Posts Tagged ‘football’

Well hello, yes I am alive… I haven’t blogged since my birthday, in MAY?!?! Yes that is a true statement. Wow, as said before, it seems that when life accelerates here in Prague, my blog is the first thing neglected. Which is understandable but at the same point, I’m not a fan of the neglection of zACHhARROD.com! You might have been wondering, “What Zach has been up to over the last couple of months,” or you might not care at all, either way my last 3 months were filled with our AIA Czech Project, a coaches trip to Berlin, Czech Senior Nat’l Team training camp, a 2 week AIA Holland/Czech co-op Project in Southeast Czech, a much needed holiday away (in Sweden), another Czech Senior Nat’l Team training camp, a “friendly” game against Slovakia with the Czech Senior Nat’l Team and this week it’s been all Czech Junior Nat’l Team! It’s been full but great! So many great opportunities and I’m thankful that God continues to bring them and I pray that He is using me in the midst of all of these opps…. I thought it would be fun to share some vids of the Czech Senior Nat’l Team with you. We actually got a lot of press on Czech TV over the last couple of weeks, which is great for the game here in Czech. The first video is from the first news spot we were on:

The second is a quick highlight video, I threw together for the team.

Please keep the Czech Junior Nat’l Team in your prayers as we drive through the night and play our first game against Holland tomorrow. It will be tough, but if we get some sleep on the bus and don’t have mental mistakes we can win the game. Then we will take on the winner of the Great Britain - Serbia game on Sunday, if we win and the loser if we lose. It will be a whirlwind weekend as we leave Prague at 6:00 pm Thursday night and will get back at 8:00 am on Monday! Pray for a safe trip, hard fought games, no injuries and spiritual convos! If you want to read more about the tournament click here. BE A REVOLUTION!

…I said more vids were to come, I didn’t lie! My boy, Kachna, and I finished this one this morning. Check it out! It’s for our recruiting campaign - Zkus Hrát - which means, “Try to Play!” There will be more to come, of course, all in Czech! With that said, I hope you enjoy it, even if you don’t speak Czech!

Hello! It has been quite some time since I’ve made an appearance around here. I’ve been saying that a lot in the past few months. It is the rare moment that Zach Harrod makes an appearance on his own blog! Something is wrong with that! I need to get around to finishing all these “drafts” I’ve started. Trust me my silence on my blog hasn’t been without reason. It’s been a crazy 2010 thus far, and 2010 that has left me grasping, sometimes helplessly, for something firm to hold on to. Most of this, if not all of this, has revolved around the team (the Prague Lions) that I’ve worked with since 2004. I won’t get into the details, but with all the craziness going on with my team this off-season, I wanted to create a video to motivate my guys (mostly the juniors, but the seniors as well) to work hard but also to drive home key values of our team. Core values that I’m working into a leadership program, that is similar to what Coach Jim Tressel, of The Ohio State, has done with what he calls the The Winners Manual: For the Game of Life. I hope to blog some more on this in the future, as right now I’m working hard to put it together, which also include translating stories and quotes from English to Czech, as part of my Czech homework! I believe deeply in this, because at the end of the day if football is only about x’s and o’s and doesn’t develop young men to be better teammates, students, workers, sons, brothers, fathers and overall better citizens, then what is the point?!?! So with that said, I put this quick highlight video together for my junior team.

A rough translation of the text is this, “When no one else believes, and all that is left is the faith of the team, what does this this create?”

odvaha - courage
bratrství - brotherhood
láska - love
vernost - loyalty
váše? - passion
sláva - glory

Enjoy and look back for more Lions videos, as I’m wearing the hate of marketing/PR guy/videographer for the Lions, as well as the roles of Offensive Coordinator for the Senior team and continue as the Head Coach for the Junior team. GO LIONS!

Lions Win! Lions Win! Check out the newest episode of zhtv and learn about our BIG WIN! It was an amazing season and I’m so very thankful for every bit and moment of it! Stay tuned for another zhtv about the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and, hopefully, some blog posts again! But before I get to that, I’m jumping on a plane with my sister and heading to Barcelona for the weekend! I need a little change of pace and scenery. Have a great Thursday and an even better weekend!

Here’s some more footage from the game…

Lastly here is some video of our big come from behind victory over the Panthers in the regular season. If you don’t want to watch all of it, pick it up at about 2:00 into the video.

Thanks for stopping by zACHhARROD.com! Be a revolution today!

It’s a miracle! Their is blog activity at zACHhARROD.com! Here is a little zhtv love, this is what I’ve been doing over the last two months since my last post. We have our Championship game this Saturday. Please lift my each of the players up in prayer and also please also pray that I would rep Jesus well to my players, the Panthers, the fans and even the refs (which might be the biggest miracle!)! More to come. I hope to never have blog silence that long or intense again! Sorry. But hey, thanks for being you! Be a revolution today wherever you are!

As promised, from my last post, here you go - a brand-stinking new zhtv! Aren’t you excited?!?!?! As this current episode of zhtv will inform you, we, sadly, lost the Czech Bowl - 24-14. We, the Lions, fought hard, but just came up short at the end. Congrats to the Panthers and best of luck to you as you head to the EFAF Final! Thanks for stopping by the odd little web-world of zACHhARROD.com world, know you’re appreciated!

Today is indeed GAME DAY! We will be taking the field, at the swank new “fotbal” stadium, at 6:30 tonight to take on our arch rivals, the Prague Panthers. It’s the XVI Czech League Bowl and it will be tough game. I’ve been trying to see if it will be streamed live on the internet, but I haven’t been able to find any details. Although, I’m probably going to have my camera along and shoot a bunch of stuff and try to throw a zhtv together for you this week! So stayed tuned and GO LIONS!

For most of my life I have known one “Head Coach Harrod.” His name is Doug, not Zach. Zach is the son of Doug. Doug has been the “Head Coach” most of my life and now tonight I will be the one Head Coach in the Harrod family, at least at the moment! Tonight is the first practice for the Junior team of the off-season. Tonight I’m no longer the “other guy” when it comes to coaches but “the guy.” To be honest, I’m a bit nervous and a bit reluctant. “Why?” I’m not sure, there are a lot of things swirling in my head. It could be because I’m nervous about my language ability. Or it could be because I really respect the man that was the coach over the last few years and I liked being an assistant to him. Those are two of the reasons. There are probably more, but I would ask for your prayers. Prayers that I would coach in a way that honors God and my guys. Coach in a way where my guys really wonder why I’m so different and they would realize that it’s more than just being an American. Please pray that I don’t sound too much like an idiot as I long to speak, and coach, only in Czech and not in English. Please pray that my guys would be receptive and respond well to the changes we are experiencing. More than anything, please pray that Jesus would be depended on greatly and lifted up in all of this! Thanks for being you! Grace….

That is a good question! Two easy answers:
here,

or here,

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I guess, maybe here too,

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1) In front of my computer planning and prepping for 4 guys from Rutgers here this week doing ministry with us, 2) running around Prague setting up stuff for the week (thanks Erin for your help too!), and 3) at practice. It was a good week, a full week for sure! Pray for me because I was also trying to get caught up on sleep from the lack of sleep at camp last week and also I was trying to shake a cold.

Good News! The Rutgers guys got here this morning! We had a full day, after getting them settled in at Hotel Denisa, then hit lunch, then went into the city for a walking tour. We hit 3 St. Bucks on the way from Wenceslas Square up to the Castle. For the record, I only encouraged stop number one, because I hadn’t had a cup of coffee yet. The rest were totally initiated by the guys! They are a great group and I’m so stoked to have them here! So stoked! Pray that God shows up in some cool ways this week, and His Kingdom is advanced in their hearts and all the football guys will connect with! Thanks! Hey, you being a revolution today? Just wondered…

…I will be out of Prague! “Where,” you wonder. Well, we, the Lions, have our preseason camp outside the city for the next 5 days! Four years ago, at this time I was getting on a bus with my teammates to travel several hours to Croatia.

Sadly, we aren’t going to Croatia, but that isn’t too bad, because I don’t want to sit on a bus that long! We are heading north to a sport hotel up in the mountains from Saturday to Wednesday. This camp will be much different from the camp I went to 4 years ago. I’d ask that you be praying for me and my guys over the next 5 days! Please pray that it would be a great time for our team, which is really young and ‘green’, to connect and gel for this season. Please pray for great conversations as well! Also please pray for my hammy, it’s not quite a 100%, which does make me a bit nervous. Thanks for being you! Have a great weekend and I hope to take my camera to get some footage from this! Be a Revolution!