What happens when you get three very competitive people in a heated card game? You get a very slow start in the finals of the Moscow FIVB event that could have, but didn't, cost us the match.
My first trip to Russia ended up being a pretty good one as we took home the Gold in the city of Moscow. It was our third gold medal in a row on the FIVB Tour and put us on the top of the list for Olympic Qualification.
We started pool play on Thursday vs. a wild card Russian team. We were slated to play at 9am and Phil and I got to the site at 8am to start warming up. About 15 minutes before the match was supposed to start we still did not have an opponent. I joked to Phil that the Russians were trying to pull a mind trick on us and show up at the last minute. I was only partly right. One of the guys showed up maybe 10 minutes before 9am. His partner didn't show up until about 3 minutes after the match was supposed to start. Hence, they were forced to forfeit. I guess the guy who was late lives in Moscow and stayed at home the previous night. It took him 3 hours to get to the site because of a ton of traffic. The traffic was created by road closures due to the Russian President being driven from the airport. Felt sorry for the guys but the FIVB is a stickler on the rules. In our second game we played the Swiss team of Heyer/Heuscher. It was a competitive game that felt like we were always a little bit ahead but could never completely pull away. We won 18 and 18 to complete the day 2-0 in our pool.
On Friday we played the Italian team of Lione/Varnier. It seems like we have played this team about a million times this year. We won 12 and 14 to win our pool and get the bye into the next round.
On Saturday we played Marcio/Fabio from Brasil. We have struggled with this team over the past couple of years. This was the first time that we had played them this year as they have really been struggling. I don't think they have improved any of their Olympic finishes from last year but they did so good last year that it looks like they will still get by their compatriots, Harley and Pedro. All comes down to Marseille for those two teams and Harley and Pedro have to win the event and have Marcio and Fabio take a 3rd or worse to pass them. We played well and beat them in two straight games. In our second match we played the top Russian team. This is another team that we have met a bunch of times this year. We beat them in two although the first game was a little touch and go at first. Kolodinsky, also known as the Bazooka, came out smoking aces at Phil. I think we were down 5-2 on the first side switch and he had at least 2 aces. We were able to climb back in at the break down 10-11. At that point a thunderstorm rolled in and the rain started dumping down. It was raining so hard that the Bazooka and Phil could no longer jump serve. Whenever you looked up to hit the ball it felt like someone was pouring a pitcher of water in your face. That helped us a ton as Kolodinsky was forced to float serve. He never got back into that jump serve rhythm once the rained stopped and we rolled to a 16 and 15 victory.
In the semis we played the German team of Brink/Dieckmann. A very good, if not the best overall jump serving team on tour if not the world. In the first game we took advantage of a mess of hitting errors by Brink and won 21-16 or so. In the second game they caught on fire with their serves and we couldn't match them point for point. They won that one to force a third game. In the third we came out strong but they tied it up with some strong serves. The game was tied 10 all when Dieckmann hit a couple of balls out and gave us the lead and the momentum. I believe we won 15-11.
In the finals we played the number one Chinese team affectionately known as Tiny and Big Pimp (Wu/Xu). There was a lot of time between the semis and the finals so to kill that time Phil and I played cards with our PT, Kelly. We started up a game of Gin Rummy about an hour and a half before the finals. I came out strong and was smoking Phil and Kelly. Phil took some chances and came back to within 10 points of me. We were mostly oblivious of the time as Tiny was watching us play and we figured he would leave to warm-up when we had to play. Tiny asked me what time it was and I looked and it was 25 minutes till go time. He ran out immediately to go warm-up but we were in a heated battle. Phil had layed some high point cards down almost immediately to start the game and I had to catch him. We continued to play for another 10 minutes before Kelly finally went out. I needed one card and I would have passed him to win. Tough loss for me. So we both ran out and started to pepper and try to get warm. It was about 50 degrees with a slight drizzle so it wasn't very easy to get warm. Needless to say the first game wasn't all that close. They were ahead the entire game and we could never quite get past them. I think we lost 21-16. The second game was a better game for us as we were ahead most of the game. We won 21-19 on a side out by Phil. In the third we played very well. I sided out well and Phil blocked really well as we won 15-11 to win in Moscow.
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4 comments:
Todd,
Nice to see you and Phil perform so well overseas. Looks like the two of you will be the "team to beat" come 08-08-08, (regardless of how they seed Tiny and Big Pimp (how did he get that nickname, ha ha)). Should definately help with the mental momentum over the olympic field.
Chicago looks to bring all the top US men's and women's teams back. Should be a nice USofA homecoming tourney for you and Phil, having a full slate of the best, all returning from overseas.
Was interested to hear of your interest in Sci/fi. Will be headed to Comic Con for a few days later this month and am planning to drive up for a day in Long Beach.
Hope all is well with your family and friends. Good luck this weekend, safe travels and best of health.
Cheers
jah
PS must have been sleeping when BVB adopted the vernacular "set" in place of "game". Any logic to this choice?
Todd Congrats on the most successful and lucrative European tour for Americans since Guns and Roses was over there in the early 90's. You guys showed those people who is boss. How were the crowds over there? Is the FIVB turning a profit on these events? The pics of the cheerleaders on the FIVB site were VERY interesting! Ooh La and La! I have been watching some of the Olympic trials for the track and field. I remember the Beach Volleyball Olympic trials back for the first time it was part of the games. I think it was in Baltimore and Stoklos sprained his ankle stepping on a ball during practice. However that was a tournament that had a ton of excitement and I would think that format although maybe being unfair would do a ton for the sport. Literally everything would be on the line with the Olympic berths being decided by that single tournament.
I spent 11 days in Florida at Disney with the wife and kids. I did 13 hours at the Magic Kingdom on July 3rd while suffering from heat stroke from the unberable weather. I couldnt let the kids down and battled thru severe nausea and not being able to eat. The only greater human suffering I can imagine than being sick at Disney with a million foreign tourists in 95 degree heat and humidity would be the guy who had to cut his own arm off to extricate himself up in the mountains. Was a great vacation though.
If the AVP players had a Texas Hold Em torunament who would you pick as the winner? Thanks for the updates...Scott from Cape Cod
That's hilarious! When I see you in Brooklyn, I will check your bags for a deck of cards. For that matter, cards will be banned on the trip to Beijing too! You were probably still thinking about the gin rummy game in game 1. That's why you had that little bad run!!
Garret
Todd,
I know you must own a watch or some sort of electronic gadget with a alarm clock. Anyway's two more weeks till Long Beach and 3 till San Diego. I am jonesing for some VB action and the culture of the tourneys. LB & SD can't get here soon of enough. Good luck in Chicago and Brooklyn.
Arsenal 12
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