Wed. & Thurs., June 19-20, 2024
We enjoyed two more days of Summer family fun in BEAUTIFUL Camarillo.
It was Wednesday morning
and this was NOT on the agenda!
The boys did not need to be in the same room on their phones to start this glorious day in SoCal.
We headed outdoors to a nearby park for some wholesome exercise.
Kevin shooting a long two
Our games of H-O-R-S-E and
'Round the World were in full session
Andrew proved to still have it
My shot making abilities are as long gone as my waist line.
After an hour of both making and
missing shots the boys needed to cool down
Back to the water slide
Kevin and Jacob both had fun
sloshing around the back yard again
Mary joined us in the evening for
some arts and crafts
Their finished products
Back to Rassling on the couch
A simple case of cousins just simply being 12 year old boys.
Mary wanted a piece of the action
And she got it.
Thursday morning Uno game
during breakfast was a solid choice
As ordained by the God of Grandsons, Kevin won the final game and the coveted Contreras Family Championship Belt that goes with it.
All good things must come to an end
After six days that started roughly with Andrew's trip to the St. John's Hospital Emergency Room and then morphed into much more fun with beach and games, it was time for Andrew and Kevin to head back to their home in Las Vegas.
It is always so much fun to be with them.
In the evening, I took Laurie to an excellent wine tasting at Camarillo Old Town's bistro, The Wine Closet.
Our wine tasting was finished in time to still catch the last 30 minutes of Camarillo Stingers football practice. It would be Laurie's first time at one of these Summer workouts this year.
Jacob with his signature headband
in a DB change of direction drill
Jacob at a Cover Two Safety spot
The ball is up for grabs
Patrolling the Secondary
One-on-One at CB
Driving on the route
Turning the ball back inside . . .
. . . and making the two hand tag
At WR, unfortunately this
pass skipped to him
One-on-One again but, this time,
on the Offensive side of the ball
What had been a good day turned to sadness with the following news.
Dave was a great teammate
my first year with the Huskies
I greatly admired him as a tremendous all-around athlete and an even better man.
Besides his prowess on the gridiron, he was the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals #1 draft pick in 1967, Dave was also a highly valued member of the Washington teams back in the day as a decathlete.
I'm getting old.
I needed some positive vibes from the net . . .
100% agree
An authentic eating implement
So true
We do thankfully
Well, at least Laurie does.
Rules to live by for sure
On Thursday morning, after Andrew and Kevin left for Las Vegas, I had a Zoom meeting with Enrique Prado Alonso and Nacho Valdés, the President and new Head Coach respectively, of a Serie A/DI team located in Spain's northern coast Province of Asturias.
Asturias is where my two maternal grandparents were born and grew up before emigrating to Cuba in the 1920s.
In fact, I have cousins that we first met about nine years ago who still live in the province.
As a result of this Zoom meeting . . .
I am now the Mariners' Defensive
Coordinator for the 2025 season
The team has been going through some tough seasons and is in the process of reorganizing and restructuring the club.
With Head Coach Nacho Valdés running the Offense, my job will be one of both coaching the Defense and mentoring the other coaches of the clubs Senior, Junior and Flag teams.
Here is the recap of the Mariners past season:
2024 Gijón Mariners
2 Wins - 6 Losses
Fifth Place in the Serie A Western Conference
Jan. 13, lost to Coslada Camioneros 34-20
Jan. 20, beat to the Alcobendas Cavaliers 27-21
Jan. 27, lost to Osos Rivas 41-21
Feb. 3, BYE
Feb. 11, BYE
Feb. 17, lost to Las Rozas Black Demons 49-7
Feb. 22, lost to Coslada Camioneros 31-20
March 3, BYE
March 10, beat the Alcobendas Cavaliers 35-22
March 16 lost to Osos Rivas 39-0
March 23, BYE
April 6, lost to Las Rozas Black Demons 55-3
In 2024, Spain's Serie A had ten teams divided into two, five team Western and Eastern Conferences that do not play each other until the playoffs where only each conference's top two teams move on into post-season play.
Two of the Mariners western Conference opponents, the Osos Rivas and Los Rozas Black Demons have met in the Spanish Bowl Championship game each of the past three campaigns.
Here is a look at the Serie A in 2024:
Western Conference Standings
Osos Rivas 7-1
Las Rozas Black Demons 7-1
Coslada Camioneros 4-4
Gijón Mariners 2-6
Alcobendas Cavaliers 0-8
Eastern Conference Standings
Badalona Dracs 8-0
L'Hospitalet Pioners 5-3
Zaragoza Hurricanes 4-4
Mallorca Voltors 3-5
Barcelona Pagesos 0-8
2024 Serie A Playoffs
Semifinals
Las Rozas (8-1) 23 - Badalona (8-1) 15
Rivas (8-1) 36 - L'Hospitalet (5-4) 33
Spanish Bowl XXX
Las Rozas (9-1) 27 - Rivas (8-2) 23
For more information on
the Gijón Mariners, click on
I'm excited for another season of EuroBall coaching with the Mariners to be sure.
As the song says . . .
Workin' hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
