Final Blog Guys and Girls-Germany Tour

Dear readers, The Alberta teams had an epic time of their lives. We learned a lot about ourselves, teammates and of course the game that brought us on this trip, handball. -Jeremiah The Alberta athletes, besides having tons of fun, learned a lot on this amazing trip. Not only did we learn about the game of handball, but we learned many lessons of maturity and responsibility thanks to our fantastic coaches. -Jenna On this trip I personally learned and experienced many new things both in relation to handball and not. I also learned a major lesson in humility and adaptability. -Chelsea Team handball has given us as a team the opportunity to travel and see the world, they planned so many activities to help the team bond and I feel we all grew into a bigger and stronger whole thanks to the coaches we have. -Tai This trip has been the best time of my life. We have seen so many awesome things and been with so many amazing people. I would like to thank the coaches for letting me be able to do this. -Isaiah An unbelievable trip with an unbelievable group of people I now get to call my friends. Overall, this trip has allowed me to grow as both a handball player and a person, so for that I need to thank the amazing coaches we’re so lucky to have. -David Gingles This trip was an overall great experience right from all the practices and games to meeting new people and making new friends along the way. It was a lot of fun to be able to play at an international level and learn how to become a better handball player. -Keegan Macdonald I can’t put into words how outstanding this trip was for me and the rest of the team. A big highlight for me was Playing my first international Handball game it was a feeling that I will never forget. Everyone on the trip made so many great memories here and I look forward to making many more great memories. -Mason Hunter The overall experience of this trip was just incredible. From the handball to the country of Germany to the people I got to share it with. I will never forget the memories I made on this trip or the lessons it taught me about handball. -Rhett Stensrud This trip has taught me so many lessons such as maturity and responsibility. This was an opportunity of a life time and I am so happy I got to share it with my friends as well as make new friends and play some intense handball. -Bailey McKeever This trip to Germany has been amazing! Our team has gained valuable experience and I’m lucky to be a part of it. There are so many great memories from here that I’ll always remember, Overall, this has been a great time! -Dani King Germany has been such an amazing experience. I have gotten to play some awesome handball with my great teammates that I have bonded with so much over the trip. I couldn’t have asked for better teammates and coaches. -Ricki Stevenson I’m very grateful for the opportunity to come on this trip and be able to learn about a new culture and meet new people. It was an incredible experience and I can’t wait to keep practicing. -Abbey Perry This trip to Germany has been a once in a life time experience for me, from playing handball at higher levels, to going to an amusement park, to practicing with other teams. This trip has created so many memories, and I know there is many more to come -Candice Morse Germnay has been one of the greatest opportunities I have ever gotten! I learned so much hear about handball, my team and the culture of Germnay. I will never forget my first trip with Alberta Team Handball! -Yuki Landry Going to Germany to play handball was the most incredible experience and opportunity! I am so glad I got to share the experience with my teammates and I have fallen even more in love with the sport! Thank you to everyone who made this possible!! -Aly Andersen This trip to Germany was an amazing experience and opportunity. I’m very thankful for everyone who made this trip as amazing as it was. Playing higher and better levels of handball teams was one of my favorite parts as well as making new friends and memories! This is definitely a trip to remember and I’m excited for more to come! -Abby Hendy This trip to Germany was a wonderful opportunity and I am glad that I am a part of Alberta team handball. Getting to know my team mates and playing with other German handball teams was one of the greatest parts of the trip for me. I’ve learned so much and have become a better person and player because of it. -Muftaha Adair The trip to Germany was a very exciting and fun opportunity that I am thrilled to take part in. The people on the trip were the best group to go with and the coaching was excellent! We learned so much on this trip and are now much closer as a team and much better handball players. And the sightseeing was pretty sweet as well! -Lee Wagar This trip to Germany was really fun because we got to see what higher levels of handball looked like. It was also cool to compare ourselves to the other team whom have been playing most of their life. I really enjoyed the intensity in the games and I am thankful the coaches gave me this opportunity. -Dylan Farmer The games that we played in the past ten days have allowed me to improve massively on the skills required to make me into a great handball player. I started without very good skills or form, but with the help of the coaching staff and my other teammates I have been able to take a huge leap in the right direction. -Tyler Behnke Germnay is where dreams come true David Parr After taking a part in four camps with the Alberta handball team, incorporating everything we have learned and applying it to real game situations in Germany has greatly developed the growth of our team. Besides the handball, experiencing the culture and sightseeing has truly made this and unforgettable trip. - Noah Nadal The first word that comes to my mind when I think about our trip to Germany is incredible. Not only did we get to practice and play the sport we love internationally for 12 days, but we all grew together as teammates and friends on and off the court. This trip would not have been so amazing without each and every person here. -Jaclyn Roszell Germany is a beautiful place because it has nice, cool weather that can be enjoyed without the harassment of mosquitoes. As with all great trips this one was short and sweet, but in the crunched schedule we formed a true team from individual athletes. The experience was unforgettable and once again I thank Mike for an amazing trip. Thanks Mike! – Frodo This trip to Germany has been such an amazing experience. Thank you to all the coaches for this amazing opportunity. These memories will stick with me forever. -Cambell Meier This trip has been just amazing. I have learned so much, and it was very exciting to experience my first international game. I will never forget this trip. -Bo Oszust This trip exceeded my expectations in many ways. The games were on a different level than I had experienced before and I learned so much! I made so many new friends on this trip and our team is like one big family. Thanks so much to all the coaches for the amazing opportunity. –Kyle Sears This trip was second to none. I’ve never done anything that has compared to this amazing experience. It was incredible to watch all the girls and guys around me grow as handball players and individuals. I can’t wait to continue playing handball with this group of people. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to me being able to have this opportunity. -Jarrett Zilinski I'm so glad I got to be apart of this amazing experience. I got to get to know everyone pretty well and im thankful that I got to experience Germany with this amazing group of people! thanks to everyone who made this trip possible. -Lizzy Morneault

Guys and Girls Blog#6-Germany Trip

We started our seventh day with a typical German breakfast of meat, cheese and buns. The girls had the first practice of the day at nine. They worked on things from the last game like movement without the ball and attacking the proper spaces on offense. After the girls finished, the boys began their practice with the help of an great German coach, Olaf. They worked on defending the pivot and vertical movement on defense. While the boys were practicing the girls went shopping for food and Hummel, the two essentials, to get energy for our next three hour long practice. After the boys practice they took a bus to get in some last minute shopping in a sports store as well. At one, the girls began their joint practice with Olaf and his team. It was an great experience to have a different style of coaching. It was hard but they learned a lot and made some friends with the German team. Almost immediately after practice, we all boarded the bus to the head to boys game against bad swartau. The boys began with solid warm up but unfortunately didn't play our best handball and lost to a very good team. Heading back to the our hostel we enjoyed a team supper and free time to end the evening. Finally, for the boys goofy suit, Alosious got it for stealing a shirt that Kate wanted to buy and buy it for his teacher instead. For the girls, Ricki got it for being trying to hard to be fashionable and wearing her court shoes outside to match he rest of her outfit.

Guys and Girls Blog#5-Germnay,

This morning we got to sleep in because we didn’t have any practices in the morning, which was nice. We then had the opportunity to sightsee around Lubeck for a couple hours, one of the oldest towns in Germany. There was a giant cathedral and numerous other historical buildings. We found another Hummel store and went shopping around town. Afterwards, we took the bus back to our hostel to relax and have lunch. After packing our bags we dropped off the boys at their gym where they played a game against one of the top Division 1 team in Germany for the U-16 age category. Unfortunately, their shortest player was around six feet tall. It was a very even game until the last period, trading goal for goal for the first 40 minutes. It was tied 22-22 at the time, but they pulled away and the final score was 44-29 for them. The boys then rushed over to the girls game to watch them play another top Division 1 team in Germany for the U-18 age category. Coming in the game, the girls knew it would be a very tough team to play against and it was a little bit of a shell shock in the first period. The final score was 40 – 13. Though both games were tough defeats, it was a great learning experience to play against such talented and well-trained teams. Tomorrow, the boys will have a rematch while the girls will train with the same top girls team. This evening we decided the winners of the goofy suits, who were Tai and Cambell – Tai for having shoes 2 sizes too big and Cambell for bringing back the 90’s style jeans that Mike used to rock in his teenage days.

Boys and Girls Blog#4 -Germany

August 17, 2014 Breakfast was at nine, so we got to sleep in for an extra hour, thank gooodness!! We left for the Hansa amusement park at ten, and we got to spend the next six hours there.The amusement park was divided into eleven different sections all recognizing different countries. Canada was highlighted by the Abenteuerland section, where there was tipis, tree houses, totem poles, and other First Nations attractions. The representation for Canada at the amusement park was a Canadian flag on top of a tipi. There was a large range of rides, themed food and souvenier shops for everyone to enjoy. Some of the favorite rides included the swings, the haunted roller coaster that was so extremely fast that it blew your hair back, and the boat that swung us upside down which was a thrill for all. We got a first hand experience being coal miners on a coal miner cart with sudden stops, starts and tight turns. We now have new bruises on our hips to match our knees and elbows! We were all able to choose our own lunches instead of having the traditional European style of lunches which is bread, meat, and cheese. Once we arrived back to our hostel we were treated with supper which was chicken a la king, rice and roasted potatoes. Afterwards we went for a walk along the beach side and got to explore the area that we will be staying for the remainder of our trip. There were jellyfish everywhere! While we were wandering, Beau decided he was going to explore all the nooks and crannies. He returned carrying a small fish! For the rest of the night both teams spent time together playing various card games. We took a small break for separate meetings where the goofy suits were assigned. For the guys boy received it for catching the fish and nominating himself along with the countless other things he did to deserve it. On the girls side chelsea received the suit because she forgot her game pants in her suitcase. Finally we’d like to thank the anonymous donor for the replacement handball for Alosious, what a remarkable surprise! It was a great day filled with excitement and adventure, it’s a cliché but its true!!! Candice, Tai, Jarrett, Jaclyn.

Boys Blog#3gGermany Trip

Beginning our third day in Hamburg, we all started off with another traditional German Breakfast (we were provided with bagged lunches by the hostel, which was super nice of them ) then, we Proceeded to check out of our previous hostel, and took a challenging bus ride to our new gym facility. The bus was very large, and the narrow streets did not provide easy access to the gym. Upon realizing this, we walked one street to our gym. Since the girls were practicing first, The guys team was asked by Mike to find the nearest grocery store so we could provide ourselves with snacks for the day. After this, we continued the day with our scheduled practice, which focused mostly on individual skills and shooting techniques. After our practice, we had four hours of leisure time, which consisted of grocery shopping, napping, playing cards, and going on a walk around the streets with the girls team. After walk, The girls played the women’s U16 AMTV Hamburg handball team, while boys team cheered them on. It was a great battle, but unfortunately the girls lost. We then played the men’s U16 AMTV Hamburg Handball team. We got super amped during the warm up, even after Alosious lost one of our handballs. (He now has to purchase a new on for the team) this energy carried on throughout the whole game. We unfortunately lost, but development is definitely showing with our team. After changing, we hopped onto the bus which took us to our new hostel, Niendorf/Ostsee. We had a super rushed dinner which consisted of sauerkraut salad and sandwiches that we had for breakfast. This place is already feeling like home. Thanks for reading! Love, Beauregard and Noah <3

Guys Blog #2-Germany Tour

Hello all, Ty received the goofy suit today for having no idea about what was going on. In the morning we toured the harbour with some members of TV Fischbek who were our opponents later on in the day. After we toured the harbour we drove in the bus to the gymnasium where bot the guys and girls had a practice. After our hosts treated us to a lunch of pasta both teams played frlendly matches against their respective TV Fischbek teams. We unfortunately lost the game 34-22. It was a very tight game for the first 45 mins but we were down by 2 when the other team went on a scoring streak. All in all it was a great day, and everyone had an awesome time playing handball. Jarett received the play of the game award, for it he received the TV Fischbek banner. And once again Ty received the goofy suit for the second day in a row. This time also for not knowing what we had planned for the next day, despite reviewing it just seconds earlier. Dave and Kyle.

Girls Blog #2-Germany Tour

First off, Yuki got the goofy suit for a couple good reasons. On Facebook the morning we left, Mike posted a status about how we were leaving for Germany so she said “what we already left? I thought we weren’t leaving until 12:30?” Also when we got to Frankfurt and were going through customs, when the officer asked her where she was going she went with Switzerland. No idea where that one came from but she thought that. It was okay though, because she saw the boarding pass that said Hamburg and corrected herself. As for today, we started our exciting day at 8:30 when we got on the bus with a few girls from TV Fischbek (the team we played later in the day) and went to the harbour. We walked around that area for a while, going under the harbour water at one point, in a tunnel. We then proceeded to the training facility where we practiced in order to get us back in the Handball Frame of Mind. It went spectacularly well, as we focused a lot on our individual attacking skills and our 3-3 defense. After practice we enjoyed a delicious pasta lunch made by the Fischbek team. To highlight our day, we played to a hard fought 29-24 win over the Fischbek team who had played together for 8 years. We were anxious before the game but for most of the game we played with energy and smarts, allowing us to take advantage of fast breaks and strong defense. Later ate barbecue wursts and white bread for supper, then hung out with them and got to know them a little bit better, before we left. Now for what you’ve all been waiting for: today’s Goofy Suit winner. This time it was awarded to Bailey for really not thinking. During the guys’ game she went up to Taylor and asked if she could go to Kate, our trainer, and get her allergy medication from the medicine kit. (she’s allergic to stickum) Taylor of course said yes, so she went over and explained her situation to Kate(who later told mike this). Kate then asked if the amount of stickum the guys were using and air in the gym was that bad that her eyes were getting puffy and she said no she was cleaning the stickum off the ball, with a ball of stickum. This apparently is the goofiest thing of the day, along with one of the dumbest comments to have ever been said. Overall, it was a great day in Germany full of excitement and nerves. Dani and Aly