I see London, I see France!



Head Coach Sigi in the middle, Drew wearing 19, and I'm next to him on the right

As you already know, we traveled to France to play the Amiens Spartiates for our first game as Unicorns. We won the game 55-13 on a somewhat chilly night. There was definitely some rust that I needed to shake off and I am sure Drew would say the same, but it was still great to be back on the field playing under the lights again. Overall, both sides of the ball played well with some areas to improve on as is expected after the first game of a season. The offense put up plenty of points and only gave the ball away once if I can remember right. Our defense also did a good job creating turnovers and gave the offense some short fields to work with. Individually, Drew and I made a few good plays throughout the game. On the first offensive play, the Amiens quarterback threw the ball to a receiver on a bubble screen who was then flattened by a vintage Drew Fisher hit which set the tone for the rest of the game. I was also able to get in on the action with an interception in the second quarter that won me a little wager placed between Drew and I on who would get the first pick of the season. Of course I can’t leave out our roommate Ryan who played a nice game and threw for three touchdowns including one to our wide receiver Thomas Hambalek who busted out his Bernie dance for his touchdown celebration.  The Bernie dance is from the movie Weekend at Bernies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME6n3TvTHfM) All in all we had a great time playing in France and we are all eager to move on to the next game!


-Taylor

 

Top of the cliffs at Omaha Beach

After the game against Amiens we took the opportunity to explore a little bit of France.  Our two day excursion included Normandy and Paris.  Taking the time to drive over to Omaha beach in Normandy was something we all agreed would be a powerful experience and worthwhile.  If Coach Smith could redo his honey moon he would book the trip to Normandy France to see Omaha beach.  Although I was hoping to see a Czech hedgehog or two lying around still (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_hedgehog), what we experienced put a lot of things into perspective.   The majority of us have all seen Saving Private Ryan (in Germany it is “Der Soldat James Ryan”), and it shows just how brutal the initial invasion was.  After seeing the cliffs first hand in which the Germans had vantage points on with bankers and artillery, it is absolutely mind boggling in how the Allies were able to ever advance their ground.  Provided with some much needed sunshine, we were able to hike up the bluffs and explore some of what hasn’t been removed from the war nearly 70 years ago.  The bunkers and trenches that were still intact put you in the shoes of a German soldier overlooking the 5 mile long coastline in which we infiltrated.  Squatting down in one of the bunkers I tried to visualize and imagine the entire coastline for all I could see being lined with ships and soldiers but it simply isn’t something you can make up.  The fact that I get the opportunity to play football in Europe because of the groundwork that was laid seven decades ago is good enough for me for a reality check and puts life into perspective.  Being able to visit these beaches, see the memorials, and learn some more history about the war has been one of my favorite journeys so far.      

 

 

Taylor perched right on the edge of the tall, steep cliffs overlooking Omaha



Remaining German bunker atop the cliffs

Omaha Beach memorial and cemetery

 

 

 

 We didn’t realize we were on such a course until
Taylor went around this NASCAR track a couple times.

Paris was full of sightseeing.  Paris is known for its fashion and famous monuments and buildings, but we knocked out everything we wanted to see in about a 24 hour time frame.  Although the structures were pretty spectacular and unimaginable how they were constructed hundreds of years ago, I think the most exciting part was probably the driving.  People are crazy on the road and it seems like there are no rules.  The huge roundabout around the Arc of Triomphe  was mayhem. 


Luckily Taylor was driving so I could sit in the back seat, laugh, and watch dudes on motorcycles race in front of us with wreck less abandonment.

 

After a night in the “Young and Happy” hostel we walked around all day visiting Notre Dame, Arc of Triomphe, seeing the France Statue of Liberty, and of course the Eiffel Tower.  What’s crazy is some of these buildings and structures were built or being built before the United States declared freedom and was even formed. 

 

Some people don't get math, others could care less about sports, and I just don't understand art like this.

TEBOW!!!

Go Unicorns,
Drew

The Hall

Unicorns win!!!  55 to 13 over the Spartiates of Amines, France.  Between the game, Normandy, and Paris there is much to cover so I will reel out a couple segments over the next few days.  Before we get to this past weekend I’d like to loop back and show off our cozy stomping grounds of Schwäbisch Hall.  The weather has been a bit gloomy since we've been here so it won't look like sunny paradise, but don't let that fool you because it really is a beautiful small town and community. 

 

This lovely view is a quick bike ride/hike just up from our house that overlooks the city. 



Downtown. Copyright from former Unicorn WR Fritz.



Behind the sticks is our house

Up the hills we go!

 

 

Stairwell going to four of the five floors

Living room

Dining room/darts room and the stairway to the loft

 

Go Unicorns,
Drew

Touch down

Happy Easter!

One week in the books here in Deutschland. Right off the bat Taylor and I were picked up by one of our team managers from the Frankfurt airport and instantly got on the autobahn to Schwäbisch Hall.  Although tired from the flight, it’s tough to fall asleep when you are driving 160kph+ (100mph) and there are other cars zooming by you.  For whatever reason I led myself to believe cars drove on the other side of the road.  This is false.  The city is a beautiful small town with a river running right down the middle of it.  I’ll make sure to get some pictures up at some point of the city, field, team, and house. 

The house is we’re living in is quite the establishment.  It is a seven bedroom house tucked away in the hills just on the outside of town.  Our roommate/QB Ryan came up with the description of being the perfect house for the Real World tv show back in 1993.  I’d say it’s a pretty accurate representation with all the nooks and crannies.  For now all of the rooms are filled with us Unicorns and three basketball players from Slovakia.  All are really funny dudes and good roommates to have for the next month that they are here.  One more note on the house is that there is a fairly long windy hill to walk up and down every day to get up to it.  The snow and rain have not helped out with the slippery slopes.  Fingers crossed the weather perks up like back home!         

Everyone here is extremely welcoming and excited to have the Ami’s (Americans) over here for the season.  We had our first practice on Wednesday evening in a snow blanketed field.  It was a scene from a frozen Lambeau Field, but with Unicorns running around instead of Packers.  Snowy or not, it was a great feeling being back on the field again.  Better yet, we leave for France in three days and are playing our first game in less than a week.

Fun facts:

-The drink of choice here is called Schwipp Schwapp. Its cola and orange Fanta mixed together

-Cooking was already a chore, but now try deciphering German directions on packages to make meals

-There is no tipping at restaurants or bars.  (Or maybe they’ll be spitting in my food next time…)

-To Taylor and I the Euro seems like monopoly money.  To everyone else the dollar is viewed as the stuff you collect every time you pass GO.

-No water fountains anywhere.  We tried explaining what a drinking fountain was to Irmgard, our other team manager, and the only image in her head was of stone statues spitting water that we can drink out of whenever we want.

-We haven’t came across any warm beer yet. 

  

Up next: 

·         Amiens, France for our first game   

·         Wear in the World…

·         Paris

·         Pictures, pictures, pictures

 

 
Go Unicorns,
Drew

Two Unicorns

From Wildcats to Unicorns, Taylor and I are off to Deutschland to compete for Schwäbisch Hall.  We are looking forward to keeping everyone up to speed on our journey and experiences.  It is exciting to pick up where our former teammates Paul Nishizaki and Aaron Boehme left off after winning two consecutive German Bowl championships for the Unicorns. Our first game will be on April 6th in Amiens France.  More posts to come!  

-Drew