September  3, 2006 -  As I sit here in the Brussels Airport waiting for my flight to Washington and then home to Ottawa, I am reminded once again of the wonderful opportunities that the sport of volleyball has given me.  This is my fourth trip in four months - Abbotsford for the 18U Nationals, Moncton for 15U Eastern Nationals, Winnipeg with Team Ontario to compete in NTCCs, and now Brussels, Belgium to conduct a volleyball camp at the International School of Brussels.

ISB, an American independent school, is situated in a lovely parkland setting with approximately 1400 students from JK to Grade 12.  The students come from all parts of the world, usually attending ISB because their parent(s) have employment in Brussels.  Brussels is the hub of the European Union as well as the headquarters for NATO.

Greg Murawsky, a St. Pius grad, is a teacher at ISB and his wife, Lisa, coaches volleyball at ISB.  Lisa is also a Pius grad who I had the pleasure of coaching in the 1990's.  Wanting to highlight and expand the volleyball program, Lisa proposed a three-day camp before the beginning of the school year.  Bringing in a "guest coach" was my ticket to a fantastic two weeks in Northwestern Europe.

Thirty-eight boys and girls attended two, two-hour sessions per day for a total of 12 hours of skills, drills and playing.  The ISB athletes participated in many drills that CAPS players would certainly find familiar - up and backs, weaves, pepper, 2-on-2, full-team free ball, positional defence and 6-on-3, to name a few.  There were always at least three coaches at each session running drills on three courts. The ISB players were great fun to work with, even laughing at my jokes from time-to-time.  I met so many friendly and interesting people during the camp and throughout the campus.  They all made me feel very welcome, a trait I was to realize was found thoughout the entire school.

Even though the camp ran for only three days, the Murawsky family were kind enough to be my hosts for two full weeks.  Besides exploring beautiful Brussels, I also traveled to Paris, Amsterdam, Ypres, Brugge, Leuven, Mechelen and Waterloo.  I had many adventures, some on my own, but most with Lisa, Greg and their two awesome children, Sarah and Johnny.  I was awed by magnificent churches and museums, overwhelmed by the WWI cemeteries and sped away on the high speed train to Paris.

I would like to say a big thank you to the teachers and students at ISB for welcoming me into their school and onto their courts and, especially, to Rob Stewart, the Athletic Director, for his support and encouragement.  A huge thank you to Greg, Sarah and Johnny for putting me up in the "laundry" room and making my stay so much fun.  And, most of all, I would like to extent a very special thank you to Lisa Murawsky for being such a great friend and for making this trip possible.  It was really a "trip of a lifetime"!

So, as I finish my strong cup of European coffee (which I will sorely miss) and my chocolate croissant (which my waistline definitely won't miss!), I am also reminded that all good things must come to an end ... but hey, CAPS tryouts are in six days!