Back in Luleå for a night
Tonight, Wednesday, I returned from my tour in the south playing on the national tennis tour.
Over all, I am very satisfied with my trip. Tennis-wise, my results were quite strong, and most importantly, my game got better along the way. It was also great to stay and play with some of my very good friends.
My first stop on the journey was Oskarshamn, a sleepy town of some 25 000 people along the eastern coast in the south of Sweden. Unfortunately, I got sick during my trip down there and had to withdraw from the singles tournament, a draw I think I would have had a good chance of winning. Although I wasn't feeling great at first, I decided to play doubles with my excessively talanted racket-wizard and club mate Robin.
Despite some difficulties in the final, we manged to win the doubles title after saving a match point.
Next stop after Oskarshamn was Västervik, the home town of the Swedish tennis legend and hall of famer Stefan Edberg. Väservik is only about 60 miles north of Oskarshamn along the coast, and also a small town altghough more lively than Oskarshamn.
In the doubles draw my new doubles partner Calle and myself made a heroic effort in the second round saving six match points to reach the semis. However, we lost the final despite winning the first set quite comfortably.
My first round in singles was a tough one, but I escaped with a win in straight sets against my good friend Alex who plays at ETSU. The quarter-final tourned out to be a surprisingly easy task and I manged to win a 6-0, 6-0, a feat far from easy at this level.
The semis against Thams, another good friend of mine, became an epic battle lasting for 3 hours and 20 minutes. I was lucky to hit the top of that net when Thams had a match point in the third set, which made the ball barely bouncing over the net and over his racket. I managed to win the match 7-5 in the third set and could move on to the final the same day.
Mikael, my buddy from the years in Uppsala during high-school, proved to be too tough of an opponent in the final. I lost in straight set, 3-6, 5-7, but I was surprisingly fresh in the body and I though my game worked quite well. If I have to lose, I prefer it happing to great guys such as Mikael.
After almost a week in Västervik, I went with most of the touring group of players to Norrköping, another 60 miles north. The tournament in Norrköping is one of the biggest national tournaments in Sweden with pretty good sum of prize money.
I didn't play any doubles on Norrköping, which considering I had only one day off from the streneous tournament in Västervik was a good thing.
I was seeded 6th and had a bye in the first round. I won both the round of 16 and quaterfinals in straight sets before loosing in the semis to good player with 2x 4-6. It was a good tournament for me. My only dissapointment was my lack of focus on some important point in the semis.
Tomorrow morning, the entire family including including my sisters fiancé are all going north to for a day or two to the Tornio river valley to visit family and enjoy world class cooking at Katkilakoski. Should be fun. I just hope the mosquitos won't be too agressive!
Over all, I am very satisfied with my trip. Tennis-wise, my results were quite strong, and most importantly, my game got better along the way. It was also great to stay and play with some of my very good friends.
My first stop on the journey was Oskarshamn, a sleepy town of some 25 000 people along the eastern coast in the south of Sweden. Unfortunately, I got sick during my trip down there and had to withdraw from the singles tournament, a draw I think I would have had a good chance of winning. Although I wasn't feeling great at first, I decided to play doubles with my excessively talanted racket-wizard and club mate Robin.
Despite some difficulties in the final, we manged to win the doubles title after saving a match point.
Next stop after Oskarshamn was Västervik, the home town of the Swedish tennis legend and hall of famer Stefan Edberg. Väservik is only about 60 miles north of Oskarshamn along the coast, and also a small town altghough more lively than Oskarshamn.
In the doubles draw my new doubles partner Calle and myself made a heroic effort in the second round saving six match points to reach the semis. However, we lost the final despite winning the first set quite comfortably.
My first round in singles was a tough one, but I escaped with a win in straight sets against my good friend Alex who plays at ETSU. The quarter-final tourned out to be a surprisingly easy task and I manged to win a 6-0, 6-0, a feat far from easy at this level.
The semis against Thams, another good friend of mine, became an epic battle lasting for 3 hours and 20 minutes. I was lucky to hit the top of that net when Thams had a match point in the third set, which made the ball barely bouncing over the net and over his racket. I managed to win the match 7-5 in the third set and could move on to the final the same day.
Mikael, my buddy from the years in Uppsala during high-school, proved to be too tough of an opponent in the final. I lost in straight set, 3-6, 5-7, but I was surprisingly fresh in the body and I though my game worked quite well. If I have to lose, I prefer it happing to great guys such as Mikael.
After almost a week in Västervik, I went with most of the touring group of players to Norrköping, another 60 miles north. The tournament in Norrköping is one of the biggest national tournaments in Sweden with pretty good sum of prize money.
I didn't play any doubles on Norrköping, which considering I had only one day off from the streneous tournament in Västervik was a good thing.
I was seeded 6th and had a bye in the first round. I won both the round of 16 and quaterfinals in straight sets before loosing in the semis to good player with 2x 4-6. It was a good tournament for me. My only dissapointment was my lack of focus on some important point in the semis.
Tomorrow morning, the entire family including including my sisters fiancé are all going north to for a day or two to the Tornio river valley to visit family and enjoy world class cooking at Katkilakoski. Should be fun. I just hope the mosquitos won't be too agressive!
On Tour!
I have had a fanstastic week in Luleå since I came back from Blacksburg. I've been catching up with friends and family, practiced well and just enjoyed being home.
Figuring out my fall has proved not to be an easy task and I have spend quite some time on deciding where to live, what tennis club to play for and what to study, if anything. My ambition for the fall is to put all my focus on the tennis, something I've never had a chance to do before. Yet, I can only practice so many hours per day and I would like to stimulate my intellect in some way to stay sane.
Today, I found out that I got admitted to Chalmer University of Technology in Gothenburg and their program in engineering physics. The only problem is that studying engineering physics full time is tough, and will not allow me to play as much tennis as I would like and definitely not to travel for tournaments. Unless Chalmers can work with me and create an indivudal plan for taking courses, I have to look into different options for the fall.
One alternative is to enroll in independent courses, preferably online. I am about to look into that option right now and see what i can find out.
The next two weeks I will be travelling in the southern part of Sweden playing tournaments on the national tour. It is usually a fun experience (especially travelling with friends) and there is always a chance of winning some prize money.
I know I have not made a great job of updating the blog lately, especially not the English part of it. Hopefully, I can access computers at some public libraries or at friends places,. but I am not sure.
Since I am now back in Sweden and can more easily stay in touch with all of my Swedish friends, it will probably make more sense to write more in English. I am also thinking about making two separate blogs, one in Swedish and another in English.
I do feel I have a lot to write about and I have articles that I like to write. Lately, I really have not had the time to spend in front of the computer. (or more correctly, I have emphasized other activites).
As things settle down later, I hope to get back to my original productivity. Now when I am back in Sweden, I can follow the debate in Sweden more closely. Therefore, I can reflect and comment more on recent events.
Figuring out my fall has proved not to be an easy task and I have spend quite some time on deciding where to live, what tennis club to play for and what to study, if anything. My ambition for the fall is to put all my focus on the tennis, something I've never had a chance to do before. Yet, I can only practice so many hours per day and I would like to stimulate my intellect in some way to stay sane.
Today, I found out that I got admitted to Chalmer University of Technology in Gothenburg and their program in engineering physics. The only problem is that studying engineering physics full time is tough, and will not allow me to play as much tennis as I would like and definitely not to travel for tournaments. Unless Chalmers can work with me and create an indivudal plan for taking courses, I have to look into different options for the fall.
One alternative is to enroll in independent courses, preferably online. I am about to look into that option right now and see what i can find out.
The next two weeks I will be travelling in the southern part of Sweden playing tournaments on the national tour. It is usually a fun experience (especially travelling with friends) and there is always a chance of winning some prize money.
I know I have not made a great job of updating the blog lately, especially not the English part of it. Hopefully, I can access computers at some public libraries or at friends places,. but I am not sure.
Since I am now back in Sweden and can more easily stay in touch with all of my Swedish friends, it will probably make more sense to write more in English. I am also thinking about making two separate blogs, one in Swedish and another in English.
I do feel I have a lot to write about and I have articles that I like to write. Lately, I really have not had the time to spend in front of the computer. (or more correctly, I have emphasized other activites).
As things settle down later, I hope to get back to my original productivity. Now when I am back in Sweden, I can follow the debate in Sweden more closely. Therefore, I can reflect and comment more on recent events.
Hemma
På tisdagen den 3:e juli kom jag hem tll Sverige.
Sista tio dagarna var intensiva minst sagt, men jag hann uppleva väldigt mycket. Att packa allting var inget litet projekt. Och det blev inte speciellt billigt att skicka det jag inte kunde ta med mig hem på flyget, men vissa saker kan man inte slänga bort helt enkelt.
Virginia Tech ligger mitt i bergskedjan Appalacherna. Själva campus ligger på ungeför 600 meters höjd vilket är tillräckligt högt för att vädret påverkar av höjden. Jämfört med andra delar av Virgina är det alltid svalare och mindre fuktigt.
Från campus syns tydligt Bold Knob, ett nästan 1400 meter högt berg som är ett av de högsta i omgivningarna. Under flera år har jag tittat upp mot berget och tänkt mig ta mig dit. På söndagen, dagen innan jag åkte, drog jag och en kompis på en ordentlig cykeltur. Det går en väg som leder upp till en liten sjö nedanför toppen (en av bara två naturliga sjöar i hela Virginia) men den sista biten får man cyckla på en stig. 800 höjdmetrar på cykel är ett bra tränigspass.
Vägen upp går längs ett kulligt jordbrukslanskap med öppna ängar och skogspartier.
Framme vid sjön som ligger mindre än 200 höjdmetrar från toppen. Cykeln är en riktigt gammal mountainbike som jag köpte i Blacksburg och är från sent 80-tal. Det fungerar fint fortfarande.
Toppen
Utsikt österut från toppen
Bye Bye. En sista bild minuterna innan jag lämnade Virgina Tech i måndags. Bilden föreställer Torgesen Bridge, ett populärt studietillhåll som binder samman biblioteket och Torgesen hall. I bakrunden syns polonerna från War Memorial Chapel som hedrar minnet av studenter och alumner från Virginia Tech som stupat i krig från andra världskriget och framåt.
Sista tio dagarna var intensiva minst sagt, men jag hann uppleva väldigt mycket. Att packa allting var inget litet projekt. Och det blev inte speciellt billigt att skicka det jag inte kunde ta med mig hem på flyget, men vissa saker kan man inte slänga bort helt enkelt.
Virginia Tech ligger mitt i bergskedjan Appalacherna. Själva campus ligger på ungeför 600 meters höjd vilket är tillräckligt högt för att vädret påverkar av höjden. Jämfört med andra delar av Virgina är det alltid svalare och mindre fuktigt.
Från campus syns tydligt Bold Knob, ett nästan 1400 meter högt berg som är ett av de högsta i omgivningarna. Under flera år har jag tittat upp mot berget och tänkt mig ta mig dit. På söndagen, dagen innan jag åkte, drog jag och en kompis på en ordentlig cykeltur. Det går en väg som leder upp till en liten sjö nedanför toppen (en av bara två naturliga sjöar i hela Virginia) men den sista biten får man cyckla på en stig. 800 höjdmetrar på cykel är ett bra tränigspass.
Vägen upp går längs ett kulligt jordbrukslanskap med öppna ängar och skogspartier.
Framme vid sjön som ligger mindre än 200 höjdmetrar från toppen. Cykeln är en riktigt gammal mountainbike som jag köpte i Blacksburg och är från sent 80-tal. Det fungerar fint fortfarande.
Toppen
Utsikt österut från toppen
Bye Bye. En sista bild minuterna innan jag lämnade Virgina Tech i måndags. Bilden föreställer Torgesen Bridge, ett populärt studietillhåll som binder samman biblioteket och Torgesen hall. I bakrunden syns polonerna från War Memorial Chapel som hedrar minnet av studenter och alumner från Virginia Tech som stupat i krig från andra världskriget och framåt.
