Thanksgiving is our yearly opportunity to count our blessings. For UW-Whitewater Head Coach John Vodenlich and Assistant Mark Fuller, November also provided an opportunity to help improve the sport of baseball in the countries of Portugal and Serbia through their involvement with the International Sports Group (www.ISGbaseball.org), an organization for which Vodenlich is a Board Member.
 
ISG is a non-profit organization founded in 1985, whose mission is to assist in the development and growth of baseball internationally. This has led the organization to establish numerous coaching development seminars throughout the world, dedicated to spreading baseball interest and proper coaching and teaching fundamentals.
 
Vodenlich has been part of these coaching clinics the past twenty years, touching the lives of thousands of international athletes. During that time, he has worked with numerous MLB players and coaches such as former Brewer Doug Henry, 1972 Word Series MVP Gene Tenace, and 2016 World Series Champion Manager, Joe Madden. Fuller joined him in 2008 and has been part of ISG clinics ever since. 
 
For the Warhawks Head Coach, these trips to Europe have special meaning as his parents came to the United States from Yugoslavia, a country since divided into individual countries in 1991. His mother skied in the 1956 Olympics as part of the Yugoslavian Team, while his father served as a coach.
 
Their citizenship allowed Vodenlich to travel to the Balkans following his college graduation, where he spent a summer playing for the Slovenian Baseball Team "Zajcki". The friendships he developed during this time remain very strong today.
 
This past summer, Vodenlich spent several weeks in Serbia, serving as the Head Coach of the Serbian National Baseball Team. He has also shared his love of Europe with UW-Whitewater players, having taken the team there during the summer on five different occasions. This has created a better understanding of the world and a lifetime of memories for all who shared in this experience.
 
Those playing baseball in Europe often face the difficulties of limited budgets and minimal numbers of baseball fields. Their passion is present, however, whether playing for the European Championships or simply spending a Sunday afternoon on a makeshift diamond playing a sport they have learned to enjoy.
 
This November, Vodenlich and Fuller represented ISG in two clinics, first in Portugal and then Serbia.
 
Portugal was their first stop, landing in the Capital city of Lisbon on November 10. Their host was the country's Federation President, Sandra Montiero, whose husband is Tim Leiper, a long-time professional baseball man and currently the San Francisco Giants Player Development Coordinator for outfield play and base running. Vodenlich and Fuller joined Leiper and Giants Minor League Manager Jose Montilla on a four-man clinic staff.
 
The three-day event took place an hour out of Lisbon in the city of Abrantes. The Celts founded the first settlement there in in 300 BC. The clinic staff were treated to a visit to the local castle prior to the first session, a structure built along the Tagus River and once captured by a Roman invasion around 130 BC. The castles of Europe are among any visitor's favorite stops and provide an incredible history of the region.
 
The Clinic was attended by over 40 coaches each of the three days. The morning sessions consisted of classroom lectures while the afternoons were spent on the baseball field. Other than when playing there, baseball games in Portugal are often played on provisional diamonds, and many soccer fields.
 
The attendees speak three different languages including Spanish, Portuguese and English. Though power points, demonstrations and interpreters, the coaches and attendees successfully communicate with each other through a shared love of the game.
 
Sandra Montiero, Portugese Federation President, provides an excellent experience for the attendees and the three days go quickly. There is time to socialize with those in attendance as new friendships are made and an exchange of emails and occasionally a baseball cap take place. Following best wishes for their continued involvement in the sport, a successful first leg of the clinic was completed.
 
With a few days in between baseball camps, Vodenlich and Fuller had time to meet up with old friends in Slovenia, a beautiful country conveniently situated less than two hours from Italy, Austria, and Croatia. The week allows them and eight others to travel to the country of Croatia for a bit of sightseeing.
 
They stay on the Istrian Peninsula and use the time to travel to the Croatian cities of Pula and Rovinj. Both located on the Adriatic Sea, they have an incredible amount of beauty and history.
 
In Pula, the group tour a Roman Amphitheater constructed between 27 BC and AD 68. It is among the world's six largest surviving Roman arenas, where Gladiator battles and Knight Tournaments once took place. It is the only Roman Amphitheater to have all four side towers entirely preserved.
 
Next, they spend time in Rovinj and tour a church, which was built in the early 1700s, over the remains of an even earlier Christian structure. They walk the waterfront and enjoy the friendships of 10 people from four different countries (the common denominator – Baseball).
 
Following their stay in Croatia, Vodenlich and Fuller fly to Belgrade, Serbia and then drive to Novi Sad for their second clinic. Novi Sad is located along the Danube River standing atop a riverside bluff.
 
Its most visible structure is the Petrovaradin Fortress, constructed by the Austrian-Hungarians as a defense point from Turkish invasions. Its construction started in 1692 and it contains an iconic clock tower and a network of tunnels.
 
Their excellent host, Nikola Woo, has arranged an outstanding clinic, which includes an element of youth as young as six and a component of older players. Some of the older attendees played on their National Team last summer, which provides a nice reunion with Coach Vodenlich. It is an opportunity for him to lay the groundwork for their future development and growth.
 
There are many great memories of the three-day clinic and the smiles, enthusiasm, and eagerness of the attendees tell the story of a successful visit. The hope is that the nearly 70 participants leave with an increased love of the game as well as a small bit of additional knowledge.
 
The coaches long trip home takes place the following day, providing Vodenlich and Fuller an opportunity to reflect on another incredible experience in baseball with their friends abroad.  As a speaker once said as he pulled a baseball from his sports coat pocket during an awards ceremony, "It is amazing what this little sphere has done for me."
 
The travels made by the coaches and players at UW-Whitewater continue to show us we should never take for granted what we have here at home and within the US. They also show us that friendships and incredible sites await each of us in other parts of the world. Great memories are there for the taking.