Halfway through the year

Well, since we are at July 1 and 2011 is on the "way out", I thought it would be a good time to update the old blog again. We'll start with the official report on 2011 New years resolution:

• Update blog every two weeks--Result--there's always next year...
• Learn to play the guitar--Result--there's always next year...
• Have a date night with my wife each week--Result--need a better definition of date night...
• lose weight--Result--am down 13kg's but seemed to have hit a plataue--maybe I have found my ideal weight???

Here's is what's happening so far this year:

FOOTBALL WITH THE JETS:
To say that we are struggling would be an understatement. We have tied one game and lost 5. The guys are  playing, but we just can't seem to put it all together. On offense we have some serious struggles. The biggest challenge we have is that we have about 25 guys playing so a lot of players have to play both ways. That is ok if your opponents are having guys go both ways, but when they are not, the advantage goes to the opponent later in the game.
The thing that I can promise is that we will keep having good practices, we will keep working on the fundamentals and we will get better.
I am totally convinced that if we could combine our "B" team and our "A" team we would be more competitive. The "B" team is a good idea, but, in hindsight, I have to say it all happened a little early. We'll see what we can put together for the second half of the Season...You know, the season where we have played our last game on June 11 then we will play our next game on August 6th...then we play again on August 27th...Anyways, Coach Parker has a BBQ party scheduled on Monday the 25th of July. So we'll kick things off for the second half of the season....

Youth Football:
We are on summer break for our U-11 & U-13 age groups also. We had an end of school camp on June 20-22. It was not as well attended as we had hoped, but the kids that came had a good time. We will keep doing this camp at the end of the school year and again before schoo starts. The next camp will be scheduled to be the 17-19 of August. It should be a fun time.

I might finally get it:
In my 9 years I have been involved in American Football here in Sweden, I have been in a million conversations, emails, committee meetings, disucssions over a beer, phone calls and forum posting meetings regarding how to make football better here in Sweden. There are as many ideas and opinions as there are days in eternity. That is somewhat normal, when people are passionate about something. Finally, I have come to the realization that the best use of my time and energy is to concentrate on where I am at and try to do what I do better than it has been done before. This is the secret to making football great. Sure, we need those people with the ideas and vision to push the sport forward here in Sweden. That, of course, is essential to growth, but if more time was spent by us trying to make our clubs as professional and good at producing football players as we could be, then the game would improve. Committ to getting out to the local schools and recruiting kids to come and try some football. Committ to going to the local hockey, soccer, handball and basketball clubs and see if there are some players that want to play two sports. More importantly, find those that have been cut or stopped playing and get them to try something completely new and fun, like American Football. Committ to not just saying we can "play some kids up" when you don't have enough U-13 guys to make a team and you want to move up some U-11 kids so you have a team. Go out and find enough players in that age group. It is not easy and it is not easy for us at the Jets. It takes a lot of work and not by just one person to make it go and keep it going when the numbers are low. I can't say it enough...If you want football in this country (Sweden) to grow, then make it the best it can be where you are at: That, my friends, is the secret...In my opinion anyway...if you don't think I am correct, then just keep watching...but don't invite me to one of those meetings where we all sit around and have coffee and brainstorm about what needs to be done...because that is the slowest way to get something done...wait..if you have good pastry & coffee....yeah...then invite me...lunch included..could get me there also....

Senior National Team:
Things are starting to get rolling for the Senior national team. They are having a "combine" type camp at the end of July. This is a great idea, in my opinion and it gives the coaching staff an opportunity to take a look at what is out there and an opportunity to set standards (which has been done in the past via Niclas Carlsson) to show the players where they should be physically. I hope that all the guys that are serious about football take the time to go to the camp and show what they have. I have met and spoke with John Konecki and he seems like a really good coach and he is excited about leading Team Sweden to the next European Championships. I would also encourage any coach that wants to be apart of this camp to show what they can do and help work the camp and meet with the coaches currently on staff to contact Patrick Lundqvist and see if more help is needed.
A few people have asked me about me roll. As of this moment, my roll is to be a fan. I cannot committ my free time right now to the national team. I am full up with the Elite gymnasium program, school visits, u-11 and Senior team football...and when you are employed by a club, there is an "other duties as assigned" clause. But someday, somehow, I hope that I can be involved to some degree. I truly enjoy the idea of international play, The European Chamionships & The World Championships.
Here is a link with information regarding the Senior National Team camp: http://www.amerikanskfotboll.com/110728senior1.pdf

Vacation in Sweden:
I have four (4) straight weeks of vacation. As an American, I can say that I think this is really cool. But now as the owner of  a summer stuga I can say that it means that for 4 weeks, I do a different kind of work than what I do on a regular basis. But all in all, I love being at "The Kennedy Compound". Lots of projects going on and a few visitors coming by, before we head back to the big city....

Well until next time, and you know I can't promise when next time will be, I hope all your blocks are pancakes....also keep in mind that all the things I write here on the blog are my thoughts on how things are and are not intended to represent Arlanda Jets or SAFF ect...

What a crazy few months

I will start with ignoring the fact that I have not updated in a while. It has been awhile, but life has been busy...so I'll just start where I left on and ramble on until I am done...isn't that what vacation is for??

FOOTBALL:
As I have stated in past posts, we (the Arlanda Jets) set a goal to try and build an all Swedish team. That basically means that we don't have the cash up front for an important QB. We had thought about bringing over a guy during break, but we don't have the cash up front for that. Our board of directors had given us the green light to bring up to two import players, but the Senior team was responsible for all the cash. That just wasn't something that could be raised, but that's another post...another time...
We started the season off with high hopes. We openend the season aginst STU Northside Bulls. They are now coached by a friend and fellow American, Todd Ferguson. Going into this game I felt pretty good. We wouldn't have Magnus Lagerborn, a long time Jets player. He was (and still is) rehabing a knee injury. Also, we would be without Jocke Carlsson. What does Jocke mean to the team...in 2008 we scored 520 points in 10 regular season games...Jocke was responsible for around 260 of those points...so, yes, Football is a team sport...but yes, Jocke's abscence is felt...But we had a solid group of players and had some young guys that I had high expectations for this season...here is what happened..Five plays into the opening drive of the season, my QB, a 20 year old kid, Pontus Blomburg, carries the ball on an option play and cuts back for about a 12 yard gain, gets tackled and breaks his collar bone...Not good...Christopher Desezzar, a guy I had repped at QB, but planned on playing at Slot and WR this season, steps in and takes over the QB role. We end up winning the game but we lost Pontus, Anders Olofsson (OL), Anton Källvik...and a few others to injury...and the downward spiral started...
We went and played SMM (Stockholm Mean Machine) and never threatened them...played like a team that was going through the motions...we just couldn't execute on a level to threaten Stockholm. Pretty frustrating, but that is where we were at during the second week of the season.
The third week, we played DIF (Djurgården). This is a team that has some good athletes and has a good organization around it, but is still fighting for identity. They were without there starting QB, and we played a better game and won it convincingly. At this time in the season we sat at 2-1 and although we were still missing a few guys from injury and stuff and Anton had gotten a job back in Norrkopping, I felt like we had a chance to put some things together. We were scheduled to play Karlstad during the first weekend in June, but that game had to be re-scheduled due to the Crusaders playing the London Blitz in the EFAF cup Semi-final (which the Crusaders won and will play a team from Switzerland next weekend for the EFAF championship). This set up an interesting scenerio for us. We would have an off week, but then we had to play Coach Leo Billgren's Tyresö Royal Crowns...two weeks in a row. Now, just let me stop here and first of all, slap my own face for not raising a little cane about the scheduling. First of all, in Sweden, we have 6 teams playing in the top leauge and taking a 6 week break in the middle of the season...why??? "because that's Swedish" and that is the way it is...OK..the scheduling committee scheduled everybody to play each other twice, swaps the home and away the second time through...then they flip the schedule...Now I will be the first to admit that the schedule was sent out and all teams were given the opportunity to give their input in the schedule and I didn't take the time to complain...I just laughed..at the fact that everybody played everybody two weeks in a row with half the season to go...so I can "complain" about it in my blog, but it is my own fault for not saying something when I had the chance....OK..so this set up two weeks in a row versus a team that, on paper, we need to beat to finish third in the league and play the 2 seed in the play-offs....I thought it was good that we would have the opportunity to set oursleves up to prepare for the play-offs after the break. This is where everything started to fall apart...We had very bad practice attendance during the off week and we were able to only suit up 19 guys for the Friday night game one vs TRC. We played a good game. I was proud of the fact that TRC could dress up nearly 40 players (maybe more or a little less) but the game was 7-6 at half and up until late in the 4th TRC had an 8 point lead. In the end, they won it by two TD's and the clock ran out with us having the ball inside the 5 yard line. This set up an extremely important game the following saturday at our place against the same team we had taken 4 quarters with 19 suited up players...they would have to come to our place and I thought, we can get this done and split with them before we go and play our make up game vs Karlstad and when the smoke cleared at worst we still had third place within our grasps...To make a long blog post short, the season basically came crumbling down on us during that week. Bad practices, people gone..still hurt...gone on vacation...weddings...it just didn't feel good...we played one good quarter then slowly self destructed...TRC won the game and we couldn't put a point on the board and they would go into the break counting the days to the play-offs. We on the other hand could only lick our wounds and try to put a team together and go play the current best team in Sweden and see if we could put up a fight...needless to say, we didn't do much to worry CC and the game ended with the crappy feeling in your gut that you just showed up at the gun fight at the OK corrall (google it) with a new bowie knife!! So then starts the break...what awaits the Arlanda Jets after the summer break? Well first of all we will open with at home against the Karlstad Crusaders and then play DIF, SMM and STU...realistically, one would say that we are in a fight for 4th place and when we play STU on the last regular season game, it will be two teams that are playing for either a play-off spot or a qualification game....What are my plans...well to quote a great movie (Shawshank Redemption) "you either start living or sit around and die." I plan starting to live. That is the challenge of Coaching. In any country on every level, you are faced with adversity. All you can do is try to find a way to get the job done. You have to give the critics there say, but you don't have to listen to them. You simply try and find a way to get the job done. That is the plan of the coach. To show up on August 3rd, count the players, see who can do what and put together a plan to "get it done". We have nothing to lose. If we don't the critics will be able to explain why and if we do...well, we'll have one heck of an end of the year party!!

European Championships:
For those of you in the US, it may come as a surprise that in Europe we play the European Championships in American Football over here on this side of the pond. Well, we do and Sweden is actually the defending champions since the last EM was played in 2005. I was a part of that team as OC and OL coach. It is hard to describe the feelings of coaching a National Team, but I would count it among some of the coolest experiences I have ever had. What happened in 2005 started in 2003 when, then HC Kristian Thore explained to me the goals he had and that grand finale would be beating Germany in the Championship game in 2005. When the clocked ran out and we had won, that was my Super Bowl. Yep...an unbelievable moment. The hugs and tears and high fives...the look on those players faces as they celebrated that moment was one that will forever be burned into my memory scrap book!! Time has moved on and I am no longer involved in the National Team. I was on the staff, but life has dealt a few things that I need to deal with and right now I cannot give the National Team of Sweden the time that I could the previous 8 years. So this year, I will stand by and follow the guys as they go to Frankfurt, Germany the last week in July. I hope the best for them and the staff. They have put in an enormous amount of work and I think it would be fantastic to wave the blue and gold during the medal ceremony in Frankfurt!! It will be no easy task, as group play means going through England and France, but I know it is possible. Good luck boys and as "Bear" Bryant used to say..."Go out there and knock them on their ass...then stick out your hand and help them up...then tell them...I'll be right back!!"....not sure that is exactly what he said, but that is how I learned it!!

And Then Vacation Came:
Say what you want about Sweden, but these people know how to vacation. If you're over 40 you get 5 weeks of vacation...needless to say..most people take this time around July...great weather...lots of sunshine and you just hang out. My wife, son and I went to Finland first..We took the boat over and met some friends. Stayed in a hotel with a huge indoor/outdoor pools, and also went to "Mummin Land", an amuesment park. It was a great time. I am still in the "hey, we took a boat to another country" kind of mood, but the hotel, amusement park and friends were great. It was really a good time. From there we went back home and went to the amuesment park in Stockholm...a good time was had by all...After that this summer vacation took an unbelievable twist. We have some friends that have one of the coolest summer houses I have ever visited. It's an old red and white house with about a 20 yard walk to the water and it is the last house on the road...the coolest thing about it is that they let us use it from time to time. We went there to stay the night and check out another summer house in the area. We went to the showing of the other place. I was pretty impressed and thought it would be an investment and we should get it...but it was right by a main road. I was hoping for a more "out of the way" kind of place. On our way back to the place we were staying we say a for sale sign. We turned left and drove about 2km down a dirt road....at the end of that road..that is where this house was...

Kennedy Red-Neck Village!!! opening soon!!

To make a long story short...or to save typing and possible wrongly spelled words...this place is our new "summer stuga"...it was originally built in 1909!! it has 13,500 square meters of land with it..one usable old barn and one not usable old barn on it!! It is the last house on the road and is guranteed to have 15 billjillion mosquitoes around...but it will be ours...Now, I own land in a country that I was not born in!! This may by the start of the "Great Kennedy takeover" in Sweden...only time will tell!!!

Random thoughts about these past few months:

1. It doesn't take numbers to win football games in Sweden..it takes committment and quality...(yes of course, if you have numbers along with commitment and quality..it is better)
2. I hate 6 teams taking from May until the middle of September to play a season...(yes, we need more teams in the top level in Sweden...maybe time to look at new ideas)
3. I think there is no bigger honour than playing or coaching for a team that represents the country you live in (or are currently living in because your wife is from there..) Go Sweden!!
4. Some times in life it is just time to "cowboy up" and ride...(most of the time I say "nut up" but I know my Mom reads the blogg so I didn't want to type that)
5. Excuses to fail are easy to find...the reason to succeed is in your heart!!
6. I fell in love with Soccer...yes, because of team USA...I left the world cup still thinking that is men in shorts kicking a ball and acting like they have just been nuked or have some type of uncureable epilepsy if anybody comes within two feet of them...and they are officiated by a group of people that are not accountable in any way in regards to the decisions they make during the course of a game...attention Soccer decision makers...you let TV show your games...your better be prepared to use video replay...it took NFL, NBA and NHL a long time to acknowledge that, but they have acknowledged it!! think about it...
7. That might have been the longest time I have every thought and typed about soccer in my life!!
8. The first song I every remember playing on the Juke Box...was at Hub 'n Lils restaruant in Blanchard, Oklahoma and the name of the song was "Momma don't Dance and Daddy don't Rock 'n Roll" (another google assignment)...
9. Am I old fashioned if my parents are my heroes?!?
10. I think that the purchase of this summer house will give me an opportunity to totally square away in my life what is really important!! First question...do I buy a chainsaw or do I split the wood with an ax?

Until the next post...and the Good Lord only knows when that will be..I will leave you with this lesson learned:  I was playing DT and we were working on block recognition. The Guard released inside of me and I thought...well this is easy..nobody blocked me...then...through my earhole I first heard the thud...then I was on the ground and there was dirt all over my face...I looked up and one of my teammates was smiling at me..I heard my Coach Jerry Algeo say "Hey, Kennedy, that was what we call trap block...I think you will be looking for it next time."...I love that coach and I have spent the rest of my life watching out for the trap block!!