. And the worst thing about it, they didn't even let the two teams on the court battle it out. Instead, they eject our coach and leave us to defend for ourselves.
Oh I could go on forever talking about this but I think I have said enough. BUT one last thing...I do not think it's very fair that we get two refs that we have not seen all season. One ref has done ONE of our games before, and the other never. How is that fair?? They don't know how we play, and we don't know how they call things. And I'm positive Brahe has had these refs more than once. None of that seems very fair or justified to me.
Now the team has grown from this experience and the only thing we can do now is move forward and continue to fight. Clearly not many appear to be on our side, but we have to prove them wrong and perform in remaining games. Our next game is Wednesday away vs. Järfalla who have the started the kval 0-2. Then the followng week we are also away vs. Kvarnby in our second match-up. Our last two games will be home.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO now on a positive note...it's Easter weekend!!! And HAPPY EASTER to everyone!! Not much is planned here for me. Maybe a dinner with the team, but nothing set in stone. Today we have practice at 13.00 and then maybe some Easter activities later...like dying eggs and having an egg hunt!!
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Grandpa Blougher!!!!!!
HAPPY EASTER...GLAD PÅSK
