New Job

So... Since last time I had to get a job to fund my squash player life. There is at the moment a drought in sponsors and funding, forcing me to use my crazy talented skills in coaching and fitness.

I started my own company called Complete FysioFitness. I am basically self employed, offering my services to companies or individuals after demand. I offer Physiotherapy, Personal Training and Squash coaching. It is only in the start phase so far, but I have already established contact with the major fitness chain Sportcity. Sportcity is to be found all over Netherlands and offer Gym, Spinning, Group lessons, Personal Training and Squash to mention a small part of it.

I am the new official squash coach of Sportcity Den Haag, starting from next week, while I still offer PT and PT services in den Haag as well as in Haarlem.

On the 29th of September we launch a big Kick off at Sportcity den Haag, where there will be events, coaching, squash introduction and exhibition matches. This is for both members and non members to come by, have a look at the place, feel the atmosphere and enjoy the thrill, fun and fitness of squash. It will also be a great opportunity for me to introduce myself for local squash players, new squashplayers and new colleagues.

If you are in the neighbourhood, swing by:

Sportcity den Haag, Verheeskade 105, 2521 DD den Haag
tlf: 070 330 0400

Squash memories pt4(?): My first kings Trophy (National individual gold)

Around 4 years ago it struck me that I was tired of being the nations no2 squash player, a status that had stuck with me for a longer period of time.  The problem was that I was in this period also happy with it, as I did better than I expected up until this point. I regularly played finals in the Norwegian cup, but never seemed to pull through and win. The no1 at the time was Kristian Solhaug from the same club as me in Stavanger, Norway.

It all turned before one of the bigger norwegian cup tournaments (NC) where a reporter called me and asked for my prediction in the final the next day (I was playing Kristian). I told her straight out, in the same cocky manner as Kristian would have said it: "Me". Easy as that. I needed to believe it myself before actually doing it. The final the next day went to 5 games and I believe I was 6-10 down or so in the decider. I managed to pull back point after point and in the end I think I won 13-11. It was a great win for me, underlined by the many positive messages from near and far in the coming days.

This result did not mean that I was the new no1 player in the nation. But I had the confidence now to know that I could beat them all. I lost a few finals after this, and won a few.

The Norwegian Nationals this season was held in our home club in Stavanger. It houses 8 wooden wall courts and has produced most of Norways squash champions throughout the days. I remember having a tough 3-1 win over Patrick Hansen in the quarters that took a lot out of me. In the semis I played national team player Ronny Aasbø, winning 3-0, but mentally tough as he had a big crowd behind him.

In the finals they displayed the filmed finale on court 1, while there was a packed crowd behind court 8, where we were playing. I remember a lot of support for Kristian (as it is his hometown), but one of my best buds Linn showed up w the Killingberg flag after having lunch with me before to calm my nerves. That was very much appreciated :)

I recall being very nervous from the start, and even at 1-1 in the first game, I got a bad call against me, and I was screaming. Kristian screamed back so i think he was a bit tense too. He had lost the last 2 national champ finals, so he was hungry as ever for the gold. I won the first Game on what Kristian called "lucky", the following game I must have lost. I remember seeing our team mate Ronny going to coach Kristian and my other team mate Thomas coaching me eventually. The following 2 games were split. I won the 3d game 11-3 or something, and after a total meltdown in the 4th I lost it with the same cifers. After that game I felt t.o.t.a.l.l.y. f***d. I was so tired, dizzy and though this was it for me. Thomas told me:"Just play lengths and you will win, just play your lengths, thats where you're winning" Sure, might as well i thought. "He is more tired than you" Thomas said. That was hard to believe, but after a few rallies just that was exposed, as Kristian had no juice left in the old juice box. I ran away with the game in some tense moments, before feeling the greatest joy and relief I had felt for a....ever.

After I was speechless with grave stomach pain and tired mentally and physically like no time before, cramping front, back over and under, I could celebrate my first Kings trophy, which is the greatest honor in Norwegian sports

Summer!!!!

After ending the season 12/13 in style in Australia, it didnt turn out ranking wise the way I would hoped, but in the end that does not matter too much, as my personal plan is on route.

5 days after returning from Australia and just as I barely got time to adjust to the European time again, I took off to USA with a good friend from Norway, driving the east coast from New York to Miami.

Living big city life in New York, running stairs like Rocky in Philly, witnessing big fat gypsy weddings in south carolina, visiting Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, and ending up partying like a pro in Miami. A great 2 weeks spent with very little training. I did, however enjoy the casual hit with local coach John at Princeton in New York, and some chin ups at muscle beach, Ocean drive, Miami beach ;)

Now it is back to training. Summer training that is. This means normally a world of pain in my case. This year, for 2 months I will tag along my friend Rob Grants marathon running training programme. In the beginning, I will follow his schedule as much as possible. Slowly I must adjust it towards the physical requirements of squash. This means after a month or so, I will do more 300 and 400 meter sprints, interval training and more court stuff.

The next tournaments coming up are the european individual championships in Herentals Belgium, a local closed sattelite tournament, and the european club champs in Riccione, Italy in September.In October is the World Open in Manchester.

South Australian Open 2013

 Just 90 minutes away from the grand Barossa valley wine districts, is Adelaide, more specifically, in our case, Adelaide north, where the tournament is being played.

This is the last tournament in my Australian tour this year,that so far has been successful squashwise, but I have missed out on the points.

Let's see how I made it in my toughest draw so far.

In my first round match I faced Jean Pierre Brits from South Africa. My trusted roomie in Malaysia and last week in Barossa valley. A great personality and a strong and fair player. he  is fitter than most, the worlds most annoying retriever and possess good racketskills and a boast of Borja Golan. He chopped me in Malaysia a few months ago 3-0. I was veryvery hungry for revenge.

I have had good success with tactics so far on the tour, and my gameplan was ready. However, over the last days, I have not been hitting the ball well, and moving too great for some reason. My will to win had to overcome this somehow

In the first game I put together the rallies the way I wanted to, although, since i did not hit the ball well, it was not of the accuracy level I wanted. I still stuck to the game plan, made no errors and managed to clinch more points than my opponent on concistency. 11-5 for me

Second game started off badly as my shots did not penetrate and I was stuck in the back for most of the game not feeling the good flow in my hitting. 4-11 loss

At 1-1 in games, I really tried to stay focus on placing the ball, not on hitting it perfectly. Basically the same story as the first as I took it 11-5

And as the second game the 4th took the same line of events as the second game. I lost it 2-11 as everything was presented on a silver platter for my opponent to put away in the nick... and he did.

In the fifth game I noticed I needed to relax my wrist a bit more. This made wonder for my length and general hitting, tightening up my game and finding those corners again. I still struggling with a slippery floor and on 2 important points I completely lose my footing, faceplanting, and losing important points. on 2 other points I get nervy in the front, stroking myself, losing another 2 unnecessary points. In a game that ends 9-11, those points hurt you baaaaadly.

So again...so close, but still cant pull through.

That has been the story of this tour. Players that chopped me left and right 2 months ago are really struggling to beat me now. My squash has taken leaps which has motivated me strongly to keep pushing. However, the results are what counts on paper, and there we have no change. So should I be happy or not? I am very happy, as I have overcome barriers in my own head, opening up the world of squash even further than before. I know the results will come and that I have earned a respect among the other players I have not had before.

I must still draw a line between my thoughts now and what I felt 4 years ago, when I was happy with being no2 in Norway for a long time. At some point I have to get over that I am happy with my performance even though I lose. At some point I have to step up and put my foot down. Telling myself only a win is good enough.

On this tour I have shown that I am in it to compete, I have performed well under great mental, tactical and enduring challenges. I have competed under difficult circumstances and bad days. I have dealt with unfair players, my own head, top players and unexperienced referees. I have proven a lot to myself, as this tour has so far been the most valuable  trip I have ever made. What I have learned here will be of great use in my future squash career.

Now it is back to the wifey in Holland for a few days, before a well deserved holiday in the U S and A!!!! whoooopiee!!!

Barossa Valley Toyota Open 2013

05.05.2013, 1.10pm

After driving through endless vineyards yesterday evening, we finally arrive at our Motor Lodge in Tanunda, a small town in the middle of one of Australias biggest wine districts. With the charm and qualities of a small town, I feel right at home (:P) Hoping for less exploding taxis than in Kalgoorlie (my fb friends knows about my near death experience)

The qualification draw starts tomorrow, and I will be playing Tom de Mulder of Belgium in the main draw Friday. We used to train a bit together in Amsterdam a while ago, and I know him quite well. A quality attacking player, that will set up a quality challenge for me first round.

07.05.2013, 21.23 pm

It was 6 lets on 0-0. That set the standards for the rest of the match that lasted 60 minutes. I did enough running maybe worth 1 game. The referee did his best, but did not, unfortunatelly, understand some of the more complicated concepts of the professional game. I did the best I could and still played well when there was balls to play, but sadly there were not many. I felt in control the entire match, and winning points by putting together good rallies. my length could be better in the beginning, but that resolved quickly. My opponent did not score many points, but was awarded a lot of points from the referee, as I was given no lets as my line to the ball was prevented time and time again.

I saw from the beginning what sort of match this turned out to be, so I kept my calm as best possible, as I saw the referee did not catch up on what was going on. I was amazed how close the games were still, and I even got a game. It only shows how well I played really, and the fact that I was able to keep my cool throughout the match is a very positive thing I need to bring with me.

I lost in 4, but very happy with my mental strength and squash performance. In 10 years, a match has been given away like this against me, so hopefully it will not happen again in a while. A little bitter to miss out on good ranking points, but in the end the squsah is what matters.

In my next tournament, I will play JP Brits of South Africa, who is a good and fair player. I am really looking forward to playing some good matches in my last tournament of the Aussie tour, that so far has been very successful.

City Of Kalgoorlie-Boulder PSA Int Golden Open 2013

31.05.2013, 5.00pm

After a 7 hour drive, a big group of us arrived in Kalgoorlie around 6pm in the afternoon where we were met by Dianne who is the tournament organizer. From here we were dispursed around to different billets and houses. I am staying with mr Grant who used to play a bit of squash before, but not such much anymore. My billet is not much into internet, I have no wifi here, so boredom is my friend. I got a bowl of soup when I arrived, so the first thing I did the next day was going foodshopping. Most of you know that I do not really function well without enough food :P

Being in Perth in the sun for the last weeks has spoiled us through and through, so it was a bit of a reality check to drive through the cats and dogs from the sky and into a land where weather changes like socks. At the YMCA squash centre there are 5 courts, where today it was frrrrrrreeeeeezing on the courts. Qualifying is over and it looks quite strong.

Kalgoorlie is a mining town with a long history and the main thing to check out here is the "Super pit" which is a massive goldmine right next to the city centre. Its about 4*2km and 500m deep. It takes you 1 hour to drive up from the pit from the bottom. I was up there on my second day here to check it out. see under:

How I keep myself entertained at the casa... bought 5 dvds :P

Tomorrow the main draw starts, and I am on at 3.15pm against the third seed from Bermuda, Micah Franklin. He used to train with us in Amsterdam a few years ago, and I know it will be a good match.

I started off my match controlled, working out my length and width first of all, ridding any remaining nerves. I did not have to do much, but play it tight and steady. The points started racking up. I think I was 10-5 up, when I had a bit of a tactical blackout. I lost the next 4 points by playing stupid shots, but luckily learned from my last tournament what not to do, so I closed it out 11-9. The coming games, I stuck better to my gameplan and took the sting out of a frustrated opponent. I won in 3 games to 0, which was a very good win for me :)

03.06.2013 , 4.11pm

In the quarter final of the tournament I faced Adam Auckland of England, who is an unseeded player on his way up the ranks. As many others, he starts off his career playing the Australian tour. He is a very talented player, who can play winners and shots from any position of the court. He has produced some impressive results over the last weeks beating top seeds and making finals. I knew this one would be very tough. Not giving away too much, I can still say that I had a good tactics in place for the match. However, matching myself against a player of that caliber, I really had to try to outsmart him, and even if I played flawless, it would still be hard.

The first game was tight all the way and my game plan worked. I stayed disciplined for 90% of the time, and those remaining 10% actually made me lose the game 9-11. I was 9-8 up, and playing well, but believe me, it is so so so difficult to stick 100% to a gameplan. But speaking for myself, I have never been this disciplined in my entire life. My opponent was affected by it as well, as he was stripped of options and his natural style of play. Still, his skill won him a few more points than me. Skill over mind….

The remaining 2 games followed the same pattern, and you can probably compare the score to my level of discipline and how well I stuck to my game plan. Next game: 6-11, 60% discipline, next game: 7-11, 70% discipline. I lost in 3, but still the best match I ever played tactically. I was very relaxed and moving well. I am hitting the ball ok, but still have a long way to go when it comes to adding spin to the ball, taking it early and controlling the ball well at all paces. It is good to have something to work on, but as mentioned earlier, I am glad I can finally play international tournaments at the level I know I can play. I got a lot of positive feedback after my match, which I really appreciate. People did not think I would  score many points in this match. My opponent keeps a top 100 level when he is playing well, and being able to match such a player right now, is ahead of my schedule, but a very positive sign

We are now on our way back from Kalgoorlie to Perth to depart from Perth off to Adelaide tomorrow afternoon. Here I will play the remaining tournaments of this years tour.

City of Perth international squash challenge 2013

24.05.2013, 4.10pm

In this beatiful city of Perth I kick off my Australian tour this year, starting the tournament today at 8pm against a qualifyer. The matches have been played, but I do not know still who I will be playing. So far preperations have been good but the time difference still lingers in the body a little. This will hopefully not have too big of an effect on my match which is on quite late. Looking forward to a good match and playing well.

10.13pm

First round out of the way with a comfortable 3-0 win. I played a young australian kid called Rohan, who dispatched 2 of my 3 room mates in the 2 previous tournaments. Since I am an Avenger (Thor) I knew what needed to be done.
As always, the first match holds some tension to it, but my game plan was clear and I knew my opponent well. I hit the ball well, veried the pace well and thought I constructed the rallies and the games good. My forehand and my serves could be better, but with 3 unforced errors throughout the match I cant be too displeased. Next battle is on tomorrow at 2pm local time

26.05.2013, 10.15 am

Sorry for the late update folks, but the pirate internet we are using at the hotel is not working too well, so I am updating from the squashclub on my computer today instead.
My second round match was as said against Matias Tuomi of Finland. He's a quick and experienced player who has been around for a while. I have played him quite a few times and know I can beat him if I play well.
My tactics were good in the first games, but my shots did not live up to the plan, so I lost the first game 4-11 and the second one 7-11. I was not worried though, as I now started hitting the ball well. I took the third game, feeling well in control and playing descently. I continued the same style of play in the 4th, keeping in lead and in control up until 10-7 and gameball for me. Here is where you juniors should sharpen your ears. A classic mistake was done by me as I was already laying down the tactics for the 5th game. I was so in control I could not lose this. People have recovered from worse deficits before. 4 points was not that much. A few mistakes by the referee and a few tactically poor desicions from me was all it took. I lost the match in 4, devastated with losing a match I really wanted to win.

But a massive positive to take from this, that I also hoped for before I started this tournament, was that for the first time in my life, I am actually playing squash in a PSA. I have been on court in many PSA's but none of it can really be called squash. Now I am competing, and playing well (at least in patches) and making these boys run for their money. Even though I am playing well (for my level) it still does not mean I will win it all. And there are many close opponents around, Matias being one of them. I am happy I am in Australia and playing 4 consecutive tournaments, where I can come back next weekend, and hopefully produce better results.

Next up: Kalgoorlie