Category: Uncategorized

The SAFV is the American football league in Switzerland.  SAFV stands for Schweizerische American Football Verband – so as you can see SAFV (or Sahhhvv) is more convenient than the entire tag.

There are several age levels of play under the umbrella of the SAFV.  Think this way first – there is tackle football and flag football.  Flag football is divided into U13, U16 and Ultimate, Tackle football has a Senior Division (20+ years), Junior U19, Junior U16.  I am not ignoring the women here – I think they can play in the U19’s with the men.  There is one full team of women that I am aware of – the Calanda Broncos.

****I was privileged to work with the Calanda Bronco ladies at the Growth of the Game camp in Lucerne last October.  They have some very good players and I am anxious to follow their progress this season.

Nationalliga A (The National A League) is the premier division of American football in Switzerland.  It consists of six teams with the season running from late March until the end of June.  The playoffs follow with the championship game “Swiss Bowl” as the culminating game.

In the A-League the six teams are the Calanda Broncos, Winterthur Warriors, Basel Gladiators, Lucerne Lions, Geneva Seahawks and the Bern Grizzles.  These teams engage in a home and home series with each member team.  The top four teams qualify for the playoffs and the two finalists play in the “Swiss” Bowl.

The winner of the “Swiss Bowl” then qualifies for the European Football League.  This is a loosely grouped championship of Europe that is extremely difficult to follow for a novice like me.  Actually there seems to be quite a bit of politics involved in my eyes.

There are also six teams in the SAFV LNB (B-league) which include the Thun Tigers, Argovia Pirates, Zurich Renegades, Bienna Jets, LUCAF Owls, and the St. Gallen Bears.

These teams play the same type of home and home series which goes on weekly.  The champion of the B-League will face the worst team in the A-League in a relegation like European soccer does.

The winner of that game will move into the upper division and the loser becomes part of the B-League.  It all proves for a very interesting three months.

There is also a C-League made up of a varying number of teams.  The Fribourg Cardinals, Geneva Whoppers, Lugano Rebels, Midland Bouncers, SFU Phenix, AFC Lumberjacks, Schaffhausen Sharks and the Morges Bandits.  (Note, many of these teams are from the French Cantons due to the lesser population numbers.)

To add to your confusion – each A and B league team has a U-19 team which will play the same schedule as their Senior team.  For example if the Basel Gladiators are playing the Winterthur Warriors in a senior game that means the U-19 Gladiators are facing the Warriors.

(Note some C-League teams do not field the U-19 team and that is why the C-League designation.)

The A and B league teams both will play 10 games with no cross overs.  You stay within your A or B league designation.

The Calanda Broncos have been the most dominating team in the league winning 8 of the last 10 championships.

The Broncos are a very good team and very well coached.  However, anytime a team wins that many games that many times there are other factors.  Calanda has a very strong support base (think finances) which allows them to attract successful foreign players.

Each European league has varying degrees of allowing foreign players on the teams.  Players from countries that play football in high school are designated one way (A) , and players from non high school playing teams are designated in another.

Depending on which league in Europe you play in – the rules allowing the number of players with (A) designation on the field are limited.  In other words your league may allow you to have two (A) players on a roster, but only one might be allowed on the field at one time.

But, your league might not have a limit on foreign players from countries where they do not play football.  (US and Canada, some schools in Mexico are basically the only schools considered (A).

So you might have a solid roster of citizen players accentuated by (A) players and other visiting players.  This is beneficial for your team.

Teams with money and access to players from a foreign  -B-  country (especially if it near the border of Switzerland – Germany or France are the big ones!) have a definite advantage because many of these guys have spent time playing in the states.  Obviously this helps them a alot

This Monday started off looking like it was going to be another pretty day.  Then around 8:00 AM or so the wind started whipping and rain clouds blew in.  It was a good old fashion wind storm with showers popping up throughout most of the day.

Now as we approach the late afternoon and prepare to travel from Bern to Thun for the Juniors (U19 years) practice it looks as if the sun is coming out.  But, that wind is roaring through just the same.

If the wind is similar to this twenty minutes away in Thun it will certainly be a challenge to throw the ball this evening.  I am hoping that Bay Harvey the Junior QB will be there with his parents.  I look forward to reconnecting with them.

Their older sons (twins Robert and William) played on our successful Swiss National team two summers ago when we traveled to the Netherlands to play in the European Championships.  William is currently a student at VMI and Robert is working to get into college and may already have been enrolled.  (I think he might have been accepted at Dartmouth.)

But, I would like to find out from their parents what Robert’s plans are.  Robert was our quarterback for the the team and he certainly has the ability to play in college.  He might not be a scholarship player right now…but with a little more seasoning I think he might be pretty good.

 

The younger Harvey (Bay) brother is another very good player at QB  and I was wondering if the parents were going to move back to the states to allow Bay to play his last year of high school there like his brothers did.  I would like to see more European players (and Swiss players in particular) come to the states to play.

Ironically the Harveys enrolled their two older sons for a senior season in Michigan – and only a few towns over from ours.  It wan unfortunate that I was down at Moravian College coaching and I didn’t get to see the Harvey’s until their final day in the country – as they were leaving to return to Switzerland.

We had a short but very nice visit where I watched William consume a few hamburgers that I had made on the grill.  The young man could put away those groceries.

There practice with the Juniors was really a great deal of fun for me.  These young players are everything a coach wants.  They want to play the game.  Each one of him gives up his own free time to be part of a team.

They pay their own money….purchase their own gear and find a way to get to practice – which is at 8:00 PM (20:00 Swiss time by the way.).  Dedicated players – so they really do listen when you coach them.

The U19 team has some excellent coaches…all voluntary also.  They do a nice job of working the players hard and also teaching them.  Although they may not have the background or experience these guys run a very organized practice with a lot of work getting done.

We practiced in a building that had several different floors of gymnasiums.  One thing that is impressive about Switzerland is the amount of facilities available to clubs and athletes that allow for group training and different sport emphasis.  Even though there are no school sports an individual with aspirations can become involved with a club and be trained and coached.

One thing I have to say the players do not shy away from contact.  I cringed a few times when ball carriers were taken down to the hard gym surface.  I mentioned it to one of the young coaches…he shrugged and said they are much more toned down than a few years ago.

I guess with only three practices a week they must feel that they need to cram as much into their practice time as they can.  I get it….but with the limited numbers the team has….they are one injury away from having a major problem.

Afterwords the coaches gathered for a nice social session at a local bar.  It was a nice time – getting to know these guys is a great experience for me.  They come from very diverse backgrounds and two basically just finished playing.

How about this – one of the fellows is a doctor.  Yup, a real live MD working on the Thun Tigers.  Well, you might think he has a son on the team…nope, he just does it because he loves football!  Wow!

Tomorrow I am going to jump on a train and head over to visit my friend Claudio in Lucerne.  He is the manager of the Lucerne Lions.  He also runs a sporting goods store of sorts (I think) and I can’t wait to see that operation.

I will also attend the Lions evening practice.  That should be a great deal of fun.  I actually visited with them a few years ago and  Claudio was still playing football.  He has now given it up and he and his wife recently brought a little boy into the world.  I wonder when Nino will start playing football?

Well…Lucerne (fantastic and beautiful city) and football.  What more can a guy want?

 

The day started off just the opposite of yesterday.  At around 6:45 or so the     sun was up and the room was bright as opposed to the overcast rainy start of yesterday.  I got up and stumbled over a few beer cans (where did they come from??) and snapped a shot from Daniel’s apartment windows.  All I can say is WOW!

Since he is committed to moving from this apartment in November I have to find out a way I can lease it.  What a place to live!  OK…have to find a new weight room…. place to keep my fine tuned body (hah!) in shape.  Also have to get my sponsors (Coors Light) to ship my beer direct to Bern.

I absolutely love this city (country) and the fantastic people who live here.  Have to say that I haven’t spent a bad day here in my many visits.  The people here are always upbeat, always friendly and helpful and so tolerant of bumbling foreigners like me.

Today there is no football for the Thun Tigers…some time off until the practice tomorrow evening for the Juniors (Under-19).  After yesterday’s work there are probably a few guys with sore and aching muscles.  Hell, ai’m sore and all I did was stand around and watch.  It was a long and taxing day for the troops.

I guess I could take a quick train ride over to see some other point I haven’t seen yet…or just wander around “Old City” some more.

Only problem with the walking around part is my knee has been really acting up –  and even with a steady ice treatment with frozen beer cans (one must adapt you know) it still has that “toothache” feel.  Yeah, I know what you are thinking – I am turning into a snowflake.  Can’t handle any stress or pain.

Here is the dilemma about traveling in Switzerland…where do you go?  I think by train from Bern I can get to pretty much any Swiss city in two hours or less.  So – I have seen many cities already.  But not Lausanne, Geneva or Montreaux – all in the “French” cantons.

But, they are just on the edge of going out early doing some touristy stuff and getting back in time for the evening practice with the Tigers.  I guess tonite over a Heineken (My beer of choice in Switzerland) or ten I will formulate some sort of loose plan.

Meanwhile about today.  Daniel and his knockout girlfriend Tamara (It certainly isn’t Tamara and her knockout boyfriend Daniel…sorry Daniel) took me out to brunch.  (Tamara will have to visit an eye doctor soon – if she really wants to see what Daniel looks like  – but then she will be gone so fast his head will be spinning.  He better hope she doesn’t get glasses –  Ah just kidding!). What an awesome pair.

We ventured into “Old City” and a really neat place for our breakfast.  It was really good – please note almost every meal in Switzerland is a gourmet experience.  We had a leisurely dine and then went farther into the beautiful historic part of Bern.

We sat down at the overlook behind the Cathedral and had a beer and coffee (no coffee for me bye the way – I had the other stuff).  Here I told Daniel and Tamara of my misspent youth growing up with my brothers and sister….running around Lehigh Township, the Newport Rats, Hilltop Snakes etc.

They didn’t get much time to talk as I droned on and on boring them about mischiefs I got into.  After nearly putting them to sleep – I took my leave and headed back to Daniel’s bachelor pad.

I really decided to leave after remembering that Tamara’s brother was a police officer in Bern.  Since my photo might not only be on the post office wall – but Interpol as well I thought it  best I got out of there.

Over and over again I say what nice people are in Switzerland – well here is another pair who bring that standard even higher.  What awesome people – no way to repay such open friendliness except to hope that they would visit us in the States to allow me to repay their hospitality!

OK about tomorrow and finding a place to visit…..here is the problem about Switzerland – there is too much to see!

Oh….you doubt me…well check out this info I pulled off the internet!!  Yeah – you figure it out!

Framed by the Aare river, the Swiss capital of Bern lies in the west-central part of the country. Its charming Old City is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, and is known for its medieval arcades and many 16th-century fountains that feature painted figures, including the curious “Child Eater Fountain” (Kindlifresserbrunnen). Bern boasts one of the world’s biggest collections of the artist Paul Klee, housed in the Zentrum Paul Klee—designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano.

Guarda

Set 1,650 meters above sea level in the Lower Engadine mountains of the Graubünden canton, Guarda is a tiny remote village whose beautifully painted 17th-century houses have been carefully renovated, earning it the Wakker Prize for preservation of its architectural heritage. The setting of the famous children’s book Schellen-Ursli (1945) by Selina Chönz and Alois Carigiet, Guarda has also preserved traditional customs like the Chalandamarz event in March. The majority of the town’s population still speak Romansch—Switzerland’s fourth official language after German, French, and Italian.

Interlaken

As its name suggests, Interlaken is positioned between two lakes—Lake Thun and Lake Brienz—and surrounded by some of Switzerland’s tallest peaks, thus making it a place for stunning views in every direction. It is also the perfect base from which to enjoy the natural splendors of the country, either lakeside or in the many hiking paths that begin at Harder Kulm, a panoramic viewpoint at 1,322 meters that is accessible by funicular. Since Interlaken lies in the heart of the Bernese Oberland, the big peaks of the region—Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau—are also accessible for a closer look via the trains of the Alpine railways.

Lucerne

Located in central Switzerland, Lucerne is a picturesque ancient city on Lake Lucerne best enjoyed on foot, where you can stroll along prettily painted historic houses such as those in the central Weinmarkt Square. There are also a number of notable medieval landmarks like the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), one of Europe’s oldest covered bridges, or Musegg Wall, an intact part of the city’s rampart walls built in 1386. Yet, the city does also have a modern side, exemplified by the architecturally impressive KKL (Culture and Convention Center) designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, and breathtaking Alpine terrain remains easily accessible by cableways up to the Pilatus, Rigi, or Stanserhorn mountains.

Montreux

Montreux is a lovely resort situated on a long expanse of Lake Geneva in the French-speaking south-west part of the country. The quays of Montreux offer miles of lakeside strolling, surrounded by exotic flowers and trees and framed by beautiful views of the Alps in the background. The town also boasts a 13th-century castle—Château de Chillon—that looks out onto the lake. The castle, which was originally built by the House of Savoy, has inspired literary works by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Lord Byron. The cultural events are equally impressive, as the town hosts the Montreux Jazz Festival in early July—the second largest annual jazz festival in the world.

Morcote

A ferry trip away from Lugano, Morcote is the prettiest village along Lake Lugano’s shoreline. The tiny former fishing village is set into a hillside that offers charming alleys to explore as well as lovely vistas of the lake, with the bell tower of its historic Santa Maria del Sasso Church towering over the houses below. The ambience reflects its location in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, and its Parco Scherrer offers an exotic assortment of Mediterranean and Asian flora and architectural touches like Greek sculptures, an Egyptian temple, and even a Siamese tea house, not to mention panoramic views.

Soglio

Located in the southern canton of Graubünden, where German, Romansh, and Italian are all spoken, Soglio is a beautiful little village tucked up in the mountains. It features charming cobblestone streets and the landmark Church of St. Lorenzo looming over the village, while its historic hotel, Palazzo Salis, exudes a true Mediterranean feel with its magnificent rose garden and towering sequoia trees. The village’s highlight is the Via Panoramica, a path that travels through a romantic landscape of vibrant wildflowers for which the area is known.

Stein am Rhein

Just what one imagines when conjuring an idea of the perfectly quaint Swiss village, Stein am Rhein’s pedestrian center is a dense collection of well-preserved medieval structures, many of them with exquisitely painted colorful facades. Nicknamed the “Jewel on the Untersee,” situated at the point where Lake Constance becomes the Rhine river in the eastern canton of Schaffhausen, Stein am Rhein boasts a medieval hilltop castle (Hohenklingen Castle) with a bird’s-eye view of the walled town below and a former Benedictine abbey (St. George) founded in the 11th century.

Wengen

A postcard-perfect mountain village accessible only by train, Wengen is situated on a protected sunny terrace near some of the tallest peaks in the country. The village itself is home to a number of timber houses, chalets, and belle-époque hotels, making for an idyllic base from which to explore the surrounding mountains. Visitors can venture out along one of the many walking trails or take one of the cableways leading to panoramic viewpoints. For the more adventurous, thrilling sports like paragliding and river rafting can also be sought out.

Zermatt

The car-free resort town of Zermatt is the highest in Europe, guaranteeing a long ski season, including year-round skiing on Zermatt’s glacier. The town lies at the base of the famous Matterhorn, where lifts ascend 3,883 meters to reveal expansive Alpine views. In addition to a charming town center, Zermatt is also quite the hot culinary destination, with two restaurants being awarded Michelin stars in 2015—Ristorante Capri in the Mont Cervin Palace, run by chef Salvatore Elefante, and chef Ivo Adam’s After Seven at the Backstage Hotel. In 2015, the Matterhorn celebrated the 150-year anniversary of the first ascent to the summit in 1865, with the town hosting a number of special events.

 

Claudio invite / texts from others / Elaine visit

Junior U19,  Senior U20 (Pay to play)

How the SAFV is aligned

On Saturday which is my first full day (third of the [ad]venture) I awake in Daniel’s bachelor pad to find overcast skies and cool damp weather.  But, this still beats the very low temps and always hovering snow forecasts of this time in Michigan.

Fortunately, later it clears and we spend the day with mostly sunny but cool to cold temps.  But heck we are in the Alps so what do you expect?  The beautiful Alps I might add!

That morning we jumped into Daniel’s white Citroen and we whip across Bern to pick up another coach – Matteius  before we embark on our trek to Reichenbachwald.  He is a brawny, former Thun player who entertains us with stories on our way to practice.

The Citroen that Daniel has is perfect for driving in Switzerland.  It is compact (which makes parking it easier), a four speed which is effective in negotiating the city and mountain driving, and surprisingly powerful to give it the pickup needed on the highways and also the strength to climb in the mountains.

So we fight the traffic of weekend skiers on Holiday to the training area about a half hour or so from the city of Thun.  We will work with both the junior and senior teams of the Tigers.  Reichenbachwald (yeah spell that one) is what appears to be a community built around the largest saw mill I have ever seen and an agricultural base.  Yet there is a all weather surfaced “pitch” for athletics located there as well.

We arrive at this beautiful field with a spectacular mountain drop back.  Like I

mentioned earlier.  These facilities in Switzerland are truly topnotch as the communities and their citizens take their sport seriously.

As you travel through Switzerland you will find the love affair that the country has with sport.  This is a small country in Europe and sports fields and complexes dot the countryside everywhere.   Honestly the only sports I

haven’t seen represented are baseball and golf!)

As with most athletic complexes in Switzerland soccer will get priority  – and of course that will prove to  be over all other sports including our football squad.  So although the field has been reserved for the Thun Tigers football team the local soccer team infringes on our space as our first practice draws to a close.

Soccer is obviously the sport of choice in Switzerland with ice hockey and basketball also holding professional status – rugby is also in there as well.  But, believe it or not American Football is gaining popularity rapidly as it is throughout Europe.  (Just check out the website American Football International if you don’t believe me!)

As with most (if not all) European countries everything is run through club affiliations.  There are no organized high school or college sports.  All team athletics go through clubs.  So, many times it is incumbent on the player to pay his own way to playing at a club level.  (Naturally clubs can “wave” the fee if they want to.  But, many simply cannot afford To do this!)

There is a locker and shower facility on the site so an athlete can complete his training or contest and get cleaned up afterword.  Seriously the Swiss people really take their recreation and sport seriously.  I predict it will only be another fiver or so years before football springboards into high regard in Switzerland (as well as Europe).

After the first practice we have a pasta lunch at a restaurant ten minutes down the road.  Interestingly enough the large area where we all eat is actually a theater where productions are performed and also a stage for live bands.  Yup, all in this little picturesque town outside of Bern.

Lunch was great and the coaching camaraderie continues to develop and blossom with all of us.

We engage in technical discussions and also regal each other with stories to see who can share the funniest tales.

Our second practice begins with a warmup that I fear would possibly make some of the players who “starred” at the pasta lunch lose their noodles and bolognese.  But, everyone managed to hold it down and we proceeded into a vigorous practice of contact drills.

Personally, I am amazed at how much actual hitting goes on during these long practices.  But, Stephan (Tiger Head Coach) assures me that is the way of

Swiss football – and all of Europe as well.  He has told me many times that long practices with contact drills are necessary.

With the knowledge that the teams basically only practice three times a week before they play – it is a pattern that they built over the years.  Long three hour practices that have to contain hitting.

Imagine how it really is.  They are long and bruising practices…..hard enough right.  But they are conducted at night 7:30 – 10:00.

Why you ask?  Well all of these guys work…they hold jobs or go to school.  So the only time they get to practice is at night (rain, snow or cold).

Oh yeah…they hold jobs because they get no salary to play football.  In fact…they PAY the club to play the game.  So they go through a hard practice…then get up the next morning and go to work  bruised and tired.

How long do you think that model would survive in the states?  (What was that Dire Straits song….”Your money for nothing and chicks for free!”  Yeah dream on!).  Yeah, here in the US if you did it that way the first time you corrected a player he would head home and that would be the end of that!

What a great day though!  I am continually impressed with the wherewithal of this guys.  They play because they love football….they want to be coached and learn.  They actually are disappointed in themselves when they make an error.

I have yet to hear an excuse on the field.  What an absolute joy to coach these guys.  If the players in the USA could see the dedication and work ethic the Europeans (Swiss in particular) have they would be embarrassed.

Well, maybe not…but – I am going to enjoy being the second luckiest man in the world while I can!

 

Well….we begin our descent into the Swiss territory and what I am sure what will be a long day will begin with my friend Daniel picking me up at the Zurich airport after I clear customs.  Going into a foreign country is always an unknown for me.

Just as entering different airports in the US and going thru security varies from city to city  – it seems that is also true of customs clearance in various places.  I have only done these international visits six or seven times and each one seems to be just varied enough to throw you a little off balance.

It’s funny even though you know that you have done nothing wrong you still have that feeling that something will get screwed up.  I know it is irrational, but none-the-less it is the feeling I get whenever I am on foreign soil.

Well despite the petty apprehensions we will soon be on the ground and my new (ad)venture will take off.  It will be pretty interesting because I am not quite sure how I am getting around other than Daniel picking me up to start things off.

Apparently, Daniel is lending me his apartment in Bern.  This is a city where I spent a few wonderful days during my October visit to Switzerland.  But, I am not really well acquainted with the city and getting around might be an issue. But…what the heck this is to be a little bit about exploring as well.

I do feel guilty about using Daniel’s apartment even though he did offer it. I hate to disrupt his schedule since I am sure that he will be working while I am there.  I know that I am coming to Switzerland to help the Tigers and they want to be very welcoming to me, but my idea is to not cost them very much money and also not to mash up their lives during my ten-day stay.

Anyway, we are about to begin starting with the busy first two days of Coach Stephan Pulver’s Thun Tiger practices!

Things went well as Daniel met me at the airport and we took the train to his apartment in Bern.  We had a great train ride visiting about different things and also exploring where our (ad)venture would lead us this time.

Whatever turns we made down this road it was going to be exciting for me. Being around my friends and taking part in their practices and meetings was going to be an awesome.   (Meetings with players here are called “theory” sessions! – I always thought that was an interesting term to apply to coach to player meetings.)

After the hour or so on the train we made it to Bern on the first rainy day I can remember in my many visits here.  It was a little cool and obviously wet…and the natives seem to be dressed for a long winters day.  I guess they must have thought I was crazy in my usual sweat shirt and shorts.

We went up to Daniel’s apartment which was on the top floor of five (he graciously carried my bag all the way up since there is no “lift” in the apartment.) I certainly offered to take it part way up….but he would have none of it.

It is a great place in a really neat part of town.  The typical beautiful architecture which blended the history of Bern while lending itself to some modern ideas as well.  Daniel explained how this area was filled with a population of young professionals and students making for a vibrant section of town.

Plus it is within walking distance of one of my favorite areas I saw on the last visit –  “Old City”   After being there in October for a few days I can see why it is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

 

Old City was built on a hill that the river Aare loops around on three sides. The river looks like a horseshoe snaking around a tongue of land on which the city was built (12-15^thcentury!).  Now seriously – our country was formed in the 1700’s for perspective.  Yet the “Old City” is relatively unchanged and it is obvious as you walk through it.

                                       

 

We walked towards the train station and the modern part of Bern down to the one of my favorite “chain” stores that is found in Switzerland – Coop (pronounced “Cope”).  Along with Migros they are two stores you can find almost anywhere in Switzerland.

This particular Coop is four or five stories high and has virtually anything you could need from cosmetics to winter clothing, from groceries to bedding. You can spend hours there wandering around (and I might just do that sometime this week).

Daniel took me to the top floor which has large plate glass expanses and looks out into the city.  He had a great looking cup of coffee and me, being the boor (it is boor not bore right??) that I am had a coke.  Unfortunately, Daniel had to work and our visit ended but would be continued when he finished for the day.

I wandered back across one of the bridges that span the Aare and found his apartment getting lost just once.  All I know it is a street name that starts with a “G” and ends with “Strasse”.  Well good luck with finding street signs – I know that locals can find them….but I had a harder time.

So getting lost only once I feel was a major accomplishment.

Bye the way on the flight over I was able to see “Bohemian Rhapshody” on the onboard entertainment.  Anyone who is a music fan should see it.  As everyone probably knows it is about Freddy Mercury and “Queen” and their history.

It is really well done and I have a greater appreciation for the depth and breadth of both Freddy Mercury and the other members of the band.  When you realize the strength of the library of work they had – well it is truly amazing.  Although it is a little long (so it is great for taking up a small portion of a seven-hour flight) it is well worth your time.

 

 

 

 

So much for arriving at the airport several hours in advance.  I am just starting the first leg of my journey to Zurich which will obviously start in Detroit.  Well I arrive in front of the Air Canada ticket counter at 10:45 for my 3:00 flight.

I know it was early – but there was no one in sight.  For a brief minute I thought perhaps they had gone out of business and I would be walking to Switzerland from the States – or OK renting a row boat maybe.

Anyway, two ticket agents in the next kiosk over told me that the Air Canada would be back at 12:25 to take passengers.  Well a little time to kill here in the terminal.  But, where do you go when you really can’t enter the airport where there are restaurants, bars etc.  Oh well a simple case of hurry up and wait.

The trips over and back to Switzerland are all day suckers and that’s the price you pay when you want to go to such a beautiful area.

The neat part of the flight to Zurich is that it is an over-night trip. So, you get to sleep on the way over and it gets you there bright and early (6:35 AM Swiss time – which is six hours ahead of our time on the east coast.)  Now coming back that truly is a bear as you start in the late morning there and get home in the early evening here ….. no night time flying to trick you into sleeping.  Yeah add on the six hours and it is a long day.

I have a loose schedule that has me spending the next ten days on the ground in Switzerland working on football and also having a great deal of spare time to explore the country some more.  Actually, I feel a little guilty about the free time because my friends do have to work at their livings while I spend time enjoying the people and the scenery.

Over the past several years I have developed some really good friendships with people in the football community in Europe and in particular my second home in Switzerland.  Friends like Stephan and Daniel organized this trip for me to be a part of their team – the Thun Tigers.  Well, I was flattered that they would want me to spend time with their team.

Our relationships began while we were working with the Junior (Under 19) National team from Switzerland a few years ago.  We played in the European Championships that were held outside of Amsterdam.  We all had a great time both on and off the field and our team won their first international game in nineteen years or so.

So our friendship was also strengthened by our successful venture with the team.

But, to have this opportunity to work with Stephan (who is now the head coach of the Tigers), Daniel and the other coaches is a chance I could not refuse.

Going through the long days traveling are certainly worth the payment of working in football and learning more about the game and how it is played throughout the world.  Plus the benefit of visiting with friends and meeting new people in this tremendous country is another great (ad)venture for the Konkretekidinfootball.com.

 

 

Football starting up again for Your Call Football!

After zipping south to Jacksonville, Florida from the Detroit area with stops in Kentucky and Atlanta (to visit my younger son Corey) finally made it to the Hyatt down along the riverfront.

Dropped the boss (wife) off to stay in Atlanta a few days with Corey and Taylor.

Set up my personal camp in Jacksonville and with the arrival of my friend John Marshall on Friday and Kurt Schottenheimer on Saturday we began to pull our staff together.   This is going to be a great experience for all of us old former NFL coaches.  We all know each other and we all love working around each other!

The second edition of Your Call football is going to be a lot of fun although I will only be able to stay for the first few weeks.  I have committed to travel to my beloved second home in Switzerland to coach football there. So – I will have some fun here – jump in a jet to Zurich and have some there!  Hah!  What a life!

Former Pittsburgh Steeler great Merril Hoge is heading up our coaching staff and Solomon Wilcots will be his opponent as a head coach.  But some exceptional leadership from Julie Meringer and our director Collin Vataha make our organization adds to s\the strength of this organization.

We had a lot of fun working out of Dodgertown in Vero Beach last year and the camaraderie of our coaching staff was unbelievable.  Well, maybe it shouldn’t be seen that way – since all of us old coaches pretty much know each other and we are friends.

Truly last year was a great experience for me.  Obviously – the coaching is a lot of fun.  But, the renewal of my friendship with many fellow coaches I haven’t seen for many years made it a very special six weeks.

Today I looked around the lunch room and was amazed at the level of coaching experience in that room.  Just at my table alone – John Marshall, Kurt Schottenheimer, Mark Duffner and Ray Sherman.

Lets look at John…..OK a NFL coordinator who has won two of the three Super bowls he was in, two National Championship rings in NCAA, also a State High School Championship from Oregon.  OK Kurt – NFL defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, head coach in the UFL.

Mark Duffner – College head coach with an amazing 60-5-1 record at Holy Cross, 20-35 record at Maryland, longtime linebacker coach and defensive coordinator.  Awesome man and coach.  Ray Sherman a longtime receiver coach and offensive coordinator throughout the NFL.

That’s just at the table I was sitting at!  Eye popping!  What a great learning opportunity is sitting in front of me.  This will be a fantastic experience for me.

The players will start filtering in tomorrow…then the real fun will begin!

Jimmy Buffett said:

“I took off for a weekend last month just to try and recall the whole year. All of the faces and all of the places wonderin –  where they all disappeared.  I didn’t ponder the question too long.  I was hungry and went out for a bite.  Ran into a chum (Here’s where I change it)….he had a case of Coors Light hidden out of sight.  We went back to his place and set a good pace to drink all night…”

Anyway, thought it would be interesting to take a look at the last year:

January:

Obviously built a few beeramyds!  Used my new smoker and grill.  Shoveled some snow here in Michigan …. our house and Norma next door.  Spent some time with my good friend Terry Copacia and his All State Quarterback School.  Some really great young players developing there with the help of Joe Youngblood and Taylor Copacia.

Love watching these guys train players!  If anyone wants their son to be a QB – this is the place to go.

Thanks to Terry and Curtis Blackwell here in the states and Giorgio Volpi and

Fulgenzio Jioro we got our new enterprise off the ground (Sound Mind Sound Body Europe).

February:

Zipped down to Arizona with our friends the Fords….stayed in Gilbert, Arizona which is outside of the Phoenix and Tempe area. It used to be farmland when I coached at Arizona State in the early ‘80’s.  Now it is a small city with a fantastic downtown.  The boss (wife

Shawn) has her oldest brother Gary living there.  He has a fantastic place with a great pool – a little cold to use it – but we jumped in anyway.  (No scorpions, black widows or rattlesnakes spotted!)

Went over to watch our beloved Sun Devils play – and lose to the Mildcats from the U of A.  TFord was happy – we were not.

Jumped on a jet and up to Albuquerque, New Mexico (Sadies Restaurant!) The Land of Enchantment!  I will tell you – the finest food you can find!  Beautiful country – it is not all desert by the way.  In fact Albuquerque is over 5000 feet, Santa Fe 6000 and Taos nearly 7000 feet – guess what it snows (a lot) there!  Just a note Denver is 5000 feet – Northern New Mexico is higher!

Honestly, there are people who live here in the US who do not realize that New Mexico is a state.  Amazingly they think New Mexico belongs to the country of Mexico.  Come on – study geology…. Whoops, I mean geography.

Kept working on our European project (Sound Mind Sound Body Europe)

March, April and May

“Your Call Football” beckoned me to Florida.  Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida became my residence for the next six weeks.  Working on an

interesting project called “Your Call Football.”

Very interesting concept….the fans call the plays and the teams that we trained run the plays.  It is the brainchild of George Colony (Forrester Research) run by Julie Meringer was the president and Colin Vataha the director of football operations

Here’s how it worked. We had about 90 players who were basically free agent type players – mostly from solid division 1 programs. We trained them for several weeks then played a series of three games.

Fans got an app for their phones, iPad or computers which allowed you to stream the games live.  It’s FREE!  As the game went on each participant was offered a selection of three offensive plays on every down. You selected the play and it was instantaneously tabulated and the most popular was beamed to the head coach.  He had to call the play no matter what he thought of the selection.

This all happened in about 25 seconds!  Truly amazing! AND THE APP IS FREE!

So, actually the score had little bearing on how the fans picked plays.  Each fan was in direct competition with the other fans (or a group of friends they could select) to pick the “winning” play.  I honestly don’t know how all of this works.  But, it is interesting because it allows the fans to be directly involved and run the game!

We had some great coaches involved in the project.  Our head coaches were Mike Sherman and Merril Hodge.  Assistants like Kurt Shottenheimer, Bob Slowick, Tom Rossley, Bert Hill, George Cortez, Chick Harris, Robert Ford, Martin Bayless, Chris Dishman, Jonas Jackson, Ben Sherman, Chris Mosley, Art Kehoe, Andre Barboza etc.  Oh yeah – me too!

It was an interesting six-week period and made some new friends while reconnecting with some old pals. Football has always been a great way to meet people with shared interests.

By the way there was some beer put away in Dodgertown – we did keep the Vero Beach bar economy in the black!

Plus, the boss (wife) got a few vacation trips to Florida while the weather in Michigan was trying to figure out what to do.

June

We drive into the summer with really great weather here in Michigan.  It seemed like most of the country was dealing with tough weather – but here in the “mitten” shaped state we really had some nice days.

For whatever the reason we avoided the severe storms that were popping up all over the place. Michigan is one of the best kept secrets in the country.  My prediction is that there will come a time when people will actually pick Michigan as a vacation spot.

Well, why not?  It is a great place.  If you are a golfer (I am not) – really a great number of courses that are spectacular.  If you are an outdoorsman (I am not) – well great places to fish also water ski….water and lakes all over the place (Great Lakes State!)

July

We put the finishing touches on our “First Annual Sound Mind Sound Body Combine and Clinic” preparing for a kickoff on August 3^rdin Tenero, Switzerland.  I really was eager to get back to Switzerland and see many of my friends again.

Giorgio and Fulgi did a fantastic job in Europe lining up the fantastic facility in Tenero.  They worked very hard to get everything prepared for our first (ad)venture overseas.  Many hours and miles were put in by my friends on the other side of the Atlantic.

As the month ended we hopped on a jet for the day long trip to Milan and up into Switzerland.

August

Our first annual “Sound Mind Sound Body” was ready to roll on the first weekend of August in Tenero. I have to say that this area of Switzerland is a beautiful part of the Italian side of the country.  What a beautiful place to have this football camp.

We didn’t get the numbers (in regards to athletes) that we were hoping.  But, later we began to understand that our timing was probably not as good as it could have been.  Apparently, this was a “Holiday” period and many people take their vacations at this point.

Regardless, we had a fantastic camp.  Curtis and Terry were simply outstanding.  Two very talented men who really know what they are doing and also have a great feel for people.  I think the group of SMSB impressed the coaches and players who came to Tenero.

Cannot express how much we appreciated the efforts of Giorgio and Fulgi.  Volunteering their time and efforts to make sure that we were comfortable.  Just another step in learning more about another culture and how we need to learn to be better friends to our neighbors across the seas.

After spending a little more than a week in Switzerland we hopped on the jet back to the States. The trip is long …. but not necessarily the flights.  It really gets long as you sit around in airports waiting for the next flight etc. But, remember airports do have bars!

Get back to Michigan – jump into my truck and head down to Bethlehem Pa. to crank up my coaching gig at Moravian College.

September and October

Return to my home – the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania.  Great place to visit (live) for a few months.  My Dad and his wife Judy, brother Steve, sister Pat and many, many friends are all there.

Get to eat some of the best pizza in the United States, real steak sandwiches, TastyKakes, Yoccos Hotdogs (Sorry Justin Potts), Birch beer, A-Treat soda (not pop), Wawa, and Carvel ice cream.  What more can you want?  I ask you?

Plus, get to work with the football team at Moravian College.  The Greyhounds have a fantastic staff – and the players ….. well, lucky to be around them.  Jeff Puksyzn and his staff do a great job always looking to help the athletes on the team first and foremost.

You couldn’t find a better person to lead a group of young men.  Always trying to help the troops.  Every coach at Moravian does a stellar job with their sports …. But Jeff – he deals with the most athletes and is constantly working with them to develop not only a good football team, but good students and great members of the Moravian community.

Well, the team….you could tell they were special guys.  With the great leadership of our seniors and the outstanding junior players we had we managed to work our way through the first half of the season 3-2. Then

winning two more in a row placed us at 5-2.

Unfortunately, we faced some of the best teams in the conference towards the end of the year and we dropped to 5-5.  I will say this…. For us to get to 5-5 is a great accomplishment.  Moravian cannot even compare to the teams we play in the Centennial Conference in regards to resources.

Now…we will always aspire to be excellent at what we do.  However, you learn early on in your coaching career to always be a pragmatic person.  Now, that does not mean we don’t strive to attain the highest level.  But although we are generally optimists – we also become realists!

Yup, I get it.  Too bad!  But, it is one of the things that Jeff faces as a football coach at Moravian.   We have to play the games regardless of the advantages the other Centennial Conference schools have.

Despite the fact that others may not see our situation in regards to the disparity in the CC –  In football you don’t have the luxury of seeing things through rose colored glasses.  We have to line up each week and play against those guys

Fortunately, the coaches truly work hard during the recruiting season and they are able to find some really good players.  They work hard to get students as well as athletes – all they can do is put them in front of admissions and financial aid and cross their fingers.

In the middle of the season I had to get back to Michigan – my son Scot (named after Scot Dapp by the way) got married to the fabulous Sarah.  What started out to be a cold rainy October day turned into a wonderful day.

Despite the fact that the sun hid all of the day.  It turned out to be perfect day for pictures and it was a great experience for everyone. Oh yeah, there was a few beers consumed by the way.  But, what a wonderful venue at the golf course in Lake Orion. (Plus the Hounds beat Susquehanna!)

Immediately after the wedding the boss (wife) and I climbed into a jet and flew to Switzerland for a two-week vacation-coaching experience.  What a great time for both of us!

Worked two camps while in Switzerland (Growth of the Game in Lucerne for two days and a camp in Willesau for the National teams of Switzerland).  Other than that – we traveled through the beautiful countryside in my adopted country!

I love Switzerland – the beauty of the place is truly amazing.  But, more importantly the people are just so friendly and happy to welcome people like me.  (By the way, the chocolate is unbelievable!)

Between and after the camps the boss (wife) and I visited several beautiful cities.  We started on Lugano (Italian side) visited Lucerne – twice- Zurich, Bern, Fribourg and Interlaken.  I can’t tell you how wonderful the visit was for me.

By the way there is a Hooters in Interlaken!

We headed back home – it is a long day.  But, as I said earlier – well worth the extra hours you spend going back and forth.

When I got back to Detroit climbed into my truck to get back to Bethlehem and Moravian to finish up the season.  Unfortunately we got caught up in the grinder as Franklin and Marshall beat us up. Then we gave up a game as Dickinson beat us.  (They are certainly an improving team … but we should have been able to win this game.)

Muhlenberg (like Hopkins) is a team that is going to be very difficult for us to defeat.  They have a very strong team.  Again, we are fighting a school with many advantages in regards to their policies and facilities.

There is a reason the Mules advanced three rounds in the national playoffs.  A good team.

But, finishing 5-5 really gave me a sense of accomplishment.  Jeff and the staff should be excited about our record and the players we have coming back.  Hopefully, we can add a freshman class that will  make our team even stronger.  If we can get everyone on campus aimed in the same direction we should continue to get better.

November and December

As we slipped into November we finished the season and I hung around the valley because I wanted to watch my beloved Konkrete Kids play on Thanksgiving Day.  Also on the plus side of staying around I got to have a great Turkey Day at Wendy and Steve’s (Brother and Sister and Law) house.

Have to also mention the stops at the Hungarian Hall.  Watching my pals throw darts then the over the top party on Thanksgiving Eve!  What a great time that always is!

Only problem is staying at my pal Tom Denardo’s house before the Thanksgiving game versus Catasaqua.  He doesn’t believe in heating his house.  Just doesn’t use his heat!   There are times when you can literally see your breath.  Well – if you go to bed with two sweatshirts, sweatpants, socks, a hat and two quilts it isn’t that bad.

After a Northampton win head up to Wendy and Steve’s house for the “feast”!

What an awesome spread Wendy puts out for us.  Turkey was unbelievable …. Also, everything else was great as well.  Went to bed stuffed.

Next morning – hopped in my truck and headed home to the boss (wife) in Michigan.  Just a nine and a half hour trip.

Set up the Christmas lights and here we are!

Son Corey and Taylor home from Atlanta…Scot and Sarah up from Centerline … the Fords visit … Sarah’s parents over.  Great Christmas day.

Like I said …  I took off for a weekend last month just to try and recall the whole year.  All of the faces and all of the places wonderin –  where they all disappeared.  I didn’t ponder the question too long.  I was hungry and went out for a bite.  Ran into a chum (Here’s where I change it)….he had a case of Coors Light hidden out of sight.  We went back to his place and set a good pace to drink all night…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

 

After the camp in Willesau I hopped on the SBB train back to Lucerne for our last evening in Switzerland.  Once again – train right on schedule and arrive back to our hotel in Lucerne.

Again, we wander around the restaurant area along the river Reuss.   We decided to return to our favorite Italian restaurant on the broad cobblestone walkway along the river.

We were surprised that the area was not as busy as the previous Sunday we spent in Lucerne.  However, perhaps it is the weather.  It is  definitely cooling and we elected to eat inside rather than an the outdoor tables.  Again, we had another amazing meal.

(I have to say I still feel weird about the tipping situation in Switzerland.  I have been told not to leave anything because it is included in the overall price.  I feel there has to be some way to understand how this whole operation works.)

By the way $4.50 for a small bottle of coke is pretty steep – beer is generally the same price or less.  (I guess I picked the wrong football vacation to quit drinking beer.)

The boss (wife) and I wandered along
the river and she took me to the amazing work of art – The  Lion of Lucerne.  This is a monument carved to commemorate the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution.

It is a thoughtful work of art honoring the 600 brave Swiss soldiers who either  were killed defending the Royal Family of France – or in prison later.

The Lion was sculpted by Lukas Ahorn in 1820-21 and was described by Mark Twain as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.”

After viewing the “Lion” and knowing the story behind it – I can see how he was effected by the monument.  It truly is an emotional work.

We continued through Lucerne’s beautiful streets and got back to the hotel.  We packed up and prepared for our trip back to Lugano and then down into Milan.

By the way – yes we did stop again and get more chocolate.  Imagine that.  I think we may have increased Switzerland  GNP just through the amount of chocolate we purchased in our two week (ad)venture.

In the morning we got on the always reliable SBB train to Lucerne.  The beautiful scenery we had on the way to this end of the country was a little different on a way out.  With the sky overcast we didn’t get the views we had many days before.

After reaching Lugano we met our driver at the train station and he delivered us to a hotel in Milan, Italy.  From there we could prepare for the next morning.

That trip home is an “all day sucker” and is exhausting.  The length itself will get you – but when you factor in the time changes you are facing a long day!

But, the trips over and back are well worth it.  Having the chance to make more friends, see more sights and learn so much more about our world and the

various cultures that exist outside of our borders – well it’s worth a little bit of suffering!

The second luckiest man in the world is so grateful for the doors that the game of football has opened for him.  Can’t wait for the next (ad)venture to happen!

 

So, on Friday morning the boss (wife) and I get up early and return to Lucerne from Bern.  After getting to  Lucerne I would take a train to Willesau to get to the training camp for the Senior, Junior and Flag football teams of Switzerland.

The boss (wife) was to stay in Lucerne while I attended the weekend camp to establish the National Teams for Switzerland.  (I took all of her  credit cards and left her with 20 Swiss francs – well, maybe I left her with 50 francs)

The Direrctor of the National Team – Andy Keller retrieved me at the train station (SBB was on time as usual!) and we drove the few minutes to the sports center.

Willesau has  an amazing facility.  From what I understand there are several national training centers across Switzerland.  Willesau is certainly one of them.

 

***I was at Zuchwil with the Junior National Team two summers ago – I think it is another of the elite camps that Switzerland has established for their athletes.  We also had our Sound Mind Sound Body Europe Camp at Tenero – which in another amazing facility built for the top athletes in the country!***

 

Willisau Athletic Complex

To say the facility is all encompassing – well it is!  We
have all of the essentials.  Rooms for all the players and coaches…dining hall….meeting rooms….lockers… and several football fields!  You would be hard pressed to find anything like this in the States.

If we stayed longer we could have training rooms, weight lifting areas, running tracks etc.  (By the way the training complexes at Zuchwil and Tenero are built
with these amenities as well.). You have to give the sports administrators in Switzerland credit.  They have done great job of providing training sites for athletes in all sports.

The SAFV (Schweizerische American Football Verband or Swiss American Football Federation) did an outstanding job of setting up the whole operation.

Like any organization there are a lot of political issues.  But after spending a lot of time with the National Teams Director Andreas Keller and his chief assistant Anna Zinsli the group is trying to work through many issues to make the National teams stronger than they have ever  been.

I really found it very informative and interesting spending as much time as I did with Andy and Anna.  Both, obviously smart and aware of the landscape of the SAFV they patiently worked me through issues that are presented throughout the league and non particular the National Teams.

I really respect what Andy and Anna were able to accomplish.  I am sure it was a stressful time making sure that everything was operating on schedule and within the budget.  They did a great job and the SAFV should be thankful to have them in their positions.

Later I was able to spend time with Glenn Chase the president of the SAFV.   Over the past two years we have had several conversations by email.  But, he and I sat and talked for several hours.  Exchanging ideas on how to keep improving the National Teams.  (There is no doubt that he is fighting against some bad odds since the individual clubs are all operated in different ways.)

I really believe that everyone has their heart in the right place and it is imperative that we need to keep expanding the breadth of the SAFV and the education of administrators, coaches and players.

Being the optimist that I am – I really believe that we will see some firm progress as we continue on with this plan.  I think as we can keep things going in the right direction we will see a vast improvement in our competition with other European teams.

 

I was privileged to be invited by Andy and Glenn to watch the entire operation at the Swiss National camp.  It was truly an honor to be included in this group of coaches and administrators.

These are top flight young people  who have the best interests of the players in Switzerland in mind.  I saw some pretty good coaching and teaching going on at all three levels.  The Seniors (20+), Juniors (U 19) and Flag teams.

After being associated with the Junior National team a few years ago I was acquainted with all of the coaches for

that squad.  I did miss my good friend Giorgio Volpi who is really involved with a lot of things right now and could not be part of our camp.

But, upon his recommendation the defense was coordinated by Walti Tgetgel who is a fantastic coach.  The Junior HC remains Michel Spitznaegel who

continues to be a good friend.

I am not sure what the SAFV has in mind for me – but whatever role it is should be another awesome experience.  Another adventure is on the horizon I am sure.

 

I really didn’t know any of the Senior coaches – but they certainly were welcoming and also great to be around for the three day session.

They were well prepared and did a good job of drilling the team and preparing them for future efforts.  I enjoyed being able to

watch each coach work with his group of

players.

We had some interesting conversations and I went away after the camp wishing that I had more time to visit with all of the coaches.  They are all knowledgeable and interested in the game of football.  I learned a great deal about how the game is  played overseas and Switzerland in particular.

 

After working with the Junior National team in the European

championships two years ago I was able to reunite with several of the players who were at the camp.  I have to say we had a tight knit group who were a lot of fun to be around.

They represented their country well when we played in the Netherlands against Germany and the Dutch Lions.  All of them are Seniors now and it was fun reminiscing with them.

I was impressed with the level of talent that was assembled for the camp.  Obviously the coaches did a very good job of selecting the players who will represent their country.

Watching the flag football team practice was very interesting as I have not really been involved with flag football before.  (I watched my sons play for several years when they were both young – but never really watched a practice.)

I was very impressed with the athleticism of the flag football players.  I hope I will get to watch them play at some point.

There has been some talk of having football in the Olympic Games at some point.  No one has addressed what the game will look like – flag, arena like, seven man or eleven man.

Right now it seems like the best bet might be utilizing flag football.  With the pressure due to injuries and the concussion issue it might make more sense pursuing the flag football platform.

Following the three day sessions it was time for me to get back on the road to Lucerne and then head to the airport in Milan, Italy.