My Visit to Fort Bragg

This past weekend's trip to Fort Bragg was a great experience. I arrived Saturday evening and was greeted by one of the founding members of FUBAR and Warriors’ Promise, Ken Hunt. Ken recently retired from the Army after 27 years of service. He was a Green Beret. His father, Master Sergeant William B. Hunt was Vietnam Special Forces and went MIA after being shot from above in Vietnam. It happened when Ken was 5 years old, so he doesn't remember him much. He has spent most of his life asking questions and trying to search for him or any last detail that he can track down.

On Sunday morning, Ken and I were scheduled to meet at the US Sports Bar on Fort Bragg where I would be signing autographs and hanging out with the soldiers and their families.

When we first arrived on the Fort, we set up our display at the bar where lots of families and individuals would be watching Sunday Football. We displayed all the FUBAR and Warrior's Promise give-aways we had. We gave out drinks, bars, stickers, patches, T-shirts, hats, and autograph cards from me and Nascar driver, Johnny Sauter. There was a great turnout.



(This is a picture of an inscriptions on one of the memorials at the site dedicated to the memory of the soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division who made the ultimate sacrifice for America. It is one of my favorite pictures because it is a reminder about who the true "All-Americans" are.)

The visit at the sports bar went very fast. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to actually play volleyball with the troops and their families, but hopefully we will plan a summer visit and get people out using the courts. The sand courts looked very nice, but November in North Carolina is not a good month for beach volleyball... A little too cold for me! I did get the chance to talk to a lot of the soldiers. Most of them were either returning from or getting ready to go back to Iraq or Afghanistan.



After the Sports Bar, Ken showed me around the Fort. The visit was very nostalgic for him. He was born at Fort Bragg and had been stationed there many years ago himself. We visited Special Forces Memorials for our fallen soldiers including Master Sergeant William B. Hunt, Ken's father. It was a special moment that I was proud to share with Ken.

He also showed me around a few of the museums. My favorite was the old aircraft. When I was young, I collected plastic toy replicas of these old, beautiful planes. I felt like a wide-eyed kid again.

It was a great weekend that was very special for me. It has inspired me to do more. I want to encourage all the civilians I know to thank our veterans and active military. These holidays, please do not forget them.

One way to honor our soldiers is to support the Warrior's Promise Foundation. The mission of the Warrior's Promise Foundation is to improve the quality of life for the men and women of the military community in need. Please read more about it at http://www.warriorspromise.org/.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Holiday!

Angie

PS. I just posted all the pictures from my trip to my website. Go to www.angieakers.com and click on the Gallery to find Fort Bragg 2008 pictures.

Roy Williams Charity Bowling Event

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to be a celebrity guest at the Roy Williams Bowling with the Boys' for Safety Net Foundation. Safety Net helps low-income, single mothers in the Dallas area.

The event was fantastic. When I first arrived, I met up with some of the other celebrities that were participating. Chris Kirkpatrick from N'Sync, Comedian Gary Owen, and Deal or No Deal's #1 model Claudia Jordan. We were driven to the event in a limo bus. When we arrived at the Bowling Alley, we walked the Red Carpet into the event. Our pictures were taken and we were escorted to get our shoes and shirts and then to our lanes to meet our teams.

I was on Pastor Ricky Rush and Pastor Sewell's team. There were quite a few of us, as the turnout for the event was fantastic! The first hour and a half was spent talking with people and throwing a few warm up bowls. I warned my team just how bad I was going to be. Being the nice people that they all were, they welcomed me anyway! We had a hard time keeping a real score because there were so many of us in our lane. We would bowl out of turn on purpose just to keep things moving. I called in a sub, my new friend, Jace, who is a 3rd grader in the Dallas area. He was there with his grandfather, Pastor Sewell. Jace was pretty darn good! I tried convincing him that beach volleyball was a great sport and that he should watch it more often, but he was not so sure. He was a bit shy and really liked to stick with football. I could not blame him. He was surrounded by most of the Dallas Cowboys Football team. Terrell Owens was bowling in the lane right next to us! Jace was dying for his autograph and I think he got it!

Roy Williams made a very good effort to come around to each lane and spend a fair bit of time talking with everyone. With so many people at the event, I know it took a great effort from him. He was so friendly and thankful to have us there supporting his Foundation. I was honored to be there.


Toward the end of the night, each celebrity did a quick interview/sound byte for the Foundation. My first take was with the comedian, Gary Owen, who by the way was hysterical! I didn't say much because I was laughing so hard at him. I ended up doing my own byte after we were finished. I had a fantastic time hanging out with Gary and Chris. We all had just met, but by the end of the night it felt like we had known each other for awhile.

It was a great experience for me to meet and interact with so many amazing people. I felt that I had about 50 new friends. It was a fantastic feeling.

After the Bowling, we took the limo bus back to the hotel and I called it a night. I had an early morning flight to catch and was ready for bed.

It was such a short trip, but packed full of fun and great experiences. Plus, we helped out a great cause! I loved every minute of it!

My next trip will be in 2 weeks. I will be visiting Fort Bragg to meet and greet the troops there! I am really excited for the trip and know it will be another fantastic journey!

Peace!

Angie

Dubai - Post Season

Hi Everyone,

I just returned from a very short trip to Dubai. It took 23 hours of travel to get there and 19 hours to get back. I was there for 3 days! Talk about a whirlwind! Here is what went down...

Thursday morning, I jumped on a plane and flew from LAX to JFK for the 5 hour flight. I had a 4 hour layover at JFK, which worked nicely because I was able to watch the Vice Presidential debate in the airport. Just as it was ending, we were boarding our flight. I then flew direct from JFK to Dubai, a 14 hour flight. We landed at 7:30PM Dubai time on Friday. By the time I got my luggage and got to the hotel, it was about 9:30PM. I felt extremely out of whack and somehow managed to stay up until midnight. I took Advil PM and zonked out until 11:30AM the next day.

Saturday we ventured down to the beach and found the site where the tournament was being held. It was 100 degrees and humid! We got there around 2:30 in the afternoon and were advised not to practice until 4 because of the extreme heat. We had not eaten lunch yet, so we asked where we could find a good restaurant nearby. The tournament directors invited us to eat lunch where the staff would be eating. It was fantastic! We had the best hommus, baba ghannouj, tabouleh, and fresh fruit. I was in food heaven!

After eating, we went down to the water and went swimming for awhile. The Persian Gulf is extremely warm! The air temperature was around 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the water felt like warm bath water. It must have been at least 90 degrees. Not exactly refreshing on a hot day, but fabulous to lounge in at dusk.

I was a bit shocked to see the extremes in culture in Dubai. There are Muslim women covered head to toe in black burkas with nothing showing except their eyes, even on the beach. I encountered one such woman in the ladies room and she was soaking wet from sweat and trying to cool herself down. Then I saw a woman in a thong bikini basking in the sun and frolicking around in the water. It was literally one extreme to another. Apparently, the United Arab Emirates is fairly liberal in the Muslim world.

Around 3:30, we decided to practice for a bit. We were on our own for the first hour, then we jumped in with the English girls and played a little. Afterward, we went back to the hotel and ate dinner there. We tried to go to bed early, but our body clocks were severely out of whack. I fell asleep at midnight, but woke up at 6AM. I read for awhile before heading down to the restaurant for breakfast. I met up with Tyra Turner, Nancy Mason, and Jen Boss, all who were having trouble sleeping as well! We sat at a table just hanging out for awhile trying to decide what to do with our day. Since Brooke and I had to play the country quota match that evening at 5PM, we decided to stay in while the others went to a giant water park.

We had several hours to kill, so we walked to a grocery store and did a little food shopping. Then we went back to our room and watched some TV. Around 3PM, we took a taxi back to the beach where the tournament was being held.

We took our time warming up, which was not hard in the 100 degree heat. We then had to play the country quota against Ivy/Fendrick.

It was extremely disappointing for us. It was Brooke's first tournament back from her shoulder surgery. We had a rough go of it and it was obvious that we had not played together in a long time. Afterwards, feeling rather foolish for traveling all the way to Dubai and not even making it into the tournament, I went down to the water and cleared my mind.

Brooke and I had intended to play in the remaining FIVB events in Thailand and China, but decided it was best not to go. I am OVER traveling right now, so that is just fine by me! I am really excited to be home and attempt being a normal person. I am not sure that is possible, but I am going to attempt it!

So after leaving the site, we went back to the hotel and changed our flight home. We bought new tickets leaving the very next morning. We decided to go check out the Mall of the Emirates and see what Ski Dubai was all about.

All I can really say is "HOLY COW!" Ski Dubai is like a winter wonderland all year round. We decided not to actually ski because we just did not feel like being cold. We looked through the window at the spectacle and could not believe our eyes. Here in the middle of a MALL in the middle of the DESERT is a ski resort! There were tons of kids riding inter tubes and toboggans down the slopes. It looked like great fun.


After checking it out for awhile, we were hungry and went to find food. We stumbled upon a wonderful Lebanese restaurant and had a fantastic meal. We dined on more hommus and pita, chicken tawouk, and baklawa. It was great.


We walked around the mall for a bit, but everything was closing so we took a taxi back to our hotel. We stayed up to pack and tried to get to sleep around midnight. I fell asleep fast, but woke up at 2AM wide awake. I turned on the TV and flipped through channels until 6AM. Then we left for the airport.


Our first flight was from Dubai to London. It was 7.5 hours long. After not sleeping much the night before, I was extremely happy to have a whole row to myself. I stretched out and slept for 6 hours of the flight.


As soon as we landed in London, we had to sprint from the plane to our connection. We had an hour in between flights, but by the time we got off the plane and went through passport control and security, it left us barely 10 minutes to get to the other side of the airport. We reached the gate just in time and got on the flight. It was another 11.5 hours from London to LAX.

I felt quite rested, so I read and watched movies. It went pretty fast and by the time I got home, it was 8PM California time. Jeremy picked me up from the airport and we grabbed dinner and opened a bottle of wine.


I stayed up until midnight and thankfully slept the whole night through. I feel great today and am pleasantly surprised that I do not feel jet lagged in the least! I think the trip was too fast for that!


I am home now and happy to be here. I have no plans other than to take some much needed time off. I am really looking forward to that!


If anything fun and exciting comes up, I will be sure to write about it! In the meantime, thanks for reading and being apart of my 2008 season!


All my best,

Angie

Glendale - Best of the Beach

The AVP off season is officially here. The regular season ended this past weekend with the Best of the Beach in Glendale, Arizona. The weather was HOT and so was the action! We played with different partners every match and eventually found out just who was the "Best of the Beach."

Unfortunately, it was not me. However, I did have an awesome time. I was seeded 9th going into the event. My pool consisted of Annett Davis, Tyra Turner, and Barbra Fontana. Our first match was on Thursday evening at 6PM. The temperature was 105 degrees and we sure felt it! I played with Barbra first. We did not fair so well against Davis and Turner. They played pretty well and really took it to us. Unfortunately, our scores were 13-21, 15-21. So Barbra and I were 0-1 in pool play.

Friday morning, at 10AM with the weather at a pleasant 90 degrees and rising, I played with Annett against Barbra and Tyra. It was fun, but we did not win. We struggled finding a rhythm together. We lost 17-21, 16-21. That put my record at 0-2.

We played again at 12 noon in the HEAT! It was 103 degrees! I played with Tyra and got my first and only victory. It was an exciting three set match. We won 18-21, 21-19, 18-16. Tyra and I were down match point, 12-14 but fought our way back to win the match. It was really fun.

Tyra won our pool with her 3 victories. Annett, Barbra, and I all tied for second with our 1-2 records, so it went down to sets then points. Because my only victory came in a three set match, I automatically was in last place. Barbra and Annett were close in points, but Annett's losses were closer than Barbra's, so Annett finished second and moved on to the next round of competition. Barbra and I were eliminated.

As players, we really enjoy the format because it is a totally different challenge. You are put on the court with people you have never played with before and you have about 30 minutes to warm up, figure out your strategies, and try to create some sort of chemistry. It is interesting to see who you play well with and who you do not. It is a great way to end the AVP season.

After being eliminated, we stayed to watch the volleyball all weekend. It was nice to let loose and enjoy ourselves without having to worry about training or the next week's tournament.

I took Saturday and Sunday off, but I am back on the beach Monday morning. I will be traveling to Dubai with Brooke Hanson, my partner from last season, to compete on the FIVB tour. Brooke has missed the entire 2008 AVP season due to a shoulder injury. She has fully recovered and is itching to get back in the sand and compete. We leave on Thursday and will have to compete in the country quota before we can gain entrance into the qualification tournament. I will be blogging from overseas, so be sure to check in.

Have a great week!

Angie

Manhattan Beach Open

The final team tournament of the year was held in Manhattan Beach this past weekend. Earlier in the year, this tournament's format was decided to be an 8 team automatic entry with 8 more teams coming in from a qualifier. After much campaigning and even going before the Manhattan Beach Council, a group of people fought to have the format changed from 16 total teams to a much bigger, 32 team draw. It seemed to work out for the best. However, the 8 automatic entries remained the same, but now they had 24 teams work their way in from the qualifier.

Holly and I finished 5th in San Francisco which automatically qualified us for Manhattan Beach. We were the 5th seed of the tournament. Unfortunately, we were not playing our best volleyball and ended our season together with a very disappointing 9th place finish. We played a very long day of volleyball on Friday.

Our first match was against MacArthur/Lehman at 9AM. We took care of business and won easily, 21-13, 21-10. Next, we played the Lindquists and had another all out battle. They played great, digging everything we sent at them. We lost a tough one, 20-22, 22-20, 13-15. That loss was very disappointing, but we had to bounce back. We would have to play 3 more matches that day.

Next, we faced Straton/Wing. We struggled through the first game, but won 21-19, 21-16. We were not playing our best volleyball, but we got by. I was not playing confident and aggressively. I was sort of in my own head. After the match, I went down to the ocean to recharge. I swam for a bit and tried to relax. It helped tremendously.

Our next match was against Lewis/Lima in the stadium. Things came together for us and we played our best volleyball of the tournament. We won 21-8, 21-9! Nothing dropped on Holly and we played together, near flawlessly. It was a great match which helped get my confidence back.

Our 5th match of the day was against Roca/Fendrick at 5:30PM. We went back to playing poor volleyball and lost. We were in it all the way, but never took over and controlled the match. We lost 19-21, 24-26. We were down in the second set, 12-16 and went on a run to tie it up at 19-19. We battled point after point, getting the advantage and serving game point several times, but never closed it out. The game ended when the referee made a very questionable call for a lift after Holly covered herself off the block. It was an unbelievable way to end a close match. In my opinion, it was a terrible call, but referees make mistakes too. We had several other chances and should have taken care of it then. So that ended our season together as a team.

Saturday, despite my feelings of disappointment, I went down to the tournament and hung out all day. I signed autographs with Holly at the PNY tent. Then I hung out in the Level 10 Fitness tent with my trainer, Meredith Miller. I signed a few autographs and took pictures with some of the kids stopping by.

Sunday, Meredith held a "Workout on the Beach with the Pros" to promote Level 10. I was there to workout with everyone and have some fun. She kicked our butts, but we all had a great time. Then before the men's final, I played in a celebrity charity match for Stand Up to Cancer which will be aired on Best Damn Sports Show. My team consisted of Coach Kurt Rambis, Laker Sasha Vujacic, The Bachelorette Deanna Pappas and her fiance, pro snow boarder Jesse Csincsak, Bob Marley's son Rohan Marley, actor Johnny Messner, Suzanne Stonebarger, and me. We played a game to 15 points and my team won! It was fun to meet new people and teach them a little about beach volleyball while raising money for a great cause.

This coming weekend is the Gods and Goddesses of the Beach Challenge in Glendale, Arizona for the top 12 players on tour. Holly and I will be competing there in the Goddess of the Beach Challenge. The pools were announced and I will be playing with Annett Davis, Tyra Turner, and Barbra Fontana. This is a very fun event where we play round robin style (one match with every person in your pool.) The top two players from each pool will then advance to the next round. This event will complete the AVP 2008 season. It has come and gone incredibly fast. I have enjoyed it every step of the way.

I want to give a HUGE shout out to my wonderful sponsors, REAL WATER, CUERVO, PNY, and FUBAR for all their support and encouragement! They help to make my life on the beach much easier!

Thanks for reading!

Angie

Santa Barbara and San Francisco

Sorry I did not post after the Santa Barbara event. Things got very busy and my blog was pushed to the back burner. But I am back to give you full details of the last two events. They were good ones filled with excitement and upsets.

Santa Barbara was really nice. The weather was great. We stayed right across the street from the site, which was fantastically convenient. It was a two day tournament with a 16 team draw size. Only the teams that finished 9th or better would move on to San Francisco.

We won our first match against Romias/Rutledge. We played great at times, but were a little streaky in this match. We had big leads in both games but gave up several points in a row making the match tighter than it should have been.

Next we played Davis/Jordan and lost a heart-breaker. We won the first set 34-32. It was very exciting all around. There were several long, dramatic rallies. The second set, we trailed from the beginning. We lost 17-21. We were neck and neck throughout the third set until the last few points. Davis/Jordan jumped ahead when it counted and got the victory. It was frustrating, but we fought so hard and knew we had to bounce back quickly.

We then played Ivy/Lowe in the contenders bracket. The first set was really close. We led the whole match, but could not break away. We won 24-22. The next set, we made some adjustments and were able to score some points and get a little cushion. We won 21-17.

Our next match was against Mason/Kropp in the stadium. The entire beach is pretty hard-packed, but the stadium was just like playing indoors again. I felt so good during this match. I was jumping and seeing the court really well. We took care of all our opportunities and won 21-13, 21-15. It was a great match for us.

We were finished for the day, sitting in 5th place. We had to come back the next morning and play Boss/Ross to get to the semi-finals.

We finished on the later side so I went back to my hotel to shower quickly before heading to dinner. I was exhausted from the day so I climbed in bed early and fell right to sleep.

The next morning I felt great physically. I was ready to go. We started off pretty well against Boss/Ross, but then they got some confidence in their jump serves and started bombing them. They went after me because I got into some passing trouble. If I passed the ball I would side out, but I was getting eaten alive by their serves. I got aced more than a few times. It was not pretty. We lost 26-28, 18-21. That was the end of our tournament. We finished in 5th place.

I felt better after seeing how well Davis/Jordan and Boss/Ross played against all their opponents. Both teams are playing exceptionally well right now. I was really excited for Davis/Jordan to win the whole tournament. They are wonderful girls and amazing volleyball players.

Next stop, San Francisco -

I left on Tuesday for San Francisco for Cuervo appearances. The Wednesday visits were cancelled so I had a full day in the city with my husband. We used to live there, 7 years ago, so it is really fun for us to go back and visit friends and some of our favorite stomping grounds. It was really cold in the city and I did not pack anything warm so it was a good excuse to go shopping.

Holly arrived on Thursday, so we trained at 5PM. It was incredibly windy. At least the sun was out because when the cloud cover came in, the temperature dropped drastically. We had a short practice and then made our way to dinner.

The next morning, we played at 11:30 against Ivy/Lowe. It was cloudy and very cold. We played in long pants and long sleeve tops. The cold did not get to us. We came out very strong and won 21-14, 21-16.

Next, we played Davis/Jordan again. (For about the 9th time this season!) We played very streaky throughout the weekend. We were either really good or really bad. The first set of this match, we could not buy a side out. Davis/Jordan made one exceptional play after another. It was super frustrating for us. We lost the first set 10-21. We played better in the next set, but not good enough. We lost 18-21. People always ask what is the most embarrassing thing to happen while playing. Well, my most embarrassing moment happened in this match. I jumped up to hit a ball on two just as a gust of wind came up. I swung as hard as I could and completely missed the ball! To add insult to injury, the ball then hit me in the face! I could not believe that it happened. I just wanted to laugh at myself, but no one was laughing! So I just walked back to my spot feeling really stupid and embarrassed. Oh well... Win or lose, that match was the last we would play on Friday. We had to come back Saturday and fight our way back.

We were sitting in 9th place on Friday and needed to win our next match in order to automatically qualify for Manhattan. We faced Roca/Fendrick at 8:30AM Saturday morning.

We arrived at the site around 7:15AM freezing our butts off. We had another battle with this team. We played just okay in this match, but were able to get the victory in 3 tight sets, 23-21, 17-21, 15-12. We survived the "death match" and won our place in the top 8 for Manhattan Beach.

Now with the pressure off, we played the winner of Turner/Wacholder versus Dodd/Minello. Dodd/Minello came out on top after a gruelling three set match. We had some time before the match. We were scheduled at 12:30, but in actuality, we played around 2PM. The sun had come out, but it was still quite chilly.

We started out very strong against Dodd/Minello. We jumped to an early lead and maintained it until the end when we gave up a few points in a row. We won the first set 21-17. The next set was much closer, but we did a good job of staying calm and coming up with big plays when we needed them. We won 23-21. It was a great victory for us. That win put us into 5th place.

We would then have to face Boss/Ross again. We started this match at 5:30PM. The long spacing between matches was difficult on me. The cold weather did not help. We were at the site from 7:15 in the morning and were still playing at 5:30PM. My shoulder was bothering me and I had a hard time warming up. The wind was swirling at this time and was a little unpredictable. We had some serious ball control problems. I was having a hard time giving Holly a good, consistent set that she could put away. We ended up getting smashed by this team. It was frustrating, embarrassing, and disappointing. We lost 11-21, 14-21. Not even close. UGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

We are back home now preparing for Manhattan Beach. It is warm and sunny and we have finally thawed out from San Francisco! I am so excited for this tournament. It is a huge tournament with the winners taking home $100,000! This is what we have trained for! It all comes down to this weekend! Wish us luck!

Angie

Cincinnati

Before I recap the Cincinnati event, I thought I would share with you a video that was made at K-Town in Germany. Check it out...

Cincinnati...

There was a major upset this weekend of our Gold Medallists by our other Olympians, EY and Nicole Branagh. I did not see it, but from the scores it must have been an incredible match. Misty and Kerri had an extremely long win streak and I think it is good for the sport to show that they are not invincible.

All four athletes must be emotionally exhausted after spending three weeks in Beijing. Misty and Kerri have not stopped since winning the gold. They have managed extremely busy schedules since returning. Misty is rehearsing for Dancing with the Stars in addition to everything else. Their stardom has done so much for our sport. Thanks to our "Golden Athletes," the Cincinnati tournament was sold out on Saturday evening and Sunday! That is very exciting news for our sport! Hopefully we can capitalize on this and get all of America excited about beach volleyball and gain some popularity.

Here is how the tournament went for me and Holly:
Coming back from a long three week break is a bit harder than it seems. Instead of the rest and recovery I expected, I battled a nasty bout of food poisoning. We practiced through it but I was a bit of a waste of space. It lasted 5 days and I eventually had to take an antibiotic to get rid of it.
I did not feel my usual self going into the tournament. I had lost 10 pounds and did not have my strength back yet. It is times like this that really make me appreciate my partner. Holly did a great job of helping me through it with good communication and great defense. I found myself struggling through play on Friday, feeling really weak and affected by the extreme heat and humidity.

We won our first match against the Lindquists. Of course, we had a battle with them and won in three sets. We lost the first set after blowing a huge 13-8 lead and giving up 7 points on one side. It was a bit of a wake up call. We played much better after that.

Our next match was in the evening against Boss/Ross. We played under the lights at a near capacity stadium filled with an awesome crowd.

They played really well and took us out of our game. They served tough and got us in a little passing trouble which, in turn, led to siding out problems. We gave up too many points and could not make up any ground. We sort of took a beating.

The next day we had to battle back through the contenders bracket. We played in the afternoon against Roca/Fendrick. We played pretty well. We were able to get points off our defense which is something we are working on. The match went three sets but we controlled the third and won 15-8.

Our next match was an hour later against Fontana/DeNecochea. We played really well and took care of our side whenever we got the chance. We started out 7-0 and eventually got a 10 point lead before giving up a string of points. Thank goodness for that cushion. We won 21-14. The next set was a battle back and forth. We took care of our opportunities and did not give up any points which helped us get the win 21-19. That win secured us in 5th place.

We were finished for Saturday and could rest. We would face the loser of the 9:30 evening match of May-Treanor/Walsh versus Davis/Jordan at 8:30 Sunday morning. Davis/Jordan lost so we faced them for the 5th time this season. Despite getting little sleep, they played us extremely well and won in two sets 21-19, 21-19, ending our Cincinnati tournament run. We finished in 5th place.

Cincinnati was the last qualifying tournament for the Glendale event. We were in a very close race with Fontana/DeNecochea and Dodd/Minello. We actually were trailing both teams going into the tournament, but only by a few points. With our 5th place finish and a win over Fontana/DeNecochea, we moved ahead of both teams and grabbed the final slots for Glendale! I am really excited about that!

We leave tomorrow for Santa Barbara. It will be a 16 team main draw tournament. Only those that finish 9th or higher will continue on to San Francisco where it will be a 12 team main draw. Our goal is to finish the season strong. We want to make a good push now while some people might be feeling the effects of a long season. I am happy to be back in good health and am ready for a great weekend!

Angie

Film City and Camp Bondsteel

Our last days of the trip were spent in Kosovo at the NATO base Film City and at Camp Bondsteel. To pick up where I left off:

The next day, we woke up early to get in a gym workout and get breakfast before we had to meet to get our IDs for the base. During this time, we tried our hardest to get a ride in the Blackhawks down to Film City where our performance was that evening. Our hopes were high, but it did not work out. We left in vans for Film City in the early afternoon.

Upon arriving at Film City, we grabbed some food and hung out a little bit before things got going. At 1900 we were scheduled to play against the international Film City beach volleyballers. Since Film City is a NATO base, there are soldiers there from all the NATO countries. We played against a team with players from the US, France, Italy, Poland, and Germany. We played several teams. It was a really fun night.

Afterwards, we met at SAMs, the US bar on the base, for a celebration. Camp Bondsteel is under General Order Number One which means there is a no tolerance policy regarding alcohol. Since Film City is a NATO base, General Order Number One is not in effect. We had a few drinks with the soldiers and had a fantastic time hanging out and chatting. Film City seemed to us like an Olympic Village. There were soldiers from so many different countries that all come together to hang out with each other and have a good time. It is a very unique place. I had an incredible time there. We had to be dragged away because we did not want to leave.

The drive home was really fun. We reminisced about our favorite parts of the night before getting into a discussion about how the four of us would rank out in our next days shooting simulator expedition.

Before heading to the simulator, we decided to head to the softball diamond to go cheer on the teams that were playing. Immediately Brooke and I were talked into playing on a team that was missing a few players. If we did not play, they had to forfeit because they did not have enough players. Somehow I ended up playing First Base and Brooke ended up in Left Field! We saw way more action than we had anticipated. We are much better volleyball players than softball players and it really showed. I couldn't catch a ball that was thrown to me to save my life.

We did hit the ball though. I actually hit an in-field home run. However, I was made fun of for the way I ran the bases. Apparently it was very girly! We had a good laugh about it. Our team lost by A LOT, but we had so much fun.

After the softball game, Jeff, Brooke, and I visited the Medevac team and took a tour of their Blackhawk. We sat inside the bird and took a few pictures. It was fun to visit with them and learn about what they do. They have a tough job, but thank God they are willing and able to do it.

Next we went to the indoor shooting simulator where we would partake in weapons training. Who would have thought that Jeff Nygaard would be an expert marksman? He was incredible! We were all impressed with his accuracy. We all did pretty good, but Jeff scored extremely high. However, the tides changed when we moved from the target practice to the scenario playouts.

Apparently Brooke and I had great teamwork because we kicked major butt when we were shooting the machine guns. We all got a good laugh out of it because it played out exactly how our Tour Manager called it the night before. Apparently personality has a lot to do with how your react in the simulator. It was really fun for us.

After shooting, we grabbed a snack and went back to our containers (our rooms on base) to get ready for the evening’s performance.

We went to the courts at 18:00 to start warming it up. There were already quite a few people down there. We chatted for awhile before the big crowd came. Then it was show time! A few brave soldiers came out for the first challenge. We played 4 versus 6 and gave them an absolute smashing! They were such good sports and the crowd that had gathered seemed to love it.
We played several games to 15 against many different teams. Once the score started to get out of hand, Brooke and I would run to the other side and play with the other team to try and give them a little help.

General Kay joined us at one point, but we could not talk him into playing with us. He thanked us for coming over and we presented him with an autographed Official AVP ball. We took a few pictures and then got back to playing.

We played for a few hours until it got too dark outside and we could not see anymore. We gave away tons of T-shirts, caps, visors, lanyards, sunglasses, and Fubar stickers. I had such a fantastic time. We took tons of pictures and signed autographs to soldiers and their family members back home.

Then the Karaoke machine started! Who knew that Jeff Nygaard is the Johnny Cash Ring of Fire Karaoke King? It was fantastic! There were several soldiers that joined him, all with great voices. We were highly entertained. We did not leave the site until 23:00 and we loved every minute of it!

We were sad to leave the next day. We were picked up at 3:30AM to head to the Pristina Airport for a 7AM flight. It was brutal. I decided to stay up and repack, email, call home, blog, etc. It worked out well.

We had three flights to get home. The first was from Pristina to Vienna. We had an hour in Vienna before our flight to Munich. Then we had a three hour layover in Munich before a direct flight to LAX. I ate my last 2 pretzels of the trip at the airport. I have to say that they were disappointing pretzels compared to the ones we found in the little town bakeries. I certainly had my fill on this trip. I will be good now until next year.

I got a very pleasant surprise on the way back. I was upgraded to Business Class. I could not have been happier. I had not slept yet so was completely exhausted. When we took off from Munich, I laid my chair flat into a bed and slept soundly for the first 4 hours. It was so nice. I forced myself to stay awake the rest of the flight so that I could sleep when I got home. I watched three movies on the plane and enjoyed lounging in my spacious seat. What a great way to end an amazing trip.

I have had a lot of time to reflect on our trip. I must say that I have never felt so proud to be an American Pro Beach Volleyball player in my life. Seeing the smiles that we brought to so many faces makes this the most rewarding “work” I have ever been a part of. I am so anxious to plan our next trip.

I cannot thank every American soldier enough for their sacrifice, dedication, and hard work that they do for our country. Troops - You are not forgotten back home. We love you and support you.

Go USA!
Angie

The Last Stops in Germany

In my last post, I detailed our stop in Heidelberg, Germany. I have a lot of catching up to do. After Heidelberg, we stopped in Baumholder, Germany. Baumholder is a very small community. We stayed at a small hotel a few minutes from the base. It was quaint and cozy. We check into the hotel and walked around the town, which took a whole 15 minutes. We had to stop for pretzels since the town bakery had them.

A little later we hopped back in the bus and made our way to the base. We were greeted by Tony Ramsey, our MWR host. He was so sweet and accommodating. We prepped for the clinic and waited a bit for more people to show up. At first we had only 8 girls, but eventually there were about 30 people, mostly high school aged. We split up into groups and worked on skills for the first 2 hours. Then they played 4 on 4 King/Queen of the Court. It was fun to see their vast improvements over such a short time.

Afterwards we had dinner with Tony and our other MWR hosts at our hotel restaurant. We really enjoyed their company and had fun sharing stories. We called it a night around 11PM since we had another early morning bus ride the next day.

The next morning, we woke at 5:30AM to bus to our last stop in Germany, the Kaiserslaughtern Military Community including (I may have screwed up these names, but I think I am close) Ramstein Army Base, Darmstadt Army Base, and Vogelweh Air Force Base.

We arrived early with the intention of visiting the hospital. However, this was something that required clearance, so we were not able to actually make the visit. We ended up waiting around most of the morning until our scheduled radio and television program visits. We went on the local AFN radio and had a great time chatting with the DJ.

After that, we went to the gym and did an AFN television interview before the evening clinic and exhibition. We had a great turnout for the events. There were a lot of kids in attendance at the clinic. I took the youngest ones and we had fun learning the very basics of volleyball. My kids were so cute. I had such a fun time running them around and playing with them. They seemed to have fun with their first ever volleyball experience.

After the clinic, Jeff, Brooke, Ty, and I played against the Air Force team. They were pretty good. It was a fun match. They ran a decent offense and scored the most points against us of anyone we played. We played several games and everyone seemed to have a great time.

Afterward, we were treated to a fantastic Hawaiian BBQ indoors. We had traditional red rice and some Teriyaki steak. It was so good! We visited with them for awhile before we had to leave. Once again, it was a terrific stop. We had to cut the night short because we had a very early morning wake up call to get to the airport for our flights to Kosovo.

5AM came quickly and we boarded our bus for the 90 minute drive to the Frankfurt airport. I slept on the way there since I only got 4 hours of sleep in the hotel. We made it to the airport and had to say goodbye to our new friend, Bus Driver Mike. Mike made our time on the bus really fun and relaxing. He is such a genuinely nice, gentle human being that we all really enjoyed spending time with. We were sad to say goodbye.

Once in the airport, we immediately checked our bags and went through security. We still had 2 hours before our flight so we took our time and hung out talking at the gate. We flew from Frankfurt to Vienna. Once in Vienna, we had a 3 hour layover. We got some food, hung out at a table in the Starbucks section and people watched. There was an Austrian clown walking around from table to table trying to earn a little money. He was dressed in a clown suit, but carried a giant foam camera around his neck as if he were a tourist and had a giant foam banana on a stick that he carried around as if it were his knapsack. I did not get a picture, but I wish I had. He definitely looked interesting.


Our next flight was only 2 hours and we landed in Pristina, Kosovo. We were greeted by a US Army escort to take us to Camp Bondsteel. No Hum-vee's this time. We were picked up in vans. That was fine because it was a really long ride because of the traffic and road conditions. We were stuck behind a cement truck for almost the entire way which really slowed things up. It is an interesting drive because the land is so incredibly beautiful but there is no sanitation services so there is literally garbage everywhere. The sky is constantly hazed over because in order to get rid of trash, the households just burn it in their yards. We saw small fires with burning trash the whole ride.


We arrived at Bondsteel in the evening in time for dinner. We had our first of many great meals in the DFAC (Dining Facility) on base. After letting loose with my diet in Germany and eating far too many pretzels, I was happy to get back on track and eat a lot of vegetables. We still wanted to work out, so after dinner, we went down to the sand court and started to move around. After a little while, some soldiers stopped by to see what was going on. We invited them to play with us and before long we had a solid group playing with us. We played around for about an hour, but didn't last too long because we it got dark quickly.

I am going to save the rest for tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed reading!

Angie

Heidelberg Castle and Clinic

We had another terrific day. We woke early to get in a workout before heading into downtown Heidelberg to visit the Castle. It was pouring rain when we woke up and continued for much of the day. We did not mind.

The castle was interesting. It is more a ruin than what you would think a castle would look like. It dates back to the 1300s, so there was a lot of very interesting facts and sights to learn about. Each King of the castle took his turn adding to and/or destroying parts of the castle. What remains today is extraordinary.

After our tour, we walked down to the town to get lunch. We found a great place called the Bier Bretzel and had terrific salads. I must say, the food has been fantastic. We have had one great meal after another. I have relaxed my diet more than a bit since being over here, so I will have to get back on track very soon.

After lunch we went back to our hotel to get ready for the evening clinic. I relaxed a bit and watched a little of the Olympics.

We had a great turnout for the clinic. There were even a few soldiers who joined in with the high school girls to play. We taught a little bit of technique before jumping in to play 4 on 4 King of the Court. They had a great time and the energy was high. Once again, a great experience!

Afterward, we took pictures and signed autographs with everyone. We really enjoyed our time there. It was another great group of kids! I do not imagine our next two stops in Germany will be any different.

When we walked outside, there was a big rainbow in the sky. I tried to take a picture of it, but it was dusk so the lighting was not quite right. It was beautiful anyway.

We leave tomorrow afternoon after we get in our morning workout and eat lunch. Hopefully there will be internet at the next base. I will find out tomorrow!

More later!

Angie

Germany - Days 3, 4, and 5

Our first day in Germany, we visited the Army Base, Katterbach in Ansbach. We stayed in the Army Lodging hotel, Franconian Inn, on base. We put on a clinic for the sons and daughters of the soldiers in the afternoon at a nice beach court near a little lake just off base. It was a beautiful day and the kids were once again, so polite and excited to be there. After the clinic, we put on a short exhibition. Jeff, Ty, Brooke, and I played a King of the Beach format with games to 11. Then Brooke and I partnered up with soldiers to play a game. All in all, there were about 30 people in attendance. Everyone had a great time and we enjoyed their wonderful hospitality.

After it was over, we had a great dinner at a German restaurant in downtown Ansbach with Mark, our Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) host and his family. We were all excited to try authentic German food. I tried a bite of schnitzel and strudel, had a hefeweisen and ate a roast chicken with bulgur as my meal. It was great visiting with Mark and his family and hearing all about what goes on year round at the Germany base. His wife and two daughters were with us and shared what life is like for them living overseas.

The next morning, we woke early to get in a workout before heading to the next base in Bamberg. We did not know what the day had in store for us, so we wanted to get in a good workout while we had a chance. I did a cardio session and then went back to the hotel to pack. We had a two hour bus ride to the next base. Once we got there and checked in, we were told that no one was signed up for the clinic. We were on our own to do what we would like.

We took a tour of the facility and were amazed with its enormity. It was bigger and much nicer than your typical gym. Everything was very clean and well taken care of. I got in a great footwork and agilities workout before heading into the weight room. Then we took a little break to see if anyone would show up for the exhibition. When no one arrived, we went out to the sand courts and got in a great practice.

After our day of working out, we went into downtown Bamberg. We toured around a bit and did some sight seeing. It is a gorgeous city with lots of old churches and beautiful buildings. We had dinner at an outdoor café, and then went back to the hotel. I had trouble sleeping for the first time. I fell asleep right away, but woke in the middle of the night for a few hours and could not fall back asleep. Hopefully that is the only time that will happen.

We just arrived at Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg. It is the US Army Europe Headquarters. We checked into our rooms and now we have a little time to ourselves. We are going into the downtown area to check it out.

Tomorrow is up in the air. We are trying to pull together a clinic and exhibition, but not sure if it will happen or not. If we do not have the performances, we will still practice and maybe people will drop by to check us out. Then we can at least talk to some military families and bring a little out of the ordinary into their day.

The timing of our trip in Germany has not been conducive to visiting the soldiers. All the bases we have visited so far have been on leave. Most have recently returned from or are about to leave on a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan or Iraq and are off base on vacation. We have encountered a few soldiers, but the participation has been mostly by their families. It is difficult on the family members to say goodbye to a parent, husband, or wife for 15 months and not see them the entire time. The communities pull together to get jobs done and help each other out. They develop close relationships and have a tight community. It is clear how much love and respect these families have for one another. It is wonderful and comforting to see.

I am so happy to be here and hope that we can positively affect as many lives as possible.

More later!

Angie

First Stop - Venice/Vicenza, Italy

After a really long day of travel, we made it to Vicenza, Italy. We arrived in the afternoon, so had some free time to visit Venice which is one hour away. We jumped on a train to get there. We had dinner then toured around the city until the last train of the night. I had been up for 41 straight hours so was quite ready for a good nights sleep.

The next day, we gave a clinic to the families of the troops living on the base. We had about 20 kids get involved. They had a great time and we got our eyes opened to just how well these kids are raised. They all were extremely polite and very respectful. It was really great to see.

After the clinic, we got in our own workout at the gym. Then we wondered around the base and found the commissary (grocery store) and stocked up on some snacks.

Later that evening, we played against the Vicenza volleyball team. They were really great sports. They wanted us to play hard, so we played pros versus Army. We unleashed on them and won 21-3, 21-3, 21-2. They were a little shocked, but then we mixed the teams up and played with them to form more competitive teams. We played a few more games before wrapping it up and visiting with them for a bit.

It was a great evening getting to know these wonderful people. The soldiers had just returned from an 18 month deployment in Afghanistan, so they were happy to be "home" at Vicenza. We were thrilled for the opportunity to hang out with them and thank them for their commitment to our country.

Immediately after the exhibition, we went to dinner at a great little Italian restaurant, just as a massive lightning and hail storm blew threw. It was pretty spectacular. After dinner, we had an hour to pack up, shower, and get on the bus.

We took the bus from Vicenza to Ansbach, Germany which was a 12 hour ride by bus. I slept 10 hours of the trip, so it flew by for me. Our bus is great. We have beds, a television and dvd player, fridge, food, etc. We are having a great time!

We are in Germany now and will be here for the next week. We have a clinic and exhibition scheduled for today. We are off to eat, so I will write more later!

Angie

San Diego and a Great Big Trip!

I have so much going on right now this is going to be straight to the point. San Diego was a single elimination tournament. There is definite pressure in that format. There is no room for a bad match because you will be eliminated. Holly and I had a great tournament, but I do admit I was disappointed.

Our first match on Friday, we played against a young San Diego team and won in two sets. We were the 6th seed of the tournament, so we played pretty late in the afternoon. I just stopped taping my ankle from my injury in Hermosa and was a little nervous to play without it wrapped. I did not have my calf wrapped either. Many people commented on how they did not recognize me because I did not have my "mummy" costume on! It was bizarre! After many many weeks of all that tape I did feel a bit naked. Regardless, I made it through. In a single elimination tournament, that first win automatically puts you in a 9th place position. We won that match and were finished playing for Friday.

Saturday we faced Lewis/Lima to get into the 5th place position. We played patiently and aggressively to beat them. I have talked about this team before, but they are a great team and have the ability to pull off upsets. They beat Davis/Jordan several times over the past two seasons. I am really curious as to how they do it, because I have had no luck beating Davis/Jordan! We won in two sets advancing to the next round.

Our next match was against Fontana/DeNecochea. We beat them the first time we played them in Atlanta, then lost to them in a heart-breaker in Boulder. We were determined not to lose to them again. This was the match of the tournament. We got killed in the first set 14-21. We were inconsistent and did not take care of our opportunities. We made a few adjustments and bounced back to win the second set. The third set was incredible. There was one spectacular play after another. We were neck and neck the whole way. The intensity was incredible. Not one of us four athletes was going to give in. We all fought with everything we had. Holly and I dug deep and found a determination that we had been looking for all season. We served 9 or 10 times for the match before we actually won it! We stayed patient and aggressive and found a way. It was exhilarating to fight so hard and come out with the victory. I was so happy! The win got us to the semi-finals!

That night, I was exhausted. We only played two matches, but the emotional intensity of that second match really wore me out. I slept well.

Sunday we played Davis/Jordan to get to the Finals. The first set, Nettie served five aces. Four of the five were tricklers over the net. There is absolutely nothing you can do to defend against it. It is a lucky play that you rarely see. Four times in one game is unheard of. We lost the first set 16-21. Give us back those aces and I think it's a different story. We fought back to win the second set 21-19. Unfortunately, we fell behind in the third and could not stop them. Jenny was on fire. I did not do enough at the net to affect her and she just bombed away. We lost 11-15.

I am disappointed that we did not make the Final. This was a tournament that I truly believed we would/could win. Although we played great, I wanted more. I am not satisfied.

Now we have three weekends off before Cincinnati. I have a huge trip planned which I am so excited about. I leave tomorrow for Italy, Germany, and Kosovo. I am traveling with Jeff Nygaard, Brooke Hanson, and Ty Loomis. We are going to visit US Army bases and give exhibitions, clinics, and hang out with our Troops. I have been working on this trip all year with our production company, AKA Productions. Now it is finally here and I could not be more excited!

So many people have been wonderfully generous by giving us all sorts of give-aways for the Troops. Crocs, Bud Light, FUBAR, Cuervo, Oakley, The AVP, Martha Gibbings, Steve Owen, and Matt Gage gave me wonderful gifts to leave at the bases. I know the Troops will be excited and very appreciative.

I will be blogging from the road, so be sure to check back often. We are scheduled to visit around 8-10 different bases across Germany, Italy, and Kosovo for the next 2 weeks. It will be an incredible trip!

Now I have to get back to packing, so the next you will hear from me will be from the road!

Peace!
Angie

Going Strong in the LBC!

It was a fantastic weekend in Long Beach for me and Holly. We had a great week of training and played some of our best ball of the year. I was a bit scared after our match on Friday because I strained my calf, but the medical staff worked extremely hard to keep me together.

The tournament was a 24 team draw. We were the 8th seed, so we had a first round bye. We played the 9th seed, Mason/Kropp, after they won their first match of the tournament. We started out very shaky in the first set. We lost but stayed confident that we knew what we had to do to win. We turned it around in the second and third set and won the match, getting us to 9th place. I did not know my calf was going to be an issue going into the match, but half way through it started acting funny. I was so relieved that we won the match and were finished playing for Friday.

I spent the next few hours in the medical tent getting worked on. After that, I went home and relaxed on the couch, did my usual Whole Foods run, and watched a movie.

We had May/Walsh next round Saturday morning. I got to the site early and had my calf worked on again. We figured out a tape job that helped to support it. It felt much better with the tape on. However, the tape did not stick, so I had to take most of it off halfway through the match. We battled with them at the beginning, but eventually fell behind 9-12 in both sets. We found ways to score points, but so did they. We lost the match and were sent to the Contenders bracket.

Our next match was against the Lindquists. We lost to them the last time we played them, so we were excited to get our revenge. We played well. We were aggressive and patient, which is the key to beating that team. We won in two sets. That win guaranteed us in 7th place.

Next we faced Turner/Wacholder. We played extremely well, staying consistent and aggressive throughout the match. Holly was a digging and siding out machine! We served tough and got them into a bit of trouble. We won in two sets getting us into 5th place. That was our last match on Saturday. My calf was feeling okay. It got really tight toward the end of each match. I was happy that I could go home and rest it for the night. But first, I had to spend more time in the medical tent.

That evening, instead of making my usual Whole Foods run, I had dinner with my friends from Real Water and HIRO energy drinks. We had a fantastic dinner which was exactly what I needed after a long day at the beach.

The next morning, my calf feeling better than the day before, we faced Lewis/Lima. They were on a roll, having upset Davis/Jordan and then taking Branagh/Youngs to three sets, losing 13-15 in the third. We were ready. We stayed patient and aggressive, took care of our opportunities, and won in two sets! We made the semi-finals! I was very excited! However, we had to face May/Walsh again in order to make it to the Finals.

We played them in the stadium in front of a great crowd. We gave it everything we had, but it was not quite enough. There were many long, exciting rallies, but we just could not take them down. We were the closest we have been to them all year, losing 17-21, 18-21. I guess if you have a great tournament and lose to a team twice, it feels better that it is the best team the world has ever seen.

Our run stopped there, in 3rd place. It felt great and was a lot of fun. I am excited for next weekend! Today is devoted to rest, recovery, and getting this calf in good shape. Tomorrow we are back to work!

I want to say a special thanks to all my sponsors for their awesome support this year! Also, if you enjoy my website and are looking for a designer of your own, contact Max at Trimax Solutions. Trimax does a great job and can help you with all your IT needs.

More next week!

Angie

Brooklyn

We just returned from the hot and humid east coast. Holly and I had a strong showing in Brooklyn, but still did not manage to pull off any upsets. We played much better individually and as a team in Brooklyn. It was a good rebound from a sketchy, disappointing Chicago.

Brooklyn was great with the exception of the sand. We were constantly pulling up sharp pieces of glass and debris. Within the first 10 minutes of practicing, I had already cut my toe for the first of several times.

I spent the week leading up to the tournament in New Jersey visiting with my friends at Aurora Fitness Centers. As always, Vito and the crew welcomed me and my traveling companions, Jeff Nygaard and John Mayer. Vito served as our taxi service as well. It was fun spending time with such genuinely nice people.

The crew then became my most loyal fans sporting "Angie Akers" T-shirts and all! It was great. I also had some family members there that thoroughly enjoyed all the action.

Our first match on Friday was against the 25th seeds, Guerra/Ruen. We came out strong, played well, and won in 2 sets. Our next match was against the 24th seed who upset the 9th seed. I had the blocking game of my life! I started the match out with 4 blocks in the first 7 points of the match. I rounded out the day with 10 blocks in 2 matches. That was a huge improvement from the previous tournaments. The 2 wins secured us in 9th place and we were done for the day.

Saturday morning we faced May/Walsh. We fared much better this time than the last time we played them. We lost 17-21, 16-21, but we did some very good things in that match. That was our first loss, so we still had a chance to fight our way back.

In the contenders bracket, we faced Pavley/Polzin to get to 7th. We were leading most of the first set and had a 19-17 lead before I completely blew it. I admit I got nervous for some reason and tightened up. It was stupid and we ended up losing the first set. I pulled it together and relaxed and we were much better in the next 2 sets. We pulled away at the beginning and never looked back. We won 19-21, 21-14, 15-9.

Our next match was against Mason/Kropp to get to 5th. By this time of the day, it was super windy. We were on an outer court where the wind was very gusty. Serving and ball control were a huge factor in this match. We did a good job of controlling our side and we won in 2 sets, 21-17, 21-16. That was it for Saturday.

Sunday morning, we faced Turner/Wacholder to get to the semis. Although we played pretty well at times, we gave up too many streaks of points. Still there was a lot to learn from the match and we were happy that we bounced back from the disappointments of Chicago.

We had a great week of practice back in California and now we are all set to go in Long Beach starting this Friday. I will be sure to let you know how it goes!

All my best,

Angie

Chicago

We are in the heart of our season right now with several back to back tournaments. After leaving Boulder, I went home for 2 days before leaving for Chicago. I went out early because I had the opportunity to coach a few clinics at Montrose Beach.

I had an interesting trip out there. First, I was running late, as usual. My friend, Jamie, picked me up to take me to the airport. We got to the freeway when I realized I forgot my phone. I knew I couldn't live without it for 12 days on the road, so we turned back to get it. I got to the airport 45 minutes before my flight, but by the time it was my turn to check my bag, I had missed the cutoff by 2 minutes. My bags were small, so I decided to take them with me on board. I got through security and only had to throw out a few things like toothpaste and hair spray. Once I got to the gate, just in time to board, I was told that I could not bring two carry-ons on the plane with me. I had to check one of my bags. I was thinking, "Make up your mind!" So I checked the bigger of the two, the same bag that was lost coming home from Boulder which was returned to me just in the nick of time. Frustrated that I had to throw out my toothpaste and hair products for nothing, I boarded that plane and got comfy.

I arrived around the time the Cubs were finishing their game. I stayed in Wrigleyville with some good friends, Billy and Kathy, from the Ixtapa trip. My cab driver could not get me to their house because of the blocked roads, so I got out with all my luggage and walked. I got some interesting looks as I walked, luggage in tow, along the busy streets past the bars filled with Cubs fans.

The next day, I had some free time to sleep in and get everything together that I would need for the weekend. I found a Whole Foods (which I think should sponsor me for as much money and time as I spend in their stores across the country!) I did three newspaper interviews, one radio show interview, and then got in a light workout before I coached a clinic that evening. It was fun to meet some new people and get them excited about the tournament coming to town.

Thursday, I got up early for a CBS morning news show appearance at the site of the tournament. After that, I stayed to help "coach/cheer" on my friends in the qualifier. Tony Akers, my long lost brother who is no relation at all, played with Jim Sias (team Cuervo leader extraordinaire). They met for the first time an hour before their match and pulled out a very entertaining and competitive performance. It was really fun to watch.

After that, I went to X-Sport Fitness Club for an appearance with Real Water. We did our best to promote the water and inform people of why Real Water is not JUST water. It was a nice visit and then we went to Whole Foods, of course.

Holly arrived in the later afternoon, so we planned to practice at the site around 5pm. I had made the trip to the site a few times that week, each time taking 10-15 minutes. I did not realize that the Cubs game let out at 4:30 right when I was trying to catch a cab. I walked around trying to get someone to stop, but by 4:45 no luck. My friends called and just happened to be driving by so they picked me up and offered to drive me down there. Not only was the game letting out, but a huge storm was getting closer. Traffic was inching along and the rain was getting harder and harder. We made it to Lake Shore Drive and went about a mile in 20 minutes. We started seeing enormous lightning bolts. I knew we should not be practicing in the storm, but we still tried to get there. After an hour and still not there yet, I got a text from Holly saying turn around. I did not get to practice, but that was okay.

Jeremy and I stopped in to say hello to a few friends and then made our way to, you guessed it, Whole Foods. We grilled out at Billy and Kathy's and then went to bed early.

Friday, we played our first round match at 9:45 versus Guerra/Ruen. We played terrible. Everything was out of sync. We won in 3 sets, but it was not pretty.

Our next match, we played Mason/Kropp. We played much better in that match. We served tough, we passed and set well, we controlled our side of the net. That was the key for us. That was our last match on Friday. We would come back on Saturday morning to play May-Treanor/Walsh.

Our next match versus Misty/Kerri started out really well. We traded sideouts with them for awhile before they turned it up a notch. They do not make mistakes.... EVER. In my opinion, in order to beat them, you have to be willing to take chances. Sometimes those chances pay off and sometimes they result in errors. That day, our chances resulted in errors. We lost in 2 sets.

That was our first loss, but we were still alive. We had to wait a few hours before our next match because of the men's final. We played Fendrick/Roca later in the day. Unfortunately for us, we did not play well and they did. We had trouble in our sideout game and did not convert some crucial plays. We lost 19-17 in the third set. Talk about a heart-breaker.

Two weeks in a row, our tournaments have ended in heart-breaking losses to teams that we know we can and should beat. That wears on you. I know we can bounce back and I plan to do that this weekend in Brooklyn.

Sunday after the tournament, I could not bring myself to go to the site to watch. Instead, I went to the Cubs game with my family and several friends. We had a great time! It was a much needed escape from volleyball.

I stayed in Chicago until Tuesday. Jeff Nygaard, John Mayer, and I coached another clinic on Monday at Montrose Beach. It was a great turnout. We plan to do it again next year.

Now I am in New Jersey at Aurora Fitness Centers with my friend, Vito. He always spoils me when I come to town, so of course I love to visit! We are riding in his RPM cycling class tonight and will probably get our butts kicked! Then we head to Brooklyn tomorrow to get ready for the tournament.

After Brooklyn, we have two California events back-to-back. It will be nice to sleep in my own bed again.

That's all for now... more after this weekend. Thanks for reading!



Angie

Magnificent Boulder

First I would like to start with the announement of some exciting news: FUBAR, an all-organic energy bar that is a big supporter of the US military, has joined my team of sponsors! I am so excited to work with FUBAR not only because they make a great tasting, all-natural organic energy bar, but also because of their stong military support. "Fueled Up Beyond All Recognition" is the name. Check out their site at www.getfubar.com.

Now for an update on my trip...last Tuesday evening, I flew to Denver because early Wednesday morning I would be making appearances for my sponsor, Cuervo. It gave me and Jeremy the opportunity to visit with some great friends in the area. We stayed with Tom, Joelle, and Selby Davenport for the night before things got crazy.

The next day, Cuervo sponsored a sand court to be built in downtown Denver as a promotion for our Boulder tournament. It was a huge hit. A street was closed off and there was tons of pedestrian traffic stopping by to play or watch. We were on a morning news program and then hung out to sign autographs and take pictures. The people stopping by just loved it.

That evening, I made my way to Broomfield with fellow AVP pros Jeff Nygaard, John Mayer, and Alicia Polzin for a clinic at the indoor beach volleyball center, The Oasis. We had a great turnout and had some fun teaching an adult clinic to about 40 players from the Denver/Boulder area.

After the clinic, Jeremy and I made our way to Boulder to the Miller's residence where we would be staying for the weekend. Our good friends, Doug and Patti Miller were gracious enough to host several of us players. It was a big slumber party. They hosted a BBQ on Thursday where we got to see several of our good friends from the Ixtapa vacation. Earlier in the day, Holly and I practiced at the beautiful sand court at Ron Snyder's house. We played against Ron and Leonard and had fun getting used to the altitude and dry weather.

Friday was the start of the tournament. We played later in the afternoon so we slept in and arrived at the site mid-morning. The site was Fulsom Field. It is the football stadium where the University of Colorado's team plays. The setup was incredible. There were 5 courts spread across the field. As a player, I thought the site was fantastic. We were provided with awesome facilities including a top of the line training room with an incredible staff. I worked with Valerie who gave me acupuncture on my ankle and helped me get the swelling out. Then Leila taped me up and got me ready to play. The entire staff was so friendly and ready to help in any way.

Holly and I cruised through our first match winning 21-5, 21-8. Because of the single elimination format spread across a three day tournament for the ladies, that was our only match on Friday.
Saturday late morning, we played Keao Burdine and Jen Snyder to jump from 9th place into 5th. We played pretty well and won in 2 sets, 21-15, 21-17.

The women were then put on hold until after the men's final. We rested up and got ready to play DeNecochea/Fontana. We were in the stadium immediately following the final. We started slow in the first set, struggling in all areas. We lost 19-21, but could have won. We pulled it together in the second to win 22-20. The third set, we gave up some early points and dug a hole for ourselves. We fought back from a 6-9 deficit and were tied 12-12. We lost 13-15 and were absolutely heart-broken. We gave a good fight, but missed too many opportunities. I am super bummed about the loss, but we have to rebound and get ready for Chicago. All of the teams will be back so it will be a full field again.

I must say, the Boulder crowd was incredible! I especially appreciate all the awesome people there cheering for me. I love Boulder/Denver and can't wait to come back next year! What a great place full of great people!

Thanks for following!

Angie

Disappointment in Belmar

I am flying home from Belmar now cramped with my husband on a small plane because of a connection in St. Louis.

I will say it was a disappointing finish considering the top 4 teams were gone competing overseas. We finished 5th place but I had my mind and heart set on winning the tournament. We had made significant gains in our game leading up to Hermosa and I think I fell back into the bad old habits. My blocking was horrendous. It is embarrassing when a blocker comes away from an entire tournament with only 3 blocks. That is my job. If we are going to do well and win, I have to start blocking balls.

We won our first match versus Snyder/Davis but then lost to the Lindquists. They dug like crazy and won the points that made the difference. We did not take care of our opportunities and we lost.

Next we had to battle back against Pavley/Polzin. We jumped to an early lead but quickly gave it up and had to battle point for point till the end. We won in two close sets.

Next we faced Lewis/Lima. We were not playing our best volleyball. I wish I could say we had a turning point here, but we didn't. We battled with them for two close sets and won, but it wasn't pretty.

We were done for the day and we were sitting in 5th with a great road ahead of us to the finals. We had 2 teams in front of us that we had beaten before. We had Fontana/DeNecochea first thing in the morning. We had an opportunity to close out game one and let it slip. The second set was just as close but we lost.

It is very frustrating because we did not play good volleyball. We have lots to work on and I cannot wait to get back home and start working.

We have another week off and then we go to Boulder for the first single elimination tournament of the year. We must be on our game there. Its do or die! The top teams will still be out of the country so it is a great opportunity to take it while they are gone.

This is our last weekend off before the August break for the Olympics. We have six back-to-back tournaments then three weekends off while our top two teams compete in Beijing. This week is important for making improvements in our game.

That is all for now. Still 2 hours left in the flight so I am going to try and get a little sleep.

I hope all is well and thanks for reading.

Angie

Hermosa Beach

It was really nice to have a home tournament after so many weeks on the road. It makes a big difference to me to sleep in my own bed and cook in my own kitchen. Plus, it is nice to be back in the deep sand. There are very few tournaments now that are on actual beaches and Hermosa is one of those.

The first match of the tournament I felt really out of sorts. I ate something different for breakfast and I think it really affected me. I am a creature of habit so I think it really threw me off. Anyway, Holly played great and carried us through that match. I was able to work out whatever was going on without too much pressure.

Our next match, we played really well. Leading up to Atlanta, we were having troubles with our sideout game and our point scoring. We worked out a few kinks and made some big improvements. We were really starting to play well together. We cruised through the first game and were up 18-13 in the second when I came down on the attacker's foot and sprained my ankle. It was not really painful, but I felt it really stretch so I knew it needed taped. We called the medical timeout and I got it wrapped up. We finished the match fairly quickly and then had about 2 hours before our next match.

I sat for the entire time in between matches and did a minimal warm up for our next match versus Davis/Jordan. That was a mistake. I did not know what to expect so I thought it would be better to stay off of it. It seemed to stiffen up pretty good by not moving it around. I had a lot of trouble in that match. We were downright terrible. Holly tried to compensate for me and I could not move. My focus was completely lost.

Thankfully, the ibuprofen kicked in for our next match and I was still warm from our loss against Davis/Jordan. We faced the Lindquists and decided to split the blocking duties so that I would not have to run up to the net. It worked out very well. We had some of the longest rallies I have ever witnessed in beach volleyball. The ball must have crossed the net at least 30 times in one rally. My ankle felt great in that match. We won in two games and were finished for the day.

I went home and iced like crazy. When I woke up the next day, I had a little swelling and bruising. I got taped up and got in a good warm up. We played Roca/Fendrick to get to 5th place. I could move pretty well, but the pain was starting to become significant. We won in two games and then faced Dodd/Minello.

In the time between matches, my ankle must have started to swell because the tape job became excruciating. I took more ibuprofen and tried to ignore it, but was having big troubles moving. After getting whooped in game one, I finally got smart and called a medical time out to have it re-taped. The new tape job felt 100% better and I could move again. We were neck and neck the entire game. We had 3 game winning opportunities, but did not convert any of them. That was frustrating. So our run stopped there. We finished 5th place.

That was Holly's last Hermosa Beach Tournament. I wanted to make it really special for her by getting to the finals, but it was not in the cards for us.

I went to the doctor on Monday and got an X-Ray taken. I tore a ligament from the bone which caused an avulsion fracture. That is when the torn ligament takes a piece of the bone with it. Although it sounds sort of bad, my case is not serious. I have spent the last 5 days doing little but icing and elevating on the hour. It is extremely boring, but I know that a week off will help tremendously in the long run. It was a hard decision for me to go along with because I am one of those stubborn people who do not respect ankle injuries. I have always thought, "tape it up and go!" I am in physical therapy and diligently doing all of my rehabilitation exercises so that when I get back in the sand next week it will feel great.

I am catching up on movies, television, and reading some books. It is painful for me to not exercise right now, but I know I have to do it.

I am really looking forward to Belmar in 10 days! New Jersey is the home of my newest sponsor, PNY. Check them out at http://www.pny.com/. It is also a great opportunity to get the East Coast excited about Real Water. I am confident that once people learn about all the amazing benefits of drinking Real Water, it will spread like wildfire. Read about the benefits at http://www.drinkrealwater.com/. It was a pleasure to have the Real Water team out at the Hermosa Beach event. The crew is new to beach volleyball and I think the Hermosa event is a great one for an introduction. I know we all are pleased to have Real Water be the official water of the AVP Tour. I also want to thank Jose Cuervo for being such supportive sponsors. I am so excited and feel very fortunate to have such a great team this year. PNY, Real Water, and Cuervo have helped me tremendously in the pursuit of my dreams. Thank you all!

Have a great week and if you are of age and enjoy Cuervo, please do so responsibly! VIVE Cuervo, VIVE Real Water, and VIVE PNY!

Angie