Before reading this blog please take a moment to check out THIS short clip.
If you have seen "Billy Madison" and can agree it is an instant classic. If not you are staar med skjegget i postkassen* and should add it to your Netflix and chill lineup. It was some of Adam Sandler's best work and it makes us wonder what if we got a second chance being 17 again. Strangely enough I have done a little warp in time and gotten that chance to relive the "glory" years without having to deal with all the terrible things that come with being a teenager such as homework, caring way too much about very unimportant things and dealing with unstable hormones.
The average age of my team is 19 and there are only three of us who are over the legal American drinking age. The rest of my teammates belong to a school that is specifically made for athletes called NTG, which can be roughly translated to Norwegian Top Athletes. They house several of the major sports including hockey, basketball, futbol, handball and swimming. The most famous athlete to come out of NTG is Magnus Carlson. You may recognize the name because he is the No. 1 chess player in the world and still frequents the school. He has his own classroom that is dedicated to his success. I will get a picture and share as soon as I possibly can and maybe even be fortunate to meet the guy since he enjoys basketball.
Monday through Thursday several of my teammates and other players/students have class in the morning. The first two hours of their school day consists of going through a two-hour basketball practice that focuses on strength, condition and individual progress. Lucky for me this practice is in the same gym where I live. I am able to wake up, make breakfast, walk downstairs in my slippers, coffee in hand, and join them in the workout. After the workout I head back upstairs and make a second breakfast and go on about my day as the rest of the guys head to school for the rest of the day.
Students -- i.e., not me -- hard at work. I think.
Outside of practice, once the fellas get out of school is when the real fun begins. Since grownup responsibilities have yet to hit them square in the face, most of their free time consists of watching TV spending way too much time playing FIFA/various video games, and eating as much sugar and sodium as possible. This is all done at their house, which is owned and operated by their parents. The fridge is always full and there are plenty of leftovers. A few families have adopted me during my time in Oslo, so I am always welcome with big hugs and asked if I need anything to eat. It seems that every family is in need of a Big Friendly Ginger and am a very willing fulfill that niche.
The weekends have been very similar. The boys and I chose a designated location and enjoy a night filled with Capri Sun (only found in Sweden), multiple games of FIFA, looking up the best YouTube videos, a few games of cribbage and teaching me all the correct usages of inappropriate Norwegian words to add to my vocabulary.
I have enjoyed the first few weeks of getting into my routine, and getting to know my new teammates. I have been able to really integrate within the basketball family that Baerum has to offer. One of my favorite things about blasting to the past is getting to hangout and learn about my teammates families. Being around 17- and 18-years-olds is just fine but I have learned so much about the culture and history of Norway just by spending a few minutes upstairs in the kitchen talking with mom and pop. It also provides a solid culinary education since food is always a huge piece of each culture.
Overall I think "Billy Madison" makes some great points about wanting to stay young as long as you can, but I am sure glad to be out of the awkward stage of life. I am able to help these young guys with a few things and have stepped into a mentor role for many of them. It is a little crazy how life comes full circle because I was fortunate to be mentored by several guys just like me. Chris Carr, Troy Hudson, John Thomas and Kris Humphries are just few names that helped me along my basketball journey and I never really realized how beneficial that was to me until the last couple of years. The script has flipped and I have become a mentor to many of my teammates and players both internationally and in Minnesota.
*This is a famous Norwegian is used by the older crowd and roughly translates to "standing there with your beard in the mailbox." It has the same meaning as standing there with your pants around your ankles.
On my next blog I will cover why I am not in the NBA, and just how difficult it is to even get to where I am at in the basketball world.
