Reid Priddy

January has held a lot of travel, matches and weather for us.  It has been 30 below consistently out here and it seems like I am forever warming up to play more volleyball.  But last night was a breath of fresh air.  The All Star match is more about connecting with friends than anything else.  Volleyball is not really a game that is conducive to an All Star format…especially when one team has been playing together for years (Russian National Team) and the other team (Rest of the World) has a day to prepare.  So yes, I regretfully report that we lost 3-0 for a second straight year.  But as mentioned, it was great to be back with good friends and share a few meals, catch up and exchange new media/movies with each other…a very important part of life overseas.

From the US, everyone in Russia attended; Sean Rooney, Kevin Hansen, Lloy Ball, Clay Stanley, Gabe Gardner, Rich Lambourne and myself.   Giba and Dante were also on board and were able to weigh in on where they would like to play in the US if there was a pro league.  Lots of laughs and lots of fun, a good time over-all.  Here are some clips from the event.

January 22, 2009

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We beat Almeria 3-1, however, we needed to win 3-0 plus a Golden Set to advance.  Extreme disappointment would be an understatement.  Not sending our “starting team” to Almeria last week proved to be a mistake.  We played well tonight and had chances in the 3rd set, being up 2-0 but they went on a run, and we couldn’t recover.  So now, we have one thing to focus on…the Russian Championship.  Here are some clips from today…

Welcome 2009.  We are back in Siberia and trying to stay awake.  We arrived Friday morning and have been struggling every since.  Jetlag can take many forms and this time we both feel completely zapped.  Good news is that Lindsay is in a good book now and I am catching up on thousands of lost hours on XBOX Live!

The break was amazing and it was so good to be home. There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon too and I will get back to you on all of it. But for now, some more gaming, then to bed…hopefully a FULL nights rest!