Lake Arrowhead and Beyond

The Newbury Park High School Panthers just hired a new teacher/J.V. football team Defensive Coordinator, our own Michael Contreras!

After spending an enjoyable first year as a teacher/coach at Hueneme H.S., Mike was one of over 30 first year teachers given a pink slip by the Oxnard Union High School District due to budget cuts. He heard about the opening at nearby Newbury Park, had a solid interview and was hired two days later. This should be a great situation for Mike in a Blue Ribbon School with both a great athletic tradition and a great staff.

Good luck and congratulations Michael!!!

Lake Arrowhead Weekend

For about the last six months our niece, Lyndsey McKenzie, has been planning this reunion weekend of all of the extended family of Bill and Florene Gardner. With Bill's passing last December and Florene's Memorial Service last Thursday in Camarillo, it was a welcome relief after the stress the last few months, especially for Laurie who has now earned the title of "Matriarch of the Gardner Clan."

The site for the reunion would be the alpine mountain retreat of David and Gayle Hicks. Gayle is Laurie's sister and they would prove to be great hosts, no surprise here.

HOLA!!!

Lake Arrowhead is located in the San Bernardino Mountains about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Casa Contreras. When we arrived at the Hicks's Cabin, we were greeted by a deck full of revelers including our son Andrew hoisting the beer salute.

To the left of Andrew is his bride Jenn and our first grandchild, Tank Ranger, a.k.a. "Kevin Gardner" Contreras.

O.K., Tank isn't due to pop out until August but I think that he had a good time too in the mountains.

Four Surviving Pines

Apparently, a few years ago, a bark beetle attacked the pine trees in the Lake Arrowhead area, killing off many of them. As it is with nature, oak trees are now taking up the ecological void for the dead pines.

The Lake

The Hicks's Cabin is located a short distance from the lakeshore, so we decided to take a walk along the shoreline path.

A Manzanita

Gnarly.

The Kitchen and the Dining Table

As one would expect, much of this enjoyable retreat was spent in this area of the cabin.

Sequence

A really good game that we had never played before.

BUY IT!!!

Saturday on the Lake

A simply gorgeous day, it was time to cruise the lake and see the sights.

Our Tour Guide, Dr. David Hicks

Truly an amazing and gentle man, David can also skipper a boat like nobody's business.

WHEEEE!!!

Sarah Gardner and Lyndsey McKenzie enjoying a bit of speed on the water.

O.K., Lyndsey maybe not so much!

The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson's "Cabin"

One singer's cabin is another retired teacher's castle.

"Ship Ahoy!!!"

Besides wind power, this tar also used foot pedals to propel his craft through the water.

A Modest 13 Car Garage, Lakefront Cabin

Really?

Twin Peaks

On Sunday, Laurie and I drove into Lake Arrowhead's Village to do a little shopping.

TIVOLI!!!

Who doesn't love a kid on a Merry-Go-Round?

Lake Arrowhead Fauna . . .

. . . and Flora

Modern Age Technology

We all brought some equipment to keep us connected to the social network during our retreat although Jenn, in the middle, seems to be practicing some pre-natal breathing techniques.

GOOD TIMES INDEED!!!

The 111th U.S. Open was hosted by at Congressional Country Club outside of Washington, D.C. over the weekend. It was won yesterday by a 22 year old Northern Irishman named Rory McIlroy in spectacular fashion as he shot a 16 under par, 72 hole total of 268 to take home his first Majors title.

It reminded me the time just ten years ago in Summer of 2001 that I joined our friend Mike D'antuono and our son Andrew to play this hallowed course.

As one would expect, I brought the course to its knees that day, shooting a remarkably consistent +26/+26 for an 18 hole total of 124.

I know exactly how Rory McIlroy felt yesterday as he entered that storied clubhouse after a fantastic day of golf.

Another Great Wallander Book

I finished it at the lake, excellent! It was on the New York Times Bestseller List for a reason.

The author, Henning Mankell, says that this is the last of the Kurt Wallander books he will write. I've had the pleasure over the last year to read all 11 of these fantastic mystery novels about Ystad, Sweden's favorite police inspector.

Good-bye old friend.

EUROBALL UPDATES

2011 Division I Södra Standings

The top two teams at the end of the regular season will play in the 2011 SAFF Division I Playoffs along with the top two teams from each of the other three Division I Conferences.

Kristianstad Predators (7-1)

Ystad Rockets (6-2)

Limhamn Griffins (3-2)

Lugi Vikings (3-3)

Hässleholm Hurricanes (0-5)

Ekeby Greys (0-6)

Week 9 Results

Kristianstad 43 - Ekeby 6

Ystad 22 - Lugi 14

BYES: Hässleholm and Limhamn

Week 10 Games

Saturday, July 2nd

Hässleholm (0-5) at Ekeby (0-6)

Limhamn (3-2) at Lugi (3-3)

BYES: Kristianstad (7-1) and Ystad (6-2)

SAAF Division I Södra Notes: Ryan Bolland's 7-1 Kristianstad Predators just keep marching steadily towards their initial goal, the Division I Södra's 2011 championship, after a solid 43-6 victory over the cellar dwelling 0-6 Ekeby Greys. One of Ryan's hardest chores is now squarely in front of him, the dreaded SAFF imposed Summer Break. The Predators only have two games left on their regular season schedule. Their next contest is at home against the 3-3 Lugi Vikings on August 13th, a full EIGHT WEEKS between games. Traditionally teams in Sweden face dwindling attendance at post break practices and many players just flat out never return to their teams in August.

Next Friday, Sweden celebrates one of its biggest holidays, Midsommar. As a result there will be no games played over the June 25-26 weekend.

Up next for our beloved 0-5 Hässleholm Hurricanes is a road game with the 0-6 Ekeby Greys in two weeks. An instant classic in the making don't you think?

Hässleholm Hurricanes U15-13 Team

The big American football news out of Skåne was the first ever contest, a scrimmage, for the Hurricanes first year youth squad. The mini-'Canes scrimmaged their Kristianstad Predators counterparts. The Predators are, in my opinion, the model for how to build an American football program from the ground up in Europe.

As expected, the Predators won the scrimmage 6 TDs to 2 TDs but it was a start, a big first step in creating a program not just a team in Hässleholm.

Summer Reading List

One of my goals for this Summer is to read at least one book a week starting on June 1st.

Here is a quick review of what I've read so far.

Henning Mankell is one of the great mystery writers in the world today and I love his Kurt Wallander character. This book was a big departure from that series to say the least.

"Daniel - A Novel" is the story of a young black boy who is uprooted from his home in Africa's Kalahari Desert and lands up in Sweden. Once there, the rest of the tale deals with his struggles to return home at any cost and, more interestingly, the clash of cultural values.

An interesting read.

I have read most of Patricia Cornwell's mystery books featuring Kaye Scarpetta and her inner circle of crime solvers. To be blunt, the characters are losing their steam and I think that in this book she really is starting to reach for fresh ideas.

It was an O.K. read but not as good as her earlier works in the Scarpetta series.

Up next, Henning Mankell's latest mystery blockbuster "The Troubled Man". It is billed as the final installment in the Wallander series.

I hope not.

Fodor's Travel Intelligence - Part II

Continuing in our look at Fodor's Travel Intelligence series, today we take a look at their "Top 11 European Museums and Art Treasures".

#1 The Britsh Museum

London, Great Britain

The Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles and a ton of other art and historical treasures from around the globe. It was the first major museum I visited during my first stint coaching in EuroBall in 2008. Definitely worth the price of admission!

It's free.

#2 The Book of Kells

Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

I have yet to make it to the Emerald Isle, sorry!

I'll make Trinity College a prime destination when I someday visit Ryan Air's hub city.

#3 The Uffizi Gallery

Florence, Italy

It will absolutely boggle your mind! Such incredible treasures adorning every nook of the Uffizi's endless labyrinth of corridors.

#4 The Guggenheim Museum

Bilbao, Spain

I have not visited Bilbao either. The Frank Gehry architecture of the museum building itself is worth the visit from what I have been told.

Another trip to northern Spain is in order.

#5 The Louvre

Paris, France

The Louvre is so good that it merits two pictures. Here we are with the Venus de Milo. Add the Mona Lisa, Nike - Winged Victory, the Code of Hammurabi and all of the "DaVinci Code" ado amongst the never ending art and you have the makings of a great afternoon.

#6 Museum Island

Berlin, Germany

We visited Berlin last Summer but were too absorbed in World War II Nazi history as well as all of the Cold War sights to visit Museum Island. I'm sure that this is a great place to visit, but come on, this is the History Channel's favorite city in Europe for a reason.

#7 Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

Lisbon, Portugal

Oops! Back-to-back misses! Portugal is now officially on our list of countries to visit during our next EuroBall assignment.

Let's see, the new itinerary now includes Ireland, Spain, Germany and Portugal.

#8 Museo del Prado

Madrid, Spain

Regal is a good word for this most European of museums.

#9 The Nationalmuseet

Copenhagen, Denmark

If you like the Vikings, you have come to the right place! Copenhagen is a wonderful city located only a short 90 minute train ride south beautiful Hässleholm, Sweden.

#10 The Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Amsterdam? Are you kidding. WAY too many temptations for me to have visited or even admit to maybe having visited.

O.K., Ireland, Spain, Germany, Portugal and The Netherlands . . . soon.

#11 The Vatican Museums

Rome, Italy (Vatican City State actually)

The Sistine Chapel alone would be reason enough to visit, but the Raphael Room, the Map Room and the gazillion other exhibits are just so overpowering. Of course, Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" whets the appetite as well.

And you are in Rome . . . sort of.

So that's it, Fodor's "Top 11 . . .", hey wait a second, "WHAT THE . . .", how is it possible that the following three museums didn't make the Fodor's list???

The State Hermitage Museum

St. Petersburg, Russia

This former home of the Tsars houses over 3,000,000 works of art. It was stunning in scope and granduer. I would rank it in my "Top 4 European Art Museums" with, in no particular order, the Louvre, the Uffizi Gallery and the Vatican Museums.

How good can the Book of Kells possibly be to outrank the Hermitage? Sorry, Fodor's blew it on this one.

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

Madrid, Spain

We entered with the intention of only viewing Picasso's famed anti-war painting "Guernica," pictured above, in Madrid's modern art museum. We finally left six hours later.

We were stunned by the beautiful things that we witnessed. Perhaps three years of viewing European art from the mid-1800's to much, much older times had dulled our artistic senses. The Reina Sofía was awesome. It was a welcomed breath of fresh air for our right brains!

Musée d´Orsay

Paris, France

Do you like the works of Cézanne, van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec or Gauguin? Then the d´Orsay is perfect for you!

Here I am breathing right next to van Gogh's 1890 painting The Church at Auvers.

Nice shirt.

So there you have it, we have visited only six of the Fodor's 11 Museums and Art Treasures and we would like to add three museums that we think that they overlooked.

As always art is subjective, don't you think?

Global Football Updates - Moorpark, California to Hässleholm, Sweden

School is out and Summer football is now in full swing. The Rio Mesa Spartans drove to Moorpark High School on Saturday to open their Summer campaign in the Ventura County Passing and Hogs Tournaments. Fourteen schools were in the Passing Tournament while eleven schools entered multiple Hogs (linemen only, 5 Hogs/team) teams in an event that includes Rock Tossing, Sled Driving, Heavy Bag Carry, a football toting Relay Race, Bench Pressing and Power Cleaning.

The backs, receivers, defensive backs and linebackers were set to play five 40 minute 7-on-7 passing games against team from Westlake, Royal, Agoura, Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park High Schools.

Rio Mesa Moms

Awesome! They set up a refreshment table for the boys that provided delicious basics for the boys throughout the day, liquids, bananas and a ton of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Some of the sandwiches were even cut in triangles.

With the crust still on.

Just plain AWESOME!

Bombs Away

Senior QB Trent Thornton going deep here against Westlake. We had solid performances out of our two Senior QBs, Christian McNair being the #1 QB at the end of Spring Ball. The two of them alternated series in this tournament and both played better than I expected. Still, we have a long way to go before we play San Marcos in our season opener on September 9th.

I'm Open!

Tanner Wrout is easily our top team leader. He had a great day catching a lot of passes.

Christian McNair at QB

7 on 7 allows us to work on all sorts of sets and motions as you see here. The good part of this is that defensively, our kids learn to recognize sets quickly and make the proper adjustments to shifts and motions.

It was a great learning day for us to be sure.

Tanner Wrout on Defense

Tanner plays Middle Linebacker in our 3-5-3 Stack in addition to his duties as a returning 1,200+ yards running back.

Juwan Beard vs. Thousand Oaks

In the middle of this picture playing our Falcon/Strong Safety position, Juwan was the surprise of the day by far. He was all over the field making plays, knocking down passes and actually making a few interceptions.

You could see his confidence growing steadily as the day progressed.

Get-Off!!!

Things happen quickly as the QB has only 3.50 seconds from the snap to get rid of he ball. 3.51 seconds or longer is considered a QB sack.

The Hogs Tug-of-War

We only entered one Hogs team this year and here they are in action in the glamour event of the day, the Tug-of-War. All of the events described earlier in the Hogs Tournament are finished by the end of the fourth round of passing games. It is then time for everything to come to a halt and have about 1,000 athletes, coaches, parents, girlfriends and fans gather to watch this final, single elimination spectacle.

It is awesome to watch as the crowd goes wild in a semi-gladiatorial sort of way. Good times indeed!

You can see the Ventura County Star's article on the Hogs Tournament that includes a great video on the Tug-of-War by going to:

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jun/11/Football_hogs_tournament/?vcspreps=1

Post Tournament Debriefing

After a long day of football, you still need to talk about the days events. What better place to do it than The Hat, a great pastrami restaurant in neighboring Simi Valley.

Mike Contreras displays the inner workings

of The Hat's signature Pastrami Sandwich

Chili Cheese Fries

A side dish must and, yes, I am expanding like the universe.

I did have a Diet Coke though.

So Much Pastrami, So Little Time

I finished eating the sandwich and this is how much pastrami fell out. Another roll please.

EUROBALL UPDATES

2011 Division I Södra Standings

The top two teams at the end of the regular season will play in the 2011 SAFF Division I Playoffs along with the top two teams from each of the other three Division I Conferences.

Kristianstad Predators (6-1)

Ystad Rockets (5-2)

Limhamn Griffins (3-2)

Lugi Vikings (3-2)

Ekeby Greys (0-5)

Hässleholm Hurricanes (0-5)

Week 8 Results

Kristianstad 21 - Hässleholm 20

Limhamn 21 - Ystad 14

BYES: Ekeby and Lugi

Week 9 Games

Saturday, June 18th

Kristianstad (6-1) at Ekeby (0-5)

Ystad (5-2) at Lugi (3-2)

BYES: Hässleholm (0-5) and Limhamn (3-2)

SAAF Division I Södra Notes: One point, one measly point, that was the difference between joy and tragedy for our beloved 'Canes (0-5). Now it must be remembered that in Week 1 Hässleholm traveled to Kristianstad to open the season and got spanked by Division I Södra's newest club, the Predators (6-1), by a score of 50-0. The improvement and grit displayed by the Hurricanes to lose the rematch 21-20 at home was remarkable to say the least. Still, the Green and Black continue their search for their initial victory in 2011.

One point.

As for Ryan Bolland's Division leading Predators, a win is a win. The mark of a championship squad to me has always been the ability to find a way to win, even if you are being outplayed. His squad did that against the Hurricanes on this day. For more on the Kristianstad-Hässleholm game, go to:

http://translate.google.se/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=sv&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsk.se%2Farticle%2F20110612%2FSPORT%2F706129926%2F1127%2F-%2Fhurricanes-skakade-serieledarna

Ystad followed their big win over Kristianstad last weekend by laying a huge egg in losing to Limhamn 21-14 today.

Both Division leading squads have three games left in the regular season.

The 6-1 Kristianstad Predators' remaining schedule looks like this:

June 18th at Ekeby (0-5)

August 13th Lugi (3-2)

August 27th at Limhamn (3-2)

For the 5-2 Ystad Rockets, their last three games are:

June 18th at Lugi (3-2)

August 7th Ekeby (0-5)

August 13th at Hässleholm (0-5)

I would have to say that the schedule favors the Rockets, but the 50 day, June 18 to August 13, Summer Break between games for the Predators will give them plenty of time to heal up. Injuries have been a contributing factor in the decline of Kristianstad's performance the last two games.

If either Lugi or Limhamn were to win out, then things get very interesting for the two playoff spots.

It was confirmed over the past week that should Kritianstad and Ystad finish the regular season in a tie, the Predators would be the #1 seed into the playoffs. Since they split their two games, the tie breaker is indeed head to head aggregate score as I thought. Kristianstad would earn the #1 seed if they finished tied with the Rockets due to outscoring Ystad 20-13 on the field. We will have to do some research on three team tiebreakers under Swedish guidelines.

Are you listening Italian Football League, an on the field tie breaker.

Serbian Football League Notes: Congratulations to longtime EuroBall and fedora loving QB Stan Bedwell. He led his undefeated Kragujevac Wild Boars (7-0 league, 9-0 overall) to a 55-21 regular season ending victory over the Pancevo Panthers (5-2, 8-3). This was the Wild Boars third straight undefeated Serbian regular season.

Norwegian Football League Notes: QB Scott Boer, who we met last year when he played for Denmark's Kronborg Knights, led his Våleregna Trolls (6-1) to a 54-23 win over the Nidaros Domers over the weekend. The win moves the Trolls into a first place tie with the idle Oslo Vikings in the five team Division I of the Norwegian American Football Federation. The Trolls handed the Vikings their only loss 28-21 a week ago.

Italian Football League Notes: No games this weekend, the four team playoffs start in two weeks.

2011 IFL Semi-Final Playoff Games

Saturday, June 25th

#4 Reggio Emilia (5-4) at #1 Bologna Warriors (9-0)

Sunday, June 26th

#3 Catania (6-3) at #2 Parma (7-2)