Joanne C. Gerstner

Ah, back in the good old U-S-A. Not to say that a month-long business trip in Germany wasn’t an awesome experience. Getting to see the Women’s World Cup, one of the best ever since it started in 1991, was a real treat. Yes, the Americans didn’t get the job done, but all credit to the Japanese for being so mentally and physically tough. Two teams of amazing women and athletes.

But it is nice to be back to my own bed, shower and not living out of a suitcase. There is that indeed.

I will be uploading all kinds of links to work and appearances in the coming days, to catch up. Thanks to all for the kind emails and Tweets while I was at the WWC. All appreciated.

have a good summer!
Joanne

I think I’ve seen more of the Rhineland than I ever thought. I’m in Leverkusen right now, with England. They’re playing France today in the quarters.

But to get to see England, I’ve had to travel to nearby big city Dusseldorf, taking a train, then the subway. Wandering around is interesting, as you have to accept you’re going to get a bit lost, and then recalibrate to get your bearings. But all has been well.

here are some things:
– an interview I did with NPR/BBC on the World Cup.

I’ve been gone 15 days now, hard to believe, and there’s another 13 days to go. Today, I’m in Augsburg, by Munich, for the Japan-England game.

If you want to follow what I’ve been up to:
– Articles on espnW…

– my travel videos on espnW…

– – and me on Twitter at JoanneCGerstner…

Here’s a video I shot for espnW on the sights of Dresden….enjoy!Joanne\'s tour of Dresden

I’ve seen the photos. The Allies, primarily the English air forces, reduced Dresden to rubble in World World 2. And then the DDR/Soviets took over, and things remained broken.

The wall comes down, and people decide to start fixing the ruins. German money, English money, and now, things are back to their old glory.

The Frauen Kirche is an example of that. Check out the before…in 1955, and today.

So it’s been like 55 degrees, misting, raining, cloudy here in Wolfsburg since I got here last Wednesday. Today, for the England-Mexico game, it’s now 90 degrees, blazing sun and humid. Go figure. But it is nice to actually dress for once like it’s the end of June. I was getting worried that I didn’t bring enough coats and sweaters for this trip.

Everything is pretty quiet pre-game. Not much action around the arena, and even the fan fest is at a dull roar downtown – save for the mariachi band. Yes, German mariachis. It’s a trip, to say the least.

I’m in Germany right now, helping cover the Women’s World Cup for espnW. Always love being back here. It’s a strange trip, as I am not here with my family or to see my family, I’m covering a team that I am not overtly connected to (England), in a town I’ve never been to before (Wolfsburg).

Outside of the rains, it’s been a good trip. Wolfsburg is the home of VW, and there are tons of car fans who pilgrimage here to see their favorite car. Just like being in Detroit. And I just saw a huge, glamorous wedding reception start for a lovely Egyptian-German couple, so it felt like I was back in Detroit again, on the West-side.

Some of the best things of Germany:
– every body knows how to pronounce my last name correctly. Joy!
– the bread, as always is killer.
– and people seem to love the things I love – flowers from every window of the house. 🙂

until next time…see ya!

Sorry, listening to Eminem at the moment…that 313 boy is quite infectious. I have been quite busy, which is fantastic. Playing tennis, swimming as much as I can, plus writing and editing and doing my communications thing.

Here’s some of the latest:
– for FSDetroit.com, about the carousel that is the Detroit Pistons coaching job.
– for the New York times, my daily musings on the NBA, and the NHL.

– And last, but not least, the great opportunity to show the world a great Xray of my knee, writing first-person about my recovery for espnW.com.

I’ve been a very bad website girl. When you write and edit all day long for a living, it somehow escapes to continue doing it on a website that’s not paying you for it! 🙂 Content snob!

But things are going incredibly well. I’m doing a lot of work with espnW.com, serving as their News/Opinion editor, blogging daily for the NY Times, and doing a lot of other things for other private and public sources.

Good luck to the students at the University of Detroit Mercy who are graduating – pleasure to have you in Sports Communications this past semester.

I’m back to playing tennis too, just in drills, to get my sea legs back. It’s strange to be back on the court, after all I have been through, with a knee that feels strong. I now need to work on my mental and emotional confidence. Brian the PT and the great people at DMC sports rehab have taken great care of me, putting Humpty Dumpty back together 🙂

Happy spring and get outside!
jcg

I want to give a hearty thanks to all those who have bought my books! I am humbled and thrilled by the response to the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays books. Admittedly, the response is largely for the Tigers, but still, way cool.

Thanks!

jcg