Grouse Mountain has been called nature’s Stairmaster. Confirming all the hype surrounding the hike, HCFH  learned they were in for a real doozy as soon as they started. Right from the start, there were steep stairs that were never ending. There was never a horizontal path, as the hike was directly up the mountain with minimal switchbacks.

Here are some quick facts about the Grouse Grind:

Length: 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles)
Elevation Gain: 853 meters (2,800 feet)
Base: 274 meters above sea level (900 feet)
Summit: 1,127 meters (3,700 feet)
Total Stairs: 2,830

To say the hike was exhausting would be an understatement. As we dragged ourselves up the natural staircase, we were surrounded by all the locals. I personally was passed by elderly, children, and even moms carrying babies. I’m not sure what that says about my athleticism, but the hike was definitely a challenge. There was no going back once we passed the quarter distance marker. The staircases progressively got steeper as the hike went on, to the point where we needed to get on our hands and knees to pull ourselves up. Dripping with sweat and fighting for air, everyone could feel the burn with every step.

Not surprisingly, the first to finish the hike was Coach Cox with an impressive time of approximately 45 minutes. Cory came in second at around 50 minutes followed by Assistant Coach Lauren with another sub-hour time. The whole team got up the mountain in less than 1.5 hours. The process itself was grueling and little fun, but was definitely made worth it by the views that the top provided. At the top of Grouse Mountain, we were able to get a panoramic view of Vancouver with it’s surrounding body of water and mountains. Along with the sites, there were many more activities to do at the top. The team got to view the wildlife refuge, which housed orphaned bears and wolves. We also caught some of the lumberjack show, which consisted of hillbilly styled actors doing tricks with axes and logs. Cory and Ashlee took advantage of the mountain zip lining too. The team was able to complete some filming for our upcoming music video (mentioned in the first post) and take some fun team pictures with the landscape. Thankfully we took the gondola down the mountain and were able to appreciate the impressive mountain that we had just climbed.

The team on top of Grouse Mountain overlooking Vancouver

We had a couple hours free before our late game, so the team grabbed lunch and relaxed. Some girls ventured into Gastown to see some of the city and do some shopping, while others took advantage of the hotel’s sauna/hot tub to relax and assuage their soreness.

After an early dinner, the team headed to the field for our final game against the Vancouver Hawks. Already sore from the morning hike, the team tried to pick up the pace in the warm up and give it their all in the final game. The Hawks provided great competition and were quick on their feet. HCFH kept up with their pace and took numerous shots on goals. Knowing we would have the next three days off to rest, Haverford refused to go out without a fight. The game would end in a loss, but Haverford had succeeded in finishing in the goal and playing through our fatigue. All the strenuous activities of this past week finally took their toll on HCFH and by the end of the game we were wiped out. Holding our heads high, Haverford left the field proud of all our hard work this week and looked forward to what preseason has in store for us. Knowing we are going into preseason more fit and united, HCFH can only get better from here!

Tomorrow we leave for the airport and have the long travel home to Haverford. Thank you for following our travels in Vancouver and I hope everyone gets the chance to come out and support us during our 2012 season! Go Fords!

Speaking of thank you’s, the team wants to give a quick shout out to our faithful bus driver, Paul! Thank you Paul for your witty comments and continual support! We hope we’ve converted you to a field hockey fan! We wouldn’t be going anywhere without you….literally!

After yoga, the team got breakfast and headed out to the suspension bridge. The suspension bridge wasn’t the only attraction, as we got to walk on some mild trails. We all made sure to document the walk to the –nth degree and take a plethora of team photos. At the end of one walk, we came upon a natural pool. Bridget Gibbons and Mary Hobbs, the only brave souls on the team, dove into the pool and after no more than 3 seconds they sprinted out of the water shocked by how cold the water was. Near the pool, Coach Cox gave the team different team bonding exercises for us to complete all of which included standing on different sized rocks. Attempting to work together, the team had to complete exercises quickly, like ordering ourselves tallest to shortest or from youngest to oldest. After hiking to overlook the some falls, the end of the walk required us to walk up a couple flights of stairs, which not only left us sore, but also terrified for the next day, which included a hike on ‘nature’s natural stair master.’

The Suspension Bridge

Team Photo Op on the Nature Walk

The Natural Pool

A view from the trails

The team arrived back at the hotel with more than enough time before our game. Everyone broke off to get their own lunch and then had a couple hours to spare. Some girls took this time to do shopping, while others fell face first into their pillow and attempted to catch up on some much needed sleep. I know I can speak for the team when I say that all of these activities this week have left us exhausted and sore.

Around 4 PM, the team left for the field for our game. We headed to a new field that had a beautiful landscape of Vancouver’s skyline and mountain range overlooking it. Every field we have encountered thus far has been water based, which means that every hour or so sprinklers turn on all around the field and spray the whole turf down with water. The wet turf is both cooler and allows for the ball to move at a much faster pace.

With a solid warm-up, HCFH took the field against Vancouver’s Jokers. The Jokers was made up of veteran players that provided great competition. While the game would end in a loss for Haverford, it illuminated important skills that needed to be worked on during preseason that could only make us better. It is always exciting to play a good team that pushes us and each player held their own throughout the whole game. This trip has truly been a learning experience and playing the Jokers was definitely a step in the right direction.

The view of Vancouver from the field

The whole crew after our game against the Jokers

The Jokers invited us to their club house for dinner. The club house, situated in Stanley Park, was directly on the water and overlooked the city and local marina. HCFH chowed down on some burgers and had a few laughs while we sat on the club house’s dock. We also got the chat with the other team and compare notes on field hockey and every day doings. At the end of dinner, the coach of the Joker’s presented the captains with a team jersey to commemorate the game and thanked us for the competition.

The Joker's Club House

The view of Vancouver at night from the club house

When we arrived back to the hotel, the players quickly showered and headed up to the roof of the hotel to have a quick nosh and enjoy the view of the city at night before heading to bed. Tomorrow the team takes on the much anticipated Grouse Mountain and our final game against the Vancouver Hawks. From everyone we have talked to, Grouse Mountain, or nature’s natural Stairmaster, will be challenging, but hopefully worth it due to the breathtaking views it provides!

Today the team took a break from field hockey and instead enjoyed some of the natural surroundings Canada has to offer. But before we could do that, the team underwent some early conditioning.

With a team jog to the waterfront, we arrived back at the same park from the first day. We quickly stretched and then turned our attention to Coach Cox and Cory to find out what was in store for us. For the team conditioning, the coach staff planned out 6 stations that each involved intense workouts to complete ranging from wheelbarrow runs (harder than you think, I promise), mountain climbers, 5-10-5 sprints, and squats. In teams of three, we spent 2 minutes at each station pushing ourselves and our teammates to give it their all in their sets. After going through each rotation twice, we found out that there was still more running to be done! I could hear it in my head, just like an infomercial – “But wait, there’s more!” We were shown a whole new rotation with drills like bear crawls, pyramid sprints, up-hill running, and burpies. Once again, after two rotations the team finished, drained and sore. The Vancouver residents walking around us must have thought we were crazy as they passed by girls crawling around in circles at 8 AM.

We rushed back to the hotel for a quick breakfast and grabbed our bathing suits for whitewater rafting on the Chilliwack River. The drive was around 2 hours, but we passed the time watching an all-time favorite rom-com “Never Been Kissed.” We arrived at the site a little early, so the team jumped on a nearby beach volleyball court and started playing a game. We came to the conclusion our athleticism would be better spent on the hockey field after we discovered that our volleyball skills were  subpar. Finally, we were called in for a delicious lunch provided by the rafting services before we suited up and headed out.

The first challenge of our whitewater rafting trip was fitting into our wetsuits. Each girl was provided a wetsuit that took blood, sweat, and tears to put on. Girls were rolling on the ground to pull it up while others waddled around trying to fit their legs in. The skin tight suit was necessary though for the cold water we were about to encounter. The rest of our outfit included a skintight wetsuit jacket, a life jacket, helmet, and booties. We knew immediately knew the wetsuits were bad when one of the guides looked at us and said, “These things are terrible, eh?”

Once we were all dressed to go one, of the head leaders gave the group a spiel on the different types of rapids we could choose. One tour was the ‘classic,’ which included type 2 rapids and some 3’s. The other choice was the ‘canyon tour’ that included almost all type 4 rapids and could only be done by athletic-type people. With trepidation from a few, the team finally decided that the canyon tour was for us. We all got onto a school bus and drove to the starting site.

Before we could enter the water, one of the tour leaders gave us an in-depth overview of the safety protocol. The way the guide explained the ride basically made it sound like we were destined for either broken bones or death. Basically left terrified, the team buckled up and entered our rafts to begin our tour. Piling in, we were taught commands from our group leaders such as forward paddle, left back, and move to the left side! Once we took off, we realized we were in for a lot of fun. From the beginning, there were great rapids that had us bouncing, turning, and soaking wet. Whenever we would get stuck on rocks, we had to maneuver around the raft to loosen ourselves. The paddling was tiring, but we had the instant gratification of continuous rapids to make the hard work worth it. Girls were thrown around the boat as we hit waves and were splashed in the face as we headed head first into rapids. The whole time we were able to embrace the surrounding greenery, as all around us were thick forests and high mountains. Lastly, the air was noticeably clean and the water was so clear and fresh!

View of the Chilliwack River

Halfway into our tour, we stopped on the side of the river and climbed up some rocks. From there, each person jumped around 20 feet off the rocks into the moving water. As soon as we got back to the surface, we swam to the side and grabbed the rocks for dear life. The water was cold, but definitely refreshing. It was such a thrill! After we all jumped twice, we got back into our rafts, continued down the rapids, and stopped once more for a quick snack of oranges. The tour ended on a major rapid and left us all satisfied.

Senior Bridget Gibbons Jumping

Senior Courtney Knill Jumping into the River

Through all the rapids, we did have some team members fall out of the rafts. The first to go was Megan Reilly. When looking out to the nearby raft, we got the sight of Megan being pulled back into the raft by her teammates after she was thrown out due to the rapids. Bryn Bissey and Bridget Gibbons both fell out too. At the end of the tour on the last rapid, Cory was the last to go as the huge final rapid threw him out. With all these overboards, you can tell how strong these rapids were.

At the end of the tour, we piled onto the bus, went back to base, and changed our clothing. Everyone was completely drained and exhausted when we headed back into the city for dinner. Tomorrow we have yoga, led by Cory’s fiancee Ashlee, a hike over a suspension bridge, and a game against the Vancouver Jokers.

The whole gang after our rafting tour

"Now, FLEX!"

Jericho Beach was surrounded by Vancouver’s diverse landscape. In one direction you could see the city’s surrounding mountain range while on the others you could see the city skyline of West Vancouver. After paddling for around 30 minutes, the team was given its first team bonding task that included making a starfish out of our boats. This may sound like an easy task, but it took us almost 10 minutes to finally get all of our boats in formation. Once all of our kayaks resembled a starfish rather than a highly mutated blob, we quickly broke apart and continued on our journey.

Kayaking for this long length of time was definitely tiring for our arms, but it did not stop us from fooling around in the least. From our ‘reckless driving’ of kayak bumper cars to continual splashing, we made sure to enjoy the team bonding and beautiful surroundings as we paddled. Some girls on the team even got to see a seal in the water as they paddled around. I must admit, I think the best prank pulled on the kayaking tour was done by myself and sophomore Brooke Kelly. We were in a double together and realized that without the kayak’s rudder in the water it was almost impossible to turn properly in the wavy sea water. Coming up close to Cory’s double, Brooke quickly lifted up his kayak’s rudder without him noticing and then the two of us sped away. After almost 5 minutes of Cory struggling with his turns and confusion with his pedal mechanics, senior Sarah Crist finally helped out him with his rudder. With tears of laughter running down our faces, we knew it was a mission well accomplished and hoped we wouldn’t be paying for this prank later.

A second team bonding exercise was given to the team as we were asked to line up to form a raft. Once all the boats were lined up, we were introduced to the game “piano keys race.” This game basically included two people getting out from their kayaks and racing around the line of kayaks. The first pair up was senior Mary Hobbs and junior Bryn Bissey. On their hands and knees, the two of them scooted around the line of kayaks.  Hobbs eventually won the race, but not before Bissey was dunked, as she fell between two separated kayaks. Other races included Sarah Crist versus Coach Cox, junior Megan Holt versus sophomore Jen DiMaria, and sophomore Catherine Aronowitz versus sophomore Sedona Murphy. The races left everyone winded and laughing, as the sight of everyone falling and clinging on for dear life was greatly amusing.

The last team bonding experience on our sea kayaking tour was a final race. We all lined up at the starting line and took off hoping to win. What we did not realize when starting this race was that (1) we were fighting against a very strong current and (2) the finish line was much further away than what we expected. A lot of us started the race off strong, but we quickly realized this ‘hidden conditioning’ was going to leave us drained. After what felt like forever, a bunch of us reached the finish line completely exhausted with numb arms. With our desire for kayaking quenched, the team headed back onto shore and said our goodbyes to our group leaders before handing back to the hotel for lunch.

Our afternoon consisted of conditioning and our last clinic. We found out earlier that day that our conditioning for the day was…THE RUN TEST! The news may have ruined our appetite for lunch, but we all manned up and went into the test with a positive attitude. We drove to the field for our conditioning and when we arrived we found out we would be starting our conditioning with some speed and agility runs, just the sprinkles on top of our run test. After Cory ran us through the warm up and quick agility sprints, we took the field for our run test. Twenty minutes later the test was over and the results were overwhelmingly positive. There was a lot of visible improvement giving the team a huge surge of confidence heading into pre-season next week.  From the continuous words of encouragement, one could also tell there was strong team camaraderie. With the conditioning out of the way, the team was able to focus on our final clinic led by Thea and Michelle. After two hours of hard play, the team left it all on the field and headed back to the hotel tired with a feeling of accomplishment.

For dinner the team headed out to a local restaurant named Yaletown Brewery. The team and the entire coaching staff enjoyed a meal together relaxing and looking forward to the next day that included white water rafting on the Chilliwak River.

After our team dinner in Yaletown

After meeting on campus early Saturday morning, the team set out to the Philadelphia airport. While taking off from Philly went off without a hitch, a small hurdle was encountered when we were informed that there would be a delay in our transfer in Houston. Quickly turning this negative into a positive, the team embarked on its first team bonding experience of creating a team music video to the mash up song of “Rumor Has It/Someone Like You.” Everyone has been involved in the video, including the coaching staff and [surprisingly] Cory Walts. Be expecting greatness when the final cut is released. Moreover, while waiting in the Houston airport the team was put through the movement screen test by the coaching staff. Imagine the sight of seventeen girls of doing pushups and squats in the middle of the airport. Just a casual day in the life of a HCFH player…

Our first day in Vancouver began with an early rise and a ‘steady tempo run’ a la Cory. We started the run at our hotel and continued it along the bay waterfront giving us a beautiful picture of the city. While we were sprinting to keep up with Coach and Cory, we were given our first opportunity to scout out the city and what it has to hold. To finish up our morning warm-up, Cory stretched us out as we overlooked the bay.

After a quick breakfast, the team set out on our afternoon adventure around the city. We were given around four hours to explore the city and began so by walking towards the Granville Mall area. Splitting off into separate groups, half of the team headed to Stanley Park while the other half made their way to Sunset Beach. Stanley Park, a major park in the northern section off the city, contains hiking and biking paths juxtaposed to gorgeous mountains in the background. Other sites the team encountered ranged from Yaletown to the Gastown Steam Clock, while the coaching staff checked out the Granville Markets that included street performers and small shops.

Something fun to mention is our hotel’s proximity to the 2010 Winter Olympic Stadium. A lot of the girls came into the trip wanting to see the Olympic stadium and were pleasantly surprised when we saw that our hotel is directly across from it! Even from our hotel windows, we overlook the looming stadium that glows a bright blue at night. The Olympic village for the athletes was also pointed out to us, giving the team a good context of the Olympics’ influence on the city. Even with the summer games winding down, we are still surrounded by the images of the Olympic rings throughout the city!

At 3 p.m. the team boarded the bus all dressed and ready to go for our first clinic session. We were introduced to Thea Cully, a member of the Canadian national squad, who ran the session. The team underwent the first Walts warm up specialty of the season updated with all the new stretches for the year. With the help of the tour leader Michelle, Thea led the team through drills to get our sticks and minds back into the game. The field hockey field itself was in an idyllic position, situated right between the waterfront and the mountains. With the smell of salt water close by, the team practiced for around an hour and a half before our game against the Vancouver hockey club team, Fury.

Club Fury, decked out in purple uniforms, was a team of mixed ages, ranging from early twenties to late thirties. Coach set our goals for the game, including getting accustomed to playing hockey together as a team and just have fun. In our first game together for over three months, the Haverford field hockey team took the field and excelled. We made strong passing combinations down the field and had great communication throughout. The whole team was fluid, as each player was continually moved around to different positions and playing systems. I must give a shout out to defender Christie Quake for breaking a girl on the other team’s nose midway through the game. But hey, that’s what the Canadian socialized health care is for, right? We won our first game with a 5-0 score and exchanged gifts with the opposing team. After being warmed down by the Cory Walts, we headed back onto the bus and to the hotel for dinner.

One thing I have been surprised with so far is how many proper field hockey fields I have passed in the city. While most people expect to see basketball courts or soccer fields, I have actually seen three fields (and more to come) scattered around the city, all of which have been lined solely for the purpose of field hockey. I did not expect field hockey to be a big sport in Canada, but so far I have been proven wrong. Also, the stereotype of the ‘nice Canadian’ has been proven true over and over again.

Tomorrow the team has sea kayaking and another clinic with Thea Cully in store! Can’t wait!

On our last day in Argentina we had our last practice with Pablo! We worked on defense for an hour and a half. We then thanked Pablo and presented him with a gift. He told us that he believes we will be very successful this year because we work so hard together. We rode the bus back to the hotel for some last minute packing and showering.

We then rode our bus to a buffet restaurant where everyone loaded up on food before the long trip ahead. We stopped at one of the largest malls outside Buenos Aires on the way to the airport and did some shopping for ourselves and family members before heading to the airport for our flight. Many of the girls bought clothes from stores only found in Argentina thus, creating a one of a kind style for our team!

On our final leg of the trip to the airport we passed a truck full of cows at a toll booth. Everyone laughed hysterically because Coach Jenn Rauscher claimed throughout the trip that statistically we see one everyday of our lives. We actually managed to see at least two a day the entire trip so you can imagine the laughter when we saw a truck full of cows.

We finally got on our flight to Atlanta at around 8:30 pm that night and headed home! We hugged and kissed Silvina and Carolina goodbye and thanked them for everything! They were such wonderful guides!

We had a team run this morning and a lift with Strength and Conditioning Coach Cory Walts. We anticipate the our first practice on our new turf will be this evening!

Our first season game is this Saturday versus Stevens Tech. We are playing in a tournament at Stevens. On Sunday we will also play Arcadia before heading home to begin the school year at Haverford. Everyone is very confident that what we learned in Argentina will translate to a successful season. However, as Coach Quinn always reminds us, “Success does not come to you, you GO TO IT!” and we most certainly will!

Thanks for following our blog this last week! Come out and support our team this season at our new turf at Swan Field!

We played the girls of the St. Catherine´s Moorlands School team ( you can visit their website from the link on this blog). They were good competition but, we played hard and proved that we had learned so much in Argentina. After our game we headed back to the hotel and showered. We had some more spare time before dinner. A majority of the team ventured back to the artisans´ market next to the Hard Rock Cafe where we had been the day before. We ate dinner at Locos Para Futbol. It´s a restaurant on the corner across from our hotel. The atmosphere was fun. We watched several different soccer games on the big screens at the restaurant. Some of the girls purchased commemorative Argentine olympic soccer jersies. While we were at the restaurant Roxy Jaffe and Josie Ferri befriended some of the waiters who were serving us. They were really friendly and even offered to show us around the city. But, with a big day ahead of us we all headed back to our room to get some rest.

This morning we ate breakfast and boarded the bus for our clinic with Pablo at CCBA.  We had an excellent session. Everyone was working hard and applying the new techniques we had learned over the week. Everything seems to be coming together.

After practice we boarded the bus for our community service activity at the Maria Nuestra School. The school was not too far from St. Catherine´s. We really enjoyed our time at the school. We met and spoke English with a wide age group of students. Most of them were 15 or 16 years of age but, we also spoke with younger girls and boys who were 12 and 13. They were all so friendly and welcoming. We talked about our favorite music, movies, where we are from, what we like to do in our spare time and our favorite subjects in school.

Afterwards we ate lunch in the school cafeteria. We headed out to the field to run a field hockey clinic with the school´s team. The girls were skilled but in desperate need of equipment and good coaching. We played warm-up games with them and then played seven vs. seven. We had so much fun this afternoon. The girls on the team were so sweet.

After the clinic at Maria Nuestra we headed back home to get ready for an evening of tango lessons and a perfomance. We had some spare time for some last minute shopping before we left for tango. We had an hour long tango lesson. It was so much fun! Everyone paired up and learned the steps. Our tango teachers were very serious but, we definitely have the steps down. We are just about ready for a debut performance upon our return to Haverford! Afterwards we entered a ballroom and sat down for a really tasty meal and a tango peformance. The dancers were amazing. Their costumes were so elaborate and beautiful. There were also several musical interludes by an even greasier version of Ray Liotta and his female counterpart. By the end of the night we were exhausted. We headed back to the hotel and hit the sack.

Our last day in Argentina is tomorrow! What a wonderful way to spend a majority of preseason. We´ve really got to know each other. It´s been an amazing experience. We have learned so much in such a short period of time. Everyone is trying to cram all the hockey tips into their brain in order to make this experience even more valuable upon our return.

We have our last practice tomorrow and then we head to the airport and back to Haverford! Upon our arrival we will be greeted by our gorgeous new turf field. We are incredibly excited to play on Swan Field this fall! This season is sure to be unforgettable!

We were also shocked to learn upon boarding the ferry that the ride would be three hours long. This was because on the way there we opted for a slower ferry and first class accomodations. We rode in style on the high sea! Everyone was commenting on how nice it would be if we could travel like this on our flights to and from Buenos Aires. We found ways to pass the time on the ride. Some of the girls cought up on sleep or read while the rest of us played our new favorite game Contact!

We arrived in Colonia around noon and promptly boarded a bus with our local guide. We ate lunch with other large groups touring Colonia for the day at a local cafeteria. We ate a variety of salads and appetizers and had the omnipresent meal of steak or chicken for the main course.

Afterwards we toured Colonia by bus. We saw the ruins of buildings constructed by Portuguese and Spanish occuppiers of Colonia. We also passed a very old bull ring. However, our tour guide told us that Uruguay has since banned bull fighting because of animal rights concerns.

We got off the bus to do a quick walking tour and visited the oldest church in Uruguay. We walked along the cobblestone streets and beautifully colored stucco buildings. We had some free time to shop. There were plenty of stores owned by local artisans. Girls purchased a wide variety of decorative items and clothing and maybe even some gifts for family members!

We boarded the bus and headed back to the port to catch the ferry back to Buenos Aires. This time we were assured that the ride would be much quicker. We arrived in B.A. only an hour later.

I´m writing this post with the free time we have between now and dinner. Some of the girls went in groups to explore the local artisan market. Dinner is at the Hard Rock Cafe tonight so we will be sure to get a taste of home! Tomorrow we are playing hockey all day and we are all looking forward to it. I´m pretty sure that everyone is addicted to this team by now! We can´t get enough of playing with each other!

Practice was great! It was so much fun. We met our Argentine coach Pablo. He has a lot of experience with the field hockey circuit in Argentina. He has played for the Argentine Men´s National team in both the Barcelona (´92) and Atlanta (´96) Olympics. He is currently the head coach of the Men´s U21 National Team. He was so sweet, energetic and patient. He spoke very broken English but, our Spanish speaking teammates helped to translate.

We worked on our creativity with the ball. We practiced a variety of ways to lift the ball, fake a pass on the move and dribble in the air. We played a fun four vs. four continuous game. Everyone was really excited and into the drill.

After practice we ate lunch at the club and hopped on the bus for a quick trip down the road to the Secretario de Deportes. This is one of the national facilities for government sponsored teams. We watched Pablo run practice with the U21 National Men´s team. It was incredibly intense. These boys were sick. We all “ooood” and “awwwed” at their incredible skills. I´m sure they didn´t mind pretty and smart Haverford girls as their spectators.

Afterwards we traveled to our first game. It was at another club about 30 minutes outside the city. Everyone was excited to finally play against competition. But, these girls were well beyond competition. They were the Argentine U18 Women´s National team. Several Olympic hopefuls suited up for them. Having never really played a full game together since arriving for preseason, this was definitely a learning experience. We had a lot of fun and afterwards we gave the Argentine girls our old Haverford jerseys and patches purchased from the College bookstore. We hugged and kissed the girls as is customary and took a team photo with them.

We boarded the bus back to the city. For dinner we went around the corner to a local chain pizza restaurant.

This morning we left for practice at nine. We met Pablo at CCBA and had an hour and a half morning clinic and practice. Pablo worked with our tentative offensive corner unit. We practiced our drag pushes out to the top of the circle. We had a stopper and a hitter practicing their corner skills as well. The rest of the team worked with Coach on possession, passing and communication in several drills over on another of the fabulous turf fields at CCBA. We all joined up towards the end to work on some more drills.

After practice we left Buenos Aires and traveled to a ranchero to ride horses with authentic guachos (cowboys). While waiting in line to ride the horses we befriended a high school boys rugby team visiting from Scotland. We tried to play rugby with them but we were cut short by the necessity of lunch. We ate a traditional Argentine meal which included potato salad, cabbage salad and a variety of sausages as well as hunks of steak and chicken. We ate in a large dining hall on the ranch with a wide variety of other tour groups from all over the world including Australia and Canada. We watched a brief tango performance and boarded the bus to our game vs. a U18 team from CCBA.

Our game went more smoothly than the day before but, we still were trying to work out some of the kinks in our playing. The girls we played were talented but, we managed to score one goal on them from Zoe Lloyd and maintained possession for a significant portion of the game. Afterwards we presented them with our old uniforms and patches. They also swapped some of their jerseys for Haverford t-shirts and sweatshirts which many of our girls were excited about!

After the game, we headed back to the hotel and went out to dinner at Matias Restaurant and Irish Pub down the street from the Recoleta cemetary we visited the day before.

Tomorrow, on our day off, we are taking a day trip to Colonia, Uruguay! Look for a brief post on our excursion out of the country!