GVK Opens Season 0-2

Series premiers at home for GVK 

Gislaved | Gislaved faces KFUM Göteborg at home in this year's Elite series premiere. 

GVK hosts KFUM Göteborg in the Elite Series premier

“I hope that people are supposed to appear in the hall,” said coach Dick Runesson.  

Dick Runesson enters his fifth season as head coach of GVK. 

A season that looks a bit different than before, which you could read about in Tuesday's newspaper. 

Now waiting for the premiere. A home game. Against Göteborg. One Thursday evening. 

“I expect that it will be a pretty even match. Göteborg is used to playing a strong defense and fight and tear each other properly,” says Runesson and continues: “We will need to have great patience in our attacking game. At the same time, we must also wear down [Göteborg’s defense] significantly. But it only makes us better as a player.”

The final scrimmage was played last Wednesday, which ended with a loss against RIG Falköping 3-1. During the week, the focus is on the defense and how to succeed. 

“I hope our block and defense game starts well, so we get proof of what we train on. It is important to do a good job, in block defense game.”

Gislaved and Göteborg met during the preseason at the Knallecup. It was victory for Gislaved then 2-0 in sets. But there is nothing that Runesson attaches great importance. 

“It has been a while since we met them last month. Both teams have probably gotten better so I do not count much from the preseason game. It is a new Göteborg we can meet.”

Runesson tipped in Värnamo News on Tuesday that Göteborg is ranked last in the league, just after the preseason ranking release. But he's not sure of victory. 

“I hope we will have this in our mind. But one must be aware that the quality of the Elite Series has been increased substantially over the past three-to-four years. In the past, there were teams you were pretty sure it would win, no matter how you played. But Göteborg is a team with quality.”

He hopes, of course, on a lot of people attend the series premiere. 

“I do not know how people think but it is not so often that there is an Elitserien Premiere in Gislaved. So I hope that people will join us in Gisle Hallen.” 

Will you invite Gislaved crowd at a victory? 

“We will invite Gislaved crowd on a good effort, then we will see how long it lasts.

October 16, 2014

Heavy premier loss for GVK 

Sanna Schultz (11), Jollan Åkerlund (7), Mikaela Larsson (2),
Meghan Sherman (lying) fall to KFUM Göteborg 2-3.

It started so well. 

But it was still a loss for Gislaved VK in the series home premiere. 

Final Score: Gislaved 2, KFUM Göteborg 3 (25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 23-25, 12-15) 

Gislaved started the game clearly the best. But it was inconsistent. They led by 4-1, dropped to 5-5. They led by 9-5, dropped to 10-12. Everywhere in the first set. But in the end, they could still win the set after trailing 11-15 to 19-17 and eventually win 25-21. 

It was back-and-forth in set two. But finally Gislaved took an eight point lead. It shrank to six points at the set's end but had Gislaved 2-0 in sets and they would just beat match point in the third set. 

But something happened. Errors started coming. Communication broke down. Gothenburg came into the game. To top it all, you had the referees working against you. 

“They were a distraction”, says team captain Mikaela Larsson. “But we did not lose because of them.”

The third set was lost by just four balls, the fourth with two balls. It was evenly played, that Gislaved saw Gothenburg fix a fifth and deciding set. 

A set that probably went down in history as the longest 5th set. At 4-8 came side-change and then also have a 15 minute long break after computer hassles in the scorers’ table. 

Once the game got underway again Gislaved dropped two balls directly. A time-out was taken and the players began to connect. GVK went on a 6-2 run in the next eight points Then Gothenburg used a timeout. Which obviously worked.

Despite the loss, GVK takes away one-point towards the series. A win on GVK’s part.

“We took the first two sets, which allows us to take a point [in the league],” says Larsson.

Match’s Best Players awarded to: Jollan Åkerlund (Gislaved) and Katarina Bagavac (Göteborg)

Stat Leaders: GVK Sanna Schultz (16 kills, 1 ace), Meghan Sherman (11 kills), Lisa Tannerfalk (4 kills, 4 blocks), Jollan Åkerlund (4 blocks, 1 kill); Göteborg Lisa Westby (15 kills, 2 aces), Ellinor Nilsson (9 kills, 1 block, 4 aces), Alma Skarrie (5 blocks)

October 18, 2014

Runesson: "No cow on ice" 

Second straight loss for Gislaveds VK. But GVK stays positive. 

Final Score: Svedala 3, Gislaved 0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-18)  

It was the second straight loss. And by a large margin. 

But it was what was positive too. 

GVK enters the court against Svedala

“There is no cow on the ice. Slowly but surely we’re moving forward,” said coach Dick Runesson after the loss. 

Sure. GVK kept the pressure on serve in the  final set and got the block-game involved here and there. 

“We made some progress. We are happy with the current situation. The girls and I are in control of what we do and we are on the right track”

GVK was also on track in every set, but in the middle of each set, Svedala broke away and won quite clear. 

“We get a pretty good start on all sets. And after the first set was not the feeling that we lost by 25-13. It felt we were in the match and were more consistent than [the score showed].”

Runesson thought the team did its best game of the season. 

Read more in the Monday paper about which players deserve hats.

Note: “There is no cow on the ice” is a Swedish proverb meaning: there’s nothing to worry about…yet. This is the shortened version of “there is no cow on the ice as long as its behind is still ashore” which makes more sense. No need to panic yet, we still have time.

Match’s Best Players awarded to: Holly Franks (Svedala) and Meghan Sherman (Gislaved)

Stat Leaders: Svedala Holly Franks (19 kills, 2 blocks), Autumn Wedan (13 kills, 2 blocks), Marissa Collins (3 blocks); GVK Meghan Sherman (7 kills, 1 block, 1 ace), Lisa Tannerfalk (2 blocks, 1 kill, 1 ace)

GVK in the News: Preseason

September 17, 2014

Knallecuppen

Elite team finished in second place in this year's tournament.   

Last Saturday was the group-play where Gislaved beat all the teams in the group 2-0. We had solid and energetic games throughout the day and we were directly qualified to the semifinals on Sunday after winning our group. 

Top L to R: Lisa, Mikaela, Lina, Sanna, Matilda
Middle L to R: Jollan, Emma, Stina, Meghan
Front L to R: Amanda, Jessica

In the semifinal we got to meet Koll from Norway, whom we played in the group-round, and we also won the match 2-0 and with no major worries. The final against Hylte/Halmstad waited and we knew it would be a tough battle. We opened strongly but HH came back and we went together the way up to 18-18. Unfortunately HH finished the strongest and won the set by 25-20. Second game was tough for us, where HH played up and leaned on very tough serves and grew stronger in their blocking while GVK became a bit passive. The set ended with 25-10.

For GVKs, there is a lot to work on but also many bright spots. Today, we will recover with a little calmer activity so we can be running at full speed again tomorrow with both strength and ball training.

Final Score: Gislaved 0, Hylte/Halmstad 2: (20-25, 10-25)

October 8, 2014

Gislaved inconsistent in final training match before series 

Gislaved had their first and only home scrimmage match Wednesday evening against RIG Falköping. And it was immediately apparent that the visiting team had a many more training sessions together than GVK. 

“They [RIG] are young but they have their hours behind them. I do not take it too seriously, I  have to admit”, says head coach Dick Runesson. 

RIG won the first set but the home team responded immediately by winning the second set 25-19. 

“We have a lot to work with”, says Runesson and continues: “There is a lot of confidence. [As a team] we’re not there yet, confidence-wise. But it is not the end to get beat up in this kind of match. It was a good preparation for the start of series production.”

The last two sets went the same style as in the first set. In the last set of Gislaved lost nine of the last eleven balls when guests went from 16-16 to 18-25. 

“Yes, my God. When we play well we play well but when we play bad, we play really bad. But there are many young people in this team”, he says, and continues: “We'll take it for what it is. We know what we need to do and practice to reach the level. I do not think I'll get fired yet”, says Runesson, and laughs. 

Final Score: Gislaved 1, RIG Falköping 3: (17-25, 25-19, 17-25, 18-25)

October 10, 2014

"Cool personalities in Gislaved" 

Top Left: Amanda, Meghan, Jollan, Emma, Mikaela, Jessica
Bottom Left: Elin, Sanna, Lisa, Stina, Matilda, Lina

Gislaved made ​​it to the quarterfinals of the Swedish Championship finals in the spring. To the start of the season in the Elite League, the team's recruiting was successful. “We are a great team with cool personalities”, says coach Dick Runesson. 

“We're obviously looking forward to the series launch, there are games that really challenge us and makes us better. This year the club has chosen a different focus on player recruitment, deciding that we should invest locally and Swedish. There are many reasons for this, the most important for me is that we should take care of and manage the club's own talents. Obviously, we have included players from outside [GVK] because they were of interest to us for a long time.”

New players in the elite squad: Stina Lindstam, Sanna Schultz, Meghan Sherman, Lina Johansson, Jessica Lakatos. 

“This season's goal will be to develop during the season and make sure we are at their best at the end of it. This applies both on a team and individual level” concludes Runesson.

October 14, 2014

New Focus and Gislaveds VBK wants to do without foreign recruits

Foreign players have been a success story in GVK, but there have been drawbacks. Now writing a new chapter.

Head Coach Dick Runesson during a timeout

Liesl Tesch and Christina Perkins wondered "where have they come." They saw only forest everywhere. They had not intended to stay long in the “Woodland”, but remained in Gislaved and lifted GVK from underdog to the top of the Elitseries in 2009. 

There were more foreign players over the years and Gislaved became affectionately known as "G-Town" to the foreign players who joined the club.  

“We have been lucky or maybe skilled to have good foreign players here who worked on the court and socially. It's just one player didn’t fit because she was too selfish,” says sports director Lars Englund. 

GVK has invested overseas and had an average three foreign players in recent years. Before this season, more foreign players contacted the club with a desire to play for GVK. Each were well-known top players [from previous years in the Swedish league].

Nevertheless the club passed on the offer. 

March 2014, head coach Dick Runesson had come to a crossroads. GVK had gone out of the playoffs after a 1-3 series loss against Lindesberg. 

“I thought ‘never again’. I was tired of it. The air had gone out of me.”

But he got new breath and a new challenge. 

“Why would we not get a good Swedish team where the emphasis lies on Swedish players? That was the challenge that made me continue.”

“But really it's that he stinks in English,” interjects Englund, smiling.

This year, Meghan Sherman is the lone foreign player in GVK.

“That's both good and bad to bring in foreign players. They have a competitive mentality where they always go for a win; yet they have had a high expectations of their environment that are not always met. The foreign players must be paid by the club [as a full-time job]; while the Swedish players have not been able to dedicate the same time to volleyball”, says Runesson.

Have the foreign players hindered the Swedish? 

“Not hindered. But it's been nice for the Swedish players that the foreigners make a role for themselves on the team, but you can reverse it and then you can see that the American players sometimes take too much space. It's a balancing act,” says Runesson.

“We will have a wider team this season,” says Englund. 

It will also be cheaper for the club. The foreign players have received apartment and 14,300 SEK in salary each month.

“It also plays a role, of course, that it has cost, but also the Swedish volleyball association now allows three foreign players from non-EU countries in the field, and there is a suggestion to reduce to just two [non-EU players] next season.”

If you fail, you have the two locations to fill with foreign plays in winter, do you do something then? 

“The focus is fixed,” says Englund. 

“At the same time we do not paint ourselves into a corner. We have contact with players abroad. We close no doors,” says Runesson.

Strategy in G-Town: Players

793 points missing. Can GVK find them? 

Linus Petterson, Sports Reporter - Värnamo Nyheter

I stood there and watched the tears fall. 

I wanted to dry them, but decided to leave it alone. 

Decided to let the disappointment rush away, out Lindesberg arena and into the future. 

Seven months later, I glimpsed the first results of what tears have created. 

I see a new GVK. A GVK who has spent the time since the quarterfinal loss to map out a new path for themselves. Foreign imports are largely gone. Left is the home-grown, their own. 

One of the explanations given for the new wave is that the Swedish volleyball association allows only three foreign players from a non-EU country on the field at the same time. Another is that the club must now save for an expensive last-season.

The sharp change in direction has created its problems. 

Neither Kerri Beck, Ariel Usher, or Allison King are on the team. Last year's three leading scorers all chose to take flight to new adventures.

For GVK's part, it means not only lost three players. It also means a loss of 793 points. Points that took the team to the playoffs last year. Points that must now come from others, and in many cases new [players].

What is there to lean on? 

Sanna Schultz has potential. Last year's arrival, Emma Petersson likewise. But to lift any of them to the skies and demand American results would be as stupid as unnecessary. None of them can bear the weight as an Usher, a King, or a Beck did. Not yet. 

Therefore, this season's edition of GVK not characterized by individuals in themselves, but of individuals in groups. 

Starting tomorrow, we will see a collective GVK. Only then can the 793 missing points be downloaded. Only then can the last year fallen tears continued to rush to a bright future.

Sanna Schultz has moved from Gothenburg to Gislaved VBK. 

We asked her if she knows what she's gotten ​​herself into? 

You had volleyball at the highest level in the big city of Gothenburg and then moved to the Gislaved. What have you done? 
Haha, I’ve been asked the same question from my old teammates in Gothenburg, but the truth is that my hometown has always been very close to my heart. Well I can honestly admit I sometimes miss the cake buffets and frequented restaurants in Gothenburg, and of course, my dear sister and her bulldog Greta, who still live there.
What is it that you have been longing for home then? 
Fresh air outside Hestra. I missed the forest, to be able to go out and pick berries or the occasional mushroom. Since it's not completely wrong to go out among the forest trails either. And second-hand [stores] in Gothenburg is unbelievably expensive nowadays, it is much easier to find bargains here in the country as a true Smålander.
How does the forest power you on the court? 

Sanna (11) finds a hole between the RIG block

I usually go for a short walk in nature and "recharge" before every home game. I like to think it gives any advantage on the court. 
Dick Runesson describes you as a "positive jokester"? 

I would probably think that it's mostly because I'm happy. It's not that I goof-off or anything. I'd say I'm an angel compared to my teammates. To get the squad to be happy, I usually bring home-made cakes now and then. Everyone knows a fed sportswoman is a happy sportswoman.

Meet and Greet: GVK Elit

With every season comes an opportunity for club organizations to revisit their past and identify areas that need more attention, areas that were successful, and others that need improvement. Most of the teams competing in the Swedish Elite Series search outside of their borders for their key players; however with the future rule-change set to occur at the start of the 2015 season, which limits teams to just two international players in their starting six, Gislaved Volleyboll Klubb is realigning their focus. GVK prides themselves on their youth development program and, as is such, the club has decided to invest on their local talents, with hopes of developing throughout the season both individually and as a team.

Many of my teammates in GVK grew up in this club, joining the Elite Series team as they graduated from the local high school. They are the heart and soul of GVK, and constant reminders for our youth teams of what they can achieve through hard-work, commitment, and dedication to the sport. A few other players were selected to study at RIG Falköping, the National Sports High School. These players have competed alongside the best in Sweden from their respective age groups, gaining specialized technical training in a highly competitive environment.

I'm very excited to be joining this great group of players, and cannot wait for the start of our season. Our season opens in Gislaved on Thursday against KFUM Göteborg.

Our Middles:

#1 - Stina, spent the last 3 years at RIG Falköping, new to GVK Elit this season

#7 - Jollan, played for GVK Elit the past two seasons, originally from Svedala

#9 - Lisa, played for GVK Elit since 2010, graduated from RIG

Middles: Stina, Lisa, Jollan

Our Setters & Liberos:

#2 - Mikaela, played for GVK Elit since 2010
#8 - Amanda, played for GVK Elit since 2010
#12 - Elin, member of the GVK Superettan team, training with the Elit team this year
#16 - Jessica, played for GVK Elit in the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons, rejoined this year

Setters (blue) & Liberos (red): Mikaela, Amanda, Jessica, Elin

 Pin Hitters:

#5 - Lina, moved up to GVK Elit this season from GVK Superettan

#6 - Meghan, returning from graduate school, previously with Ljungby VBK in 2011-12

#10 - Mathilda, played for GVK Elit since 2012

#11 - Sanna, joined GVK Elite this year, previously with KFUM Göteborg, graduated from RIG

#14 - Emma, played for GVK Elit 2010-2012, rejoined for the 2013 season, graduated from RIG

Pin Hitters: Sanna, Emma, Lina, Mathilda, and me 

Knallecuppen Pre-Season Tournament

This past weekend, Gislaveds VBK sent both their Elit and Superettan teams to compete at one of Sweden's largest international tournaments, Knallecuppen. The tournament hosts women's and men's teams participating in the Elite and Division 1 levels of their respective countries, and provides teams with two-days of competition. The Damer Elit (Women's Elite) division hosted seven teams: four of which are active in the Swedish Elite Series. Teams were broken into two pools for round-robin group-play; the first place team of each pool automatically advanced to the semifinals, while second- and third-place finishers would play one another in two quarterfinal matches.

SATURDAY

Our day started off with an 8:00am departure from Gisle Sportshall, driving 55 minutes northwest to the tournament's host city of Borås. Dick had told us at Friday's practice that there were no outcome expectations, that we should instead focus on personal goals in every match, using this weekend as an opportunity to practice and train our skills in live-match situations. Each player was given 2-3 goals that they should carry with them in the tournament, and we were told that, as a team, winning would come as we achieved those goals. Dick is very passionate about the mental game, and helps to remind us that we play volleyball because we love it and enjoy the game. You can fake having fun, but until it is genuine, you won't truly be happy.

Gislaveds VBK-Koll Volley (Oslo, Norway): 27-25, 25-18

Our first match of any tournament is always a challenge. Off to a shaky start in the match, we fought hard to come from behind and managed a close first-set victory. We recovered stronger in set two, gaining control and momentum throughout, allowing us to play more aggressively and secure the win.

Gislaveds VBK-Amager VK (Copenhagen, Denmark): 25-19, 25-22

We managed ourselves much better than our first match, allowing Dick to test out a few changes in our lineup. After a solid set-one, Dick challenged us with a 6-2 offense, which is very rare in international volleyball due to limits on substitutions (here, we only have 6 total per set, with no re-entry; meaning you can sub in/out once and that's it!). We struggled to find a new rhythm with the change and were a bit unorganized at times, but managed to pull out the win. 

Gislaveds VBK-KFUM Göteborgs VK: 25-19, 25-22

Whenever you play a regular-season opponent in pre-season or a friendly-match, an internal switch gets turned on and you know it's "go-time", but this was an extra-special match for Sanna, as she had played with them for the past two years in the elite series before returning back to Gislaved (her home club). Dick also gave a few players new goals for this match, as we had already guaranteed our position in the tournament playoffs. Despite Göteborg not having a "real" setter (as their had recently been injured) they fought hard, and kept us on our toes throughout the match.

L to R: Mikaela (2), Sanna (11), me (13), Jollan (7), Emma (14), Lisa (9)

SUNDAY

Thanks to Daniel, we were able to get a little later start, leaving Gisle Sportshall at 9:00am for our first referee assignment of the day at 10:20. We played the winner of Koll Volley - Team Köge; again facing Koll Volley in the semifinals. Again, Dick reminded us to continue focusing on our individual goals rather than the results. As we approached the match, everyone's spirits started lifting and the energy was contagious.

Semifinals: Gislaveds VBK-Koll Volley: 25-14, 25-20

After a convincing first-set victory, you could feel the atmosphere change and relaxation set in, typical of a young team, I am the second-oldest at 25, with many new faces. It's fair to say that we were already looking past this match, on to the finals where we would meet Elit Serien foe and reigning champion Hylte/Halmstad. 

Finals: Gislaveds VBK-Hylte/Halmstad: 20-25, 10-25

In learning that we had won the coin toss for serve, I jokingly began chanting "first ace! first ace! first ace!" and when Lisa made not just one, but TWO aces to start the match, our team erupted in cheers and laughter. We continued on a 4-point run before H/H was able to get their first sideout. We continued back-and-forth throughout the set, but when one of their own servers went on a run, H/H took the lead, from which we never truly recovered. Despite our never-quit attitude and aggressive play throughout set one, we were unable to gain any momentum during the second, and final, set of the match. Our serve receivers had finally found their rhythm and were playing their most consistent of the tournament, but we followed many great passes with unforced errors. 

We concluded the tournament with a 4-1 record, taking home the silver trophy. Although we didn't end on a high note, there were a lot of individual improvements, which should be counted as the great successes they are. Each match provided us with some new areas of focus for practice, and gave many players much-needed confidence. Beyond the court, I think this tournament was a great opportunity for our team to hang out, and become closer friends. There are a lot of unique personalities on this team, most of which become enhanced and complimented by one another. This will probably be one of my most fun seasons of my career, and I could not ask for a better group of weirdos to share it with. 12-1.

Back row L to R: Lisa, Mikaela, Lina, Sanna, Mathilda
Kneeling L to R: Jollan, Emma, Stina, me
Front L to R: Amanda, Jessica

My Summer in a Nutshell

A lot has happened for me this summer: I was home in America for 5 weeks, during which time I revisited my alma mater for the first time in over 2 years and was wowed by the renovations of the Bob Martinez Sports Center and various other improvements around the University of Tampa's campus. I met my sister's boyfriend (finally). I received confirmation that my work-visa for the 2014-15 volleyball season was approved by the Swedish Immigration Board. I was able to spend a lot of time with my dad's mother who, on July 2nd, passed away peacefully after a third battle with cancer.

Showing Grandma pictures of my new home in Gislaved (Kadie got to visit, too!)

Most importantly, I was able to share with my parents and sister a piece of my life in Sweden. I cannot express exactly how it is that I have become to appreciate this new country and all of the opportunities it has afforded me, but I am lucky to have a family that is supportive of my choice to relocate across the pond.

Family tour around Ljungby, Daniel's hometown

My family came to spend a week in Sweden, and although it started a bit rocky, we were all able to enjoy our time together. From Copenhagen (Denmark) to Ljungby, up to Göteborg, and finally a visit to my new home in Gislaved, we journeyed around south-central Sweden. My parents celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary during our day-trip to Göteborg, met Daniel's parents, brother, and sister, as well as his nieces and nephews. It's always an exciting time when your family meets that of your significant other. Even more-so when the two parties don't speak the native language of one another. Regardless, they made it work, and it was much less stressful than Daniel and I had imagined.

Celebrating my parent's 26th anniversary in Göteborg

Left to Right: Barbro & Kurt Magnusson, CJ & Bill Sherman

Seasons Endings

Since my arrival to Sweden, I have been given the unique opportunity to assist Daniel as a volunteer coach with Ljungby Volleyboll Klubb in the second-half of their season, where they would play in the Vårtvåan South-West. The bottom two teams would move down to Division 2, and the top four teams would remain in Division I. The first-half of the season, Ljungby struggled to compete against their Division 1 South opponents, taking only two sets of their eight total matches.

Initially, progress was slow, but steady, and as the weeks rolled on, the athletes' improvements became more and more evident to the few fans we had. Practices often started sluggish, but by increasing the demands and pace of the drills, we were able to get a lot accomplished. The girls' skills and expectations of themselves increased every month as well. Initially, the team was satisfied with a single-set victory, which they had achieved two additional times in January's matches against VK Veddige (16-25, 25-17, 9-25, 20-25) and Eneryda Nsf (19-25, 19-25, 25-21, 18-25). By February, winning one set was no longer enough. After 5 weeks of focused practices and dedication, they were able to secure their first 5-set match, falling to Tuve VK 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 16-18. Despite the loss, the girls, parents, and club were rejuvenated, feeling as though their commitment to the team had begun to pay off. It was big step in the right direction, but still, we wanted more.

One month later, Ljungby faced Eneryda Nsf on their home court, and pulled off their first and only win of the season: 25-21, 10-25, 25-15, 25-14. This match also marked the first time Ljungby had been victorious in the first set of a match this year. Mentally, the girls had overcome the fears, doubts, and worries they had been plagued with since the club's decision to have this former U17 team as the new LVBK A-team competing in Division I. They initially met this challenge with hesitation and uncertainty, but with their newfound success, their confidence was growing. It was a turning point in the season.

Although we qualified down to Division 2 for the next season in a tough 4-set loss against Tuve (26-24, 26-28, 23-25, 13-25), Ljungby continued to impress spectators and opponents alike. Our final match was against nearby rival Gislaved. Again, we experienced another nail-biting 5-set match: 20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 12-15. With loss comes disappointment, yet the players were happy with all they had accomplished in this season. Each player had stepped up to the task in front of them, and left all they had on the court. It is a great day in athletics to see such a vast improvement in this short amount of time. I am so glad to have had this opportunity to help make a difference in this team. I cannot have imagined a better and more inspiring group of athletes to coach. Each day coming to the gym, they were eager and willing to learn. They challenged me to create technical but fun drills. I cannot express my thanks to the club for welcoming me back into their organization. I hope that I can continue to give back to the sport of volleyball. Until next season...

How-To: Look Like a Swede

Tall. Slender body. Blonde. Blue-eyed. Flawless skin. High cheek bones. That is the image that many have when they picture a Swede. Don't get me wrong, the media has provided many prime candidates to prove this true: Malin Åkerman of Couples Retreat, Alexander Skarsgård of True Blood, musician/DJ Avicii, and Tiger Woods' ex-wife Elin Nordegren.

Malin Åkerman

Alexander Skarsgård

Avicii

Elin Nordegren

Take, for example, this photo-collage of when I played in Sweden during the 2011-2012 season. All blondes with blue-eyes...

Pictured left to right: Emma and Sofie, me and Jo (both American), Malin, and Lisa.

Although many of the Swedes I have met DO, in fact, have eyes and hair on the lighter side, blonde hair and blue eyes are not a Swedish guarantee. Despite having a population of 9.64 million people, there are a vast amount of foreign-born immigrants, which causes a mixture of physical traits. Sweden does not base demographics on ethnicity, thus making exact numbers difficult, however national backgrounds are recorded and show that 14% of Swedish residents are foreign-born. The top ten foreign-born groups hail from:

1. Finland
2. Iraq
3. Poland
4. Former Yugoslavia
5. Iran
6. Bosnia and Herzegovinia
7. Germany
8. Turkey
9. Denmark
10. Somalia

Such influx of immigrants has been a major source of population growth and cultural diversity throughout Swedish history. 

To maintain the Swedish figure, many adhere to their native "Nordic diet" in which they consume local, seasonal vegetables, fatty fish (rich in Omega 3's) and often participate in regular exercise. Genetics will play a strong role is your body-type, and as in any first-world country, abundant food options can allow for consumers to fall victim of over-eating. Depending which side of the food-spectrum you choose to participate, your body shape will likely follow.

I have also noticed that Sweden makes staying active an easy part of everyday life, thus promoting the Swedish slender figure. Most cities and towns have bike and walking paths that makes getting around safe and easy for all ages. People are much more likely to ride their bike to and from school or work than they are to drive; not only giving them an outdoor exercise, but also keeping down on the overall pollution. Many people will also participate in some sport, hiking/skiing, or just going to the gym.

Town map of Ljungby

Of course, as the seasons change, so do the activities in which the locals will participate. In the summer, you can find Swedes hanging out near any body of water they can find, enjoying barbecues, tanning, golfing, beach volleyball, and soccer. As winter approaches, people turn to skiing, hiking, and hockey. Whatever the weather, Swedes will find some way to get outdoors, even if for a short time.