Frame of Mind

This is a long one and I don't apologize. I've got stories to tell today.

So the other day I did something very silly and embarrassing. Really, it was more than just one day, I had been mistaken all week long. Long story short, I misread my flight information, and so I got to hang out in Riga airport for 12 hours longer than anticipated. Grant and I even discussed how crazy it was that we thought we had booked the same flights, and yet his was in the evening and mine was early morning, and somehow I still missed it. Then I got to RIX just before 4am and noticed my flight was nowhere to be found on any airport screens. Not trying to make excuses, but here's the confirmation email info I was looking at:

Now tell me that isn't confusing? First of all, who puts a 0 before a PM time, and then secondly drops the pm to the next row? 

Now I could choose to be bitter and annoyed for the rest of the day, or I could look at the bright side of things and be thankful I made it to the airport just slightly ahead of the suggested 2 hours before my international flight. A big thank you as well to the staff of the Latvian tour event in Saulkrasti, who put on a great tournament, and went above and beyond in keeping Grant and I well taken care of, including the elaborate task of airport transportation at the crack of dawn, no matter how unnecessary it ended up being. The cherry on top is that now I have plenty of time (and the intro I've been struggling to come up with) to write about a blog topic that's been on my mind of late. Perspective

I always find it interesting (and often comical) to see how two different people will react to the same situation. A scenario that would make someone fly off the handle with rage, might make another laugh hysterically, or a make a third person feel sick to their stomach. There might be multiple reactions by the same person, or none at all, but everyone will look at it just a little differently, and the decisions they make based on how they've framed that event will be unique to each person. 

I have another fairly recent story to share about perspective, and it involves my family, so I hope they're ok with me putting this story out there (I'll clear it with them first so if you're reading this that means it was ok). Not looking for sympathy or encouragement, just using a personal story rather than a volleyball one to illustrate my point this time around.

A little over a month ago, my brother got married. The wedding was on our family's property, where my younger sister, her husband, and their (at the time) 2 week old baby had their home. The day before the wedding, preparations were in full swing and by some chaotic twist of fate, Camille's house caught fire while a few of us were inside. My older sister, Milou, was the first to notice the flames, took charge immediately (As eldest siblings do), and things could have been a lot worse if not for her quick action. Of all the people there helping with set up, no one was hurt or even had any smoke inhalation despite many of us being in and around the house when it caught. 

We saved what we could, (including the car from the garage thanks to quick thinking by Milou's husband Tom) and then could do nothing but watch as the Rockyview, Calgary, and Airdrie fire fighters did an impressive job of preventing the fire from spreading beyond the house even into the surrounding trees on a very windy afternoon, but the house itself didn't stand a chance. I could go into more detail about the fire, and all the possessions that were lost. But that's not what matters. That's my perspective. What matters is how everyone dealt with what had just taken place. It's one thing to react in the moment to something, everyone involved that day mainly wanted to make sure everyone else was safe, with a priority on Camille and the baby. But it's what followed that shows how our perspectives can completely turn a situation around.

Now needless to say, grief was present for some, but only about how others were feeling. My family is an empathetic bunch.
Dustin felt terrible for Camille, he thought that his wedding had burned my sister's house down.

Camille felt terrible for Dustin, She thought that her house burning down had ruined my brother's wedding.

Milou and I did our best to let them know that everyone is still ok, and possessions can be replaced.

This sentiment was embodied by Camille's husband, Brendon, who wasn't around at the start of the fire, but when he got there, his only thoughts were about his family. I still don't know if his lost belongings have even crossed his mind.

I think the point of the day that really pinpointed the shift in perspective came from a conversation I overheard between Maid of Honour and Bride to be: "Something terrible happens at every wedding. Well this was it. It can only get better from here" 

Within a short period, we were no longer the victims of a tragic accident, and were once again preparing for celebration.

By the end of the night, the property was wedding ready, essential supplies for the baby had been replaced (thanks to my gf, Emily), and even some new clothing for Camille, Brendon, and myself (I had coincidentally been doing laundry in the house at the time) would be donated by Lululemon.

The next day I left to play in Itapema

I can't speak for everyone's thoughts that evening, but as I reflected upon the events of the day, all I could think was how thankful I was. Thankful that everyone was ok. Thankful to have a family that supports each other through hardship, and friends that will jump to help us when we are in need. Thankful to Lululemon (and especially Michelle Davies), for the quick help in a tough situation. Thankful to my parents, for being a safety net, when tragedy strikes. And thankful to all the bridesmaids, groomsmen, their families, and all others involved that weekend for having the strength of mind to look beyond hardship, and towards happiness. Finally, thankful to my new brother in law (Nadyne's brother, does it work that way? Are we brother's now too?), Kalvin, who made sure we got Porta-potties for the next day, the best crappiest wedding gift of them all.

The wedding was wonderful. Dustin and Nadyne looked amazing, spoke passionately and eloquently  and everything went without a hitch. I think everyone's newfound perspective on life only made it that much more sentimental. The firefighters even came back the next day to let the bride and groom take some memorable wedding photos with the fire engine. Camille also wants me to let everyone know that the baby Khalil (aka lil Monster) and her dog Lenny are still happy and healthy. I hope the experiences had at this wedding will be remembered by all. The good and the bad. It's these moments that help mold our perspectives, and allow us adapt during future times of stress. 

Wedding photos courtesy of carleebphotography.canada

If I play a bad match, will I get upset and frustrated about what went wrong? or will I focus on what I can improve?

If I'm in school and worried about deadlines and tests, will I stress about what I haven't completed? Or put my mind power towards what I can get finished or what I can study next?

If I show up 14 hours too early for a flight, will I sulk and have a frustrating day? Or will I try to find something to occupy my time, like perhaps, a blog?

It's a fascinating thing how looking at something in a different light can completely change a mood or motivation. No one has the same upbringing or background as anyone else, so it's not always easy to do. If you can reframe a bad situation into an easier to digest thought process, though, it often makes a big difference. Perspective is a powerful thing.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Enjoy the Process

So I'm back to the old blog site, writing for Beach Major Series didn't pan out this season, but don't worry, that won't stop my word vomit from reaching the screen. Not sure if humans are even capable of reading lengthy articles these days with our attention spans dwindling the way they are. I'm already beyond 280 characters, so I could probably stop writing and no one would even notice. But I must be old fashioned because I still like to write them, even if they're just for me. And that's more than enough reason to keep doing so as far as I'm concerned.

The same can be said about most of life, for that matter. If it makes you happy, then it's worth doing, it's a very simple concept. So simple, that I've probably talked about it before, but I've written a lot of blogs now and senility (I'm almost 30 after all) is creeping in, so who knows. One of these days I'll go back and read them all again, but that's for another day. For today, I'm thinking about living that happiness life.

In theory, everyone should be happy all the time, no exceptions, but obviously that's not quite possible. If you make every decision based on immediate happiness, you'll have some good moments right away, but you're bound to go on an emotional roller coaster ride. On the other side of the coin, if you can only be happy once you hit a long term goal, then it could be quite the grind until you get there. Either way, there will be moments of happiness in your life, but once those moments have passed, then what? Then you start all over, and the hunt for the next happiness high is on.

There is no wrong way, that's not what I'm trying to say. Everyone can find those enjoyable moments in every kind of way, but in my opinion, the best way to make the happiness last from moment to moment, is to make the path that gets you there the most enjoyable part. Make any accolades the cherry on top, but let the process be the ice cream sundae (or sorbet, or whatever my lactose intolerant readers want to substitute). 

For me and blog writing, it's about putting my fingers on the keyboard and seeing where my words can take me. I don't go in with a plan, because I find it fascinating to see which direction my brain is flowing on any given day (it varies greatly between the dumbly humorous to the mildly inspirational), and that fascination brings me to repeat the process, regardless of whether the end product ends up being any good. Any kind words received after the fact are bonus.

In our modern age of information it's pretty easy to get caught up in chasing the cherry on top (I'm certainly guilty of it). It's so simple to put something out there with no thought behind it, specifically to for that feeling of instant gratification from a like or a thumbs up. But if you're willing to put in the time to share something you truly enjoyed creating, then it no longer matters how your followers react, because you've done it for the person who's opinion should matter the most. Your own.

And I'm not finished there. This doesn't have to end in cyberspace. In case you were worried I was going to go a whole blog without relating it to volleyball, then fear not! Here we go! Athletes always talk about being "Never satisfied", and again, that's one way to approach it. I'm a strong believer that there is no single right way to do anything. But what I will give you is a different mental angle to look at training and sport:

-It makes me happy to continue learning and improving at my sport.

-I really enjoy comparing my ability to learn and improve against opponents in competition.

-It thrills me to add a skill or technique to my game that other teams have yet to master.

-I'm excited each time I see my opponents improve, because it means that I get the opportunity to do the same.

-When I win, I look forward to how I can be even better the next time.

-When I lose, see above.

-When I play my sport, I am ALWAYS SATISFIED, because I love the process! The results and the praise are the cherry on top.

And if you don't enjoy it, then change it. The beauty of making the process the focal point of your happiness, is that there are so many ways to adjust, without having to alter the end goals. If you think training would be better in a warmer climate, go train in California (for example). Obviously, you should still keep your goals in mind when making alterations, however. Eating 5 Cheeseburgers a day might give you immediate pleasure, but it also might make your path a little less efficient. It's creating that perfect balance to make the best method for you where you'll find the most benefit as well as the most enjoyment. I prescribe to the Ben Saxton training regimen, feel free to emulate it, but it likely won't be as effective until you've made the tweaks that fit you.

Enjoying the process makes me happy. Whatever I do, I try to bring the same attitude, be it blogging, beach volleyball, relationships, snow sculpting, making pizza, eating pizza, the list goes on and on. No matter what I do, I want to do it well, and the best way for me to keep motivated, is to be just as interested in the ice cream sundae, as the cherry on top. 

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

PS: The Ft. Lauderdale Major Series event happens this week, and Grant and I are excited about it. It's a great venue, the Beach Major Series tournaments are always the highest quality. Hope to see many of you there!

Come out and Play!

I haven't blogged on this page in a while, thanks to this last year's arrangement with Swatch Major Series, and possibly for the future season as well, but only time will tell. And by now you may have heard of some changes on the horizon in terms of team composition, but that's not why I'm writing right now. Today this blog is being used for promotion purposes, for an event that's very near and dear to me as a founding member of the West Coast Beach Volleyball Society:
The 2nd Annual Play with the Pros.

First, a quick description of the event:
Basically it's meant as a tournament for anyone (truly anyone) who happens to be in the vicinity of Vancouver on December 2nd and is interested in beach volleyball. Teams of 4 will play off against each other as they would in any other rec tournament but with the added bonus of getting a different pro player on their team for each match. The selection of Pros ranges from the studs of the local Kits Beach tours to Canadian and American Olympians (Including the myth, the legend, April Ross). Another bonus from last year's event is that this time around each team is guaranteed a minimum of 8 matches, so you'll get your money's worth. The details in full, including how to register, can be found at https://www.wecobevo.com/2nd-annual-play-with-the-pros
Just try to do so before November 10th, because that's the early bird cut-off and it gets a little pricier from there, plus you may be eligible for early bird surprises.... just saying.

Now if your excuse for not playing with the pros is "I'm not good enough", then you don't know what the event is all about. The funny thing is, this is the most common comment from everyone we've asked to play, including the pros oddly enough, who would all still be awesome with their eyes closed (go ahead, test me). The fact of the matter is, this beach event is not about being good, it's about enjoying the game from top to bottom, and about supporting the growth of the sport in the west coast of Canada.

It's a rare opportunity, where someone can be discovering the sport for the first time alongside a full time player who lives and breathes volleyball. Where a super fan can share the court with their hero. Where a local volleyball junkie can get their fix with or against an international contender.

The basis of the event is not to exploit those who "aren't good enough", it's to encourage everyone to want to get better by highlighting the most fun parts of the game - being active, getting dirty, and flailing your limbs at a little round object. New players will see that those with just a bit more experience aren't so far away and might be encouraged to join an Urban Rec league or similar. Mid level or youth athletes might look at the local pros and find incentive to compete next season on the KBVA or KWVC or the Vancouver Open. Most important of all, in my mind, is that anyone at all might see the passion and enjoyment that the highest level pros bring to the court when they play, and it will inspire them to make beach volleyball a bigger part of their lifestyle. And that's just one way that Play with the Pros can help to grow the game.

The charitable aspect is another reason to want to participate. All proceeds from the tournament as well as the silent auction (available to all who attend), will go towards the development of the sport in Western Canada. The mission of West Coast Beach Volleyball Society is to develop a training hub on the west coast to give all athletes in our very large country a chance, and an incentive, to keep playing the sport beyond the recreational level. It would give those athletes in the west with a massive drive the chance to pursue the highest level of beach volleyball without needing and equally massive bank account.

So that's my spiel, hopefully I've convinced you to be a part of our big night. If you're unable to play but still want to be involved, we are still accepting auction item donations. Donate over $300 worth and you can be featured on the website, so please feel free to reach out to us if you have something to offer. Maybe I'll donate 1 blog post to the auction, to see if my musings have become worth a little something, Start the bidding at 1 beverage.

See you December 2nd?
Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Comfort food for thought

Comfortability is a strange thing. So many yearn for it, love to have it and keep it close. Comfort is often what people strive to achieve in their every day lives and routines. Yet as nice as it is to be comfortable, comfort itself is a plateau.

Over the last few years, I've had the opportunity to talk to many high level athletes from many different sports. I won't name names, and I won't go into specifics about any particular program. I'm not looking to get anyone in trouble, just giving my opinion on the mindset of sport (Sorry to those of you who got really excited to hear some juicy gossip). Actually, I find this pertains to many walks of life, but I'm an athlete, so if I relate it to sports, people might actually think it's insightful. Back to the point, after talking to all of these experts in their respective fields (sports), there always seems to be a story of a coach, or trainer, or administrator, or official, or teammate, sibling, parent, local legend, superfan, pizza guy, etc. that told them, in some way or another:

"This is the way it has to be done" "This is how it's always been done, it'll be too hard to change" "This is what funding partners are looking for" "I've seen a lot of [sport], and this is how most people do it" "If you were truly dedicated, you would do what everyone else is doing"

To which my response (at least in my head) is always "Oh yeah? Let me prove you wrong." In my opinion, these are the people who are happy to reach the comfort plateau, and remain there. It is possible to grow substantially, by doing things the way they've always been done, and I do agree there is some value in it. But at a certain point the growth will slow down, and if you continue doing things the same way as everyone else does them, you likely won't surpass any of them. Hence the plateau. Now I'm being a little misleading with this plateau metaphor, because it will undoubtedly lead you to believe that the ultimate goal is to go beyond the plateau and find the peak of a mountain. Actually, to those seeking excellence, the peak doesn't exist. Those striving to be the best are not climbing mountains, they're climbing the Penrose impossible staircase (below). There is no endpoint to development, so suggesting there is one single method to reach it seems a little too good to be true.

Now maybe I'm just the stubborn 2 year old who loved to say "No", but when I look at athletes at the highest level, I don't often see the people who complied with "the way it has to be done." In fact, most often the difference between the best athletes and those trailing, is how they innovated their training regime. They went beyond the ordinary way of doing things, and came up with something new that helped to propel them forward. Often surrounding themselves with the coaches and trainers, etc. that are willing to innovate and develop their techniques right alongside them. The people who stand out are the ones who find a way to be different, and use it to their advantage.

Now obviously I don't condone going so far outside the comfort zone that it would be considered illegal. Steroids = bad, sabotage = bad, ignoring rules/laws = bad. I merely suggest finding multiple methods of climbing the staircase until you find the way that suits you. Everyone learns and develops in a different way, and so it makes sense that every process should be different. If there was an easy way to become a champion, everyone would be one, everyone would coach one, everyone would administrate the program that develops them, etc. (Participation trophies don't count).

What I've found myself preaching at various clinics that I've coached over the past few years, and especially quite recently thanks to the newly formed West Coast Beach Volleyball Society is to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, because that's where the big changes are made.

And trust me, I know a thing or two about being uncomfortable

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Game Time

Time is such a strange thing. When you're looking forward to something in the future, it seems like the days crawl by, and when that moment arrives, it's over in a blink. But when you're remembering the past, those times of excitement seem to get replayed in slow motion to the minute detail, while the lead up and preparation gets skipped over, like it was hardly there. Albert Einstein once said.... Something about that I'm sure, but I've tried to sound smart for long enough already. 

Here we are in the preseason, when one day stretches into the next as we wait for the season to start. Even this year, with the first tournament getting going as early as February 15th, which I realize is only a couple weeks away, it just feels like more. (As I write this it's actually hitting me how soon it actually is, though I'll likely forget that at my next 6 am wake up). Chaim and I won't actually play our first event until the Maceio Open the following week, which makes it seem that much longer. Any week where others are doing things that I could be doing extends the perceived wait time by about a year. So going of my skewed perception clock, our first match is only about 18 months away (3 weeks by normal earth time).

There's only so much time that can be spent on the court or in the gym in a given day, so how does one go about passing the rest of the wait between matches and tournaments, you ask? Well if you'd stop interrupting me, I was about to get to that. 

Aside from watching all the TV shows (yes all of them), and remembering forgotten blogs, I find the best way to pass the time between trainings is by playing games. Any games will do, I'm easily entertained. The spectrum ranges from other sports, to board games (Notably Settlers of Catan and the like), to card games, to video games, to nerf gun battles (video below, if you follow me on Twitter you've already seen it), to guessing what time Adele's "Hello" will play on the radio during car rides (Because it will happen, we just don't know when.) Now some might call this a waste of time, but I beg to differ. In fact I think a diverse games portfolio might actually be the secret to success.

To illustrate my point I actually will use an Einstein quote:

Now the way I see it, in any given game, the people who can best understand the rules, and use them to their advantage, will most often win that game. Especially in a sport like beach volleyball where the rules seem to change every year (ex: Net touch rules), those players that are best able to adapt and manipulate their play to suit those rule changes, give themselves an immediate edge. At the highest level of play, and edge can mean the difference between a win and a loss. So the more games one plays, the better they become at learning new rules and developing new strategies around them.

So I've completely changed the topic of this blog from time perception to playing games, and I'd say I didn't plan it this way, but I actually wrote pretty much all of this and then accidentally deleted it last night. So today's version is a rewrite from yesterday's unorganized ramblings. So to summarize:

I get bored when I'm not playing volleyball, so I play other games instead and tell myself it's not a waste of time. Plus it helps to make the preseason move faster, or at least crawl a little less slowly.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Off to a Good Start

In the wake of the Porec Major Series, Canada's most successful World Tour event ever (To date, hopefully we can start to make it a regular occurrence). I just wanted to give out my congratulations to the people who truly deserve it. So without further ado, congratulations to Jamie Broder, Kristina Valjas, Heather Bansley, Sarah Pavan, Josh Binstock, Sam Schachter, and Chaim Schalk on a great start to the 2015 FIVB beach season.

It's taken a lot of spent energy and spent dollars for each of us, but it seems to be serving us well. And a big thank you to everyone in each of our teams personal support bubbles. All of our personal coaches, trainers, families, friends and sponsors deserve a lot of praise as well for believing in us as we put our whole lives into such a lofty goal with little support but for you guys. It's still early in the season, and I don't speak for the other athletes, but I'm sure we are all looking to continue the trend.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Rewind, Play, Fast Forward

After a short (year and half) hiatus, I've decided to see if I've still got it. By "it" I don't mean the ability to write thought provoking, inspirational tales of wit and wisdom, but rather the ability to write anything legible and coherent. It's an ambitious goal, I realize, but I take a lot of plane rides with nothing better to do, so I think that means I've got what it takes, right?Since it's been so long since my last post, I'll give a brief synopsis of how the last year went, followed by a quick take of the Lucerne Open, then a short insight into what's to come. Brief + Quick + Short = Probably too much writing, but bear with me.

Last season we won some games and lost some others, yada yada yada, lots of training, and now here we are.

Too brief? Fine, here are the highlights:
- Chaim and I got our first FIVB podium with a Bronze at the Parana Open in Argentina
- We followed it up with Gold at the NORCECA Championships in Tobago
- Klagenfurt and Stavanger, two of the players favorite Grand Slams, returned to the FIVB World tour
- Went to see "Price is Right" live with a few other volley notables (see picture below)
- The Calgary Flames made the playoffs, and beat the Canucks in round 1
- I grew a playoff beard
- I shaved off the playoff beard

Lucerne was a little bittersweet, with an emphasis on the bitter. When I was younger, having to qualify week after week, 25th was a sign of progress, it meant I was winning a few games and getting to compete against the best teams for 2 or 3 extra matches per tournament. But these days, it's more of a motivator that more needs to be done to prevent future early exits. The city of Lucerne is a beautiful place and hosted a very nice, well run, tournament. I hope to come back in future years to better my own experience of it, but as a player so focused on one objective, the rest of the experience often gets clouded by a poor performance. The best way to look at it was that as Lucerne was our first event of the 2015 season, and so it was a good warm up for the Grand Slams coming up, and gave us a good idea of what fixes can be made before then.

Now on to what's to come. I'm not sure what is most notable about this year's FIVB season, but there are certainly plenty of developments, so I'll start by mentioning the FIVB Major Series. This will be comprised of 3 of this year's tour stops (Croatia, Norway, Switzerland) and then a season finale in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I still don't have all the information, but it's my understanding that Swatch and Red Bull will be the major sponsors and are looking to make all the events similar to Klagenfurt (aka, As big as it gets for beach volleyball). This is exciting news for the players and the fans alike, and hopefully big news for the sport itself to grow into something bigger.

The next big thing this season (and in my opinion, the most anticipated) is the FIVB World Championship being held in 4 cities in the Netherlands; den Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Appeldorn. Worlds are always a big deal wherever they are held, and the Hague always puts on a good event, so I am really looking forward to early July. Chaim and I will be playing our pool play matches in the Hague, which this year will be played in a floating stadium in the heart of the city, just in case anyone happens to be in the neighborhood, it will be worth coming out to watch.

Finally, this season starts the Olympic qualification process. When the time comes, all eyes will be on the teams at the games, but it's the next two seasons that brings out the best in them. Everyone is ready to get the Grand Slams started and the season underway as we all battle to make our way to Rio.

That's all I've got for now, next week we'll head to Norway to train with Horrem/Eithun, and other athletes around their training facilities, and then to Moscow for the first Grand Slam or the season. I'll try to write another blog or two in weeks to come, but no guarantees.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

#TheNewAgeOfSport

Social media has made everything so accessible over recent years. There's so much easy access to everything you could ever want to know about every team, player, coach, mascot, ballboy, etc. Through all the networks you can fairly easily interact with and follow almost any athlete in any sport worldwide (As long as you can hack the great firewall of China) and vice versa, athletes are able to keep in touch with friends and family back home and keep updated with the goings on in the "real world".

Even a bum like me can have a fan page, and several means of communicating with those interested in my Beach Volleyball journey. It's so different from even a few years ago, when the only news you could get about the tour was months later in the latest issue of DiG magazine. Nowadays, though it's still not as popular as the big 4 sports in North America (Hockey, Basketball, Football, and Baseball) or other sports that have been easy access through TV forever, people can still be informed about Beach. You can watch streamed matches live from across the world, check scores via tournament websites, comment on your favorite player's Facebook group page, hashtag each event on Twitter. Sure you're still not going to see that many World Tour caliber games on your big screen (aside from the Olympics every 4 years) until the sport grows more in popularity, but there are ways to get involved in the game like never before.

All the social networks have gotten so involved in sport in general that last year, London was called the first "Twitter Olympics". People at home had more opportunity to be involved with the games than ever before. Even though I didn't get the chance to be there myself, I was able to send my words of motivation to those of my friends who did, and got to hear back with their words of thanks afterwards. It made me feel like I was at least somewhat part of it, even though not quite in the way that I wanted.

I for one, enjoy being able to so easily share my successes (not so much my failures), and being able to draw from the support of everyone following the experience. It's been kind of cool being able to gauge the excitement of people back home who followed our success at World Championships, and likewise it helped soften the blow seeing the words of encouragement after our recent hiccup in Berlin. I look forward to all the things I'll get to read from everyone next week in Moscow.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

Big Things

So some things have happened since the last time I wrote a blog. I've traveled a to a few more countries, jumped a few thousand more times, and aged a few months. A few notable things, Chaim and I finally figured out how to qualify, and how to win third sets from time to time. Here in Gstaad will be our fourth straight Main Draw appearance. Also, we took a 5th at the World Championships last week in Poland, which was kind of fun. I guess. (Even though I was robbed for the blocking title, they gave 2 of my blocks in the quarter to Chaim which would have tied me for the lead with the best ratio. Look it up)

Ok, it was a blast. We're finally starting to get some big wins, by making big plays, at big moments, under big amounts of stress, watched by big crowds, in big venues, against big players, .....etc. Only thing bigger would have been if we could have won a few more matches near the end, but it's a start. It was big enough, however, for me to think "Hmm, I should maybe write a blog or something." And here we are. (Also, someone's gotta challenge Ryan Doherty's claim to being the world's greatest blogger. ryan-doherty.com - I actually strongly recommend it, it might be a true claim)(PPS - He speaks pretty well of me in one of his recent blogs, so how could I not endorse?)

One of the best parts of the whole ordeal was the mass congratulations from friends, family, and everyone else who contacted me via Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, and any other means you can think of. My advice to all of you: Don't ever stop. The next best thing to actually winning the important matches, is being able to come home and read about how everyone back home is just as excited living vicariously through us.

Something else that always makes me smile (though sometimes time consuming) is being swarmed by all the local fans post match. When I was younger and first started playing internationally in the youth events, my dad advised me to never deny someone an autograph. I don't know if I ever will. I don't exactly crave the attention, but I love to see how excited people get over a simple picture with me, or to have a scribble on a piece of paper. How could you ever pass up on making even one person's day, never mind an entire crowd.

And now we come to Gstaad. Slightly smaller stakes, but no less difficult. There's no such thing as an easy tournament on tour, so it's immediately back to grind. Always pushing to improve on the week before. Such is life on the FIVB World Tour.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Do the Shuffle

After another lengthy blog drought, I'm back on the keyboard to share a bit of what's happened around Ben town in recent months. I'll try to keep it quick.

First of all, once the season ended, so did almost all the men's partnerships. The women's teams as have stayed pretty consistent, as far as I've heard, but us guys all did the partner shuffle. From the top 4 Canadian teams, came 4 new pairings from the same 8 guys. They are as follows: Josh Binstock and Maverick Hatch, Sam Schachter and Martin Reader, Christian Redmann and Matt Zbyszewski, and finally, Chaim Schalk and myself. I can't speak for the other teams (you'll have to ask them yourselves) but I'm excited to see where things go from here.

Chaim and I have already played one NORCECA, and took home the Gold in Chula Vista, California. It was a great way to see what we were capable of, and played a big part in my decision to play with him, as I'm sure it played into his decision likewise. It will certainly be an interesting coming season, because Chaim, like anyone, has his own unique skill set that I thing will coincide very well with my own, and as a fellow Alberta native, he's obviously good people.

The second bit of news is that they've announce the dates for a new World Cup tournament to be held in Brazil this coming January. The event will host 10 men's and 10 women's teams. One from each country that won their respective Continental Cup Championships (Which Canada did for both men and women this past year in Mexico), and each country that qualified the maximum 2 teams through the top 16 for the Olympics. There will be no FIVB points awarded, but there is a chance at some good competition and a solid payout. For Canada, the women's team attending the tournament will be Heather and Liz, currently the highest ranked team. For the men it gets a little screwy.

We're having another trials. Since both Christian and I, and Josh and Martin split up after last season, they've decided a trials between all 4 teams is the fairest option. Had all partnerships stayed together, Christian and I would have gone as the highest ranked team. However, VC doesn't want to send a team that will not be playing together in the future (which in all honesty makes perfect sense to me). It's not really comparable to the last trials I went to, considering this is a couple offseason matches leading up to an offseason tournament worth no points, but Chaim and I will be motivated nonetheless because every match is as important as we make it.

Finally, it's November, so I'm growing a mustache! Not so impressive, I know, because every man who can does it, and even men who can't give it a good old fashioned try. But this year I'm actually going to try to contribute to the cause by raising money and awareness towards men's health issues like prostate and testicular cancer. To do so I've registered with the Movember Canada website. They post all the details and the issues and ways to help, and all I have to do is grow a mustache, post pictures, and try to raise a buck or two. You can visit my page at http://mobro.co/bensax

Anyway, that's what has happened and is happening in the world of Ben Jammin, I tried to make it quick, just didn't quite work.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

A Little Help Along the Way

The last time I blogged was way back just before our Olympic Trials match. Needless to say, that loss was tough to swallow, for all four players who missed it by that much. The next few weeks in Europe were very emotional as Heather Bansley, Liz Maloney, Christian and I all began to move forward in our own way. The results were alright, we actually got some big wins under our belt, especially in the Main Draw of Berlin. But once we got back, with the Olympics looming, I decided I needed a bit of a break from Beach. Not for long, but a few weeks out in BC to clear my head and renew my drive.

In retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have decided to take time off so close to our National Championships, but under the same circumstances, I would do it again. The trip gave me a chance to reconnect with old friends, and make new ones, and ultimately helped me to get me back into the right frame of mind. The support of friends and family was the most powerful motivator, to stop thinking of the Trials as a failure, but rather the beginning of a new stage in my Beach career. It's a result that will live with me forever but will never be repeated if I have anything to say about it.

So who do I have to thank?
Over my two reflective weeks in BC, I lived with three different families, and had three very different experiences with each of them. All extremely positive, and all filled with support and love to strengthen my resolve.

The Garskas
My trip started in Kelowna, where I had planned to play in the Grass Triples tournament, a small part of the whole Center of Gravity festival held there every August long weekend. I had no place to stay, and was relying on my very good friend Justin Merta to hook me up. He pulled through, as he so often does, and managed to hook us both up, as well as another good friend Kurt Kleinfeldt (both from the Bears).

We were hosted by the Garskas. Maybe I shouldn't be advertising this on here because now all their friends will want to go, but their summer home on the lake is amazing. I don't often get to spend days on the water, but the days I spent out there with Kurt, Justin, Missy Garska, Kaylan Barnes, and Justin Duff were some of the most enjoyable I think I've ever had outside of big vball events. Whether cliff jumping, wake surfing, exploring waterfalls, getting copious amounts of food forced upon us or just floating on the water, it was the perfect way to shed the bitterness of not qualifying, and just think happy thoughts.

Plus while I was there I got to see another friend Rosie MacLennan take home Canada's only gold at the games (More commonly known for her appearance in "Cook Fight!"). And I can't let her be the only one to get a medal, so it looks like now I have to get one in Rio. Right?

The Mertas
Following August Long, Justin and I took off so I could get lost in the woods, also known as Quesnel (pronounced Quinnel), for a week. It was a chance to be away from everything for a while. I was tuned back in to London, though, no longer dwelling on the fact that I wasn't there. Moreso getting inspired by victories and defeats at the World's Main Event.

It was just me, my thoughts, and the Mertas, another of the nicest families on earth. It seems every family I stay with is among that category (Though I suppose they'd have to be willing to put up with me for days on end). I consider Justin to be like a brother to me, and his whole family seems to be like an extension of my own. While in Quesnel, I went camping, played another triples tourney, and ate several home-cooked meals straight from their garden. All served to help remember that I don't play just for me, I play for all my supporters even the far reaches of Quesnel. Especially those who would take me into their home and treat me as family at a moments notice. Now I wish I had thought to take pictures while I was out there, but it only dawned on me just as I was leaving the city for Vancouver, so I only managed to get one with Justin's mom, Kathy. I hope I get a chance to come back some day.

The Sereses
One week prior to Nationals, I got into Vancouver and stayed with the Seres family. Who have hosted me on a few occasions now, though I can't fathom why. I eat all their food, sit around the house, and I'm sure I smell like any athlete. Yet they let me stay with them time and time again, and keep me company to boot. I spent the week getting back into volleyball mode so I didn't get to spend as much time with the family, but parents Debbie + Alex, and daughters Aimie + Kylah, seem to very much support my little habit, and always have plenty to ask me about it every time I come back. They're right up there with the Garskas and Mertas among the worlds nicest people.

During this particular trip to the west coast my parents actually managed to take them out for dinner, to thank them for all the time's the put me up. I also got to partake in the thank you dinner, so there were smiles all around. I should have gotten them all dinner, for all they've done for me, but I'll have to wait until the prize money starts rolling in over the next few years (fingers crossed).

As for Nationals, Christian and I finished 3rd. We played relatively well over the whole weekend. Our play was consistent from game to game, but we just couldn't pull out the plays we needed to in our semi final against Hatch/Schachter, and they were clearly motivated to beat us after we won our meeting last year. But that loss is just more fuel to my relit fire, I'm expecting big things to come over the next few seasons.

All in all, my mind needed the refresher. Now, thanks to all the families who billeted me during my time in BC, I'm refocused and re-motivated. You guys played a big part in helping me get back on my feet, so thank you. I hope to do you proud over the years to come.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

P.S. I took a few of the pictures from facebook, I hope you don't mind :)

So You're Saying There's a Chance

As many of you know by now, Canada is going to the Olympics in Beach Volleyball. Both men and women won the NORCECA Continental Cup in Mexico not too long ago (No thanks to a certain technical supervisor who is constantly trying to screw us over), and so we have not one, but two teams that will go to represent the maple leaf in London. With less than a month before the Opening Ceremonies, there remain but 2 teams per gender vying for that honor, Christian and I being one of those teams. One match, winner takes all, who could ask for a better opportunity?

Saturday, July 7th at Ashbridges Bay
Heather Bansley and Liz Maloney vs. Annie Martin and Marie-Andree Lessard at 1pm EST
Ben Saxton and Christian Redmann vs. Josh Binstock and Martin Reader at 3pm EST

I think I've gotten more words of support and encouragement these last couple weeks than ever before in my career. If all goes well, I'll have even more over the next month. Thanks to all the social media sites these days, I get to see each and every personal message. If you have made or will make a comment for me somewhere, it will be read by me, that's a promise.

This blog is basically a mass thank you. I've already heard from cousins, teammates, coaches, old high school friends, even people I've never met, and I feel your support now, and will continue appreciating it as my careers moves along. I want to be the best, and it really helps to have the best supporters along the way.
So thank you to all past, present, and future followers.

But a special thank you to the sponsors and other parties who have given me direct support with money and product to help me in every way they can. You can find a link to all of the following on the right:
The Volleydome
Overkill and Canuckstuff
CANFund
Oakley sunglasses
Mikasa
KT Tape

I do what I do because I love to do it, and all your support make me love it that much more.

Cheers,
Ben Jammin

Back to Life

It seems we've finally found our will. Our will to fight. Our will to work harder. Our will to win. Heck, it seems I've even found my will to blog after a month of not doing so (sorry bout that). I won't bore you or upset myself by speaking of the 3 events we didn't qualify, and just skip ahead to the good stuff in Prague. We battled with good teams, and we won third sets against good teams. Two birds with one stone. We were one win away from cracking the top 10 for the first time, but considering our recent finishes, a 13th is definitely a step in the right direction. And the fact that we're getting some good wins now is a good sign of things to come.

What's coming up you might ask? Well I'll tell you. Next month yields two more Grand Slams, in Russia and Italy, and the Continental Cup, in Mexico. Seeing as our future tournaments for the year are somewhat dependent on those events, therein lies our focus for the current week of training in Toronto. 

Unfortunately, whether from the travel or the sun or food or whatever, I've come down with some sort of bug and my stomach has been flip-flopping for the past couple days, keeping me near the porcelain throne. Who gets sick while coming home from travel? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Fortunately, it happened during an off-week, so I'll be good to go with plenty of time before we head out to the Motherland. But anyone offering to spoon feed me chicken soup will not be turned down.

I'll close off here with a few awesome pictures taken in Prague by Jon Schachter, father of Sam.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin

The Captain has Turned on the Seatbelt Sign

Airports and travel, we did not miss you, though we are quickly becoming reacquainted. Especially with consecutive legs of the tour in Brasil, Poland, and China. Even with the increase in mileage requirements, I think we'll still get our Aeroplan Gold Status for next year. Especially after all the connections through Toronto we have this year.

Christian catches some z's in the airport

For instance, just this last weekend between Brasilia and Poland:

Brasilia -> Sao Paolo: 1.5 Hours

Layover in Sao Paolo: 2 Hours

Sao Paolo -> Toronto: 10 Hours

Layover in Toronto: 12 Hours

Toronto -> Frankfurt: 6 Hours

Layover in Frankfurt: 4 Hours

Frankfurt ->Katowice: 1.5 Hours

Katowice - Airport -> Hotel: .5 Hours

-------------------------------------------

Grand Total: 37.5 Hours

That's a full day and a half. And for a relatively big guy like myself, (I say relatively, because on tour it's more like average) airplanes are not the most comfortable of places to be, unless i can snag an upgrade to first class, which so far this year has not been very easy. Add a little jetlag to the whole mix, and it reminds me why travel is just so gosh darn fun (I shouldn't need to, but I'm going to go ahead confirm that that was in fact sarcasm.)

If only we had an airline sponsor....(hint hint wink wink nudge nudge)

But after all that, here we are in Poland a few days later, mostly recovered from the trip, and ready to qualify for another main draw tomorrow. Another two wins will do it, and hopefully this time we can get a few more after that.

To close, here's a picture from games in Brasilia that I thought was funny. Kids at home, see if you can replicate this one.

Cheers,

Ben Jammin