What's up people!? I wonder who I'm actually talking to when I say that lol. I have no idea if anyone ever reads these, but it's nice to write about this experience, and I think it helps my memory to recall as much as I can within the two weeks or so it takes me to write a post. Anyways, I think I left off with our game at Landsberg where we lost a real heart breaker.
The week that followed consisted of a lot of doctor visits, rehab, and insurance complications with my leg. It's a real bummer that this thing isn't healing as fast as I thought it would, but that's part of sports I suppose. I took the train into Munich two times now to visit Dr. Nager, who is a very good doctor in the area. He used an ultrasound machine to identify that there was a significant amount of hematoma (dried blood) gathered in my right quadricep. He thinks only something like a full quadricp rupture would cause that much bleeding, but because our insurance is taking time to clear everything for an MRI, I do not have a confirmed diagnosis of the injury. My leg hurts like shit. All the time. I can't bend it much, I can walk, but it looks a little funny, and it's still a swollen and stiff. I don't know how long I'll be out, but I have been hurt many times before, and I wouldn't predict a return any time soon. Running is out of the question, biking is a no way, it like seriously can't bend. So until that heals up, I'm doing my best to stay in the gym and workout whatever I can. I really like our gym, and I think it would be stupid not to take advantage of my time there, so that's good motivation to stay fit. I've probably worked out 3 or 4 times the past few weeks, which I need to pick up on. Also, because of this injury, my coaching role has gone up big time. I spent the entire last week's practice time coaching our short handed defense to be ready for the best team in the league (Ingolstadt)'s spread offense. We played Ingolstadt at their house last weekend and really took a beat down. Things went wrong from the beginning. We got driven and scored on our first defensive drive, and on third down of our first offensive drive, we dropped what would've been a long touchdown pass. After that, we pretty much shit the bed. Our team was missing seven starters due to injuries, work, dates with their girlfriends, etc. so that didn't help much. Our offensive line was beat up and missing two starters, and our receivers did a poor job of getting open. We were held to 12 points. Ian did whatever he could, and I thought played really well, but he was given a tough ass job. Our defense made it tough for them at times, but gave up way too many big plays in the end. We lost 42-12 to a team that physically dominated us. They were some pretty damn big guys and had a few skill players that were good, but we can definitely play with them and will see them again later in the season.
The Sunday after the game, we relaxed at the Lande and enjoyed some youth football. It was very relaxing, and we even got some action on the chain gang for one of the flag games. Monday we got back in our weekly routine of working out, and pretty much chilling lol. Tuesday night Ian's dad, Karl, got here and it's been a ball hanging out with him. On Wednesday around 1, we went down to Munich with him and coach for lunch and sightseeing. We practiced from 7-9 and stayed up at the Lande til about midnight just bullshitting with coaches, players, and Karl and drinking beer. Today is Thursday, and also Father's day here. This morning, we went to this famous church in Andechs. The 800 year old church was way out on the countryside near the Alps, and planted up high on a hill. It's a tradition to wake up at like 3:30 am and walk like 7 miles out to the church, but we drove instead. We sat through mass in this beautiful, gold-filled church, and went immediately afterward to enjoy Bavarian food and beer at around 9:30. We drank and laughed at the Biergarten right outside the church til around noon, and then drove home. We napped, and went right back out to a Bavarian festival in Turkenfeld (20 km away) which was really fun. We spent our day enjoying Bavarian traditions that I will always remember. Karl had a lot of fun (and drank a lot of beer) so that was also really cool. Tomorrow we practice one last time, and Saturday it's off to Straubing to play the Spiders.
Take care to whoever reads these! Peace and love to you!
Evan
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
Okay so the trouble is, when I forget to post for too long, I start to forget all the things we've been doing lol. The last time I posted, we were just celebrating a big win over the Munich Rangers and getting ready for week two against the Starnberg Argonauts. I took a helmet to my quad against Munich, so my leg was messed up that whole week. During that week after we played Munich, I don't remember doing anything TOO adventurous during the week. I remember on Thursday we worked an 11.5 hour day of manual labor with the guy who owns the house we live in. That was pretty brutal, but it was nice to make a little cash. I don't end up spending much money here at all. Our food in our fridge is payed for, we've been getting gas money, we drink free beers at the practice field, so any money we make goes a really long way. We hung out with a friends a lot last week, as they had some time off also. It was nice to be able to rest up and prepare for our next game. I rested my leg up as much as I could, and played through it in the game against the Starnberg Argonauts, last week. We won 57-21. They were not a very solid opponent, so it was a good week to be injured, I guess. I had 7 catches for 150 yards and 3 Tds. I don't remember Ian's stat line exactly, but I think he threw for like 350 with 6 tds. He played really well. We hung out with the opposing team's QB after the game, who was also from Cali. There RB, who is probably the best in the league, was also from Cali and was a really cool dude. We had a few beers, hopped in the car and headed home. We went and hung out at the Kurban's house afterwards and played a little mid night soccer in the yard. That was really fun, and I really enjoy chilling with those guys.
Last week, was also a fairly relaxing week. It's hard to go out and do too much during the week because we play a pretty big part in game planning for the next game. Monday we worked out, and went with coach Dixon to Munich. That was really fun. He took us down to Augustiner's (the best Bavarian food around) and bought us dinner. We walked around for a while and just listened to him talk about all these different places. He's a bit of a history buff so it's interesting to hear what he has to say. Tuesday we met with Coach Marco and did our game planning. I also lifted my legs for the first time in a few weeks because of the injury (wasn't a great idea). We hung at a friend named Lenny's house before practice Wednesday, and then had a great practice. Thursday, Ian and I did bike sprints uphill, and then played basketball 1 on 1 to help get my wind back since I had limited running because of the injury. Turns out lifting legs, practicing, then doing what we did Thursday was a lil too much for Evan's leg. Right when I thought I was healing up, I over did it and destroyed my quad. I didn't practice Friday because I could barely walk, and on game day I woke up not feeling much better. The team trainer came to our house and taped my whole leg up as best he could, but it didn't help too much. I played the whole game, but defense only because I could not run. Our week 3 game was against the Landberg X-press at their stadium. We lost the game 49-47. It was some bullshit. We played a pretty dominant offensive game, but our team had some dropped balls in some key situations that kept us from scoring. On defense, we sucked. They had two good receivers and a Canadian QB. On the first drive of the game I had a couple of pass deflections, and then the QB just threw away from me the rest of the game. He just kept chucking the ball deep, and our Db's ball skills are very poor. They scored and scored and scored some more, but on the last drive of the game, we got a stop when it counted. With 3 minutes left, our offense drove down and almost scored, but a miscommunication on 4th down ended the game. Ian played really well again. I think he threw for like 340 and 4 tds, and our RB rushed for 217 on 23 carries. Our O-line is really good, actually our offense is just really good. However on D, we have some problems. Yesterday, we went and watched the Junior's game at our home field, and that was very relaxing. We ate some burgers, drank some beers and chilled out. It's Monday now and my leg is still pretty jacked up. The team trainer wants me to sit out this week, so I may do that depending on how I feel. We play one of the strongest teams in the league this week, so it's gonna suck to miss. I'm going to go to the team doctor tomorrow and see what's up. Sorry for the late post, and I hope everything is going well to all my people back home. Until next time peeps, much love and Go Razorbacks!
Last week, was also a fairly relaxing week. It's hard to go out and do too much during the week because we play a pretty big part in game planning for the next game. Monday we worked out, and went with coach Dixon to Munich. That was really fun. He took us down to Augustiner's (the best Bavarian food around) and bought us dinner. We walked around for a while and just listened to him talk about all these different places. He's a bit of a history buff so it's interesting to hear what he has to say. Tuesday we met with Coach Marco and did our game planning. I also lifted my legs for the first time in a few weeks because of the injury (wasn't a great idea). We hung at a friend named Lenny's house before practice Wednesday, and then had a great practice. Thursday, Ian and I did bike sprints uphill, and then played basketball 1 on 1 to help get my wind back since I had limited running because of the injury. Turns out lifting legs, practicing, then doing what we did Thursday was a lil too much for Evan's leg. Right when I thought I was healing up, I over did it and destroyed my quad. I didn't practice Friday because I could barely walk, and on game day I woke up not feeling much better. The team trainer came to our house and taped my whole leg up as best he could, but it didn't help too much. I played the whole game, but defense only because I could not run. Our week 3 game was against the Landberg X-press at their stadium. We lost the game 49-47. It was some bullshit. We played a pretty dominant offensive game, but our team had some dropped balls in some key situations that kept us from scoring. On defense, we sucked. They had two good receivers and a Canadian QB. On the first drive of the game I had a couple of pass deflections, and then the QB just threw away from me the rest of the game. He just kept chucking the ball deep, and our Db's ball skills are very poor. They scored and scored and scored some more, but on the last drive of the game, we got a stop when it counted. With 3 minutes left, our offense drove down and almost scored, but a miscommunication on 4th down ended the game. Ian played really well again. I think he threw for like 340 and 4 tds, and our RB rushed for 217 on 23 carries. Our O-line is really good, actually our offense is just really good. However on D, we have some problems. Yesterday, we went and watched the Junior's game at our home field, and that was very relaxing. We ate some burgers, drank some beers and chilled out. It's Monday now and my leg is still pretty jacked up. The team trainer wants me to sit out this week, so I may do that depending on how I feel. We play one of the strongest teams in the league this week, so it's gonna suck to miss. I'm going to go to the team doctor tomorrow and see what's up. Sorry for the late post, and I hope everything is going well to all my people back home. Until next time peeps, much love and Go Razorbacks!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Sorry I'm a little late getting on here. Last week was our first game week, so there was a lot of stuff going on. In the earlier days of last week, we were doing a lot of football stuff. I spent a lot of Monday, Tuesday, and and Wednesday, either practicing, running hills, lifting weights, or game planning /meeting for our opponent that week. At times it feels a little bit like college football did, except when you show up to practice and like half the team isn't there because they had a tough day at work. I will not lie, this has gotten to be a little frustrating at time. Coming from our football background, Ian and I are used to taking football as serious as someone would take their job. We're used to competitive practices, a lot of effort, and being screamed at for making mistakes is pretty standard. We had like 14 teammates over to our apartment on Tuesday night to watch film of our scrimmage, and also to prepare for our opponent for the first game. We cooked pasta for everyone, some other teammates brought beers, and it was a very successful team get together. However, our Wednesday practice sucked ass. We had a pretty low attendance, and it was just a very lazy, let's get practice over with, kind of vibe. As a former player, and now current coach, I did everything I could not to start yelling at the team pick shit up! I just have to keep reminding myself that these guys work all day, they're tired, and they only get two practices a week to prepare for something that colleges in the states take a week to prepare for. That practice didn't go so well, and it showed in the game.
The following day (Thursday) was May 1st, which is a big holiday out here. No one works, and every city is responsible for putting up their Maibaum (May tree). In the morning, Ian, Coach Dixon, and myself drove down to Fursty and watched the men put up this gigantic tree in the middle of the city. It was pretty crazy. The tree is HUGE and there are people sitting and watching all around. The spot for the Maibaum happens to also be the city's Beer Garden, so everyone was up early drinking beers!...Free beers that is! We enjoyed a cold Hellis while we watched the traditional raising of the tree take place, but then had to hurry home to get ready for our teammate's (Lukey Dohrmann) wedding day! Not only was it my first German wedding ever, but it was just the first wedding I had been to since I was a little kid. The ceremony started off in this Catholic church where both Lukey's parents and grandparents were married in. I didn't understand a thing, but it seemed like a pretty traditional Catholic wedding. The Dohrmann family is very well known, and what I would call the most involved family in the Razorbacks organization. That being said, the wedding was pretty damn big. The church was filled past capacity, and EVERYONE from all levels of the Razorbacks was there. After the ceremony, we drove over to the monastery for the after party. They served delicious food, played great music, and had plenty of dancing and small games all night! It was really a beautiful event from the top to the bottom, and I'm sure it must've cost the Dohrmann's a pretty little penny, but it was well worth it. Everyone had a blast, and we stayed til 2 in the morning just chatting and hanging out with everyone.
Friday we concluded our week of preparation for the game, and after practice we headed up to the Frulingsfest (spelling) to enjoy some Bavarian tradition! We each got our liter of beer and enjoyed Bavarian songs, dancing on tables, and some excellent traditional Bavarian clothing that I have no idea how to spell (pronounced Lei-der-hosen).
Saturday morning was definitely a football day. We went to the Juniors (14-18 year olds) game in Munich and watched them win 25-0. Then, we drove to Starnberg (one of the most expensive areas to live in Germany) and watched our week two and week three opponents play. After that, we came home and enjoyed some Italian food at a local restaurant with coach, and then went and had some dessert at a Greek spot.
Sunday, the whole team showed up at the field at 10:45 for a 3:00 game. I'm used to relaxing and getting in the zone before football games, but here in Fursty, you work. The whole team was busy either painting the field, carrying/setting up tables, setting up sound equipment, sweeping off sitting areas, etc. for a good hour and a half before we ate our pregame meal. I thought that was really cool to see all these guys work so hard after working so hard all week. They're grinders out here. Anyways, we ate, got suited up and played a football game.
We played in great weather here in Fursty. There were about 650 fans, which feels pretty packed at our small stadium. In the past, Fursty has been like a 1930's old school football team who punts on third down and runs the ball 95% of the game. The fans for sure enjoyed watching a 52-43 shootout to open up the season. Our offense was nasty. We started the game by throwing a pick and giving them a short field. They scored making it 7-0. We came back and put up 27 unanswered, and were up 20 points with a minute left in the half. On 4th down with them punting us the ball. It seemed like we would go into the half with a huge lead, and be able to put the game away quickly. The punter ran for a first down on a fake punt, and with 8 seconds left in the half they scored making in 27-14 going into the half. They came out and scored on their first offensive drive of the second half, making it a one score game. From that point on, there was a lot of offense, and really shitty defense. We exchanged scores back and forth, and with a little bit of luck, we were able to pull out a victory. The game was long, and for me, playing both ways was really tough. Ian and I were both very beat up, and it's Wednesday, and I still don't think I will be able to practice today because of a bruised leg. I had 125 receiving on 10 catches with 2 tds. I also had a 75 interception return Td. Ian threw for 340, 4 tds, 1 int, and rushed for one td. Afterwards, we drank beer at the field til about 10, and then went to a friend's house to relax. It was a tough win, and our defense has to get better this week! I will update you guys again on Sunday or Monday. Take care everyone!
Evan
The following day (Thursday) was May 1st, which is a big holiday out here. No one works, and every city is responsible for putting up their Maibaum (May tree). In the morning, Ian, Coach Dixon, and myself drove down to Fursty and watched the men put up this gigantic tree in the middle of the city. It was pretty crazy. The tree is HUGE and there are people sitting and watching all around. The spot for the Maibaum happens to also be the city's Beer Garden, so everyone was up early drinking beers!...Free beers that is! We enjoyed a cold Hellis while we watched the traditional raising of the tree take place, but then had to hurry home to get ready for our teammate's (Lukey Dohrmann) wedding day! Not only was it my first German wedding ever, but it was just the first wedding I had been to since I was a little kid. The ceremony started off in this Catholic church where both Lukey's parents and grandparents were married in. I didn't understand a thing, but it seemed like a pretty traditional Catholic wedding. The Dohrmann family is very well known, and what I would call the most involved family in the Razorbacks organization. That being said, the wedding was pretty damn big. The church was filled past capacity, and EVERYONE from all levels of the Razorbacks was there. After the ceremony, we drove over to the monastery for the after party. They served delicious food, played great music, and had plenty of dancing and small games all night! It was really a beautiful event from the top to the bottom, and I'm sure it must've cost the Dohrmann's a pretty little penny, but it was well worth it. Everyone had a blast, and we stayed til 2 in the morning just chatting and hanging out with everyone.
Friday we concluded our week of preparation for the game, and after practice we headed up to the Frulingsfest (spelling) to enjoy some Bavarian tradition! We each got our liter of beer and enjoyed Bavarian songs, dancing on tables, and some excellent traditional Bavarian clothing that I have no idea how to spell (pronounced Lei-der-hosen).
Saturday morning was definitely a football day. We went to the Juniors (14-18 year olds) game in Munich and watched them win 25-0. Then, we drove to Starnberg (one of the most expensive areas to live in Germany) and watched our week two and week three opponents play. After that, we came home and enjoyed some Italian food at a local restaurant with coach, and then went and had some dessert at a Greek spot.
Sunday, the whole team showed up at the field at 10:45 for a 3:00 game. I'm used to relaxing and getting in the zone before football games, but here in Fursty, you work. The whole team was busy either painting the field, carrying/setting up tables, setting up sound equipment, sweeping off sitting areas, etc. for a good hour and a half before we ate our pregame meal. I thought that was really cool to see all these guys work so hard after working so hard all week. They're grinders out here. Anyways, we ate, got suited up and played a football game.
We played in great weather here in Fursty. There were about 650 fans, which feels pretty packed at our small stadium. In the past, Fursty has been like a 1930's old school football team who punts on third down and runs the ball 95% of the game. The fans for sure enjoyed watching a 52-43 shootout to open up the season. Our offense was nasty. We started the game by throwing a pick and giving them a short field. They scored making it 7-0. We came back and put up 27 unanswered, and were up 20 points with a minute left in the half. On 4th down with them punting us the ball. It seemed like we would go into the half with a huge lead, and be able to put the game away quickly. The punter ran for a first down on a fake punt, and with 8 seconds left in the half they scored making in 27-14 going into the half. They came out and scored on their first offensive drive of the second half, making it a one score game. From that point on, there was a lot of offense, and really shitty defense. We exchanged scores back and forth, and with a little bit of luck, we were able to pull out a victory. The game was long, and for me, playing both ways was really tough. Ian and I were both very beat up, and it's Wednesday, and I still don't think I will be able to practice today because of a bruised leg. I had 125 receiving on 10 catches with 2 tds. I also had a 75 interception return Td. Ian threw for 340, 4 tds, 1 int, and rushed for one td. Afterwards, we drank beer at the field til about 10, and then went to a friend's house to relax. It was a tough win, and our defense has to get better this week! I will update you guys again on Sunday or Monday. Take care everyone!
Evan
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