Martin Reader

New and improved Paleo Pancakes

2012-02-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

I have been playing around in the kitchen over the last few weekends and have perfected (to my taste) a Paleo Pancake recipe that is quick, super healthy and tastier than regular pancakes! I freestyled the majority of the ingredients to consistency and projected taste but as long as you have a remotely thick batter you should be good to go. Enjoy as this provides great energy, is easily digestible, gluten free and rich in protein and good fats.

Start by mashing two bananas up in a bowl

Add four eggs

Add half a cup of milled golden flax seeds

Add a cup and a half of ground almonds

Add a cup of ground hazelnuts

Pour chocolate almond milk until you think blending will be easy

Mix it all up

Add Vanilla

Add Cinnamon

Add Allspice

Blend again and then scoopie out your preferred sized pancakes. Keep in mind they are tougher to flip the larger they are

Serve with whatever treats you want. I felt like using cranberries, yogurt and maple syrup and it was the tastiest breakfast I have had in a while!

FEAST!!!!

Inspiration and my Opa during the battle of Ortona on Christmas day, 1943

2011-12-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

I sit here in the comfort of my home next to my amazing sister and parents and am extra thankful. I am thankful for many things but after taking an interest in my Opa’s war stories, I am grateful for his bravery, character and selflessness.

My grandfather fought in World War II as a Seaforth in the 4^th infantry division of signals and later as a Battle Adjudant in the Royal Infactra Corps, Canadian Infantry Corps. He was involved in the Hitler line battle, Savio River battle, Issel River battle and the San Leonardo battle but it was in the battle of Ortona that he left his mark.

It was on Christmas day in 1943 that the quarter master, Captain Cameron, decided to serve the Canadian men Christmas dinner in the church, which was one of the first and most important objectives in Ortona.

Here is my Opa, Wilfred Gildersleeve sharing his day as he played the Organ for the troops – “We had a couple of fellows able to pump the organ on a couple of planks. They stood on the plank, you know, and one, two, three, alternately. And I still had my little book with some music in it, of carols and hymns and what not. And I used to get stuck for church parades playing for them all, in England. And so we were able to sing some carols, led by Roy Durnford, padre. That was very heavy, very heavy, to see those men come in, have their dinner, which consisted of roast pork, potatoes, carrots, all scrounged from the countryside and Christmas pudding a couple of chocolate bars, a bottle of beer and an orange. And for many of those men, it was the last meal they ever had on this earth because it was company after company.”

I imagine my grandfather, 68 years ago singing hymns and playing the organ filling men with what may have been their last peaceful and joyous moments. Sitting here writing from the comfort of my home, I do my best to fathom their appreciation for life and thank them from the bottom of my heart for the sacrifices they made for you and me; for our nation.

I send my love and gratitude to my Opa Wilfred as well as his lovely bride Marguerite who met in Amsterdam on May 8^th !945 in celebration of World War II ending. You have both created a wonderful legacy and your spirits are shining in your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Your family is strong and we will lift you up tomorrow as we all gather to celebrate Dutch Christmas in your honor.

To my Opa, your spirit, fearlessness, integrity and height live on. You were a standout man and your grandchildren may not have had much time with you but we fondly remember your chivalry, high moral standard and sense of humor. In fact I am frequently reminded of you when Matt, myself and Jordan grow our moustaches in Movember and I am confident we all have your funny bone.

I leave you with my Opa’s final message to future generations in the family interview conducted by my uncle Steve.

“Hold in your heart a love of Canada, your home land, maybe your adopted home land, and serve Canada as best you can in whatever way the country needs you. Be it business or in the services or in the government, bearing in mind the fact Canada’s forces now are a peace-keeping force and we will never be an offensive nation and we should certainly honor our service men in today’s forces because they act as aid to the civil power. And try to lead our lives in ways that will never again lead to war. Maybe the simplest message is that we need to learn to love and respect our fellow man and to work together for the common good.”

Gratitude

2011-12-22T14:02:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was walking to brunch with Jordan (roommate/cuz/ape/stallion) and we high fived over life. Not our first high five, however, this one spurred a train of thoughts and emotions that rushed through me like an avalanche in the Alaskan backcountry.

Gratitude, appreciation, love, joy, humility. Gratitude.

My life is amazing. That isn't a "my life is better than yours" statement, it is a pure, friendly epiphany driven affirmation. It is entirely a "holy shit, I love my life and get to live my passion everyday" thought and I haven't been able to genuinely stop to be thankful for my life path since it went into overdrive late 2011.

I had been in Toronto since I herniated 2 disks in my back mid summer, and was spinning my pedals and reaching for something I couldn't see clearly. But on October 1^st the gears of my life began to catch; I moved downtown Toronto with my cousin Jordan. Without getting into the details, it wasn't until I got my own place that everything started coming together. My health, energy, excitement and pure "joie de vivre" exponentially increased and my essential flame has been burning bright like the Olympic torch since!

I haven't had my own space for a long time and it was neve a big deal, I just called it the “21^st Century Nomad style” and dealt with it. I made the most of every situation, couch, hotel room, single bed, floor or spare bedroom and stayed in a positive mental space because I had to. As a matter of adaptation I made each unique setup an opportunity for growth but without knowing it I was never truly able to completely relax. Now with the independence of an apartment and a year contract keeping me committed, I have flourished in my own space (and king size bed) where I can now rest, recover, create and explore my creative side. It has been a launching pad for my social life, a sanctuary for my physical recovery and a zen garden for my mental health.

Back to brunch. Jordan and I (as always) rolled in aggressive style and arrived to find a medley of amazing people, one of whom was a University friend I hadn't seen for years! We all had rich conversations about life and it was through this inspiring gathering that I was drawn to a place of reflection. I came to a deeper place of appreciation for my path I and the social, physical and mental dividends being created through my diligent pursuit.

Toronto has been a social and life experiment. I had never sunk my emotional roots in the city (a side from one relationship) and was therefore recluse and hesitant to commit to anything that lasted more than an hour. I have since embraced Toronto with my entire being and celebrated it as my home. This change in tune immediately opened amazing opportunities, influenced incredible connections and has shot me into a deeper understanding of myself.

I have adapted to the fast paced lifestyle of Toronto and am thoroughly enjoying it. Leading my life via my passion has naturally attracted people that dare to be great and challenge their own reasons for existence. From artists to business men to DJ's to fellow athletes I am continuously reminded that I am here to be the best I can be and share that empowering energy with those who cross my path.

I believe I am exactly where I am supposed to be in life and I thank everyone who has supported and cheered for me. You are all an inspiration in your own way and have all been integral in me arriving where I am today.

Happy holiday,

Martin

My partner for 2012

2011-12-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to announce to that I will be competing on the 2012 FIVB tour as well as qualify for the Olympic games with Sir Josh Binstock. This is a move that may surprise some of you, especially after winning the 2011 Continental Cup with Chaim Schalk. To those skeptics, Chaim and I definitely had a good run but over the span of 2 seasons we weren't able to put together our best performances at more than a few events. Granted we both dealt with injuries (the most recent and severe being my back) but there were plenty of opportunities to step up and we never found a strong enough rhythm to consistently improve our results. I thank Chaim for a very memorable 2 years but this isn't a blog about the past, it is about the exciting future for a team that has been destined to happen for a long time!

After a frustrating end to my season in July 2011 with a back injury, I began looking at my options for a partner to pursue the 2012 Olympics with. There were a few top ranked teams playing really well and it just so happened Josh Binstock was splitting with Rich Vanhuizen. Josh and I have been solid friends for quite a long time and no stranger to each other on the court. We have always gotten along famously and from the first time I watched him play I admired his intensity and desire for the ball. He was a devastating blocker for most and with his recent transition to defender he has brought those attributes to the back court and built on them. In my opinion he became the best shot defender in Canada over the 2011 season and then went down to some late season USA events and earned more respect against some of the top athletes in the world.

It being my decision to play with Josh gives a sense of confidence I haven't had for a while. One of the main factors for my excitement is that Josh hand sets over bump setting and that is something I haven't had the luxury of since master hand setter Ray Sewell. I love hitting off a hand set and Josh's hands are fast enough for him to consistently set internationally; I look forward to crushing his butter!

So what is the next step you ask? We are currently residing full time in Toronto and training daily. We are working out like pre season College football players and starting our beach reps in a new indoor 3 court facility our national team built. We plan on going hard until christmas and then we are looking at a training camp in LA come the new year.

Our Olympic qualification is not a guarantee as the ranking going into the Canadian trials will be the two teams with the best results in the first tournaments of 2012. Those two top FIVB teams go to the NORCECA continental cup and will fight to win our nation a direct birth. Then another canadian trials will be held to narrow our best teams down to one final Olympic bound team! Lots of tournaments and high pressure situations to come but I have never felt more up for the challenge.

The road will be intense as all our tournaments run April through late June. They are closing in on us quickly making every day an important opportunity to improve and strive for our best as soon as possible.

Keep in touch for big things, I can feel it!

Beach video production

2011-11-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

JokWear Campaign

2011-10-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Here is my spoof video I made for my new clothing sponsor JokWear which will be launching February 2012! Here is what JokWear has to say about the competition, the guidelines and the prizes!!!

Each contestant is asked to submit a 1 minute video that shares with others why they think they should be the next JokGirl or JokBoy? They are to focus their 1 minute video on areas that exemplify the 4 Pillars in JokWear and the newly established JokWear Foundation; 1.Sports, 2.Arts, 3. Academics and 4. Community. The end result: a $1000 Bursary for Post Secondary, a Trade School, an Arts Program, a Community Endeavor or Sport Competition. Also a full suited JokWear kit of apparel, along with being a part of the JokWear Board of Athlete's for the Year as the Youth Ambassador Athlete's and lastly having the opporunity to be a part of the first JokWear Apparel Catologue Shoot!

I am looking forward to being a part of this experience as a JokWear board member and athlete ambassador! I am going to be a part of the video voting process and I am sure it is going to be an outrageously fun and challenging experience. Looking forward to the entries and meeting the two athletes who win the competition!

All the best!

Delicious paleolithic pancakes with a twist

2011-10-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I have felt incredibly inspired to cook in my new pad! I have had moments of creative brilliance and while on the subway I have been scheming ways to combine routine foods with highly nutritious and easily accessible ingredients. With a fresh space, newly inspired ideas from recent reading and some of the best produce in the city at my new front door I began to create.

My first recipe in a series of self proclaimed amazing meals will be a new spin on a classic "The Paleo Pancake" from when I was staying with Paleo enthused health nuts on Grand Cayman Island! The following recipe was free-styled with no specific ratios but a certain consistency in mind. They turned out great and will now become a staple in my morning routine as they are easy, quick and rapidly digestible. Enjoy!

1 - Grab half a cup to a cup of almonds and throw them in the blender. Mince them finely

2 - Add a few eggs into the ground almonds stir until they are well mixed

3 - Add two to three scoops of protein powder (preferably Kaizen Whey isolate)

4 - Throw in some Glutamine for improved immune function and lean muscle retention

5 - Sprinkle pinches cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and cardamon

6 - Add a teaspoon of vanilla bean extract

7 - Stir in Vanilla Almond Breeze until you have a nice thick consistency

8 - Heat a pan with coconut oil and pour out a few pancakes

9 - Cook the pancakes until there are one or two bubbles them flip them. Be careful not to cook them too quickly or with too high of a temperature because they can dry out easily.

And there you have the first step of this feast! Now for the added goodies.

I poured yogurt on top of the pancakes and then topped them with craisins and chia seeds. Then I sliced up a banana and poured a light serving of maple syrup on top of the entire goodness because I have a serious weakness for it!

Voila, in about 20 minutes you have a highly nutritious meal with few carbs, high protein, good fats which will leave you feeling light and energized for your morning of taking over the world.

Back to my west coast longboard roots

2011-09-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

Today was one of the best Sunday Fundays I have had in a very long time. Granted it was a late start due to an amazing Saturday evening dinner party but better late than never!

My trainer and I had planned on doing a public sparring session in a park down in the Kensington Market area. We met up there at 5 and it turned out to be a zoo!!! Kensington on Sundays apparently goes off with a mixture of hipsters, free spirits and fun loving earthy folk interested in vintage fashion, grass roots music and un-flashy yet highly touted restaurants and cafes. We strolled around people watching for a bit and then Kriston came up with the idea of throwing 20 tennis balls to people in the park to see how they responded. Super neat idea and it was our first experiment in our joint mission to interact, challenge and inspire people to become more active.

We strolled up to the full park and started throwing the balls to kids playing on the jungle gyms and sand boxes. They had no idea what to do with them but they had no choice but to catch the balls after I made eye contact with them. We started throwing them back and forth, making games and I focused in on the kids who saw this as a challenge and unique opportunity. Other people in the park got into it and kids began playing games with strangers (in a good way) they had never met before. It was such a joyful experiment challenging the kids with tosses, teaching them how to throw and causing social interaction through a simple game of hot potato. Even more hilarious when I rolled a ball to a kid who wasn't looking. Seeing their faces light up when a tennis ball appeared at their feet was priceless.

We then left the kids with the balls and hung out with some pretty funky individuals hanging around the multi level chin up bars. These guys were there doing a form of Parkour and Kriston being a specialist and lover of the sport got along famously with them. He threw down a couple impressive moves and I got in there for some hanging funzies for some street cred; good times!

We then went over to the longboard crew and started mingling with them. Kriston had met one of the owners of the Longboard living shop. He hung out over some longboarding sessions around a large concrete circle and discussed the longboarding movement in Toronto and where Longboard Living was looking to positively influence it.

As some of you may know, I come from a boarding background and I rode a stylie Sector 9 original pintail longboard all the way through college in Victoria and University in Vancouver. In my opinion it is the most efficient mode of transportation and also the most fluent and graceful as it requires long pushes and arcing carves to get from A to B. I also believe it is more sophisticated than the short board and attracts a mellower more well spoken demographic. I haven't boarded in a while but had been yearning for the freedom, creativeness and balance of the sport as of late. We rolled to the shop and Ryan hooked me up with a Skulls skates loaner then we hit the town.

Our path took us to a large parkade where we hiked 5 flights of stairs and cruised in circles all the way down! It was amazing, like riding a mountain with chair lifts in the form of stairs and on the top we had an amazing view of the CN tower and the downtown core. We then commuted to Dundas square through downtown streets. I had really missed the speed on flats and propelling myself with balance and grace but most of all I missed passing the bicyclists! They are always surprised when a long boarder cruises past then rips a couple turns in front of them before taking off again. Beautiful.

We arrived at Dundas square to find a massive event taking place. Ryan of longboard living was aware of the situation and took us to the breakdancing section where he introduced us to a pivotal player in the TO break scene. The event was called Manifesto and was the 5 year anniversary. Manifesto is a non-profit grassroots organization working to unite, energize, support and celebrate Toronto’s vibrant and diverse music and arts community, and find innovative ways of working together towards common goals. Such an amazing initiative and felt fitting that we found ourselves there to network with some integral people in different Toronto scenes.

We left there and returned to the Kensington market to end our evening but parted on a few thoughts. I realized I haven't been adventurous in the big city because I have been restricted and dependent on transit. With the use of a long board I was able to explore, experience and acquaint myself with some of the smaller streets and areas hidden in the shadows of mainstream places. I felt like I was able to connect with the city and experience an event I wouldn't have even known about had I not gone for a cruise. I was exposed to new stores, restaurants and businesses in passing as well as being introduced to very key characters in different TO scenes. I was able to take out a four wheeled paint brush and carve creative lines throughout a city I would normally experience from the seat of a bus, street car or underground subway. The session energized, elevated and pumped me up while connecting me with people who believe in green transportation, social responsibility and community.

The lifestyle of longboarding in Toronto is definitely different than in BC but it still attracts the same people. Without flowing hills Ryan and his posse at Longboard Lifestyle have catalyzed a scene based around community cruise sessions, leadership, learning, green transport and physical activity. Ryan brought up a great point that he believes longboarding is a life skill, something that should be learnt at a young age and he plans on integrating it into society. They are socially aware, safety conscious and highly organized and after the wonderful boost back into the sport tonight, I can't wait to get after more riding and exploration with this quality group of people.

With a new light on Toronto, I can't help but become even more excited fully commit my life to the big smoke. Slowly I am finding ways to bring out the west coast and the more I embrace it, the more I meet incredible people who seek to inspire and ignite Canadians in their communities.

Camp Madawaska

2011-09-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

After the 2011 national championships and Canadian team trials I was invited by Josh Binstock to roll up with him to a volleyball camp called “Madawaska”. I had heard of the camp before through Mark Heese and a few other athletes but had no Idea what I was getting into when I accepted the invitation!

Beach Courts in the middle of nowhere

Josh and I drove North East for 3 hours and arrived to camp late Wednesday evening. It was spectacular timing because it was Casino night with free drinks and hilarious auction after with the proceeds going to charity! I played poker for the entire evening without getting dealt a single hand but it wasn’t a problem because I’m not a gambler and I had no interest in taking any of the auction items. Overkill and Beach Blast had donated a bunch of swag and I have enough beach clothes to last me a lifetime! It was highly entertaining watching an array of moderately desirable clothing go for silly prices! Bidding wars happened over scarfs, shorts, undies and all kinds of hilarious stuff and people were getting vicious! It was a fun first night with the adults but we were pretty tired from driving up and had to go to bed in our luxurious accommodation!

First class lodging!

Field of dreams at 6 AM

Before we knew it the 6 AM wake up call was upon us. Camp Madawaska runs their own time zone to utilize more daylight so 6 was actually 5. They run an incredible amount of programming throughout the day and it is only made possible by the super early start. The entire camp rolled to the tennis courts for a morning session called “Togetherness” which activates, motivates and brings everyone together to start the day off right. Once all the kids had arrived I realized the magnitude of camp Madawaska. There were over 700 people involved in the warmup!!! Such a cool place to be and I couldn’t have been more excited to be a guest of honor with Josh.

We cuised to breakfast and we were then introduced to the dual nature of the camp. I knew I was going to help with beach but the “court” component was MASSIVE. The kids were divided into court and beach which caused quite a bit of animosity and chirping between tables! It was such a great energy as tables chanted beach and sang songs proclaiming their superiority. A table would erupt in banging and a team would stand up, chant a rhyme and then the whole room would erupt with either support or disapproval depending on how good it was. Such a great initiative and I had such a great time watching!

After breakfast we took a quick nap and then hit up the sand courts for the first morning session. We coached a bit, enjoyed watching the kids play and then did a really fun question and answer period to close it out. The kids were so interactive, interested and keen to learn from our experiences playing beach around the world. The questions were all fantastic so we were able to share volley experiences and sporting knowledge with them for 25 minutes.

Beach VS Court coaches

The second session of the day started with the indoor vs court coaches match! Josh threw his shoes on and played but I stayed off cause I am still working through my back injury and didn’t want to jeopardize me recovery. The game wasn’t short of action and the beach boys absolutely demolished the court guys. The court ladies beat the beach ladies so the 3^rd set changed to co-ed 6’s and the court team won. It was an unfortunate loss for beach but with such a dominant performance from the men the coaches challenged the male court team to a rematch for the following day. (Court accepted and got pumped the next day!)

Dinner was tasty and the chanting between volley realms was spicy! The kids still had energy and had one more session to complete that day! We ended the 3^rd session with game play and Josh and I walked around helping, encouraging and coaching. With such an array of talented athletes there was no lack of action and I was thoroughly entertained by the U14 men’s division. These young boys were super talented, understood the game and were employing an effective blocking defense! They were ripping balls line, showing finesse, tearing jump serves and playing magnificent defense. Needless to say we have some stellar athletes coming up through the Ontario volleyball system and I can’t wait for them to start challenging me!

The rest of our time there was spent coaching, exploring and connecting throughout the camp. We scoped out the leaderships activities on their low ropes course, swam in the lake, watched competitive court games and overheard some of the tryouts for their final evening of “Madawaska has talent” which was promising to be the best show ever. As we were about to leave we got caught up in the Madawaska Olympic ceremonies. Each cabin represented a different country and had to come up with a dance, cheer, poster and present it in front of everyone! Such a great idea and all the kids were so involved!

Opening ceremonies at Madawaska Olympics

One thing I cherished was being able to select athletes I thought showed exemplary skill, desire and hustle. Josh and I went to all the groups and handed our jerseys and autographed cards to kids we felt deserved a pat on the back. One of the girls had never even played volleyball but managed to adapt, learn and stay positive!

Between the owners, organizers, coaches and athletes we got to know some fantastic people in the volleyball world and connect with the next generation of volleyball stars in our country. It was such a great experience for me personally and I can’t wait to go back to the best volleyball camp in Canada next summer!!!

http://www.madawaskacamps.com/

Photo we took for Volleywood with all the beach athletes

The start of Grand Cayman

2011-04-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

For the last three months my partner and I have been training indoors in Toronto with the beach national team program. I moved here in the middle of January to fulfill my duties with the team and focus my entirety on winning on in sand boxes around the world. With months of training and focus behind us, the Grand Cayman is officially the first international competition of the year where we can try out new strategies, offences and judge our advancement. It is a highly anticipated trip in my personal calendar as the sun, people and venue are so magnificent. I can honestly say I was looking forward to this event more than any other in my life because I was DYING to get out of the old airport hanger where we train in Toronto! I welcomed the thought of sun, beach sand, turquoise water and excellent people I met the following year while playing and winning the event with Ray!

We purchased some CHEAP direct flights from West Jet and within 4 hours of leaving Toronto, we had landed and passed immigration! Waiting for us was our local hero and solid friend Carl Brenton. I was actually expecting his wife to be there to pick us up but she was nearly popping with her pregnancy so I guess Carl switched up the roster!

After such a quick and easy flight we were dinning on tacos and burgers a few blocks from the beach before we knew it! We got to hang on a great pool patio while I informed Chaim that Carl has been a driving force for the NORCECA beach event as well as a few other international beach ideas. He hosted Ray and I last year and adopted us like family before and after the event. Such a great memory and he certainly picked up where we left off the year before! We filled our faces with foodies and then rolled to the beach. Here is our first look

Not bad, not bad at all!!! After caught a few beams of sun on our albino bodies we then went to Duncan and Dipisha's place to drop our stuff off and hang with them. Turns out we had a full bedroom at their place with two queen size beds! Chaim volunteered to take the air mattress (thanks bro) and I got the actual bed. It was a perfect room and the fan on the ceiling was icing on the cake cause it was far hotter than we were accustomed to. We were happy to be in a great spot with such core people. Duncan and Dipisha even volunteered to let us use their vehicles while they were at work so we had soooo much freedom!!!

After we unpacked a bit we went and hit up happy hour at one of the special beer places on the island. We shared some laughs and got to know our roomies a little better over some tasty exotic ales and a beautiful view. Then I am pretty sure we retired and went to bed under our thin sheets and a fan but clearly not before swimming in their pool! Such a wonderful first day on the Island.

Avocado yogurt recipe for Duncan's Paleo ROD (recipe of the day)

2011-04-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

During our stay on Grand Cayman we stayed with a wonderful couple believe in the Paleo diet. The Paleo diet is essentially an ancient "hunter gatherer" nutrition plan where the focus is lean protein, vegetables, fruit and healthy fats.

One of the amazing recipes we were exposed to is described in the following video. It consists of an Avocado, a piece of fruit, almonds, water, cinnamon and we added some Kaizen protein powder for extra power.

It is such a delicious recipe and one that provides quickly absorbed nutrients for immediate use. It is tasty, high in fat and a wonderful addition to breakfast or any meal of the day, especially pre or post workout!

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

A Day in my life for the kids at UHill Elementary school

2011-04-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

In my last email with the class that has Adopted me for fundraising, they asked me a few questions about my life. I decided to put together a little video describing what I do every day! I take them through a few of my routines, workouts and let them in on a few secrets about my nutrition and planning.

Enjoy what my pre-season life looks like!

Water Blocking photoshoot in India

2011-02-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

This is a little video I threw together of my photo shoot with the extremely talented India photographer Arjun Mark in Chennai, India.

Arjun came to us on the beach one evening before training with his laptop and asked us if we wanted to get shot. Clearly this sounds odd but he immediately demonstrated his talents by showing us his website www.arjunmark.com and then he showed us the style of shots he intended to shoot. WOW!!! Amazing inspirations and what an opportunity to get photos taken by one of India's most forward thinking and talented photographers!

His studio was opposite the beach volleyball tournament site just off the beach so over the span of a couple weeks I did multiple shoots. Arjun was super keen to work with me and a few other of the beach teams and he dedicated a lot of time to our projects. He was such a solid guy as he drove me back to my hotel a few times and he even had a couple assistants working with him whenever he needed it!

I videotaped the one session where I got blasted with buckets of water. It is pretty neat how it all turned out and even though I have no idea what I will use the photo for, it is still a wicked photo to have in my portfolio!

Win vs Turkey #1 in Holland

2011-02-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

Here is the highlight video of Chaim and I playing Turkey #1 in the second round of the CEV Satellite in Aalsmeer, Holland.

It was a great game with loads of rallies and we took the match 15-13 in the third. Chaim and I really connected after not training together for 4 months and we were pleasantly surprised at our sideout and transition games!

Winning this match took us to the winner semi-final where we played Schuill/Steikma from Holland who were the eventual winners of the event.

Adopt an Athlete class visit

2011-02-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

After being adopted by an elementary school class in Vancouver, I swung by and visited the kids.

I spent an afternoon with them and got to take them through a few competitions for prizes as well as sign an autograph for each student!

Such a fun day and I can't wait to do it again!

GQ Man of the year Polar Bear swim!

2011-01-30T15:05:00.000-08:00

For the last 20 odd years there has been a family tradition on my mother's side to go for a dip in the ocean on January 1st. This family polar bear swim has progressively become more popular and the younger generation of family members have invited close friends to this essential new years dip at Ambleside park in West Vancouver.

This year was definitely special as it was my 4th consecutive year and boasted a speedo and bowtie theme! An impressive group of friends and family dared enter the frigid waters and below is a nice compilation of the experience.

Things to look out for. My uncle Rod has a classic move where he enters the water before anyone else at his own pace. This pace, is excruciating to watch as he calmly glides into the 4 degree water with grace and composure. Secondly we have made it a habit to enter the water multiple times in a row. For whatever reason it becomes a feat of strength (common in our family) to double or triple dip and then stay in for as long as possible in those dips. As you will see, I was weak but a few brave souls stayed in for a while!!!

Enjoy, this is one of my faves!

The Grinch Christmas workout

2011-01-30T13:54:00.000-08:00

This a festive workout called "The Grinch" we did over the Christmas break

Saturday explosiveness

2011-01-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a dynamic workout to end a hard week of training!

Strength and Explosiveness

2011-01-30T13:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a vid of my strength and explosiveness progression this December

The Chief Workout Video

2011-01-08T01:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a Christmas themed workout video a few days before the 25th. It was bomber, enjoy!!!

2nd email for the Adopt and athlete program

2010-12-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the second email I sent to the elementary class that in Vancouver that has adopted me through the Canadian Olympic Adopt an Athlete program!

Hey Guys and Gals!

Thanks for the great questions this week, I have answered them as best I could!

1. Why did you choose beach over indoor volleyball?

Well I played every sport under the sun before I was 10 but my main focus at that point in my life was swimming. I was ranked in the top 10 in Canada for the freestyle 50 meter sprint and I still have records that haven't been broken from 16 and 17 years ago! Sadly I had an allergic reaction to chlorine so I had to stop swimming and I found beach volleyball in a fun professional demonstration event that was played in a local ice arena when I was 10. I couldn't stop thinking about it and told myself in grade 6 that I would move to Australia to play pro!!! I started playing in tournaments when I was 14 and I have been leading my Olympic dream since then.

2. Do you know the opponents you play?

This is a great question. I do know many of my opponents because alot of the time we are taking the same airplanes and staying in the same hotels. We get to know each other off the beach and I am really good friends with guys and gals from New Zealand, Brazil, Switzerland, Australia, Norway, England and France.

3. What % sure are you that you will make it to the Olympics

This is a very difficult question to answer because it is 2 years away and a lot can happen between now and then. With over 100 teams trying for 24 spots in the Olympics the competition is fierce. Lets just keep it simple and say that the odds are 50/50.

4. Do you ever relax at the beach?

One of the reasons I love beach volleyball so much is because of the beach! It is my favourite place to hang out because of the waves, the sun, the people and all the fun activities that can be enjoyed in the sand. If I could, I would be on the beach every day for the rest of my life!

5. Favorite food after a match

After a match I love a good pasta meal. Big chunks of italian sausage or chicken with a nice margarita sauce is delicious!

6. Favorite move in beach volleyball

I would say that nothing beats the feeling of a really big block on someone. That is my favourite thing to do to my opponent.

7. Cohen loved the alligator response and is now quite curious about great white sharks

Well Cohen, thanks for asking. I find white sharks to be extremely interesting because they are so powerful and so feared which in some part has turned them into an endangered species. Did you know that if a white shark stops swimming it will sink and drown?! Also I really enjoyed the Planet Earth video where it showed the sharks jumping out of the water to hunt seals in slow motion, that was really cool.

8. We were also hoping you could recommend a video of you playing. We already watched Can 1 vs. USA 1 in Cayman islands with Ray.

Well without being biased I would recommend the video of us playing in the National Championship final where we won!

There is also a really neat one where I am playing with a partner named ray against a German team on Ipanema beach in Brazil. You might enjoy that one because I show a bit of the beach and the scenery is amazing with the "Two Brothers" mountains in the background.

And to you Jackson, thanks for the videos. Pretty neat to see giant squid in their natural habitat because they are normally so deep in water. Did you hear about the time when a lot of them washed up on the beaches of Tofino on Vancouver Island? Here is the link to the story.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/08/05/bc-tofino-giant-squid.html

And to keep with our little tradition of watching videos, I wanted to send you my favourite funny video of all time. It is called "Bizkit the sleep walking dog" and it is HILARIOUS!

Until the next email!!!

All the best and keep working hard.

Martin

--
Martin Reader

1-778-228-1654

2010 Canadian Champion

www.martinreader.ca

www.martinreader.blogspot.com
Youtube - beachballincanada

"You are as strong as your drive"

Adopt an Athlete program

2010-12-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

Recently one of my best friends Sean Rupert introduced a program to me where a school class adopts a national team athlete. The program is called Adopt and Athlete and it is run through the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Sean is a teacher in Vancouver and was keen to give this interactive fundraising program a shot. It would be a great opportunity to involve myself with a community, share my dreams, challenge individuals and positively influence youth to follow their dreams and pursue their passions! Sean and I dove right in immediately and I thought it would be neat to blog the interactions I am having with the class!

We have had two back and forth messages and I will be visiting their classroom this week for the first time! I am super excited!

Here is the first email we shared. Enjoy, there great, funny and rogue questions!

Sean's first email -

We gave a little info of we are from University Hill Elementary and we are Div 3 (grade 6) and Div 12 (grade 2/3). We live in Vancouver and loved the Olympics in 2010!!!!

Here is what we want to know:

What age did you start playing beach volleyball?
How old are you? (we want to do the math to figure out how long you have played)
Who is your partner?
What sports are your favorite to watch?
What do you do when you aren t paying beach?
Where are you from? (I didn't tell them)
How did you learn volley?

Also Cohen is wondering if you like alligators.....totally random, inappropriate questions. But funny and i am curious!

Andrea (the other teacher) and i will read your response to the class.

The kids are excited!!!

My response -

Unreal! Love how this is happening, you are right on it!

Here are the answers to your questions.

What age did you start playing beach volleyball?

I started playing beach volleyball when I was 14 years old. I saw there was a tournament in Parksville on Vancouver Island that summer and entered with my first partner named Patrick Gallager.

How old are you? (we want to do the math to figure out how long you have played)

I am 26 years old

Who is your partner?

The partner I am going to qualify with for the 2012 Olympic Games is going to be Chaim Schalk. He is a 6'5 and will play defence behind me. He is a fun guy and has a large blonde afro!

What sports are your favorite to watch?

I love watching tennis, snowboarding, ping pong and diving

What do you do when you aren t paying beach?

I have a passion for physical training so I am always in the gym working out. I also love to snowboard, surf and listen to music!

Where are you from? (I didn't tell them)

I am from the Comox Valley which is in the middle of vancouver island on the east coast. To get there you need to take a BC ferries to Nanaimo and then drive 1 1/4 hours north on the Island Highway.

How did you learn volley?

I learnt volley when I was in grade 5 and have been playing it every year since then. I played basketball, soccer, volleyball and did track and swimming until grade 8 when I chose volleyball as my main sport. I am still learning how to play volleyball every day and I know I will learn every time I play until I retire from beach volleyball.

And for you Cohen, do I like Alligators? We'll I ever since I did a project on Crocodiles in grade six I have been very fascinated with them large reptiles! I love the you tube clip "Battle at Kruger" which is an amazing video involving crocodiles, lions and water buffalo. Also, when I was in India I saw their largest Crocodile! You can see in the photo he is ENORMOUS at 23 feet long.

Thanks for the letter and talk soon!

Martin

--
Martin Reader

1-778-228-1654

2010 National Champion

www.martinreader.ca

www.martinreader.blogspot.com
Youtube - beachballincanada

"You are as strong as your drive"

Crossfit day 28 - a date with Cindy

2010-12-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

I am pretty sore from this week but am feeling amazing. Yesterday's surprise running main page WOD added some soreness but overall I am still functional and fully capable of completing WOD's to the best of my abilities.

I stepped into strength this morning and launched 295lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps with relative ease. I am really happy with my gains in deadlifts, squats and front squats because it still feels like I am lifting the weights I started with a month and a half ago. The slow progression of adding 5 pounds a workout has allowed me to adapt quickly and adjust perfectly to the linear progression.

Push press was up next and I destroyed that as well with 155lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps. My wrists are getting more flexible so I can carry the weight better while resting it on my shoulders before pressing. I am getting more wholesome leverage on the bar and with a full grip and maximal push from my lower body the weight seemed light. I love improving!!!!

I then did a wonderful yoga session with Katie. It was just Marc and I today so we had a really nice intensive workout which seemed to be perfectly designed to loosen our shoulders and hips from this week's rigorous activity.

I went home and caught up on two weeks of blogging (sorry, I wasn't on top of it and fell behind) and then returned to Titanium Crossfit for a date with Cindy.

Cindy is a little lady who usually goes by the description of as many reps as possible in 20 minutes of
5 Pull ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats

I love going into the gym in the morning for strength so I get a peek at the workout of the day so I know what I am returning to in the afternoon. Cindy was on my mind all day and I was so prepared to bring her down!

I ripped off my first set in 35 seconds and clearly my pace decreased over the 20 minutes. I felt like I was screaming "ROUND" every 10 seconds, chalk was flying everywhere and my towel, shirt and arm bands were sopping with sweat as I aspired to hit my goal of 18 rounds.

Not knowing how to pace myself I was able to crush every set of 5 pull ups together but had to split my push ups into smaller sets after the fourth round. I went for 5 reps, 2 reps, 2 reps and 1 rep to complete the 10 total reps with just two breaths in between the 2's and 1. Squatting is a strength of mine so I was able to pump them out unbroken without suffering too badly.

Well the beauty of Crossfit is that you are against time, therefore you must change your perception of rest and breaks. I performed all 20 minutes with no more than 4 or 5 breath breaks where I wiped my hands and chalked them up before pull ups. This workout was a beast and Cindy certainly broke me down so that at 20 minutes I collapsed to the floor.

My lungs are bigger, my muscles are firmer and I am moving my body weight (which is 222lbs and more than I have ever weighed in my life) like back when I was in college at 195lbs.

I am happy and I am toast but I crave more. Damn you Crossfit, I am under your spell!

Helping back home

2010-12-02T15:29:00.000-08:00

It is always a pleasure to come home to rest and train but the most enjoyable part of the experience for me is coming back to a fresh batch of kids who are eager to play volleyball!!!

I always work with my mother's elementary school and this year we had over 24 grade 6's and 7's who wanted to play! The kids were keen and my mother opened the gym 8 times a week (4 morning/4 afternoon sessions) so the kids could improve as much as possible during the short season

Over a 7 week period I helped them a couple times a week and we went from barely being able to bump balls against a wall to pepper and consistently making 3 hits a side during rallies! There were spikes, a few blocks but mostly the kids really improved on their ability to control the ball once on their side of the net.

We really worked on calling the ball and serving tough with few errors and by the end of the training period we had one of the fiercest volley teams in the school district!

Here is a video I put together of our last practice as well as of the last playday for the boys. It was a blast to be around such energetic and coachable kids and I can't wait until next year's season!

Our fashion show in Chennai, India

2010-12-02T15:24:00.001-08:00

A little video summary of our trip to Chennai, India

2010-12-02T15:23:00.002-08:00

Video of us visiting the orphanage in Chennai, India

2010-12-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

Crossfit day 27

2010-12-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

December 1st -Strength.

I moved 235lbs in my bench press for 3 sets of 5 reps no problems. Looks like I am moving to 240 next week!!! I then hit up some ring dips for 4 sets of 6 reps with good form but I am super shaky on my 5th and 6th reps.

Then I was convinced to step into a main page sprinting workout with Marc and Jesse. The workout was
1 mile run - 3 minutes rest
3/4 mile run - 2 minutes rest
1/2 mile run - 1 minute rest
1/4 mile run

I was planning on going soft and easy but after the first mile run I turned it up a notch and by the time I got to my 1/2 mile run I poured on the gas! I ran super hard in the final 1/4 mile and was really pleased with the following times!

1 mile - 6:28 (easy pace cause I hadn't run in a long time)
3/4 mile - 4:11 (upped it a bit but still had lots in the tank)
1/2 mile - 2:47 (stepped on it on the last 1/4 mile)
1/4 mile - 1:18 (ran hard for as long as I could)

I went home and napped and returned to hit the WOD of 5 rounds of deadlifts at 275lbs and 10 burpees for time. I finished in 5:13 and I pushed it nicely. I was pretty sore from running but I powered through the burpees and had no issues with the deadlifts. Good times!

I then hit up single arm 55lb Kettlebell snatch swings for 6 rounds of 7 reps with each arm. It really destroyed my fingers but I nailed the movement after my second rep.

Crossfit day 26

2010-12-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

November 30th started with a nice easy foam rolling session and then I eased into a wonderful power yoga class. I went home, napped and returned to the gym for the WOD.

Our workout of the day was as many reps as possible in 15 minutes of 5 overhead squats with 95lbs, 10 knees to elbows and 15 kettle bell swings.

I kept a mean pace and completed 8 full rounds in 15 minutes!!!!!!! It was a great workout for me and I really pushed through a few mental barriers as my body was hurting!

I then stuck around and did an Olympic training session with a qualified coach who happens to live in the Comox Valley! I did a bunch of snatches and wound up learning the movement and putting 185lbs overhead! For a lanky 6'7 guy I think that is pretty good, however, my height and length will never be an excuse so I will continue to improve that number. I can't wait to be putting over 250lbs overhead!

I then power cleaned 235lbs for 5 sets of 1 and did some great video analysis on it. My form is looking excellent and I am getting more and more confident each time I work the movement.

Crossfit day 25

2010-12-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

November 29th was a late starting Monday and I paid for it later in the day with a killer WOD.

It started with a 500 meter rowing sprint followed by 3 round sof 10 hang cleans at 135lbs, 20 push ups and 30 squats. Once those 3 rounds were completed you had to rock 50 double under skips as a last little gasser. This workout was pretty serious and I finished it in 12:24.

I quickly left the gym and rolled to Vanier where I practiced with the boys before they left for the Provincial Championships. Stoked to help them out and send them on their way!

Crossfit day 24

2010-12-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

November 27th brings Strength on a wonderful little Saturday. Back Squats and Deadlifts are the topic of lifting for the day and some snatch explosions which I learnt last week in an Olympic lifting session with an amazing coach in the Comox Valley.

I squatted 285 for 3 sets of 5 and deadlifted 350lbs for 2 sets of 5 reps. I then did my snatch explosions with 225lbs for 2 sets of 3 and then 185 for 3 sets of 3.

The snatch explosion is where you take the bar from the ground all the way up to a fully engaged hip thrust into the bar timed with a maximal shrug. These two movements combined improve your general power from the floor and really force maximal engagement with your calves, hips and upper back to get the weight as high as possible in the least amount of time. I am loving the Olympic lifting and have noticed nice gains in my speed and general strength. I can't wait to test my vertical when I get to Toronto!

Crossfit day 23

2010-12-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

My body is sore but that has never stopped me before. I am not feeling like anything is going to snap or break, it is more of a deep hurt stemming from workouts that have pushed my limits. Eager to continue pushing those limits I jump into the days workout.

5 rounds of 10 thrusters, 15 knees to elbows and 10 sumo deadlift high pulls. I saw it on the board and didn't think much of it but oh my goodness was I ever wrong! This on was a silent killer and left be BAGGED with a total time of 12:24. Holy smokes was I ever punched as my forearms were barely functional. To top it off I decided to do 3 sets of 10 strict ring pull ups with minimal hand grip to continue with the day's theme of grip strength.

Crossfit day 22

2010-12-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

Today was a strength day with power cleans. I was super sore from the long week but decided to push forward.

I moved my weight up in cleans from 45lbs all the way up to 225 for a single rep. I then pushed to 230lbs but failed on my first attempt and decided I was too toast to go heavy. I dropped to 165lbs where I did 3 sets of 5 reps with clean form.

I then did yoga with my fave teacher which helped me refresh but still counted as a nice workout. I am fatigued but not overtrained and I will monitor the next couple training days so I don't hurt myself.

Crossfit Day 21

2010-12-02T14:23:00.001-08:00

The WOD was 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of the following circuit

Wall ball
Box jumps (30 inches)
Kettle Bell Swings (55lbs)
Double Under skips

This workout was very difficult and I pushed as hard as I could for a time of 13:11.

We then fooled around withs some box jump heights and we wound up making a video out of it! Check it out below. After the jumps I did 40 ab roll outs and called it a day!

Crossfit Day 20

2010-12-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

November 23rd I hit strength even though I had just done totals the day before. I pushed my front squat from 245 to 250 for 3 sets of 5 reps and also increased my bench from 230 to 235 although I wasn't able to complete my last set of 5 due to failure on the 4th rep. This means I won't be able to increase my weight in bench until I can destroy 235 for 3 clean sets of 5 reps. I guess I had to hit my max somewhere!

I then did yoga at Crossfit with the amazing instructor by the name of Katie. She is wonderful and I love yoga with her. Need I say more?

I then played vball with the Vanier highschool team from 3-5 and then stepped into the WOD at crossfit around 5:15.

The WOD was "FRAN" which is 21-15-9 reps of Thrusters followed by pull ups. It is a bench mark workout and I completed it in 5:58 for my first time. Not a great time by any means but I guess the first time you do a benchmark workout you don't want it to be amazing!

Crossfit Day 18/19 with 1 rep total maxes!

2010-12-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

On Saturday the 20th I kept it simple and improved my front squat and bench.

I hit 245 on my front squat for 3 sets of 5 and then 230 for 3 sets of 5 on bench. Solid numbers and I am pleased I am putting up over 2 plates a side for my bench press! Two plates has always been a weight I have struggle with for reps and I have finally pushed through and am now building past it with no pain and 100% range of motion in my shoulder.

On Monday the 22nd we did Crossfit totals. They take your max 1 rep weight for squat, push press and deadlift and add them for a total score. I had never done it before but figured pushing 1000 pounds was a reasonable goal to set! Well I lifted some heavy weight and scored 1005 total pounds!!!! Super stoked!

I hit 385 on my back squat, 165 on my push press and 455 on my deadlift. Here is the video of my successes and failures!

Crossfit day 17

2010-12-02T14:02:00.000-08:00

I have slacked as of late with my postings and will try to keep the last 10 days quick and tight as I play catch-up.

November 19th brought 10 one minute all out sprints on the rowing erg divided by one full minute of rest. I LOVE sprinting cardio stuff and I knew this one would kill me!

Mark Mazzocchi the trainer and owner of Titanium Crossfit made 3000 meters a must for the men and threatened to punish us with 1 burpy for ever meter we were under 3000. HEAVY!!!

My goal was to get to 3000 with 9 sprints as I am longer than most and have an advantage rowing. I went balls to the wall in all of the sprints and missed my goal of the by 35 meters in the 9th sprint; four more pulls and I would have had it! I wrenched through the 10th sprint with as much vigour as I could and battled to 3269 meters in 10 minutes of work. This marked the first time I lied down and couldn't find a comfortable position because my body was in so much pain.

I tried to do 20 abb roll outs but my hamstrings cramped. I ended it there with nothing left in the tank and was very satisfied with my output as I went to what I felt was 97% of my human potential. I pushed to the wall and challenged my maximum and I know that I won't experience that kind of pain for some time to come.

An amazing day of working out

2010-11-19T13:19:00.000-08:00

You know those days that get you so excited about life and reaffirm that you are on the path to achieving your goals? Well today was one of those days and my serotonin levels are just JACKED!

It started in the morning with a strength workout. I hadn't done strength for a few days so I was feeling complete and fully prepared to push through my allotted weights for the day.

Squats, push presses and deadlifts were the exercises for the morning and I was blown away at how each rep and set came with ease! My reps were fast, powerful and clean throughout each stage and I was really stoked about how hard I was pushing through the deep portions of my lifts.

I easily squatted 280lbs, push pressed 145lbs and deadlifted 345lbs each one for 3 sets of 5 reps. I was feeling fresh at the end of the workout which means I really need to add weight next time! We are doing a totals workout of that same 3 exercise day next monday so I will establish my 1 rep maxes and adjust my percentage according to the results.

I then rocked yoga in the Titanium Crossfit gym and boy was it ever difficult. I was warm to the core from doing strength so I was sweating nicely throughout allowing me to find extra range of motion in my hip flexors. I pushed myself hard through the downward dog phases and I can see that my flexibility is really improving!

After the challenging yet rejuvinating yoga class I went and picked up an old high school friend for lunch. We chatted about his recent scores on his final exam to become a Dr. and he scored in the top 95%!!! Sick score and all his hard work over the last few years truly paid off. Super happy for him as he can now commit to planning his life the way he wants to. He also has committed to doing a 4 weeks stint volunteering in Haiti before he goes off to do his 42 weeks of residency. What an amazing experience that will be!

I went home, changed and then hit up the tanning salon at On the Darkside Tanning. They have been supporters of mine for a few years and they keep me in the sun even when the snow is falling! Great people there and I am pleased to visit them whenever I can.

I then returned to Crossfit and pumped out a workout called "Dirty Thirties" which consists of 10 exercises done in a row with 30 reps per. It looks intimidating but doing is is something else!!!!

30 Box Jumps

30 Pull Ups

30 Kettle Bell swings (55lbs)

30 Lunges

30 Knees to elbows

30 Push Press (65lbs)

30 Stiff legged Deadlifts (65lbs)

30 Wall Balls

30 Burpees

30 Double Unders

15 minutes and 40 seconds later I completed the workload and collapsed. Holy smokes, this one was lethal! Is it sick that I liked this workout?! I love going into a workout and knowing that I am competing against myself. I pushed hard and was a little more strategic with my execution but in the end I didn't rest longer than 5 breaths during the entire workout and I am quite pleased with my time!!! I am getting crazy fit!

I then rolled to the Vanier School gym where I was scheduled to train with their senior boys volleyball team who are preparing for the Island Championships. They are a strong team and worthy of Island gold so I brought a whole whack of energy to get them jacked.

Well, after 3 other workouts and being super warm from the dirty 30's I went in there and played really strong. Although I was playing against high school kids I was on fire with blocking and attacking and really added value to the session. I love getting into practices and challenging all players to be the best they can be and execute no matter the circumstance.

It was a great day and I am hyper excited about life and my mission. I LOVE MY LIFE!!!

Crossfit Day 14/15/16 with my first Muscle-Up!

2010-11-18T15:08:00.000-08:00

So I had my sore tummy and it didn't go away. Apparently I contracted a stomach virus and it hurt me throughout the weekend and during my workout on Monday. I just couldn't digest my food and I was burping up breakfast mid afternoon! Worst.

I did the workout anyways with the attitude of powering through it to get over it. well The workout was

15 burpees, 15 knees to elbows and 100 meter lunge walk with 100 pounds over head for three rounds. Bad news cause burpees alone make me want to throw up even when I don't have two meals sitting undigested at the top of my stomach!

After my first 15 burpees I yelled "Marc I am going to need a bucket!" and the rest of the workout was slower than I imagined due to the constant threat of losing my cookies. I got through it and felt faint after but I was pleased I trooped it out.

The next day I felt a lot better and I got into yoga for an hour. I then practiced with Vanier for a few hours and then ripped to Crossfit for an Olympic lifting technique session with a local coach with over 20 years of coaching experience.

We did a bunch of lifts and he critiqued us and then we moved into some exercises to improve our speed moving under the bar for overhead lifts. It wasn't very complicated and we didn't get into the heavy technical coaching because of time but I learnt a lot and next week I will offer even more great technical advice.

November 17th brought a nasty little workout of 5 power cleans, 5 push presses (both with 145 lbs) and then a 200 meter run for 5 rounds.

I found out that I have a strength in running in the last running WOD so this time I pushed myself a bit more and vowed not to rest a second. I did just that and completed the workout in 9:03 without stopping for a single breath. I was definitely pleased with that finish and all my lifts felt good even though I was pretty haggard.

I then played on the rings for a bit as I had set a goal of being able to do a muscle up before leaving for Toronto. I hadn't every tried and Marc told me I needed to be able to do a chest to the ball pull up and then a deep dip on the rings. Well I tried both and nailed them on the first tries so I then stepped right up to the rings and gave the Muscle up a shot.

I was nearly there for the first few and then it all came together on my 5th attempt! I am really excited about this movement because to me it really brings together athleticism, strength, balance and flexibility. Marc recorded the following video of me as I attempted my 5th successful rep. Check it out!

Dengue fever and tummy soreness

2010-11-14T14:46:00.000-08:00

November 11th, 12th and 13th were full of sickness. I guess I overreached with my training and pushed beyond the reserves my body had for recovery. All my muscles felt like there were full of concrete and my joints felt as is they had been injected with steel wool. I tried stretching it out but everything was just too painful and my range of motion was horrific. A rest day was needed for sure!

On the 12th my tummy acted up and I was doubled over in pain for the majority of the day. I went to the 4 WOD session but just stretched and did a few light overhead squats before I had to lay down. I don't know what it was but my muscles and joints felt better but I had a serious ache I had never experienced. I laid low yet again and indulged in the tv series "The Wire" which my father and I have taken a serious liking to. Another rest day.

On the 13th my tummy settled a bit so I tested out a workout. I did strength front squats and bench press and kept my rest time long so I didn't raise my heart rate too high. It felt ok and I was able to complete all the exercises and down a protein shake which I hadn't had the stomach to do for the last few days.

Front squat felt solid so I upped the weight by 10lbs so I was at 225. I did the same with my bench press and completed 3 sets of 5 reps for both exercises. I then did technical work on my kipping pull up and was pleased to make some progress. For those of you who don't know a kipping pull up check out this video

Freshies and Crossfit Day 13

2010-11-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

It was a pretty serious storm last night and that left one thought in mind, SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN! My local ski resort of Mt.Washington is an excellent hill and gets considerable snowfall come winter time. With snow stoke running through my veins and what turned out to be a crystal clear day I rocked up the mountain with my good friend Josie Boulding for a day hike and a chill at her cabin.

The sun was out and the snow as light and fluffy. What I didn't really look at as a workout turned out to be one as I broke trail through 60cm plus of fresh snow on a steep run. We hiked for what was about an hour and camped out at the top of the run for a bit of a picnic before we hit the first session. Josie's dog was out with us and Silva was just LOVING running through the deep powder. I wasn't as joyful as her but being outdoors in the first snowfall with my shirt off hiking in the sun certainly forced me to appreciate my life!

The first ride was nice but my bindings weren't in the best position. At the bottom of the hill we hiked back to her cabin for some eats, changed my binding stance and positioning an then hiked our trail again to hit a second ride.

The second hike was quicker and easier as the sun had softened the snow and packed it a bit. Once again it was hot enough to take off my shirt and I laughed as we took photos because I knew my friend were going to call me out for my usual topless antics!

The second run was even more of a peach and with my primo stance I was able to launch some nice airs and really make some hard turns in the fresh snow. Stoked on life and riding is all I have to say!

We packed up and went into town for sushi before I had to get my gear for Crossfit. I was pretty fatigued and my diet that day didn't support recovery but I went for the workout regardless because that is why I am home right now.

The workout was death. As many reps as possible in 20 minutes of 20 backward skips, 20 squats, 20 double under skips and then a 200 meter run for one single rep! I paced myself nicely but I got into a progressive zone where each run was a little more aggressive. I felt really really good and pushed myself harder than I have yet. I didn't rest once and didn't stop for longer than 3 seconds throughout the entire 20 minute workout period. I focused on finding a rhythm and pushing through each round with a steady breathing pattern.

I completed 8 rounds plus 20 backwards skips and 12 squats before time ran out. Fatigue is an understatement but I recovered and then completed my 40 knees to elbows for core.

After 3 pretty full on days I can honestly admit that I was maximally fatigued.

Crossfit Day 12

2010-11-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

Today is another triple day with Strength in the morning, yoga after and then a WOD to complete the day's festivities.

For squats I pumped out another improvement and completed 270 for 3 sets of 5. Once again my body has adapted and it seems like I am lifting the same weight of 245 when I started!

I then did push press and my flexibility had improved since the last time so I was able to support more weight on my shoulders than before. I completed my 3 sets of 5 reps at 140 with relative ease and could jump up by 10 no problems. I felt great!

Yoga was another stellar practice and this time it proved to be a little more difficult. I guess doing push press before yoga fatigued my shoulders so downward dog was PAINFUL! A great practice though and my hips loved me for the release.

I then practiced at Vanier with the boys for two hours and then moved in to my WOD at 5.

Today we did 5 rounds of the following; 9 deadlifts, 6 powercleans and 3 clean squats at 135lbs. Another workout that didn't seem all that tough but holy smokes, it was tough! I actually didn't feel comfortable with the clean squats because I don't quite have the flexibility in my wrists to perform the movement perfectly. Since the lift is overhead I really don't want to mess around with it so instead I completed 3 power cleans and then performed 3 wall handstand push ups. This increased the workload substantially and added time to the clock because I had to walk over to the wall and back again to the bar. I am only competing against myself so time is irrelevant and I still got a bomber workout out of it!

After that I worked on 1 arm kettle bell presses leaning back on a bench in bridge position. I used the 75 pound kettle bell and definitely had to work for it! I then completed the core exercise which was 40 knees to elbows on the pull up bar. This was a nice learning lesson because the Crossfit way of executing the movement is way more power based then my experience with just lifting your knees up. They perform it as if it is an ab plyometric movement where you stretch out completely with legs extending backwards and then swinging right up, however, this movement is done with your body at a backward angle rather than straight up. I improved my form a lot and am excited to use this movement when I get to brazil because of the bars they have all the way down the beach!

Crossfit Day 11 "a quickie"

2010-11-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

I had a complicated day with a lot of things to accomplish and then I conversed with a trusted friend in the volley community for a bit too long. Sadly I missed my WOD because I was training with the local high school boys team at 5 but I managed to squeeze in 3 rounds of 15 wall balls and 10 burpees for a 3 minute special. It was a great warm up and got me fired to play some indoor ball!!!

The local team at Vanier is ranked 3rd in the province for Senior boys and I am training with them a few times a week to keep my skills. It is a fun atmosphere and man do I miss crushing balls down the line! Beach has definitely increased my indoor control and I am 100% in favour of athletes training in the sand over summer to improve their indoor game. Many coaches disagree with it but I can say with utter confidence that the vision I have been forced to develop in the sand has opened my eyes for indoors as well. No doubt the sports can be used together to develop a well rounded all-star.

Crossfit Day 10

2010-11-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

The gym is closed today November 6th because Marc and a few of the guys have gone to compete in the Crossfit competition in Victoria. I wish I could go down to watch and support because I feel I am now a part of a team. Someday I will compete in Crossfit and wreck myself in public in silly hard workouts but that time isn't now!

I went to a local rec gym and prepared for my strength workout. I had done squats and deads at the beginning of the week but we went for them again because I was feeling good. I was feeling really solid and my Jack'd 3D shake had my blood flowing maximally; it was time to lift some heavies.

I pushed my squat up by 10 pounds rather than 5 because I felt great and successfully lifted 265 cleanly for 3 sets of 5 reps. I then went for some extra reps and moved 325 for 2 reps and then 365 for a single power rep but I didn't sacrifice form or depth. I managed to squat deeply and bring it right to the top cleanly; I was pumped! Some kids were working out there and I always caught them in the mirror looking at me while I was lifting over 6 plates a side. They came up to me after and said "You are a beast!" which is something I will never tire of hearing. My skinny man syndrome runs deep and I it will probably never subside because the guy I see in the mirror is never strong enough.

Deadlifts only moved up by 5 and I crushed the reps leading up to the final strength set. I was sweating pretty hard at this time so I asked the gym supervisor if she had any chalk tucked away. Turns out there was some baby powder so I coated my palms with that and went on lifting heavies smelling lovely! I moved my 5 set max to 240 and pumped the reps out clean. I am still increasing my max every strength day and I am showing no sings of stopping. I then bumped it down to 310 for 5 more reps for volume and used my last 5 available minutes a the gym to perform 40 abb roll outs on the little wheel.

A solid leisurely saturday in a tiny local gym.

Crossfit Day 9 - Jackie

2010-11-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today is another strength day consisting of squats and deadlifts with the added bonus of yoga (actually a surprise) and an afternoon WOD.

Squats I moved through the weight warm up and executed 3 sets of 5 reps at 255 pounds perfectly. I am really finding new strength in my deep squat and that power coming out the bottom is allowing me to finish each lift with authority. My deadlift is coming along nicely as well and I have no added a set to my maximum to add volume. I threw down 335 for 5 reps and then lightened the load to 305 to perform an extra 5 reps cleanly. I am lifting hard and I can't see myself plateauing anytime soon.

I was heading out after the workout but was then asked to join a yoga class afterwards. Marc and his wife were hosting a new yoga instructor so I thought I would test it out. They are looking to offer a few different classes a week and this class was their first of a power yoga series.

The instructor is a lovely woman named Katie who embodies her practice and has one of those voices that you just want to close your eyes and listen to. From her opening sentence I knew she was going to be a fabulous teacher and that was definitely the case. Her sequences challenged all my weaknesses (hips especially) and by the end of it I had a lot more range of motion and my midsection felt elongated and supple. It was a great yoga session and an no brainer in terms of adding it to my workout regime.

My afternoon WOD went by the name "Jackie" and it consisted of 1000 meter row followed by 50 thrusters with the bar and then 30 pull ups.

All of the workouts don't seem all that intimidating on paper but once you are mid workout, fatigue sets in and the reality of the workout humbles you.

The rowing wasn't that big of a deal but the thrusters hit me hard. Doing a front squat and then pressing into an overhead lift uses in my opinion 100% of your muscle mass which truly increases your oxygen requirements. I wanted to get through 5 sets of 10 for the 50 total but wound up doing sets of 5 and then 4 and then 3. I actually did about 25 strict shoulder press reps with the bar before one of the other athletes yelled at me that I wasn't doing the right movement! Oops, I lost about a minute and fatigued my shoulders; I guess I won't make that mistake again!

The 30 pulls ups were difficult as I am not great at body weight exercises. I broke them down into sets of 5 but once I hit 15 I was limited to 3 and then 2 and then single reps to finish the workout. I am pretty sure I finished in just over 9 minutes but I didn't write my score down so I might be wrong. Regardless of time I did my best to complete it as fast as possible so that is all that matters. I am pushing myself hard and I am not comparing myself to anybody else. It is me vs me and I am going to win!

Cross Fit day 8

2010-11-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

With my body adapting nicely to the workload of the Crossfit WODs, I am far less sore the following day than I anticipate! A lovely gift seeing as I am working extremely hard!

Today's WOD consisted solely of rowing sprints. Our task was to sprint 500 meters on the rowing machine 4 times with 5 minutes rest in between sets. This workout didn't seem that hard until midway through when I realized I have never done sprints on a rowing erg!

My times were 1:31, 1:36, 1:38 and 1:37 and that laid me on the floor afterwords. I left a little in the tank because I didn't know how hard I would have to dig late in the sets but I definitely pushed myself hard and did my best to power through.

The diversity of the Crossfit workouts continue to perk my interest and I find myself coming into the gym with an attitude of wanting to win my workout! Never before have I had the opportunity to see each workout as a change to engage in a battle of will against myself. I am getting fierce and my ability to push through adversity and pain is certainly advancing. Many thresh holds are extending and I know they will serve me well as I compete on the beach volleyball world tour.

Cross Fit day 7

2010-11-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

After a solid weekend in Victoria visiting with friends, partying to amazing electro beats and running some marketing ideas by Bill Sood at Spank It sports on the Monday, I returned home fairly exhausted and took the night off.

I stepped into my strength regime on Tuesday morning and got into some front squats, bench presses and power cleans. I squatted 215 lbs comfortably for 5 reps in 3 sets after a thorough warm up and moved into bench. I then pressed 215 for the same amount of reps and sets and felt strong throughout. Power cleans were a beauty and now that I am up to some pretty heavy weight I am quite careful considering it is a very technical lift. I made sure the reps that counted were well executed and told myself I wouldn't push this lift beyond my comfort zone. I did my warmup sequence and got up to 225 for 5 sets of 3 reps. I took my time and rested well between sets to maximize my form and I came out of the workout with nearly a 100% execution rate. I drank my recovery shake and headed home to recover as the afternoon workout promised to be exhaustive.

The WOD for November 2nd was as follows.

1 full round/rep consisted of 3 power cleans followed by 3 sets of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats. We were to perform as many reps as possible in 20 minutes!

I LOVE that I have had to change my perception of rest as the Crossfit mentality involves finding a rhythm in each movement and performing straight through the time given. When I began I would go hard then rest and then go hard again but I have changed my mentality and goals towards working through fatigue and only taking two breath breaks as rest. I am finding out that I can push through more than I think with less reps than I imagined necessary.

I was able to perform 4 rounds with an extra 3 cleans and 5 pull ups and man was I FINISHED after! A lovely workout medley of bodyweight exercises mixed in with some power lifting. Good one today!

Chris Lake meets Wolverine

2010-11-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

After my workout and photo shoot I hopped into my truck and rocked my way south to Victoria. I made better time than I thought and by 6 I was unpacking my gear at Rob's place downtown Vic. As it turns out, the ride Rob had lined up to pick up Chris Lake from the airport bailed so showed in perfect timing! We rolled immediately with Rob's new business partner Christine and arrived a few minutes after he landed. We dropped Chris off at his hotel to check in and once he had done so we capitalized on our reservation at Victoria's prime sushi spot. We had a fabulous meal and I had some sushi treats I had never had before! Amazing meal all round with fabulous company!

After our gourmet feast Chris went for a snooze at his hotel and went back to Rob's to chill for a bit before this monumental evening.

Rob's roomate and good friend goes by the name Joe Girard. He is one of those guys you just want to hang out with because whatever he says is absolutely hilarious and whatever he does is always fun. He was dressing up as "Girls Gone Wild" and he had prepared a video camera with a flashlight on top and had even bought a microphone which he planned to interview people with. His counterpart Mike "Soulfix" (who would open for Chris Lake later that night) we are solid mix and promised to be a hit at the party. We tossed a football around in the dark for a bit and then cruised up to Campus before things got too hectic. We got in the back door, got our all access passes and I immediately went to the DJ booth where friend Ryan Hrechka was shredding the decks early.

The greenroom was full of costumed up party goers and we all had a blast while hanging to the backbeat of great music. There were over 500 people grooving to the tunes and the anticipation rose the closer we got to Chris' set. My cousin Caitlin was showed so we danced it up on the stage and all over! I love just rocking out to great music and rock out I did. I was all over the place and Rob had to tell me a million times to get off the stage! We partied until 3AM and then went to Rob and Joe's place to after party.

The after party consisted of only a few people but Ryan "RAFH" Hrenchka brought his decks and he spun INCREDIBLE music along with Rob and another random guy until 7am. I was exhausted but I laid on the bed in the party room moving my feet cause I couldn't leave!!! Finally went downstairs to the living room and took a good 2 hour sleep before I had to wake up at 10 to take Chris for brekke.

Here is my buddy Roxy and I after snuggling all night. Lovely to have her poach some of my warmth.

Now off to breakfast!!!

Cross fit day 6 Wolverine edition

2010-11-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

I have been growing my beard out for quite sometime and it all came down to today! I had been planning to dress up as Wolverine for Halloween for about a month and I came to Titatnium Crossfit this morning in full gear with my homemade claws, dog tags, wife beater, dark skinnies and a pair of chops that would make a burly pig jealous.

The workout was strength based and I had squats, push presses and deadlifts on the agenda.

I started with the classic warm up of double unders and a few squats, pull ups, sit ups and spiderman lunges and got right into the workout.

My squats were feeling solid and I pushed out a progression series and a final 3 set sequence of 5 reps at 250 lbs. They actually felt easy which I can attest to getting used to the deeper squatting range Crossfit encourages.

Me working out in full Wolverine costume!

Push press is difficult for me because of my long arms and limited wrist flexibility at this time. Each day gets a tiny bit better but I am nowhere near comfortable when I am resting the bar on my shoulders while gripping it. I did my progression series and got up to 140 lbs at 3 sets of 5 reps. I completed the lifts with relative ease, however, the pain in my arms and my inability to grip the bar throughout the whole lift will hold me back until I can get it sorted.

Now for my strength of deadlifting. This is one of my favourite lifts and I was feeling AMAZING at this point in time of my workout. The progression series felt light and and I completed my final set of 5 reps at 325 with ease. I then decided I wanted to push it and Jesse (wicked crossfitter) and Marc (owner and head trainer of Titanium Crossfit) were both hitting some big weights next to me so the energy was elevating us all. I threw on 355 for 1 and nailed it, then 395, then 405 then 435 and didn't max out! We decided to leave it at that as I had done quite a bit of work for the day and needed to get on the road to hit up a photo shoot with friend Josie Boulding.

I was crazy stoked on the day and really look forward to establishing my one rep max on deadlift but I have a feeling it will be about 455 or 460!

I took off and met Josie in a choice forest and we snagged a few photos of me in my costume. Here is my fave!

I then ripped home, burnt some road trip CD's and then hit the road because I had a massive event to go to in Victoria where great friend Rob Berkowitz was putting on a Halloween party at Uvic with world renowned DJ Chris Lake.

Let the good times begin, especially after such a great morning!!!

Crossfit day 5 - WOD

2010-10-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

After finding out my maximal lifts the day before I thought I would be a bit more stiff the following morning. I guess the addition of protein shakes directly post workout are allowing my muscles to recover quicker. Gotta love smart nutrition!

Today was a workout that consisted of double under skips which is a new movement to me and one I have been fearing to enter a workout! The workout went like this

30 Double Unders
30 Pull Ups
30 Double Unders
45 Push Ups
30 Double Unders
60 Sit Ups
30 Double Unders
75 Squats (body weight)

It didn't look like a crazy one but if there is something I have learnt it is that WOD's are deceiving.

Going into this workout my double under record in a row was 15. Not very promising considering I had to get through 120 reps and I usually completed 2 or 3 in a row before I duffed.

We got going and I aspired for 6 sets of 5 double under reps to get through the 30. I made it through easier than I thought and then aspired to get 6 sets of 5 kipping pull ups. I got two sets of 5 before my form broke down and had to shift to sets of 3, then 2, then 1. Once again my muscles haven't allowed me to get enough reps in a row to gas out but I certainly got shaky!

The double unders got a little easier the more I fatigued as my form stiffened and I was forced to be more efficient. Push ups started with sets of 10 but turned into sets of 4, 2 and then my last 3 were singles. Heaving is a word that comes to mind at this point but and I was halfway throught; good times!

Another 30 double unders and I passed to sit ups. I am good at them but my speed isn't there. I completed 30, 20, 10 with breaks of 5 seconds in between and it felt more like a rest than an exercise. I was taxed but I had somehow recovered some air during the sit ups. I came into this last set of double unders wanting to shred and shred I did. Out of nowhere I hit 30 in a row!!!! Amazing! I hit 20 and couldn't believe it but went with it! I found my rhythm and performed the 30 double unders flawlessly! Off to my strength; squats.

I pumped out 25, 15, then committed to finishing the last 35 straight. I finished with a time of 12:53.

It was a great workout and my entire body was pretty evenly spent. I loved the athleticism and endurance required to do the body weight exercises and I look forward to getting fitter, stronger, faster and more aggressive in my Crossfit performance.

Crossfit Day 4 - Strength

2010-10-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's workout destroyed me at the time but I recovered enough to play ball that night and not be all that sore the next morning!

Today's lineup involved some heavy lifting as I was scheduled to find out my maximal weights in the front squat, bench press and power cleans. I was really excited about this because I haven't done much in the way of front squatting or power cleaning and I was really keen to discover my 5 rep maximums.

I did the warmup on the board and then dove into the front squat. My wrists aren't very flexible so the movement ins't comfortable but the lighter weights weren't bad in my 5 rep sets. Once I got above 185lbs I had to put on wrist braces to support this vulnerable position but my legs didn't fail me. I lifted comfortably until 225lbs and then my wrists gave out after the second rep so I had to settle for a maximum of 215.

The bench press by no means my strength but it is a movement I am comfortable with. I hadn't done any bench pressing for the past 6 months so I was interested to know what my count would be. The warm up sets went quickly and before I knew it I was lifting 195lbs firmly for 5. I got up to 215lbs and decided that was my 5 rep max as the last rep was a struggle. I was pleased with that because my chest feels small and weak but I guess I had a little more in the tank than I thought!

Power cleans were going to be a surprise because I have never pushed myself in that specific lift. I have had some training but all in all it has not been a staple in my training program until this last pre-season but even then we weren't pushed much. My warm ups were clean lifts and Mark our trainer was pleased with my form. I moved up in 10lbs increments and before I knew it was above what I thought I could do with no form for a 3 rep maximum. The 10lbs kept on pilling on and the heavier I got the better the lifts felt! I finally hit 225 and completed the 3 reps perfectly; AMAZING! I was cleaning more than I could front squat! I didn't see that one coming but I guess having deadlift as my strongest movement really helps with my clean.

I was one happy camper. Power cleans are something I want to get REALLY good at and in one session my confidence and skill soared. I can't wait to push this lift and get into the 300's! I did 30 roll outs in 5 quick sets of 6 and then guzzled my protein shake. It was a great workout at Titanium Crossfit in Courtenay and I thank Mark for being such a caring and attentive trainer.

I am going to sleep well tonight so I can attack the WOD tomorrow!

Crossfit Day 3

2010-10-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of rest and epsom salt baths and stretching I recovered and blasted into my Monday Crossfit commitment. I returned to a workout named "Fight Gone Bad" and boy did it feel just like that.

Fight Gone Bad consists of 5 exercises you perform in a row for a minute with no rest between. Once one full circuit is completed then you are given 1 minute rest and then you perform the 5 exercises in a row for a second and then a third set. Here are the exercises in no particular order-

Wall Ball
Sumo Deadlift High Pull (75lbs)
Box Jumps
Push Press (75lbs)
Rowing (calorie count after a minute)

Well being new to Crossfit helped me because I didn't really think of how bad this workout was going to be! It was heavy, very heavy and I set a goal to complete 20 reps in each exercise for all rounds. I started on wall ball which is my strength and before I knew it I hammered out 35 in the first minute. That one hit me hard but I pulled through 20 in each of the other 4 exercises to complete the first circuit. After 5 minutes I was keeled over and breathing crazy heavy; two more to go.

I paced myself a little bit better but still went harder on wall ball because squats are my strength. Hurt, deep breaths and coughing on my saliva are fond memories I have of this workout and after pushing myself over 20 reps a couple times in a few exercises I collapsed at a total of 333.

This is a score I am quite proud of considering I have nothing to compare it to. Mark our trainer had to come over and tell me to pace myself a bit cause I destroyed myself so badly last week so I do believe I could have hammered out a few more reps in each exercise. A positive workout indeed and I then went and played 2 hours of volleyball with a local high school team! I was surprised I didn't cramp or collapse in the volley session; I guess I am adapting a bit to Crossfit!!!

Tomorrow is strength. Bring on the heavies

Day 2 of Crossfit

2010-10-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

I am pooched.

My muscles hasn't been this sore since I was training full time in Brazil about a year and a half ago but that isn't stopping me. I woke up and had to use a few different objects to get to my feet. My quads were completely spent and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to perform my strength workout. I wasn't about to bow out after my first session and I knew it was important for me to push through, so I did.

Mark and I planned on doing strength in the morning and taking the afternoon off. I got to the strength workout at 10:30 and I did a thorough 5 minutes on the rowing erg to break a healthy sweat. I was warm and my legs felt a more viscous jello than the night before. Heavy lifting time!

We worked through 5 rep progressions in squats, overhead presses and deadlifts. Each one started with the bar only and then we packed on plates until I found a challenging weight were 5 reps didn't come easily. From there we determined how my strength progression will go as each time I do strength I will have to lift that weight with 3 sets of 5 reps successfully to add 5 pounds onto the bar in the next one. It sounds like a fantastic way to increase weight slowly and I know this challenge is going to push me further than I have ever gone before in both strength and power.

With strength over and done with I went home and ate as much carbs and protein as possible. Cooking up 2 massive chicken breasts and a bucket of quinoa I feasted then went to my mother's school to teach the grade 6 and 7's in a volleyball clinic. They are progressing to the point where they are consistently getting 3 hits a side and I am very pleased with how much they have improved. Such an amazing gift seeing them rejoice after a good hit or serve!!!

The afternoon workout at 5 was a spontaneous one. I thought I would go and check it out but that plan crumbled the second I walked in the door as upon seeing the weights, bars and Medballs I knew I wanted everything to do with today's WOD. I applied heaps of KINeSYS sport stick to my quads as they weren't feeling spectacular then hit up the warm up of double under skips, burpees, quats and a shoulder mobility exercise. Once lubricated and mentally prepared to get after Crossfit again, I commenced the workout with the other two people in the gym.

The WOD consisted of two exercises performed in a diminishing sequence of reps. We started with 55 pound Kettlebell swings and then turned to a wall where we did 10 foot wall throws with a deep squat. The sequence of reps went 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 which doesn't look all that bad but it definitely hit me hard!!!

I powered through the first 21 reps in both exercises and it felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I ripped off 9 Kettlebell swings before I had to take a rest due to my right shoulder getting super sore and my cardio just not being strong enough to recuperate. I wound up having to take breaks in all the double digit sets because of my shoulder and inability to work through the fatigue but I went hard on 9-6-3 to finish at 9 minutes and 6 seconds. A burly firefighter guy by the name of John crushed it off in 6 minutes with no rest; I am jealous and humbled by the die hard Crossfit community!

I hung around after the workout to do some volley reps while I was super fatigued and boy was it difficult to get 20 rapid bumps in a row against a wall! I did 100 bumps and 100 sets and called it a day; tomorrow will be hell but my body will adapt.

Whatever I am doing, somewhere else in the world someone is working harder than me. I will strive forward; I am as strong as my drive.

Crossfit = Pain in the best way imaginable

2010-10-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well my life has finally allowed me to enter a world of pain I have been itching to dive into for a while. I am back home in the Comox Valley and everything is finally in order for me to explore Crossfit at local Titanium Crossfit! I had a beauty meeting with the owner named Mark Mazzocchi and he layed out all the basics. It is a perfect fit at this point in time in my career/season and it will definitely take me to the next level and beyond in terms of fitness and mental strength. GAME ON!!!

So I showed up today expecting to get my butt handed to me; it happened. We did the warm up and were introduced to the WOD (work out of the day). It was a 4 exercise Tabata workout which is a series performed under the following protocol. You exercise for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and repeat that sequence 8 times. 10 seconds of rest before you move onto the next exercise. One word, BRUTAL!!!!

The four exercises to be performed in sequence went from Pull ups to Push Ups to Sit ups to Squats (body weight). All reps performed in the 8 sets were added up to make a total for each exercise and then your exercise total was added to give you your final workout rep count.

Well the first 3 exercises weren't too bad because I don't possess the muscle mass to really work beyond my cardio system. My muscles gave out before my respiratory system was hyper taxed so I just had to deal with giving out and fully trembling muscles. After the second rep in Pull Ups and Push Ups I aspired to get 2 and eventually 1 successful rep in a row. It got to the point where 1 rep was a struggle; the burn was intense and I risked falling on my face while pushing up. It was fun.

The sit ups weren't all that bad because once again I wasn't able to really explode through them to get enough reps. I definitely fatigued but because my upper body weights more than my legs I struggled to get through a lot of reps in each 20 second split. I was tired and huffing but the pain was manageable.

Last came the squats; these were the kicker. Since I am a large human being the medicine ball placed under my bum to check proper depth had to be elevated! We placed a thick plate under it and I was then ready to get heavy. I knew this was the exercise I could really push my total on and I committed to going harder than I ever have gone before.

My goal was to perform 20 squat reps per 20 second split. I hit that on my first few attempts but then my pace declined as the INSANE burn beat me down. I resisted and persisted and those 8 sets of squats were worse than the other three exercises combined. I managed to push to 123 reps and for the next 10 minutes I was queezy and my legs shook like a 10.0 on the richter scale. Driving home wasn't safe at this point.

I tried doing some roll outs but my body wouldn't allow me to perform anything other than breathing and stumbling to my car! That was it for the day and I wasn't about to rebel against my body!

All in all my first Crossfit work out went like so

If you can spot my name, I scored 314 repetitions in a 16 minute maximal workout. Lets just say I am going to be sore tomorrow but guess what? I am doing a strength workout at 10:30 to get a baseline understanding of my 5 rep maxes in the Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

I was warned Crossfit is addictive and I must say that after a single beating, I am in. I will become the best athlete I have ever been should I continue, although, I will monitor my body as Crossfit is hyper taxing. I will write a blog on each of my workouts so keep checking back for more stories of me getting destroyed by one of the most effective workout regimes available. It is a cult and I plan on getting my hands very dirty.

Keep pushing. Martin

Skinnies in Sweden

2010-10-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

After our match we hung out a bit longer in Finland. There were a few good evening dinners and one rockin dance party in the Casino that was FANTASTIC! The DJ's were called "Two Big DJ's"and they played some amazing music that really got our crew jumping, I think I danced for 3 hours straight!

We then returned to the mainland with a few Canadians and the Kiwi team. The Kiwi team consists of Kirk and Jason who are the players and this year they brought a younger guy on tour who was a riot. His name is Mike but he was given the nickname "Slash" because he was a coach slash trainer slash physio slash party boy! A funny character who complimented Jason and Kirk perfectly.

Kacie napping in the cruise station

We all took the ferry back and planned to stay two nights in Sweden. The voyage was full of fun card games, candy and silliness. We were a super fun group and our madness didn't end when we got off the boat. We got to the our hotel, had a quick nap and then prepared for an evening of mayhem downtown Stockholm.

Chaim rolling up his J-orts!

Our pre-beverage party happened in the Kiwi's room and we played loads of their games. They has some hilariously interactive ways to drink socially and we struggled to move downtown because we were having so much fun! With the arrival of the taxi we were forced to move the festivities to an official establishment and one of the Swedish players lined up a nice dance place to start the evening. We got there and it was dead but the DJ was HAPPENING! We all were alone on the dance floor but it didn't matter cause we were jamming. Good tunes, hilarious dancing and the lighting was a trip. After some athletic shaking we decided to move the gang along to another location where we wound up waiting in line for 30 minutes. I tried bargaining with the head bouncer saying we were pro athletes and what not but the place was so packed they couldn't do anything for us.

With no luck there and dwindling patience we cruised along the streets looking for another party. We wound up not being allowed into one of the other recommended locations so we hopped next door cause we heard some good music. Slash wound up chatting the bouncer and said "The other place wouldn't let us in cause they are gay." and much to our surprise the place we were trying to get into was a gay club! HAHAHAH!!! He swallowed his words and wound up stuttering for a bit but we moved on before any harm came of it!

By 2 we hadn't entered any place and we were tuckered from starting around 8. We decided to head back and get a good nights rest. Fun times roaming the streets with the Kiwis!
The following day a few of us went downtown to shop. The style and store selection in Stockholm is unreal and we feasted on the incredible fashion. Chaim wound up buying some skinnies (I chickened out) but I purchased a few beauty v-necks to bring back some euro style to Canada. We caught a movie, chilled for another day and returned to Canada on Tuesday for the National Championships.

Rolled up Skinnies

Perfect fit

Chaim's new flexibility in his stretchy skinnies

A fun time in Scandinavia for sure and regardless of the insane cost of living in Stockholm, I will return.

Aland FIVB Open

2010-10-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

We had a few days to rest then prepare for our qualification in Mariehamn, Finland. The weather was off and on but considering how far north we were it wasn't bad! We were the first teams to train on a few of the courts and the sand was light and fluffy to the point where it felt like we could only jump 6 inches! We managed to get a few good sessions in and we felt prepared for the qualification tournament.

One of the things I look forward to in Finland is the food. There are a few restaurants that serve exquisite meals for only 8 euros! I feasted to say the least and I hadn't been this healthy on the road for quite sometime. It can be difficult to get good inexpensive food while traveling but in Aland it isn't the case.

After the qualification meeting we pondered our draw. We first drew a Suisse team (not the one we traveled with) and the winner of that match was scheduled to play the second ranked team in the qualification from China. We were VERY pleased with this pathway to the main draw and even though our ranking didn't point to us winning, we knew this was our tournament. We went to sleep that night with a hope and excitement for the next following day as it was our last chance to qualify for a main draw in 2010.

We awoke to the worst weather of the week. There was a pretty solid wind coming off the water and the rain was falling at a slant in large droplets. We ate our breakfast with that keen gleam in our eyes, focused on the two essential wins for the day. We warmed up in the basement of the Casino and marched to our court to play the Suisse when our names were called.

The balls were heavy and were being blown in a way that favoured the right side. Since I was on the left I was being targeted and I handled my sideout throughout the match. I was able to make a few points on both my spin and float serves and our transition game made enough points for us to lead comfortably throughout the match. We executed and converted points; we won with authority.

We warmed, showered and rested a bit after our match as the rain and wind forced a more thorough recovery. We downed some lunch and prepared mentally for the Chinese team and our eminent qualification. After speaking with a few teams about strategies, we decided to go after the big right side. We match up well against hitters and with the ball being heavier, his skills and power were surely to decrease.

We went strong at the taller of the two and experienced some success like we had planned. I was serving tough with the wind and it appeared the Chinese had no interest playing in poor weather. There were some great rallies and both teams battled hard for points but we came out golden in the end. 2 sets to 0 later and an excitement we hadn't felt as a team. The finals points were a bit nerve racking but we held our composure and earned our qualification!

BOOM!!! With rain pouring down and a cold wind in our faces we celebrated on our court and then headed over to cheer on Ben and Steve as they were finishing their qualification match. Sadly we weren't able to change their fate as they lost in 3 sets but we had our own personal victory to celebrate. On to our first team main draw meeting!!!

Travelling to Aland, Finland

2010-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

To reach Aland, Finland we had to fly to Stockholm, Sweden and then take a ferry across the Swedish border to the the small town of Mariehamn, Finland. This venture didn't seem all that complicated on paper, however, the rush of summer travellers put an interesting twist in our plans.

We flew out of Kristiansand early Saturday morning and wound up taking the voyage with Gabethuler/Schneider who are friends from Switzerland. We flew to Copenhagen and had a long layover there. We then took off to Stockholm and hopped on the cheap and convenient train to downtown. We hadn't made any reservations for the evening because we didn't know wether we would take an evening boat or one the following morning.

Once downtown we decided to stay the night in Stockholm but after contacting 16 hotels we realized there wasn't a room available anywhere in the city! Left with pretty much no options, I scrambled to locate some form of boat ride to Finland. I wound up finding a bedding solution but it involved an extra 12 hours on a boat in a cozy little room.

We made the ferry in perfect timing and then rolled immediately to our tiny bunk. There were 4 beds in a puny room on the bottom floor at the head of the ship. We took a little rest, feet hanging off the ends of the beds and then headed up for a dinner of Swedish meat balls and mashed potatoes. We then chilled on the deck and caught a lovely sunset as we pondered the landscape and likeness of the Swedish/Finnish islands to that of Vancouver Island and the Georgia Straight. Once darkness had fallen we roamed the boat looking for amusement and then watched some HILARIOUS traditional Finnish women sing kareoke in vintage costumes.

Our passage to Mariehamn should have been a direct 6 hour voyage from Stockholm. We wound up taking a long overnight trip from Stockholm to Turku and then from Turku to Mariehamn the following morning. It was actually a fantastic deal because for 70 euros we got 12 hours of amazing sleep and traveled passively at the same time! It was perfect.

It was a potentially troublesome trip due to the lack of available lodging in Stockholm, however, we were able to find an alternate option that worked out even better and gave us some time to get to further acquaint ourselves with some other guys on tour.

We then headed to our hostel and began mentally preparing for our last FIVB competition of the year. us!

Scandinavia

2010-10-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

To start, here is a photo of Chaim's afro. Just take a second to appreciate this amazing hair do!

From the COG I went to Toronto for a week in preparation for our trip to Kristiansand, Norway for and FIVB Open. We left Toronto on Saturday and arrived with plenty of time on Sunday for a nap and a good heart sleep that night!

Scandinavia is expensive. I am sure you already new that but in all honesty it is the most expensive place on earth. Chaim and I stayed in the Qualification hotel which was supposed to be a deal and we wound up spending just over $100 each PER NIGHT!!! Unfortunately there is no way around it (the cheapest place was $120 a night and it was no better than a dumpster) so we maximized our food intake at breakfast! We made sure we went to breakfast as early as possible, ate as much as we could and then returned to bed for a quick digestion. We then would train and return to the hotel for the last few minutes of breakfast where we would eat again and then pack a few big sandwiches for lunch! All in all it was a fabulous program and it must have saved us close to $40 a day!

The tiny little city of Kristiansand is a delight and is situated right on the southern most tip of Norway. It is a gorgeous place with a tiny city centre that makes more noise at night than you could imagine for a town its size. We wound up getting caught in a beer garden one night and it was epic! The adults were having a BLAST dancing on tables and doing summersaults while a below average cover band rocked out their unfortunate renditions of famous international tunes. It was an enjoyable evening and truly exposed the Norwegians as fun outgoing people, after they have had a few!

It is a surprise the tournament is held there but with exponential oil money and a small population of people who love beach volley anything can happen. I swear every citizen volunteers for the event and security is air tight in a place with no hooligans or crime. The tournament site is lovely and takes place right on a harbour with plenty of swimming entries looking south to Denmark.

We were in the qualification tournament and ranked high enough that our match up was bound to be a top seed in the qualifier. Sure enough we drew Benjamin/Bruno of Brazil as our entry round but had to get through Greece to even think about Brazil. No matter the challenge we knew we had to play great ball to make it to the main draw so we sucked it up and thought one match at a time.

We faced Greece on centre court at 10 AM under a surprisingly powerful scandinavian sun. We connected on all fronts and with an effective serving and defensive plan and the ability to hold our sideout, we took the match in 2. There was a little scare in the second set when we lost 3 points in a row when we were leading 19-15 but we pulled it out when we push came to shove. Off to meed the Brazilians.

Benjamin and Bruno had just come off a few solid finishes at Grand Slams but were the 4th ranked Brazilian team in the world. Event though their point ranking was top 16, since there were already 3 brazilians in the main draw, they had to play country quota on Tuesday vs 2 lower ranked Brazilian team to earn the right to play in the qualifier and then possible the main draw! This is the way it goes for Brazil and we knew deep down after watching them the day before that this was our time to beat them.

The game happened on a side court but some dedicated Canadian fan's working in the oil industry in Norway were there with their flags and clappers! We started the match off quick and took a 12-9 lead. We kept that lead until 19-17 where we proceeded to let the other team back in the game and win 22-20. I don't know how to describe it other than when you are beating a team that is better than you on paper, you over think it. You think you have to change something when continuing what you were doing to get you there would suffice! Either way we lost too many points in a row and let the game slip out of reach. We played unreal until 19-17 and then didn't close, largely due to the fact that Bruno played amazing defence. The second set was strong until mid way through when they pulled ahead. We stopped earning points and they pulled ahead for a strong finish.

A frustrating match where we had control and momentum but we just weren't able to seal the deal. A learning experience for sure and it was hard not being really disappointed in losing to a higher ranked team. Sometimes you just know in your heart that it was possible to win (even against great odds) and this was one of those times.

We then chilled in the nice weather and hung out with the abundance of Canadian athletes who were there competing. We cheered on Marie and Annie as they pushed to a 9th place result! So much fun and I really enjoyed being a tiny part of their success!

Now off to Finland for the Otera FIVB Open in Aland.

Center of Gravity Games part 2

2010-10-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Part 2

The draw for the Center of Gravity Games was a little smaller than the Corona as there were only 24 teams competing in the big dance. The qualification tournament was held on Friday and those guys were only competing for 4 spots. There some good games and a few teams who were going to cause some issues for teams directly in the main draw! It was great to see there was so much competition to get into the even as 2010 marked the deepest year I have ever seen in Vancouver.

We got our draw at the player’s meeting Friday at Flashback’s club. Usually the meeting turns into a party after but I wanted to focus on going 3-0 the following day so I left immediately.

Here is how our draw turned out.

Bye first round and then we faced Holt/Laidlaw. It was a fun game against them but when two full time beach athletes cross against a brewery manager and a pilsner rep it has a fairly predictable outcome! They played hard but we were able to win fairly handily,

Next up were our road trip partners Schachter/Wheelan. Two younger guys from Toronto who came out west for a piece of the cash and this match was going to be solid. We wound up losing in 2 in a pretty close game but we just weren’t on. We struggle to make points, rip serves and most importantly connect on sideout. We lost early and had to deal with going the long way in the contenders bracket.

Next up was the team of Saxton/Marshall who had just lost a heavy match to Josh and Matt in 3 sets. This was a pretty difficult match up considering how early it was in the tournament and these guys could have pushed for a top 3 finish for sure. They were tired from their 3 setter and Chaim and I clicked the way we hadn’t in the previous match. We served tough and made excellent points while holding our sideout. We had a convincing win and were able to really push the pace of the match to tire them out. It was a great match by us and we battle any attempt they had to take the W.

To end the day we played King/Muse. Both supremely talented athletes who were boss indoors players. King is a big boy and Muse has the ball control of a season beach player. We were losing in the first set and wound up coming back to win and the second set we took the lead early and maintained. This was our 4^th match of the day and we were tired enough to no execute if we didn’t pay full attention. Motivated to get into the quarter finals the next day we did what we had to do and closed it out in 2.

The following morning we faced Whiskar/Lebourdais in a pretty classic matchup. We had met them the weekend prior in the finals of the Vancouver Cliver and came out on top. I have had success blocking vs this team and the final morning of the COG was no different. Chaim and I took care of business and won in 2 with one of our top sideout games. We were able to diffuse any pressure they put on us and also make frequent points. This win was convincing and we knew we would be able to draw confidence and strength from it during out semi final game.

The semis were a rematch from earlier in the tournament. We faced Schachter/Wheelan again but this time we weren’t going to let them make points so easily. I can’t remember if it was the first or second set but I know it went to 30-28. In front of a packed beach crowd and with the sound system and announcing blaring we took it in 2. The overtime set was highly entertaining and both teams pushed hard and battled to the death. We had something to prove and took care of business like we hadn’t the morning before. With that win we moved onto the finals.

This was a repeat of our two qualifying games on the FIVB overseas and from the semi-final in the Vancouver open two weeks prior. As I am sure you guessed we matched up against Binstock/Zbyzweski!

Minutes before the finals a massive wind storm came off lake Okanagan and blew the beach HARD! It was pretty dramatic but the show went on regardless. The wind truly changed things considering both our teams are offense driven and like to hit the ball. Wind forces a more finesse oriented game so both sides did their best to adapt to the unique circumstance. It turns out my serving was on and I was making large aces from the bad side! Teams were making 5-2 runs on the good side facing the wind and the swing wound up in their favor both times deep in the match. There were plenty of opportunities to make points but they wound up winning 22-20, 21-19 in a solid match.

We earned a little bit of cash and were able to party it up a bit in the VIP section of Steve Aoki as he threw down a MASSIVE set in front of what felt like 4000 people! We had a blast and I really enjoyed the diversity of the event as it attracted a variety of sporting and lifestyle interests.

All in all it was a great time! Definitely check out the COG next summer cause it was a blast.

Center of Gravity Games part 1

2010-10-13T10:20:00.001-07:00

Center of Gravity Games

With August just around the corner and two more months of playing around the world, I needed to head back to the island to pack a few things. I went back with my pops and spent one last night in my bed before committing to the last part of the season.

With one full suitcase and an outrageous excitement to play in the Centre of Gravity Games in Kelowna, I picked up Chaim, Sam and Cam and we started our five hour roady to the Okanagan.

Cam and Sam are from Toronto and had never experienced the drive through BC. I desired to take them from Hope to Princeton on a more scenic route but with a press lunch planned, we didn’t have time to spare drifting off the #1 Trans Canada Highway. We all fit comfortably into the Tacoma and it was a beauty sharing time with the young gents.

We arrived in Kelowna and went right for the sand. Our event venue happens to be in the middle of town right at the main city park on lake Okanagan. It is an absolutely gorgeous place and the venue itself couldn’t be rivaled in Canada. The sun was out, it was 30 plus degrees and the site looked to be lining up perfectly.

The Centre of Gravity games started as Volley Fest three years ago and then expanded into a sort of mini Gravity Games with a large recreation grass volleyball event. It boasted a massive motorbike jump contest, a huge freestyle mountain bike big air comp, a wakeboard rail airing from the water into a man made pool on the beach, a jetski world tour boat race, 4 on 4 street basketball and a serious lineup of concerts to compliment the best beach volley in the west. The beer garden was huge and the VIP Cabana tents were all placed nicely around the feature courts. It appeared the event was going to be MASSIVE and us guys were super amped to be featured and show our athleticism and showmanship for the impressionable summer crowd.

I have a few good friends in Kelowna, one of whom had just opened a new bar in one of the slick hotels downtown. I had originally hired Dave Simpson to flare bartend my event and we kept in contact ever since. He is a solid guy and I was really excited to hang out with him and enjoy his new enterprise in the city! Also, he offered me a bed at his current abode and the location, view and quality was off the charts!

The entire event was coming together seamlessly and for Chaim and I personally, we were feeling healthy and yearning to step onto the court and compete for our first Gold of the summer!

West Coast Surfing

2010-10-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

Check out this amazing surfing video by friend Restless Josie! Such a cool documentation of west coast beauty and the cool people who have found their reasons to stay!

Saturday Cliver

2010-09-25T23:24:00.001-07:00

After an amazing week of yoga, massages, swims in Deep Cove and family evenings, Chaim and I entered a single day tournament called a Cliver which runs in conjunction with the Kits Beach Volleyball Association.

My mother and sister were traveling in France so my father ventured over solo to watch us battle in a long day of beach volley. 35 teams showerd for the Saturday marathon and by 9 we were organized into pools and we had our path to the finals laid out. To warm up, Chaim was asked to pepper with a visiting Slovakian who played a little ball back in the day. She proved to be an effective warm up tool, however, I was concerned for Chaim's focus after such an emotional and physical session! He prevailed and we went about our business as usual.

The level of beach volleyball in Vancouver has increased substantially so the competition was steep making our day look challenging. Seven games later and after an excellent final vs Jonny Wiskar and Matt Lebourdais, we came out victorious and a few hundred dollars richer for a day at the office! Here is a photo of my cousin in law Bethany and I after the win. She was two months away from pushing out a baby boy but she still managed to come down and cheer us on!

As per usual we went to the Sunset Grill for beers with the boys and then I watched the amazing show of fireworks by the name of “Symphony of fire”. My cousin Jordan’s friend lives right on the water at Kits so we went to the roof of his building to watch. It was an amazing view over the bay but unfortunately the massive maple trees blocked the fireworks which were going off on English Bay.

With such an amazing show right in front of us I couldn’t let a few trees block me from enjoying its entirety. I rolled down to the waterfront and planned to meet Kristian who is a solid friend from UBC. We managed to located each other in all the madness and we found a spot right on the water with nobody in front of us. For 20 minutes we contemplated life and shared crazy stories as Kristian is one of the more adventurous and open people I have ever met!

Good times for sure, now off to the island to gather my things and prepare for the next month of road tripping. Next stop, the Centre of Gravity Games in Kelowna, B.C.

Yoga phase

2010-09-25T23:23:00.000-07:00

After a fairly long weekend at Kits playing in the Vancouver Open, I was beat and my shoulders were pretty punched. Chaim scheduled to stay in Vancouver and I wasn’t sure what I was the best route to recovery considering we had a tournament lined up this upcoming Saturday.

Lucky for me, my amazing Auntie Juliana is my fave massage therapist EVER and I was already crashing at her place. Danny (her husband) and Julie convinced me to stick around for an extra day for a massage and maybe try a little yoga. It was a perfect fit because I wanted to give my body a chance to recuperate, however, removing myself from activity mid season wasn’t an option. Yoga was a perfect fit so I sourced out a studio on the North Shore and dove right in!

Y Yoga happened to be just down the road from my aunt’s house and their 2 week unlimited pass for $30 made more sense than dropping in for $20. With this logic in mind I committed to staying in Vancouver for the full week to become a yogi. I did 2 yoga classes a day, supplementing classic 90 minute Bikram with power and flow. I swam in Deep Cove after each class and nourished my body with giant sandwiches and plenty of Bolthouse Farms smoothies!

For 4 days I stuck to this regime and my body’s muscles, tendons and fascia magically lengthened and strengthened to the point where I was able to get into and hold advanced poses by the fourth day! My lower back, pelvis and hips extended their range and my shoulder overcame the demands of each class and healed itself before our Saturday tournament that weekend.

I have always been interested in Yoga but for whatever reason I haven’t made it a priority in my life. After committing to just 8 classes in 4 days, I am convinced it will be a crucial element to my athletic progression and will also be a therapeutic compliment to my lifestyle, mentality and life long quest for health and success.

To all of you who haven’t tried it, do yourself a favor and try out hot yoga. If you happen to play beach then it is one of the few ways (mostly in winter) to train your body in extreme temperatures and humidity levels. It has all kinds of added benefits to body function and I can guarantee the litres of water you sweat out will certainly flush and cleanse your body leaving you lightheaded, tingly and euphoric.

Vancouver Open

2010-09-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

With a little break and my family reunion on the Island, I felt emotionally and physically prepared to step into the Vancouver Open and capture my third title on my favourite Canadian beach.

I had organized with two different video crews to document our voyage through the competition and the weather promised to be fantastic for the weekend! All components were in place for our first domestic event of the season.

After a wonderful players meeting at the Granville Island Brewery, Chaim and I found out our draw and looked forward to defend our second seed until the semis.

We went through the first few matches in full control, beating a set of Russian Vancouverites who played well, then we took Ray Sewel and Sam Schacter and met a team from the USA in the pre quarters. We wound up playing poorly and lost in an unfortunate 3 setter which wasn't our intention at all!!!

Forced to play an early match the next day in the losers bracket we fought hard against Jared Krause and Ryan Ghandi and then matched up against classic rivals Matt Zbyszewski and Josh Binstock. It was a packed house on Kits beach, the sun was out in full force and there was considerable anticipation for this match up because it was scheduled to be the finals.

We started off FIRING in the first set and served Josh hard. We made great plays, sided out nearly perfectly and put heavy pressure on them. We took the set 21-12 in what was a nearly perfect set on our end.

We then went down in the second set and could never recover. They hit us hard early and we couldn’t find a way to make points like we did in the first set. Josh had made some adjustments and we couldn’t figure out how to rearrange our defense on the fly to counter. They served well and forced us to set off the net and that put us in trouble. They countered our amazing first set with an amazing set of their own.

We had played these gentlemen twice already this year but both times had been overseas during FIVB competitions. We had drawn them randomly twice in a row in the first round and we came out victorious both times in three set matches. This was the third time we had played them and the third time we had gone to three!!

I honestly can't remember much about the third set but I never remember being in control. Their serving continued to force our passing and setting off the net and they made points early to get a solid lead and keep it. We lost in what I recall being 15-11 but it might have been worse than that.

A good game on their end and hats off to them for changing positions (when we played them overseas Josh was a left side) and we just didn't handle their new look.

Disappointed we weren't in the finals, we had a little time to turn that around into a winning attitude for the bronze medal game. With pride on the line we played a solid match against a team from the USA. We had the upper hand the whole time and we played like losing wasn't an option.

With loads of family and friends there I wanted to end on a high and give them something to cheer about. We took the game in two sets and our defence really made the difference here as we turned a lot of points and won crucial long rallies to keep the momentum of this hot and humid final.

A disappointing run because we felt we deserved to be in the final after beating the silver medalists early on in the tournament. Regardless it was a solid lesson for us that we have to adapt mid game and change our strategy as our opponents assess our plan of attack and counter it.

Here is a video a friend of mine made which highlights a lot of the Vancouver Open over an interview we did while I was preparing for it.

Enjoy!

Family gathering

2010-08-05T13:26:00.001-07:00

So for months a family gathering on my mother's side has been in the works and the weekend finally came!

I was the original push behind the gathering because I knew the only weekend I had off was July 10/11 and we hadn't had a reunion at our place for ages. The time had come for the younger generation to organize a meeting and with much ease, the entire family bought in and 30 family members came to rock out at our place in the Comox Valley!!!

The most amazing surprise was the appearance of Julia my wonderful girlfriend. She was not able to commit to coming until Friday during the first gathering! I was disappointed she wasn't going to meet my wicked cool fam but at 5 PM she called from Toronto and said she could come! So without hesitation her flights were booked and she landed the next morning in Nanaimo at 10:10 AM. Unreal that within a span of just over 12 hours she made it out. That really set the mood for me personally that weekend and I was able to truly enjoy the company of my kin in the presence of the most special person in my life.

With many athletes in the fam we had organized a weekend of sporting and social excellence. I originally planned on having my good friend Adil come to DJ on Saturday night but we decided it might be too much of an operation so just went freestyle on my massive sound system.

After I picked up Julia from Nanaimo Saturday morning we all ate lunch and went to Lewis Park where we played all kinds of sports mixed with dips in the cold river to cool off. We then went to my fave swimming local swimming spot to chill, cliff jump and put on clay masks! We all had a blast and then returned to my home where we feasted and fiesta'd into the early hours of the morning. The music turned out great and we rocked a fairly serious dance party both on the deck and in the living room. Great times all round!

Sunday brought the finals of the World Cup and it couldn't have been better timing. We are of Dutch heritage so we all put on our orange clothing, made some orange paper crowns and headed down to the best bar in town called Fluid where we had reserved the booth seating at the bar. We enjoyed beers, ceasars and belinis during the game, however, the tragic outcome made us lose our cool and we went home feeling like we had lost personally.

We played a last round of family v-ball on the back lawn and then people started to filter out of the house to return to Van. Julia and I said goodbye to everyone and then Jordan, Matt and I took control of the evening menu. We went out and purchased ingredients for a master salad with ceasar dressing made from scratch, bbq'd bratwurst sausages and a gourmet stumpot (which is meant to be a frugal meal) but we added roasted garlic, deli bacon and a few other tidbits to the carrots, potatoes, yams and onion stew. It was a fabulous meal for the 16 people who remained and we all just chatted as our energy faded from the previous day's festivities.

Monday morning the rest of the family left and Julia and I went on our own mission around my hometown. I wanted to show her all of the majestic and natural spots so we hit as many beaches, rivers, parks and landmarks as the afternoon permitted. She took ample photos and I am confident my hometown's beauty floored her. When we arrived back at the house it was only my immediate family that remained so we had an intimate dinner for the first time with Julia. We had too much of a good time cause when we looked at the time we were an hour away from Julia's flight! Luckily we live minutes from the airport so we dropped her off and sent her back on the red eye flight to Toronto.

An amazing weekend had passed with many of the most precious people in my life. I had been looking forward to it for so long and with the weekend finally behind me I was able to fully commit to the massive upcoming tournament; the Vancouver Open.

The west coast is AMAZING!!

2010-07-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

So the first day back out west I played in a tournament called a Cliver. It is a tournament run by a gentleman by the name of Jim Clive and the association called KBVA. It is a great run tourney and June 26th happened to be a record breaking tournament with 43 teams! The sun was out, the beach was full and I had a lot of friends and family swing by to cheer me on. It was game time and a no pressure experience I was looking forward to as I signed up with a new partner while Chaim was still in Norway.

The partner I played with is originally from Poland but moved to Canada to play for Vancouver Island University. He wound up staying with his wife and he has a history of success on the Polish sand. He is a 6'5 specimen who specializes in defence so we were a natural fit during Chaim's absence.

To keep things short, we played 3 pool play sets to 25 and came second in our pool. We lost to the first seed in the pool while we figured out our playing style and offensive connection. Luckily for us the best was yet to come.

The bracket was long due to the 43 teams so we had 5 matches to get to gold. Time between matches was short so my mother fed us well and we pushed hard against some good teams and came out on top.

In the semis we met classic Vancouver Island ballers Sean and Dan Casey who I have been playing with since the first time I ate sand. We won that match handily as Chris sided out like a Champ and we moved into the finals vs a team from the USA. This team was all about ball control but we were a larger more physical team. We took the match convincingly in two sets in front of a rowdy peanut gallery and then rolled up to the Sunset Grill where we followed tradition and bought pitchers of beers for the players.

All in all it was a solid day at the office!

What are you wearing on your arms?

2010-07-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

Just before I left for Europe in May I was given a new product by a gentlemen by the name of Regg. He was looking for feedback from the athletes on a new performance product specifically designed for volleyball player's. I tested them out and love what they have to offer!

Since I started using them consistently, people all over the world have been asking me "what are you wearing on your arms?" Well ladies and gentlemen, here are the reasons for me wearing Skins active cotton performance sleeves.

1) They are based around the principle of the brand new material called "active cotton" which is a one way sweat wicking cotton. This material doesn't retain a lot of moisture and is far more efficient than synthetic fabrics. So for people with sweaty forearms, the sleeves relieve sweat build up from forearms which is a crucial contact point in the sport of volleyball. With such strict regulations on hand setting, we can't afford to be called on a double touch violation and having protective arm sleeves facilitate a dry bump every time, even if you are a sweaty sponge!

2) The fabric itself grips the ball better than bare skin. This gives me a superior feel on the ball which I truly believe improves my passing percentage. I can feel a firmer contact when the ball hits my forearms which improves my forearm passing accuracy and precision.

3) They retain heat and allow for your arm to stay warmer. This keeps the elbow joint fresh and keeps your muscles warm and activated.

4) They provide protection from the sun's harmful rays.

5) I get to look like Allen Iverson!

The product is still in the development phase but will hopefully be available for purchase in the near future. I will be looking to rep the product so if you have any questions please feel free to contact me through the blog.

Looking forward to using them as Chaim Schalk and I push for a few Western Canadian victories at both the Vancouver Open and Centre of Gravity Games!

And here is the new flyer on a side note! Hope you like this Liz and Heather!

Our progression in Prague

2010-06-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you all so much for your support. It was great to receive messages from so many friends and family members as we live our dreams on tour and demand more from our level of play. It has been emotionally and physically exhausting, yet highly rewarding as we discover new levels for team Reader/Schalk.

As described in our last message, we won our first qualification game in an absolute HEATER versus fellow countrymen Matt and Josh. It was great because that game allowed the better team of the day passage to the next round; we knew we had to perform since we held the torch.

Our second round match was against the 5th seeded team in the Qualifier who are from Spain. They are a talented team with a history of excellence who bring solid ball control and fluid sideout play to the table. We knew we would have to maintain our intensity for the second match to have a sniff at Victory, so we brought the noise.

A crazy game it was indeed. It was one of the better games of our season as we proved our team's ability to execute under pressure. Without boring you with an in depth view of our game (read either of our blogs in the near future as we will write content shortly) here is a brief summary of the games and scores.

We lost the first set against Spain 18-21 without really establishing our rhythm. We set out to make more dynamic plays in the second set and were able to capitalize on a few crucial rallies to win 26-24. In the third set, I started with a heavy serve which their left side passed into the ref stand. His partner went for it and smashed his wrist into the pole and was forced to take a medical. Turns out this didn't effect him much as he continued to play well. We were pressed to make difficult points and push out an over time win 17-15!!! It was a great feeling upsetting the higher seed and playing super solid ball.

Next up was a Japanese team who also have had some great results but haven't been performing optimally as of late. A good draw for us as we matched up well and we desperately wanted that main draw birth!

We won the first set easily 21-16 as our defence and transition was spot on; we were connecting in all realms of the game.

The second set they changed their tactics and served me a bit more. I don't know when it happened but I feel that one of their short serves strained my right quad. I had hurt it lightly on Sunday while training but it didn't feel perfect as we trained hard leading up to the event. Clearly, after two three set matches and jump serving and running up to the net to block full time didn't help the situation and all of a sudden it just went on me deep in the second set.

I took a medical timeout when we were down 16-19 and got it wrapped. I wasn't able to support myself when passing to my right so I hoped a tight tensor would keep me in the game and elevating at the net since the pressure was on me to sideout. After the physio treated me, we came back and I missed a shot line to lose the second set 17-21.

The third set was all about composure and using what resources I had left to force a win. Sadly I wasn't able to adjust very well on offence and we weren't able to pull out all the stops we needed. I honestly feel we were able to win, however, the score shows otherwise. We lost a heart breaker third set 11-15, in what was the end of three hours and fifteen minutes of high intensity volleyball that day.

We are proud of our performance and know we have what it takes to make moves into the main draw. Patience is crucial for us as we return to Canada to work on our weaknesses and train harder so we can withstand the regular three game qualifiers of 2010.

Wish us safe travels home and see some of you in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Red Deer as Chaim and I both plan on resting in our home towns as we regroup for the next series of tournaments.

Cheers to you all!!!

Richie throws me some props!

2010-06-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

Good friend and fellow Team Canada athlete, Rich Vanhuizen recently threw my name up on his blog. Funny, I never really think about the things I do or say during a match, I guess they are well received! I actually just came from winning a Cliver tournament at Kits Beach in Vancouver (it was a record breaking event with 43 teams) and played with a solid Polish guy with beach aspirations. I kept on yelling at him to "Bring some Euro", good times.

Here is the link to his website's blog where he hits me up!

Pnov of Prague

2010-06-18T03:58:00.000-07:00

The sun was out in full force in Pnov for their national tour stop and we had a one day to get used to their national tour ball. It was bigger, heavier and the panels bloated out like those of a child’s beach ball. All of a sudden we were tragic. I couldn’t pass the ball to Chaim, I couldn’t hit the ball properly, my serve wasn’t effective and nothing felt right. Pretty horrific not playing anywhere near your potential 14 hours out of game time in a tournament you are expected to finish top 4 in!

We ate a lovely Czeach meal over a couple beers to recover (might I mention a dinner and a few beers cost us $8) and then we retired to our room to sleep yet again to make up for what was lost earlier that week.

Our first game was against a qualification team, however, for a national tour level these guys were solid. The Czech national tour has many veterans as well as beach volley enthusiasts since they have hosted many FIVB challengers and have a history of excellence in outdoor volley. For a small nation, their tournaments would rival, if not beat the NORCECA tournaments in terms of skilled teams and competitive spirit.

We won the first game quite handily with some good defense, consistent ball and patience on our end. The ball was still a factor as we didn’t look smooth, a detail that would prove important later in the day.

Our next match was against Lebl/Pavlas, a veteran team who both have made great results internationally. Lebl beat Jessi Lelliott and I in the finals of the Brno Challenger in 2007 and he is a highly ranked middle blocker in the Italian Premior league; you might have guessed it, he is a big boy!

We won the first set with some big plays and lots of hustle, but then the heat started getting to us. It was about 30 degrees and we had just come off a pretty heavy meal of borsch and bread prior to playing. We hadn't played in heat yet and all of a sudden my fitness played a roll in my decision making. I started to tire and then before I knew it we lost the second set and were down in the third.

When I am tired I focus more on hitting harder and Lebl being the excellent blocker that he is, read me like a book and shut me down. It was humbling because it was the first time I hadn't been able to think properly due to my fitness level. It was a bad loss, but I don't think we respected our opponents enough to realize they were a strong team. Chaim was quite disappointed and it took us some time to get back together and discuss why we lost and how we could prevent it from happening again.

We learnt some valuable lessons on how to support each other under pressure and assist each other when we aren't feeling great or getting the job done. A crucial lesson for games in our near future.

Now on the loser's side of the draw, we had to play two more matches that day! HOLY SMOKES!!! We hadn't played more than two matches in one day our entire pre-season training, especially in humid heat like what we were facing in the Czech that day.

The food was heavy and we ate what we could prior to the third match. We prepared with thoughts of reserving our energy for later and we wound up losing the first set through tentative play. Gosh, another lost set to a team we should have beaten; we just weren't able to get up and energized. We both felt dead, flat and unexplosive, but we had to deal with our situation and play the best we could regardless. We managed to pull our socks up a bit in the second and make some plays in a VERY tight set and won 24-22 (if I remember correctly) to push a third set.

We had worn out the other team and I was starting to feel a second wind as the hearty food from earlier was just getting digested and feeding my muscles and brain. Chaim on the other hand wasn't feeling too hot, and after a sip of Red Bull, he sank even further. I guess Red Bull doesn't give everybody wings!

We battled in a weak game back and forth and lead most of the way. We were up 11-9 and then came back to go up 14-12. Then, we lost a few points in a row to find ourselves losing a third set 14-16 to a team that was ok 15 years ago.

Anger. A deep rage began to rise in my body as a result of losing because I wasn't fit and trained enough. If there is one thing I can pride myself on, it is being a physical athlete. I work hard and enjoy winning matches through superior athletic plays. All of a sudden, I found myself losing to athletes I had no business losing to and I realized I wasn't prepared.

My entire pre-season in Toronto was slow skill based repetitions that didn't necessarily work with my body and the fitness portion was sub par due to lack of communication (due to time and not enough staff) and resource management. I was infuriated that the months I had spent in Toronto hadn't prepared me for battles like this one where performing skills under pressure, heat and fatigue played a HUGE role.

I then ran 4 sets of 4 x 30 meter wind sprints, did 4 x 20 split legged lunge jumps and then 4 x 16 single leg squat jumps landing on both legs. I destroyed myself, vowing to make up for lost ground mid season where normally my concern would be to maintain my fitness and prevent injury.

Unsatisfied with our performance and deeply distraught over my current physical prowess, I came out of that Saturday with a flame burning bigger than ever. I wasn't going to lose again this season for any other reason than being out played.

Chillin with Team Poland

2010-06-18T02:54:00.000-07:00

After our loss to Brazil in the qualifier, we chilled in Poland for a few more days and waited for the Polish National team’s commitments to end before heading out with them to their national training centre.

We drove about 2 and a half hours to “Woodge” (that is how they say it, but I can guarantee it is not how it is spelled!) where we had planned to spend a week of intense training with their teams. We had a wonderful drive with “Guba” one of the athletes on the second team and stopped off at his favorite restaurant for some serious eats! We had INCREDIBLE steaks with a wheel barrow load of potatoes and then went on our way again!

We stayed at Michal Kadziola’s place which was actually a bachelor suite. Space was limited, especially with multiple suitcases each and our sleeping arrangements were cozy to say the least. Chaim and I shared a tiny pull out couch and Michal slept beside us on his double bed; we were sardined.

Our training wasn’t great but we were able to hit their team’s sauna and physio to recover from broken backs due to our sleeping arrangement. Food was delicious as we went out for dinner each night and explored some traditional and new cuisine downtown.

We also had a great night playing poker in a local “sheesha” place were we sucked back lightly on light flavored tobacco while lounging on eastern style couches and pillows! I am not a great poker player but I wound up playing well and going all in on what I thought was a sure thing, but got out played by the team’s rookie! ARG! I hate it when I can’t determine the outcome of something through physical competition. I settled for 4^th place and had a wonderful dollar pint of beer to soothe my aching ego.

We continued training in Poland until Thursday when we decided it would be better life and career choices to head to the Czech Republic and compete in a local tournament about 30 minutes outside of Prague. I have some great friends there by the last name “Benes” who are actually the people who brought outdoor volleyball to Czech! The family is a beauty and the two brothers (one of whom is still competing at the top level today) have played for years and over time have created beautiful four court beach facility on a lake with a club house and stadium seating. With the invite to stay near their courts and live for $20 dollars a day, we couldn’t refuse!

So at 7 Thursday morning we left Micha’s house and took a train to Warsaw and then connected on a train to Prague. The journey was lovely and we had a six seated cabin to ourselves for napping, watching Band of Brothers and reading to pass the time. Twelve hours of train riding later we arrived in Prague and blindly followed directions to Pnov where the Czech national tournament was being held.

We arrived safely and our gracious friends provided us with a ride to our hotel. We proceeded to down some amazing Czech fruit juice and then hit the sac to make up for five nights of terrible sleep on a foamy the size of my wallet.

Qualifier round 2 vs Brazil

2010-06-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

So we earned the right to play Brazil in the second round of qualification in the Mysclowice, Poland FIVB Open tournament. The team we were scheduled to play had done really well in the first event in China and had won 3 or 4 of the Brazilian tour events in their pre-season. A super strong team to say the least, however, I hate the mentality of teams who draw Brazil and lose the match before they step on the sand. I was pumped for the opportunity to play such a talented team and I wasn't going to give them a single free point as we battled it out.

The match was held on centre court and Chaim and I were feeling solid. Our bodies were limber and we were both jumping high and executing our strengths. The performance of our game versus the other Canadians set the pace for this match and we knew we had to maintain that same focus through the entire second match for a chance at victory.

The match started with multiple straight sideouts and then we made a big point. We were up 8-6 on the first switch and were executing better than we ever had. I was blocking well, Chaim was getting some great touches on defence and our sideout connection was virtually flawless. The makings of the perfect match!!!

Sadly, we made one, then two errors before the end of the set to lose the lead and go down 19-20 with service. With a set play, we trapped the left side into hitting to Chaim and he made a great high dig on a powerful spike. I wasn't able to get him the set he needed to put the ball away so they dug it. I ran back up to the net and blocked the right side out by 6 inches to tie it up. A tough point to lose but we were playing strongly and knew we couldn't let them make those few crucial points in the second set.

The second set started out the same with shared sideout points. They were mostly serving Chaim who was getting the job done so when they came to me I was ready to crush some hits. I wasn't afraid to hit against their 6'7 high flying blocker and was coming in hard with all my options open. Back and forth we went but were down 10-11 as we went into the technical timeout.

When we got back onto the court, they forced a few errors and before we knew it we were down 12-16. Playing top level teams (this team is a main draw team but has to qualify because there are too many brazilian teams in the main draw to begin with) it is paramount you don't give free points because it is so difficult to make them back. Sometimes games can come down to a single error, sadly we made too many.

The second set ended at 21-16 for the Brazilians of Cunha/Thiago. They played solidly and after watching them play the rest of the qualification and main draw, I feel confident in saying we pressed them as hard, if not harder than many teams.

It wasn't a loss to hang our heads because they were by far the best team Chaim and I have ever played. I was proud of us going sideout for sideout with them for most of the first set. The mental strength required to hold your side when under pressure from a top ranked team is quite substantial. It was a good experience for us to understand the level of focus and awareness we need to win big games.

We are now off to train in Poland with the Polish National team at their training centre. We will be staying in one of the player's bachelor suites so we will see how it goes!!!

Thanks for the support and we can't wait for the next big match to win.

Cheers,

Martin

Myslowice FIVB Open first round of Qualification

2010-06-14T05:59:00.001-07:00

Myslowice Games

As I mentioned in my last post, our draw for the Qualification in Myslowice, Poland was against our Canadian teammates in the first round. Out of 64 teams, we drew them by chance! The way I looked at it was this; the better team of the day would earn the right to play Brazil and attempt at taking down the toughest duo in the qualifier.

We woke excited, prepared and keen to execute in our second FIVB tournament together. On the shuttle there I got this overwhelming feeling that this our day to upset teams and win some big games! I was listening to one of my favorite songs and it injected crazy energy into my veins, so much in fact that I played the drums on Chaim’s legs and screamed in a spontaneous reaction to my stoke.

We had a beauty warm up and collectively we felt better than we had to date! Everything was coming together and then Chaim’s amazingly close buddies from Alberta who were backpacking Europe showed up! Unbelievable to think these guys were just rocking out in Poland and were able to make a vague and sketchy trip in the early hours of the morning. Needless to say they were SUPER excited to see Chaim and it was beauty to have these guys in our corner!

The first set of our match against Matty and Josh was all us. We executed our game plan perfectly and made some fantastic plays, winning most of the longer rallies which usually dictates the emotional swing of the game. I bicycle kicked a ball and made a cross block after Chaim put it over the net and that was put us in another gear. Chaim was digging up a storm both above and bellow his head and he was executing super well in transition. We had great energy and our spirits were high with confidence and poise.

The second set we knew they were going to change up their game plan and bring something greater to the table. It was more of a sideout battle in this set as all the switches were even or as close as your can get to being tied. Late in the set Matt made some great blocks and before we knew it we lost the set 21-17 after only being down 17-18.

Of course it had to go to three sets! We both wanted it badly and the level of play was high for a first round qualification match. Once again the game started with even scoring but after a let serve and a good earned point we went up to a cushy 9-6 switch. Josh was then called on a handset for a double touch which proved to be the TSN turning point. We kept our serves tough and ended the set with a final score of 15-9!

Our playing demonstrated our recent increase in performance and the way I looked at it, we earned the right to play Brazil in our second match of the Qualifier!

SICK new Canadian West Coast Surf film

2010-05-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

It may be known to my followers that I am a huge promoter of the west coast lifestyle as well as the sweet outdoor sports our great ecosystem and landscapes provide. One of the wonders of the west coast are the gnarly surf breaks that riddle Vancouver Island's shores with surfable waves.

Here is a recent production by Jeremy Koreski who is a renowned filmographer and photographer on the west coast. This film features Peter Devries who is my favourite surfer and one of Canada's best waves riders.

It is a super compilation of footage taken on along Vancouver Island's numerous breaks and it really exposes the raw energy, explosive power and sheer beauty of our enchanting coast.

Enjoy as I did, this gets me jacked up

http://innersection.tv/video/99

The secret behind Nike Air

2010-05-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

Just saw this commercial and had to share it. It is absolutely a brilliant concept that they are capturing air from their sponsored athletes and putting it into the shoes! Love the bit with John Mcenroe as he is a funny guy. While we were in Brazil training on Ipanema beach, we would up getting a photo with him in our speedo's on our festive moustache friday! He was totally grossed out by our traditions but the guy has style and a pretty solid wrap in tennis so we let it slide.

Friend "Restless Josie" does a beauty about Brazil!

2010-05-10T09:09:00.001-07:00

Here is a great little ditty by my friend Josie. She does a great job of capturing the Rio spirit and scenery!

Man do I miss being there!!!!

My ode to Raymond Sewell and our last Redheaded Production

2010-05-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

This blog marks the last video from the dynamic team of Ray Sewell and I. It was a beauty and will mark one of the funnest partnerships of my career. We had some solid results, some great travels and more importantly the most amazing experiences of my life.

Ray, you were a slice buddy. A slice of Redheaded delight, perhaps only rivalled by the key lime pie served at Delirio Tropical in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro. From Bahrain to Dubai, England to China, Toronto to Cali, Spain to Uranus, U24 Nationals to the top level in the world, we had some unreal trips, met great people and impacted peoples lives through our inside jokes, moustached months, untamed dialogue and raw uninhibited gay jokes when the situation didn't call for it.

Unreal times sleeping illegally overnight on a bean bag in Dubai next to smelly camels; riding the smelly camels

having matching goatees while winning the 2010 Grand Cayman NORCECA

wearing pink junior girls short shorts to a bar in Bath, England on a 16 hour pub crawl; dining with Gwen and her husband (the president of IMG Golf) at the same table as Roge (Roger Federer) and Tiger dined on the previous week then having pancakes at their place while getting visa's to China; sharing the virgin viewing of "spanish uprising"; taking Chinese rikshaws together

wearing full floral outfits in Sania

you running in Guaruja, Brazil while I got trapped by 13 year olds then tackled and pulled down and kissed against my will by a school girl; purchasing a naked manikin doll in the Rio city centre and taking it on public transit for almost 2 hours like it was nothing and then finding it in my room later with a banana in her thong

watching copious amounts of "the family guy"; nearly dying of heat exhaustion in Manzanillo but pulling off one of the most daring redheaded feats I have ever seen; viewing a cock fight with team USA; whispering sweet nothings to each other mid game on the FIVB; you being the runner up in the FIVB moustache competition yet winning Liz's heart with your upper lip hair; almost watching you drown while surfing in Mexico; flying in the same plane as a bird of prey in the middle east

Getting the finest pears in the world at the local Ipanema Market from George; having a romantic heterosexual day together in Paris

and last but not least, sporting a speedo together around the world while everyone thought it wasn't appropriate. (EDIT - believe it or not we have no photos of us kicking it in our speedos! That being said, check out the video below)

It has been a blast Raymond and to all you volleyballers out there, there are few people who compare to Ray's silliness, conviction, work ethic and heart towards beach. He is a champion of champions; my "Piece de Resistance".

To all the nights we shared the same bed but didn't make sweet love when I know you wanted to,

This last kick at the can is for you Ray. Kiss on it?

Yours forever (but don't tell my girlfriend),

Martin

My friend Restless Josie

2010-04-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a beauty video made by a friend from back home. This is a recent video she made documenting Vancouver Island and the plethora of outdoor activities it has to offer.

I am officially home sick

Niagra Falls = AMAZING!!!

2010-04-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

The other day Julia had the brilliant idea of going on a little road trip to visit Niagra falls. A simple yet far fetched idea for me since I thought it would be super complicated to get there, however, she planned a flawless itinerary on GO buses from Burlington right into Niagra's lap.

We cruised there this Saturday and the weather worked splendidly for what was in store. It was still early season so there weren't millions of tourists even though Dairy Queen had their buy one blizzard and the one for 25 cents which we clearly capitalized on upon arrival!

Had our window been larger, we would have had a bunch of activities to do. Bowling, lazer tag, haunted houses, ferris wheel, wax museums and a plethora of carnival activity joints lined the main streets giving tourists plenty of things to do while drying off or preparing to get soaked from the mist.

Blizzards in hand we cruised down the main street for my first ever sight of the falls. SPECTACULAR. I have a huge affinity to waterfalls and this may just be the most impressive natural wonder I have ever seen in real life!

The American falls were the first to present themselves. A wonderful display as thousands of tons of water crash onto a marvel of large rocks that have broken from the falls only to be lodged beneath them. It looks like a miniature display from a far but up close I can tell you that it most certainly is not!

We snagged a few self portraits and then asked some passersby to capture a few for us. I love this one of Julia and I as without intending to I framed up the American falls quite nicely! We then grabbed a pass to the Maiden of the Mist boat tour and threw on our provocatively stylish rain coats.

With few people on our boat we had an unhindered view and we threw on our hoodies in preparation for the mist. Just an incredible feeling of awe and power as the rumble penetrates your body through sight, sound and vibrating energy. We putted along to the base of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls where the volume of water is far more substantial. I am proud the Canadian side is more menacing as an awe inspiring 90% of the 100,000 cubic feet of water per second falls on our side. Our waterfall is about 173 vertical feet and spans 2,600 feet in width!

Amazing to think that the falls were created from Glaciation about 10,000 years ago and since their conception they have eroded upriver 11 kilometers. This process has now been controlled by human intervention so the retreat of the falls has now been limited to 10 centimeters every year.

Drenched yet excited from our intimate experience with the falls, we continued our tour with a Journey beneath the falls. This was unfortunately quite anticlimactic as I was expecting natural caves only to be disappointed by concrete pathways. The tunnels ended a four or five meters from behind the falls and offered a raw sample of the relentless pounding of water on the rocks. I was hoping for something a little more risky but I guess when you have millions of tourists and a human crushing force, one doesn't leave chance in the equation. Regardless, Julia and I found ourselves captivated by the earth shuddering power the falls create. I could have stared into the dynamic water for hours as it was like looking into a fire; constantly inspiring and entertaining. I closed my eyes and let the earth's vibrations reverberate through me so I could steal a little of its power to bring home.

We continued our Niagra Falls experience with a new attraction called Niagra Fury. This 4D experience brings a 360 degree screen to life with both animation and real life footage depicting the creation of the falls. We stood in the middle of a moving platform and got soaked from head to toe as jets of water squirted us during the ice age thaw and monumental storms. It was really a great addition to the experience and I feel the 4D experience was the best it could have possibly been!

After four hours of touring, gawking and lounging around the falls we packed up and took a local bus back to the GO train station. An hour and a bit later we found ourselves in Burlington and I then hopped on a train to head home for the evening.

A splendid Saturday spent in the presence of one of the world's natural wonders. I hadn't thought of it as being a priority in my life to see the falls, however, after experiencing them first hand, I would recommend them to anyone who is easily moved by the natural beauty of our planet.

Cheers,

Martin

KINeSYS Performance Sunscreen jumps on board!!!

2010-04-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

I am VERY pleased to release news that KINeSYS Performance Sunscreen out of Vancouver B.C will be sponsoring me for the 2010 season! I have been going after KINeSYS for 3 seasons and everything fell into place for the this year.

After moving to Toronto to start training with the newly formed National Team training centre, I decided to go back to the basics and cover the most essential elements for sponsorships. It has been a long process of fine tuning sponsorship packages and following up with various people and companies over the past few years so I decided to focus my energy on the most crucial facets of support.

The sun is in my opinion (aside from the Russian Igor the "Bazooka" who serves a blazing 115 km/h serve!) is our most concerning occupational hazard. Playing all over the world and in all sorts of locations exposes us to varying intensities of Sun rays. From the beaches close to the equator to artificial courts at 2000 meters elevation in the Swiss Alps, we are exposed daily to harmful sun rays. They have an amazing SPF 30 spray screen that works incredibly in all conditions I have used it in as well as an SPF 30 sun protection stick which resists sweat, abrasion and water quite well. Stoked to throw that on my face and never have to deal with a peeling nose again. Other products of interest I haven't used include an anti-fungal foot spray which will compliment our barefoot sport as well as a Gel stick which temporarily relieves muscular aches, sprains, strains, arthritis pain and backaches!

I am very careful with the protection of my skin and in my experience, KINeSYS is the most long lasting and easy to apply (especially when you are already sweating!). This is why I have been after them for quite sometime and this is also why I am so excited be a part of their team for 2010!

Aside from creating superior sunscreen, they are ethical; carbon neutral; source locally; don't test on animals; use no potentially harmful ingredients and use business power to solve social and environmental problems through an initiative called Certified B Corporation. I would highly recommend cruising their link because it is super intriguing.

I am very proud to align myself with such an innovative and socially conscious company. I look forward to using their products and representing them positively on my quest to the Olympic podium!

Thanks again KINeSYS for endorsing me and to my readers, swing by www.kinesys.com to check out their superb sunscreen and other goodies for high performance athletes, weekend warriors and kids alike!

Cheers,

Martin

VIP Productions video of the Cayman Island NORCECA Event

2010-04-20T19:04:00.001-07:00

Cayman Gold Highlight Video

2010-04-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Volleyball Canada Interview

2010-04-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

I recently did an interview with a new journalist who will be updating the Volleyball Canada website with our national team's news and progress.

I am really excited Volleyball Canada is going the extra mile to promote our sport and the athletes that are training diligently to achieve their goals. Spreading information virtually is on of the best ways to spur interest and I am pleased with this new addition to their 2010 marketing strategy!!

Here is the article at www.volleyball.ca.

Enjoy and I will be posting new videos shortly as I just got my new hard drive!!

Cheers,

Martin