That's All She Wrote...

Neither Breda or Bad Kostritz worked out like I wanted but they were both good experiences. From here I have a few days to hang out in Koln, sightsee, and get ready for the long trip home. I'll post my season stats soon so check back!

The Home Stretch

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for the last two meets of my season. The first stop is in Breda, Netherlands for the Track Meeting Breda where I'll be throwing both shot and disc. The last stop is in Bad Kostritz, Germany for a throws festival called Kostrizer Werfertag where I'll also be competing in both events. I rented a car for the weekend so I'm looking forward to a little driving on the Autobahn :)

Lille

Lille didn't quite turn out as I would have liked but it was a good experience, anyway. I felt great and I think my throws were technically better than in Slovakia but I just didn't quite line one up. I've got a few more days of training and then two last meets to make something happen.

Steps in the Right Direction

I threw 20.25m in Slovakia today for 2nd place. I'm excited that I finally threw over 20m in Europe. My timing is finally coming back and I had several other decent throws. I'm getting up early in the morning to travel to France. I'll try to get some good rest and carry some of this momentum into the competition on Tuesday. Slovakia is beautiful, by the way. The little town we're staying in has creeks running through it and they're full of little trout. Maybe next year, I'll remember to bring a fishing rod :)

Packing Again...

I'm leaving tomorrow for two more competitions. Training over the last few weeks has been great and I'll get a chance to focus on shot as neither meet has the disc. The first is in Dubnica nad Vahom, Slovakia. It's part of the European Athletics Classics Series so it should be a well run meet with some tough competition. From there, I travel straight to France to compete in Lille. It's classified as an Outdoor Premium Meeting so it should also be a great meet. I'm really looking forward to that one as well. I've tried to get in to that meet for the last two years. I haven't yet been to a meet in France that I didn't like so hopefully this doesn't change anything :)

Belgium

At last! It only sprinkled a little before the meet and I finally got to throw with good conditions! Unfortunately, with all the traveling, I was very tired. I managed to throw 19.49 for second but I'm still struggling with technical flaws in competition that I'm able to control in practice. The top 3 finishers in the meet got four beers and two nice beer glasses. After the comp, I watched my buddy and fellow San Diegoen throw jav. The comp was pretty fun to watch as I was sitting right next to the runway with some lukewarm beer. If only track meets in the states were like that... Coming up next is a meet in Slovakia on the 22nd and one in France on the 24th.

Copenhagen

Following with the theme in Northern Europe this summer, it poured rain again during both the shot and the disc. I didn't throw very well but I'll have plenty of other chances this season. I'm going to throw again in a few days in Belgium. Hopefully the weather holds out :)

Moving on...

The day before yesterday, I found out that I got in to Copenhagen to throw both events so I booked a last minute plane ticket and now I'm sitting in my hotel room in Copenhagen. It's kind of funny (yet also frustrating) how so much of this sport is about last minute scrambling for competitions. Either way, I had another great week of practice and I think I'm ready to hit some good throws. Hopefully, the weather will hold out and I'll be able to post some good news! The meet website is : www.sparta.dk/901we.aspx

Amsterdam

Amsterdam was a disaster. It was raining, there were a lot of guys throwing, and the ring was pretty slick. I had four solid throws but unfortunately fouled all of them. About all I can do is brush this one off, get some good training in this week and get ready for the next one.

On to the Next One

I'm leaving for Amsterdam tomorrow morning to throw discus in the Amsterdam Open on the 7th. It's a small meet but I have a few Dutch friends that will be there so it should be a fun time, if nothing else. Training has been going really well lately so I'm looking forward to the next few competitions. After Amsterdam, it looks like the next meet will be in Copenhagen on the 12th. Life in Koln has been pretty steady lately. The weather has been overcast and breezy, which is perfect because our apartment doesn't have air conditioning (just like all of Europe). Kara and I were heading back home from practice yesterday and on a whim, we got off the train halfway home to check out a store we always see from the train. It turned out to be a great idea! The store is called Kaufland and is the biggest grocery store I've seen in Europe. It's even pretty big by US standards. They have everything, including bagels, beef, and american hot dog buns (which have been impossible to find so far)! The problem is, it's about a half hour trip from our apartment but we're planning an expedition for the days after we get back from Amsterdam.

Change of Plans...

The meet in Tallinn, Estonia on the 3rd isn't willing to pay for all of my travel to get there and back home so I decided to stay home. Training has been going better and better so I feel good about continuing that trend. I've been taking video of my latest practices and that's helped me pinpoint some technical flaws that are keeping me from throwing far. I finally threw over 20m in training today so I know good throws are in the works. I'll likely throw in Amsterdam on the 7th (discus only) and hopefully go to Tallinn for another meet on the 8th.