Mid week pump up

It is Wednesday, it is snowing, we are only doing skill based training and I need something to refocus me on the prize. It is my first time pre-season training indoors and let me tell you that beach volleyball is far less gratifying when you are in a sand filled warehouse instead of the packed Brazilian beaches or energized stadium at the Klagenfurt, Austria FIVB Grand Slam.

It is easy to lose sight of what we are training for and this video justifies the painful preparation we go through daily.  It is one of my favourite tournaments because the vibe is outrageous and the focus is purely and simply entertainment based. It should give you goose bumps and stoke your internal drive as it is fan packed beach volleyball at its finest; inspiration for my personal playing style.



That was the big daddy of beach volleyball tournaments and one of the best arena vibes our sport has to offer outside the Olympics.  It is a highlight in any athlete's summer as the people line up for days to be able to sit in the stadium to watch the best beach volleyball in the world and partake in the outrageous action and drinking games. Also, the tournament is catered somewhat to athletes so we have our own Red Bull players lounge (a float on the lake), shuttle service between courts, catered food and a personal Red Bull jet boat that rips 360's at 70 miles and hour!

This is the reason I play ball, and a wonderful reminder mid February as we train indoors that our evolving sport has more and more to offer each summer.

Exciting times ahead and wonderful memories to get me through the bleak Toronto winter.

Train hard and play hard kids

My friends at Darkside

So I have recently had a lot of comments on my photo with On the Darkside Tanning Salon located in my hometown on Vancouver Island. I would like to say thanks for the compliments as well as thank you to Tammy who has been helping me get my tan on since I ran my event back in 2008.

On the Darkside Tanning has been super helpful in getting me acclimatized to events which were held in heavy sun and they actually had a machine that fit me!! It is a great vibe there, they are super knowledgeable and provide the best tanning experience in town.

Thanks for the support over the past and to all of you who live in the area, drop by there and check out what they have to offer cause the sun's rays won't be getting you darker for another 4 months!