Mallory Perry - Canal Vaulting

We have always heard the phrase that nothing in life comes easy. Whenever we are faced with a challenge, we are supposed to overcome and persevere in order to get to the order side. In Holland, they had a whole other outlook in order to "get to the other side". As the story has been told, Dutch farmers would cross the famous canals in the Netherlands by vaulting themselves over with a pole since bridges at that time were few and far between (Tagliabue, 2012). As impressive as it all sounds, it would never be at the same bar as the Olympic sport in pole vaulting.

The origins of this sport has been lost in the past, but records have shown for competitions happening around the mid-18th century. In recent years, this sport has seen an increase in numbers as popularity is growing in this little-known sport. Being a canal vaulter you are not aiming to go as high as the bar allows, as we see in pole vaulting, but they are trying to go as far as they can, hence why we see the vaulters shove their pole into the ground and climb as high as they are able before they hit the sand on the other side. The poles can be 43 feet in height, but with the combination of a running start and a leap of faith, they will grab onto the pole and climb up it before they are no longer to hold on as they fall across the 46 foot wide canal (Tagliabue, 2012). Even though it may sound simple and easy, it is actually quite challenging and quite difficult, as well all soon discovered.

Traveling is all about finding things that you never knew you were looking for. Today for my group and I as we were located at AV Feniks, we are in charge of hosting Athletics School Champs for schools all around the area. I found myself speaking with people who had origins in Africa, Ireland, and even some from Belgium. It was interesting in coming here as I had this notion that I would have to be playing charades with everyone trying to get my point across, but surprisingly enough their English language is very well and probably even more proper than mine! I love seeing competition in the eyes of children. Not only does that drive already exist to do better than a friend, but they still are cheering each other on! As I listen to them speak with each other at verspringen (long-jump) I can even find myself catching up on some phrases and they have so much interest in the Americas. I have found out the secret to explaining where we are from is to reference our home to KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) because everyone can still speak food. Something funny that always happens no matter who we talk to, is when we refer to the States, most everyone knows about California and New York. When we try to explain where we are located, that is where the misty space begins. I never would have imagined so many people have traveled to the States as not many people from the States have traveled to the Netherlands.

Attached you will find some photos of the kids today competing in different events and you can just see how happy it all makes them. I would highly encourage anyone to travel as far as they can, as often as they can, simply for the experience. There are things that you can never learn from a textbook or from a professor. You literally need to challenge yourself to experience life outside of your comfort zone, as that is where you will find out who you truly are. If I could leave our blog readers with anything, it would be that experience is far more valuable than money will ever be.

Logan Chandler - Hepathlon

Amsterdam is a wonderful place that changes quite rapidly with bikes, buses, trains and cars everywhere. More importantly the weather can literally switch on a dime (probably why I got sick so soon) but as anyone in a foreign country we are adapting. Today was our second day of working the European Athletic Championships and what a wonderful experience this has been. Today we worked with the local school children by making sure they had a fun filled day experiencing the Games from their own perspective. I got to time all the kids while they ran the 100 meter dash and then help them improve their time if they wished. We also held group relay races for the schools to help develop their teamwork. I have learned more in these few days abroad then I could ever describe in this post. I can't wait to see what more this trip has in store for me in the coming days.

The kids got to see the Games live today and one of the events they saw was the Heptathlon which consists of seven events over a two day period. The first day is complied of 100 meter hurdles, the high jump, shot put, and 200 meters. The next day is the long jump, javelin and finally the 800 meters. This event tests the athletes persistence and ability to perform under large amounts of physical and mental stress. This helps show the kids what they can achieve if they decide to push themselves as far as they can.

One of the few Dutch words I can speak....Goed zo!

Jordyn Underwood - 4 X 100; 4 X 400 Relay

Salutations from Amsterdam! It has been eight days since we have arrived in Europe, and they have certainly been packed with a whirlwind of adventure. This is actually my first time in Europe and I am taking full advantage of all the opportunities being presented. So far we have visited the windmills of Holland, took a tour through the Anne Frank House, seen fine art at the Rijk Museum, viewed downtown Amsterdam on a walking tour, and explored many other landmarks of Amsterdam. We have recently begun our shifts as volunteers at the European Athletic Championships.

Today was my second day volunteering in the European Athletic Championships at AV Atos. This is where children participated in four sports: long jump, javelin, and shot-put. My role during these events was to be the korrier (courier). Initially, I was nervous because it was very different than what everyone else in our group was assigned, but I soon found out I had the easiest job. As the korrier it became my duty to collect the scorecard from each head jury, which is the lead volunteer at each event, after each events session. As simple as the jobs sounds, there were many issues pertaining to the scorecards. For example, after the first session I was missing five score cards which eventually turned into a hunt for those missing scorecards. Since I only collect the scorecards, there is a lot of time to walk around and check out the events and the children participating in them. I also have been able to mingle and speak to people from different places, such as the Czech Republic, Germany and Holland.

            Amsterdam Area, often written as Amsterdam ArenA, was built to replace Amsterdam’s football club known as the Ajax’s previous venue. The construction for this building occurred between 1993 and 1996. The arena first opened on August 14, 1996. Amsterdam Arena is notable due to it being the first football stadium with a retractable roof in all of Europe. This arena is not only home to Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, but this arena is also the location for many concerts and is a part of shopping and entertainment areas (“Amsterdam ArenA”, n.d.).

Sources:

"Amsterdam ArenA." The Stadium Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 July 2016.

Jason Wyrick - Steeplechase

Before I stepped foot on my first flight, I had no idea what to expect… from anything. I’ve only ever been out of the country once before, and that was only to Canada. It’s close enough to the United States to not be a culture shock, but I was in for one on this trip, and I knew it. Someone told me before the trip that everything will be different here, that it is the old world, especially in a city as old as Amsterdam. That made me a little bit nervous, but it also was a reason for excitement. I was very eager to learn about the culture, history and way of life of Amsterdam, Holland, the Netherlands and Europe as a whole.

               

I expected a culture shock, and that's exactly what I got. From simply having to pay for the ketchup packet at a KFC, pay to go to the bathroom in a public place or having to buy a plastic bag at any store to yielding to bicyclists at seemingly any given moment, it all was new. Getting out of my comfort zone of US culture has been a tremendous experience and opportunity for my own personal growth.

The first cultural excursion of our journey was a walking tour of the city. We encountered many of the cities sights and as well as more than a few colorful personalities. One thing that makes Amsterdam different than the US is the openness of the human body. I will simply leave it at that, and I wouldn't advise searching for it online. We noticed this on the walking tour and on the beach in Den Haag, which we went to a few days ago.

Another activity we did was tour the cheese market in Alkmaar as well as a still functioning 17th century windmill just outside of the city of Alkmaar. The cheese market was a great opportunity to see how trading has taken place for centuries in the Netherlands and throughout Europe, although the exchanges now involve currency rather than a straight up goods/services for goods/services barter. Visiting the windmill was my favorite part of that excursion, though. Going inside and looking at the craftsmanship was astounding. The mere fact that it is still functional four centuries later speaks loudly enough, but in pristine condition it was a fascinating window into the past.

My favorite excursion was by far the Anne Frank Huis (house). I walked in knowing it was going to be a sad, depressing scene, but I had no idea what was in store. I didn't speak a world while inside, mesmerized by the museum’s artifacts and the stories they longed to tell to the world- some that starkly contrast what is written in history books in the United States. This is the first time I have seen firsthand how history is truly written by the victorious and can sometimes be slanted to support the position that country takes but can be recalled vastly differently depending on the source. That was an eye opening experience for me, and I think I am much less naïve to different world views now that I have witnessed it for myself.

On top of learning about my history books’ potential bias, I was truly moved (even nearly to tears on multiple occasions) by some of the artifacts and by being in the secret annex that Anne Frank and her family lived during those long years. It is hard to explain what you truly feel, but the best I can describe it is as a gut punch, heart breaking and terrifying experience. Terrifying? Yes. Absolutely. If the holocaust and mass imprisonment could happen before, it could happen again, and given the current political state of the United States, it is a legitimate fear that I do have for if not my own, at least my children’s future. I think I summed up my thoughts on it as best as I could in my reflection that I shared in the Anne Frank Huis online guestbook immediately after finishing my museum tour: “Anne's records of the atrocities committed is an immortal, sobering reminder and more importantly a desperate warning that we must heed to ensure such acts are never committed again. Her accounts speak much louder than the millions of voices of her and her peers ever could, and that is why it is our duty to act upon them and learn from a past that we would like to forget but must preserve.”

Today began our volunteering experience with the European Athletics Championships, and I personally went and helped put on events for school children similar to those being competed in at the Olympic Stadium. I was the start guy for sprints and I also helped set up and oversee a relay race for the children, cheering them on as they went. What a rewarding experience it was to be able to kneel down with those finished with the race, be on their level and cheer on their classmates with them. Their smiles were contagious, and I couldn't help but grin ear to ear when they were doing the same. 

My European Athletics Championships event to discuss in my blog post is the steeplechase. This event is comprised of distance running and obstacles, such as hurdling over barriers and jumps over water pools over a distance of, generally speaking, 3000 meters. In that distance, there are seven jumps over water and 28 barriers to jump over. It's origins are said to be from when British men on horses jumped over small walls and streams while riding to the next town (IAAF, 2016).

Jordan Rickert - Triple Jump

Dank je wel!

Today was our first day of volunteering for the European Athletic Championships! It began early in the morning with a Metro line at 6:20am.  We arrived at Nelson Mandela park to work one of the many venues for the Athletic School Championships.  

The event was for school-aged children to compete in similar events to those of the EAC.  The group had three goals in order for the children to experience “athletics like never before”—see, do, and inspire.

1. The children would watch instruction from all of the volunteers
2. The children would experience the games by participating at the Athletic School Championships
3. The children would be inspired by watching the athletes at the EAC

After introducing each competition, the children would take turns attempting their personal highest score.  The competitions included: long jump, shot-put, javelin (vortex throw), and sprints.

The children enjoyed the day and were full of energy.  At my site, there was 24 teams during the first session and 32 teams during the second session.  That is a lot of kids!  Luckily, lunch was carb-loaded to give the volunteers energy for the rest of the day—raisin muffin, chicken sandwich, egg sandwich, raisin cookies, gruyere cheese and orange juice.

              Triple jump is a track and field Olympic event performed in the sandpit. Athletes take a three step approach before horizontally jumping forward to reach maximum distance.  The three steps are actually refereed to as a hop, step and a jump.  Many are unsure of when the event originated since it is similar to the long jump in ancient explanations.  It is a complex jump, but Olympic athletes average 15 meter jumps.  Below is a picture from the 2008 Olympics showing each step of the triple jump process (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_jump)

The furthest distance wins with the measurement taken at the heels of the athlete’s landing.  Both world records for triple jump were captured in 1995 by Jonathan Edwards and Inessa Kravets.  To watch more triple jump records, view: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=best+triple+jumps&view=detail&mid=9F683C6474EC08ABF0259F683C6474EC08ABF025&FORM=VIRE

Jami Montesano - Pole Vaulting

After a week here in Amsterdam, we have enjoyed the full experience from museums to shopping and roaming around the city. Today was our last day of being tourists before our work begins with the European Athletics Championships. To kick off our time as volunteers for the event, we had the opportunity to attend the opening ceremonies where teams from 50 countries were represented and celebrated in a procession of flags and athletes. There were also representatives from European Athletics who gave some encouraging words before the official flag rose and the games were declared open!

Following our time at the opening ceremonies, we had our first official taste of what we will be doing the rest of our time here in Amsterdam. We attended training for our volunteer duties where we met other volunteers from all over who we will be working with, as well as our supervisors for each of our work sites. All of us will be scattered around the city working various side events coinciding with the events held in the main stadium. Tomorrow, most of us will be working school championships where we will work with local children who will be competing in their own events. There will be relays and throwing events as well as some other individual running events, which we will supervise and judge. While all of this is going on, professional athletes from all over Europe will be competing for their countries in track and field events.

One of those events is pole vaulting. If you've read any of the previous blogs, you probably read a little something about canal vaulting, which is similar to pole vaulting with a slightly different objective. In canal vaulting we did our best to get ourselves over a canal of water, while in pole vaulting, athletes vault over a bar set at various heights. Vaulters run down a runway on the track and jam the pole into box in order to propel themselves over the 4.5m long bar. Each competitor gets three attempts at the height and if it is successfully cleared, they can move on to the next height. The athlete with the highest vault wins (iaaf,.org 2016). I am personally looking forward to watching Renaud Lavillnie of France defend his last three gold medals in this event. He is the reigning European Athletics champion as well as the reigning Olympic champion so it will be cool to watch him go for the gold again!(europeanathletics.org, 2014). I a also looking forward to my volunteer experiences the rest of this week and to more fun days here in Amsterdam!

Evan Landherr - 5000 and 10000M

This morning in Amsterdam we started the day off by getting divided up into groups and we had to map out and locate one of our work venues. My group consisted of myself, Heidi, and Solera and we our work venue was Olympiaplein which is a huge put door sports complex that had a skate park, two full size soccer fields, a gym and tennis courts.

After that a small group of us went on a tour of the original Heineken brewery and we learned about how the history behind the Heineken name. Heineken was founded in 1873 by Gerrad Adriaan Heineken when he was just fifteen years old. Heineken is available in more that seventy countries and Heineken beer only contains three ingredients. We got to see some of the of the original bottles they used when they started producing the beer and also got a lesson on the process they use to produce the beer. We stopped by the gift shop on the way out and they had glass mugs that you could purchase and what was really cool was you could get engraving on your mug which made for some great gifts.

After the tour we met up with everyone and we attended the opening ceremonies for the European Athletic Championships were we got to see different representatives for each of fifty countries competing in the games. Tonight we have our volunteer training and then tomorrow the fun begins as we will spend the next five days’ working the games.

5000 & 10000 Meters are long distance running competitions in track and field and have been events since 1912. The 5000M (3.1 Miles) consists of twelve and a half laps around the track and the 10000M (6.2) miles) consists of twenty-five laps. Kenenisa Bekele holds the current world record for both the 5000M and 10000M with times of 12:37 (5000) and 26:17 (10000).