My team ended up taking third place in the Russian Super league, and by the party we threw you would’ve thought we were world champions. So we tooted our horns and raised our paper cups to “we are the 3rd place champions of the world!”  The owners had brought in the biggest bottle of Asti (I think that’s the name) and took us out for a great dinner after the game.  We had a great time, as usual, and all of us were heading out the next morning to our various countries, so it was a short night, but a fun one! Thank goodness everyone had already been packed up for about a week, because we didn’t waste anytime catching flights back across the Atlantic.  And thank goodness I had someone to help me pack, omg!  I don’t know how I accumulate soooo much crap! Geez, I ended up giving away as much as I could, and still left bags over there in Moscow, and brought 4 bags back with me to NJ!  So once I got unpacked, I repacked and headed to the Florida Keys for a quick couple days of sun and fishing with my parents and grandparents! I had a great time, and decided that I wouldn’t be going on any major vacations, but would rather lay low and be at home! No airports, no luggage, no hotels!

BUT, I’ve got to tell you about my short vacation to the Keys! My parents have a time share down there, and so my mom is always talking about what they’ve been doing in Florida, who’s been down visiting, etc, etc… while I’m in the cold, gloomy weather working, they’re living it up down in the sun! So this was my first time down there to see where they’ve been camping out the last few years avoiding the cold South Dakota winters.. and as usual, they didn’t disappoint in the FUN category!!

I flew down there in the morning and by later that evening I was wrestling with the BIG BOYS!!! I love it, such a blast!  We took my dads boat and headed out just a short distance off shore, under some bridges to catch some tarpon or amber jacks… or at least that’s what my dad wanted to catch, but not me, I wanted to catch a shark!

My cousin had recently caught about a 10ft bull shark, probably just shy of 400lbs, soooo I wanted to catch a shark too!  Although, it usually takes a couple of guys to reel in the fish, a good boat driver, and one guy helping handle the line (making sure you don’t get caught off on a motor, or debris, other fishing lines, etc) in fact when you get a big fish on the line, the first thing you do is reel in all the other lines… big game fishing is actually a team sport! It takes at least 2 and preferably 3 people to get in a big fish.

So anyways, we’re fishing, the lines are out, and we’re just enjoying the weather, there were dolphins that cruised by, a few sea turtles, blah blah blah, and finally we hook up on a small jack, so I real him in no problem.  I’ve posted a picture of the jack and me. (Notice the small fishing rod in the pic, not really small, but not a heavy duty pole that you’ll see me handling a little later!!)

So the best thing about catching this jack, is that a jack is like a shark candy! Shark bait ohhh haaaa!! Apparently every time my dad has hooked up with a big shark, he’s used a jack for bait.  So we threw a big piece of sushi on the BIG girl rod and sent it down to the bottom.  It was just about sun down, and the swimmers were just heading back to the beach from the water.  I could see a popular beach from the boat. (No fishing lie here!!) and BAM one of the lines start singing… ziiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggg… that jack wasn’t in the water more than ten minutes before a 8ft bull shark decided he was hungry!! He was probably around 250-270 lbs or so. My dad had told me he’d be shocked if we didn’t have a big shark on in less than 15 minutes in that area with that bait on.. he was right!

So I grabbed the rod and held on for dear life, and I do mean that literally.  In the first 10 minutes it was all I could do to just hang on, really, it was ridiculously strong, and was twice my size, and who knows how many times stronger than me! But that’s why I love it, such a challenge!! I have the end of the rod settled in a battle belt for fishing, and my legs braced against the edge of the boat, with my mother getting on my last nerve yelling in the background “Mart, watch her, she’s going over”, “Mart grab her”, and on and on.. “MOM, STOP!!” She was full of wise advice “Beck reel”, yeah no crap mom!!!! lol.. There’s actually some technique you have to know when reeling in a monster!! But when that shark decides he’s gonna make a run, I just hang on.. When I feel like I’ve got a little advantage that’s when I lean back and then reel like heck on the way down.  Pull back, reel like heck on the way down, over and over again! I’m fighting and hanging on, but mom, please know that your daughter is smart enough to let go of the pole before I let myself be drug into the ocean with a big, angry shark 20 yards away. 

Of course we didn’t know how big the shark was till we got him close enough to the boat, to take a peak at him, which was about 70 minutes later. And I can’t tell a lie, after about 30 minutes I had to hand the pole to my dad, because I needed a 15 minute break or so to recover a little, my forearms and back were KILLIN me!!! Bull sharks are aggressive and unpredictable, which makes them very dangerous.  They’re known for being “bullishly” strong, and having great endurance, plus the pure bulk size of this shark, made him more than a challenge for me.  Bull sharks are actually probably more dangerous than great white sharks for a few reasons. 

Like I listed before they’re aggressive and unpredictable, but also the pure number of them make them more dangerous, and they tend to be in more human populated areas, i.e the beach that was 400 yards away. And I didn’t look this up, but I think Bull sharks are probably the most dangerous, and white sharks after them.  Bull sharks probably have more bite incidents, and great whites more fatalities.  Either way, there’s no way in hell I’m going over board with that thing in the water!! So I demanded the pole back to finish off the job, all three of us were exhausted (me, my dad, and the shark) and we fought for about an hour and 20 minutes or so… But don’t worry, I handed the pole back to my dad so I could do a photo op with the shark! haha.. In one picture you just see my finger because I was grabbing its tail, of course watching where its head is, and trying to take a picture at the same time was difficult.. so I didn’t get a picture of me grabbing the tail, but I did!! .. After that battle, we were too tired to fish anymore, so we headed home that night, even though the tarpon were biting, we were completely consumed with getting this shark to the boat where I could grab it, take a few photos, then cut the line and let him swim off back towards the beach ) 

The next day we went fishing again. We didn’t catch anything big, but we did catch a few fish that were fun to reel in. There’s one picture of a bonnet head shark I caught, he was a cute little guy, but he did try to bite me! Don’t worry, he missed, and I clamped down my grip a little bit.  A bonnet head is in the hammerhead shark family, but don’t grow to be as big as the Great Hammerhead sharks which can reach Goliath type sizes.  There’s also a picture of a puffer fish.. this little guy has a little thorny skin, and tried to puff himself up, to make himself appear bigger than he actually is.. this is obviously a defense mechanism to ward off would be predators.. come to think of it, I may know a few people who have the same defense.. haha.. gotta love nature! 

So when we got back to the dock, we cleaned the fish we kept to eat (most fish were sent back to the sea, its a rule, only kill what you’ll eat). In  a matter of minutes there were more than 10 sharks waiting for the fish scraps.. So I decided to hand feed these little guys. I have to say, my point guard vision was in full effect!! I was looking everywhere with that fish dangling from my hand over the edge of the dock with over a dozen hungry sharks right there. I didn’t want any surprises!  Turns out they were pretty shy, they could see me too, but eventually their hunger won out, and they finally came and took it out of my hand.  I also posted a picture of a Florida local, a manatee… this one was a baby that was suckling up to our docked boat drinking the fresh water coming out the side.. I pet him too, he was sweet and enjoyed the little rub down on his big melon!

The next day before I headed back to NJ, me, my parents, and grandparents were able to catch up with Ms. Riley for dinner in Miami!! And of course, Ruth is a past fishing partner of mine, so we were able to catch up and exchange a few stories!

That’s about it for now, but I do want to throw in that I do try to check out everyone’s comments on my website, and appreciate your kind words.. poka

So that’s what my “down time” has consisted of! haha! I can’t sit still I’ve learned, but I’m really enjoying my down time!

CSKA Photos

Florida Keys Fishing Photos

So besides lots of practice, and one more game with Spartak, its been pretty chill here.

Sooo I’m going to blog a little bit about my family, and post a few pictures of them.  I miss them very much, but we always make a big effort to spend time together whenever we can.  (Link to the pics)

The pictures are from Christmas, so they are the most recent pictures I have of them, since that’s the last time I saw most of them.  My brother and nephew were able to make it out to Phoenix though to see me at NBA All Star, so that was great, even though I was very busy there, any time I get to spend with them I’m thankful for. 

As most of you know, I’m from South Dakota, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.  I honestly had sooo much fun growing up as a kid.  My family was very active, and we basically did everything together.  But since we were doing so many fun things together, we all got along great, don’t get me wrong, we had our occasional fights, but I think for the most part we got along great.  Always doing something.. my Dad loves to have fun, and I think everyone loves hanging out with my parents because they’re just fun.. and complete opposites.. my Mom is super social, wear’s her heart on her sleeve, and loves anything that involves her kids or grandkids.  And my Dad is a dog and kid magnet.  Mostly because he’s super loyal, and consistent, and I don’t know anyone who enjoys life more than he does.  Anyways, they’ve been married for over 35 years, and my grandparents more than 60 years.  My Grandfather and Dad still kiss my Mom and Grandma goodnight every night.  Sooo cute.  I’ve had incredible examples in my life of what love looks like.  One of the best ways I was loved, was the way my parents loved eachother.  The other being TIME.. they invested so much time with us, and we didn’t mind because it was always fun.  My Dad makes a game of everything, and my Mom always makes sure everyone is attended to and fed well, haha..

Needless to say, I consider my family my biggest blessing in my life, besides my relationship with Jesus.  I’m thankful and humbled by His grace and love that He’s given me.  He’s my ultimate.  Those two things will bring me to tears.. Jesus and my family.. it’s an honor to be Their daughter, and a  sister to my siblings.  They’re the biggest part of me, and quite honestly the best part of me.

So here’s some personal never been seen before pictures of me and my family.. I could go on and on and on about my growing up, camping, fishing, 3 wheeling, then 4 wheeling, hunting, scuba diving, pine cone fights, boating, hikes, softball, whiffle ball, football in the park or on the beach, picnics, my Dad teaching us how to catch fish with our hands, and he catching rattle snakes and giving us the up close and personal anatomy of snakes, tubing, canoeing, skiing, wake boarding, a ton of hours on road trips, snow mobiling, you name it, we did it.. except sky diving, never did that, but maybe one day.. My Dad used to play basketball with me on his knees in his room with a nerf hoop attached to the top of the door frame, (for me this was as serious as the Finals), once I dunked on that, I asked him if I’d ever be able to dunk on a real hoop.. He just looked at me, and said “No, but work on ruling the ground, not the air.” I can’t even get into all the indoor games we played.. Geeeez, soccer in our basement, wrestling matches, capture the flag, nerf gun wars, sock fights with the entire living room turned into a war zone.. Makes me smile just thinking about it. No wonder my brother and me were ridiculously competitive.. ahaha.. we used to ride 3 wheelers, then 4 wheelers ALL DAY, come home COVERED in mud.. I mean caked!!! We’d hit every mud hole possible, and we’d hit it again, then go find another one, and see who could ride around on 2 wheels the longest.. we’d come home and have to spray eachother off with the hose.. Ohh and did I mention we played a little bit of basketball too )

And I remember if I wanted to go shopping, that was the time to hit Mom up. I remember my Mom took me to Denver, just me and her for a shopping trip.  My Dad wouldn’t think to spend the money on clothes my Mom would.. So Mom was the one to take to the mall definitely!! And of all my sister’s, brother’s, and my games she wouldn’t miss one! Football, softball, track, basketball, my Mom would make her schedule around us, and she actually coached me too.  My Dad’s a pretty sick athlete, but my Mom is a tough cookie and very athletic.  If my Mom tells me she’s hurting, I believe her, she’s got a very high pain tolerance.  My sister Gina ran track, played softball, and played basketball too. In fact when she was a senior, and I was in 7th grade, we went to a small Christian School, and I played on the varsity bbll team with her.. Just what every senior girl wants, her little sister on every road trip with her and her H.S. friends, my poor sister, I was always tagging around with her when we’d go into town. But don’t get it twisted both my sister and brother were fiercely protective of me.. My brother punched one of his classmates that pushed me down during a soccer game at recess.. The kids mom was on recess duty and saw the whole thing, so luckily my brother just had to go sit by the wall for the rest of recess.  Me and my brother, well we were just super adventurous, I was basically his little shadow on the court or in the woods. He was better at everything than me.. I was “Matt Hammon’s little sister”, lol.. but now he’s “Becky Hammon’s brother.” My fans have him to thank for my circus shots, because believe me, I ate alot of those shots in my front yard.. He couldn’t stand it when me and my Dad would beat him and our family friend that was his age, and I couldn’t stand to be blocked!!!! Some things never change.. haha..

Anyways, now I’m just down right rambling.. time to wrap this blog up.. But let me end by saying this, I feel so blessed in this life.. I thank God for them everyday.. everything for me has its foundations in my family.. they’ve loved unconditionally from day one. And every success has their fingerprints all over it, and God’s blessings all around it. It’s humbling to be loved that way. I hope I love the same way. God’s planned purpose for me continues to astonish me, and He’s used everything and everyone in my life to prepare me for it.. I know my name is written on His heart.. He’s fashioned every step, and guarded every journey.. and I’m filled with love and thankfulness for His many blessings.

The other bit of exciting news is that my club here in Moscow has agreed to let me go and shoot in the All Star game this coming weekend in Phoenix! It should be a lot of fun again! Last year Tim and David were absolute gentlemen and very sweet! They definitely are the nice guys that they’re labeled to be! I’m sure their backs were a little sore trying to bend down in all the photos we had to take together.. Me standing next to them, haha, talk about a picture that makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time-but mostly laugh! What a sight! Hopefully, we’ll be able to shoot the lights out this year again.. Let’s just say no one picked us to win it last year, especially if you saw our practice round! I think we clocked in at just under four minutes!! So we made a few adjustments, switched the shooting order a little, and well-ahhh we were walking away with the hardware! OK, so I threw up a few prayers too, but hey, goes to show you He does hear you!! Almost as much as the All Star game I’m so excited to be back in the States, where there’s a Starbucks on every corner! YESSSS!!!! And what I’m probably most excited about is being able to see some of my family and friends.. it’s a short period, but I’ll take whatever time I can get with them!

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to check out the new pictures I’ve posted for everyone. Hope you enjoyed the update. Tune in to TNT this weekend to catch Tim, David and I defending our title, and check back soon for another update. Until then… Poka, Becky