Evendays

 

Stéphane Fournier wrote an article in the local paper and asked the question: Will a spirit of catastrophe threaten [Team Nati]? Bernard Challandes, wise coach of FC Zurich replied:

No. I don’t believe it will. What is essential for the players to do is to hold on to what is positive. There were some positive things shown by [the team’s] level of performance. I can imagine very well Michel Pont [assistant coach] making a highlight video of one-on-one actions where Swiss players excelled and other actions that offered opportunities for possible goals. In fact, I believe he’s already prepared it.

The other aspect is mental. [The players] have the ability to manage these events. Frei [injured in the first half, see picture above] will not announce tomorrow: I’m quitting football. They have the right to talk about bad luck and to express their frustration because of it, but they don’t have the right to wallow in it. They can even find in it their motivation. It’s just like everyday life.

I find his words refreshing and applicable to my own life. It’s just too easy for me to become cynical about stuff, about people, about ministry, about me…

So, excuse me for a minute, I’m off to work on my high-light video. 

Last night, Switzerland lost the opening match of Euro 2008 after playing a terrific game against Czech Republic. The Nati lost their best offensive player to a knee injury in the 44th minute. Sad. The Czechs scored in their only real opportunity. Very sad. Then the ref missed a Czech hand in the penalty box (hand over his head—how did the ref miss that?) which would have allowed a relatively easy tie… Very, very sad.

Yes, it was a sad evening.

Today, the Swiss tennis-man Roger Federer will play in the men’s French Open final against his nemesis, Raphael Nadal. My prediction? Federer plays so well that Nadal forfeits the match in the third set. Federer begins to cry and is so emotional that he puts his pants on backwards. NIKE has a fit.

Oh well, one can dream, can’t he?

– The match is over and I’m the one who’s crying. Only one male finalist has been beaten more soundly in the history of the French Open. Ah, it’s a sad, sad day… (Brady)

Sorry, but European football may be a reoccurring motif in the weeks to come. The European Cup of Nations starts on Friday night. Teams have been arriving in Switzerland over the last couple of days. Some of the host cities to the teams are swamped with fans who have shown up to get a glimpse of their favorite stars. There are 1000 police on standby in case (or when) the soccer riots break out. Flags are everywhere, especially Swiss, Portuguese and Spanish colors. The final warm-up games took place last night and soon the craziness will begin.

I’ve never lived in a town that hosted the Olympics or been in a city that hosted a World Cup match (though I was in the USA in 1990 during that World Cup, but there wasn’t much fervor) so all this enthusiasm is a bit beyond me. But I will get caught up in the thrill, especially if the Swiss get into the Final 8. It won’t excite me so much that I’ll buy a new, HD flat screen TV (sales in Europe are rocketing thanks to sports, but our old one works just fine, thanks), but I may put on my Swiss T-shirt and get a tear in my eye while mumbling the words to the Swiss National Anthem.

-Your comments on the biking post cracked me up. Sore rears and climbing hills outside of Châlet-à-Gobet (the highest point in Lausanne) and all. Come on over for a ride.

-Last night the mighty Manchester United beat the London club Chelsea to take the Champions’ cup, the European "Superbowl" of football (soccer). The final went to overtime, a shoot-out, and even extra shots in the shoot-out. I thought it would never end. Some of those players were in more than 70 matches this last season. Incredible. So football is over (till the European Cup, June 7!).

-My Irish buddy here works for IMD business school. Two days ago the school welcomed Warren Buffett for a conference. (I wonder how much he charges?) Anyway, my Irish buddy was the interviewer for the Education Network that he runs for the school. I tried to watch the webcast but RealMedia always rebels on my computer. (What’s the deal with my Mac and Real?)

So what question would YOU ask the richest man in the world?

-Wife and I attempt a 10K Friday evening in nearby Pully. A start, three laps, then a finish. I’m determined to make that finish!

I have a new bike that I bought just before Christmas. I have had trouble putting the miles on it since Wife and I have been running much more than biking, and it has been hard to impossible to do the two, especially with the colder weather we’ve had this Spring. When it’s cold and windy, it’s easier to run than to bike. 

My average ride is about 30K, with a longer ride on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon (about 50K). I tried to map it all out on Google and here’s what it gave me. You can play with the map and see what kind of beautiful terrain the route covers. (But the map does not really work right. I can’t make it take all the small roads. But it’s not bad.)

All to say, I’ve spent more time on Google Maps this fine Spring evening than riding my bike.

Great things will be happening in Switzerland starting June 7 at 6 PM when the Swiss National Football Team (soccer) kicks off the European Cup Championship. This event happens every 4 years. Austria and Switzerland are the double hosts this time, which allows their teams automatically qualify and obligates government authorities to spend gazillions on stadiums and security.

This year, they’ll be no English speaking teams. Also, Ukraine is out, as is a former winner, Denmark.

Impossible to get tickets. There was a lottery and I have only heard of one person who won (and got to pay) and I don’t remember who that was. UBS will put up big screens all over Switzerland. You can pay $13.00 and watch a match with a drunken crowd which could be fun, except that it costs $13.00 and you’re watching a big TV with a crowd. Now, if they let me control the remote, that would be worth $13.00.

Geneva will host two of Portugal’s and two of Turkey’s games, two huge minorities here, giving them a “home field advantage” over Czech Republic, but not over the Swiss Nati (in the same group).

30 something percent of us Lausanne residents are foreigners and the unspoken rule is, foreigner or not, if your team wins, you drive around town waving a flag and honking incessantly for 3 hours, even if gas is over $8.00 a gallon. Yes, sports brings out the best in people.

If you come (call first), make sure you have your measles vaccination. There is an epidemic and all tourists are being warned. Me? I’m going to bed. I think I’ve got a fever…

Wife and I ran a 15K on Saturday near Bern (Kerzers). Fantastic race weather with temps in the low 60’s. I was shooting for just-under-five-minute kilometers, hoping to finish in 1:13. It’s a tough race with 150 feet of climbing in the first kilometer, followed by level then some downhill, then very steep uphill on kilometers 9 and 11, a gradual drop to the start-finish line. 6000 people ran, and our group, F, lined up for the 12:39 PM start, since starts were staggered every 2 minutes.

We finished the first uphill bit in 5:25 (about right), then hit the 2K mark at 9:33, which was a little fast, so I slowed. Wife was about 30 seconds behind.

The kilometers passed by at an easy pace. At 8K I was at 37:30. I crossed 9K at 60ish (not a typo, sniff sniff). My tachycardia attacked while beside the lake at the 8.5 mark. I exited to the side of the narrow passage, pulse at 240, squatted down and concentrated, but no luck. No privacy, too much frustration at hearing the runners pass, and many concerned runners calling out in German and French if I was okay.

After 20 minutes, I shuffled to where the hill was, tachycardia still strong, and found a quiet place behind a barn. The tachycardia disappeared (pulse back down to 120) and I was able to run some very tired 6 minute K’s, until another tachycardia hit at kilometer 13. I crossed the finish line at 1 hour, 42 minutes and 24 seconds (I think), tachycardia persisting, Wife and Daughter both worried. They had checked with the medical people and knew no one had been wheeled out on a stretcher, but were still relieved to see me.

Me? I was just plain frustrated and extremely tired. It’s rare that my tachycardia last 30 minutes, and I’ve had but one during a race, and for only 2 minutes.

I finished 590th. Third to last. 592 were in my category. Room for improvement. Or maybe, no more 15K races.

Wife strung together 21 straight five minute kilometers and finished strong in a cold (45 degree) head-wind that whipped along at about 30 kilometers an hour (which, according to my math, means she was running at 42 kilometers per hour, or 26 mph… Pretty fast, huh?).

To see her cross the finish line, go here, then click on the "forward" red triangle to view her in the following 3 pictures.

That’s not a grimace… It’s a smile for having completed the race.

Check out this link about La Lutte Suisse… Swiss Wrestling. 200,000 people attended the weekend sporting event which is also called Lutte à la culotte (which means, and I am not making this up, wrestling in your underwear).

This is a national sport, believe it or not. And if you win the championship, they give you a cow.

There is a second event which involves throwing a really heavy rock as far as you can. The record is just over 4 meters (over 13 feet). That should give you an idea of how heavy the rock really is. BTW, this really heavy rock is not the original really heavy rock that was used in competition over the centuries. The original stone was kidnapped by separatists (terrorists) and has never been recovered.

However, I am pleased to tell you, no underwear has ever been kidnapped. Go figure.

Yes. Roger Federer was able to serve by his opponent Sunday, the overly biceped Rafael Nadal, who is getting way too good on grass.

I got a hold of Monsieur Federer on his portable just a few minutes after the match. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Congratulations on the win. We were on the edge of our seats the whole match and when you hit that final smash, we went crazy.

Rog: I was pretty excited too. I almost started crying before I even hit the grass. I was so relieved. There were moments when I started to doubt.

Me: And then, before they gave you the cup, I could tell it was emotional. Especially when you pulled on your long pants and court-side jacket.

Rog: What do you mean?

Me: Well, as soon as you stood up and started walking toward center court, Wife said: Hey, Roger’s got his pants on backwards. His pockets are facing the wrong way. Man, you must have been really emotional to put your pants on backwards. Way too funny.

Rog: What are you talking about? That’s the way they’re supposed to be worn.

Me: Oh, come on. We saw you trying to pull your coat down so no one would notice. But Wife has sharp eyes. We could even see the fly was in the back…

Rog: Now, what a minute. I’m a pro. I know how to put my pants on. Come on!

Me: And we were thinking all along: Your sponsor is going to be so upset. They made you a really cool outfit, and there you are holding the trophy over your head, back-pockets front-ways. But we understand. It was an emotional moment.

Rog: You’ve got it all wrong. I’ve changed sponsors. I’m now wearing ekiN’s outfits.

Me: Oh… No wonder things looked backwards. I’ll tell Wife.