What day is it?

Sometimes we lose track of what day it is when we are on tour since it doesn't really matter. It is Monday evening and we have only 3 more days in Salta. We have had 3 test matches against the fierce Argentinians and have been very close to beating them on their home ground. The fan base is greater than you could imagine! Everywhere we go, people know we are the USA (field) hockey team and we are asked for photos and autographs. At the games, the stands are packed with people cheering and dancing to the music that is blasting out of the 7-speaker system set up at the end of the field. We can never again complain about good, loud pre-game pump-up jams! They have it mastered.

On our off day today, we got to take a 2-hour tour of the city. A bus took us around the city center to catch a close up glimpse of the museums, churches, and parks. There was no roof on the bus which made it nice and easy to take lots of photos. Luckily it wasn't raining, though it looked as if it could at any moment. We made it to the bottom of a small mountain where we got on a gondola that took us to the top.

From there, we could see all of Salta!

The city was much bigger than it felt from down below. After taking some good photos, we headed back down and onto the bus to return to the hotel for lunch.

After training, we got to enjoy dinner in a restaurant away from the hotel. It is always nice to have these outings so we can truly enjoy the culture and food of the country. The choices were meat, chicken, pasta, or fish. At the end of dinner, dessert came out but only the meat eaters got ice cream and everyone else got fruit. There was a loud protest from Sara Silvetti that we could hear from the other end of the table... I think she wanted the ice cream. During dinner, there were two guys that played the guitar and the drums and sang their own Argentinian music that they had written. You could tell they really loved entertaining and got us involved in the acts. Katie Evans got to learn some of the dances and Sarah Dawson even played the drums at one point, not very well though - I think everyone would agree...

Tomorrow is another opportunity to beat Argentina so it is off to bed!
from Salta...

Bienvenidos a Argentina!

Hola from Salta, Argentina!
After 36 hours of travel, we finally made it to Salta, Argentina where we'll play 5 test matches against Argentina's National Team, including Aymar. Some of you might have met Luciana Aymar at the Festival in California this past November. She was named last year's Women's Player of the Year. Tonight is our first test match.

Before we left for Argentina, there has been a flurry of activity on the KaPow front. On Sunday, we kicked-off the KaPow Indoor Hockey Klub, set in Northeastern, PA. The turnout was amazing from all age groups and we hope everyone enjoyed themselves as we had the chance to meet players and parents and play some hockey.

We departed for the airport mid-day on Monday for Argentina. The flight was a 10 hour overnight one from Washington, D.C. to Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the first time I had seen the team since February, so there was a lot to catch up on including the wedding of Tiff Snow, a center forward for the US team. She got married on the beach and wore sandals! Sounded like a picture-book wedding.

We had a 9 hour layove in Buenos Aires, so we left the airport for a sports club and had lunch, worked out, showered, relaxed, and got on the internet. They served us amazing vegetables-grilled eggplant, zucchini, butternut squash, and then all sorts of beef. It was good to stay awake for those hours so we weren't too jet-lagged once we arrived. The next flight out of Buenos Aires wasn't until 7 p.m. and we arrived into Salta at 9. The Argentinian team was with us on the fligth and on our arrival, there was media present to greet their team. It wasn't until midnight that we finally got settled into our rooms and went to bed for the night. What a day.. or two!

Yesterday was our first full day here. We had two trainings to get used to the turf. The bugs are bad here, so they gave us all a bottle of bug spray for the week. I used it for both trainings, but was unable to escape a few. So we spray bug spray and sunscreen on us before training! Who would have thought? We are staying in a very nice hotel with Wi-Fi internet, which is such a treat in other countries. We feel very spoiled when wireless internet is not available. The food is also very good. Beef is a very popular dish, so each night we have a peice of steak. For breakfast, the milk is not cold so it is a little difficult to eat cereal. Just a little different than what we're used to! But when we're here, it feels almost natural to eat and drink their foods... almost.

Today is our first game, so we have a couple of meetings and an activity to spike our heart rates. It's scientifically proven to be better for it once the game comes around, so we do a little jog and a couple of short sprints to get ready for the game. We'll let you know how the first one goes!
Chau! (goodbye in Argentinian Spanish).

Back in the States! Part 2

Today was my first day back in the States. It has been a crazy, fun, long 2 months!
Like Lauren, I was in Australia playing in their Hockey League for the state of Tasmania. The weather was much like the spring in PA - cool, rainy, and sunny. Unfortunately, our team lost to Lauren's so we ended up in last place for the season. I learned a lot of new skills and got a lot of game play so all-in-all it was a great hockey experience. Also, I made some new friends along the way!

The city of Hobart was a quiet place to be, but very beautiful. Mt. Wellington was the backdrop to a beautiful city along the wharf. Quaint cafes, restaurants, and shops lined the streets and on Saturdays tents filled the streets, selling everything from fresh food to jewelry to ugg boots. Did you know that Australians call ALL fur lined boots uggs, regardless of the "brand"? I found that interesting as well as some other Aussie terms. For example, a sweatshirt is a "jumper" and everybody is a "mate" to everybody even if they're not!

We (Sara Silvetti - U.S. National Team Member) were given a car to borrow for our 6 weeks in Hobart, so we frequented the gym, the cafes, and did some touristy day trips. One of the trips we did was a hike to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (quoted by some tourist magazine) - Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park. It was a perfect half moon beach that opens to the ocean and just a beautiful sight to see! Photos to come :) It was interesting and challenging to drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but we reminded each other "stay left" and were successful the entire trip. I am more worried about driving on the "right" side of the road again. In 30 minutes of driving today, I used my windshield wipers to make turns and had to think out loud "stay le-.., RIGHT"! So look out for a mint green Prius! JUUUst Kidding :)

Lauren and I will be in Wilkes-Barre this weekend to organize and kick-off the start of our Indoor Hockey Klub and then we are off to Argentina to play 5 test matches. So until then, enjoy the nice weather (if you're in PA)!
-Kayla

Back in the States!

After about two months of the most traveling I have ever done, I finally stepped foot on American soil again.  Looking back at it all, I wouldn't take one second of it back, even if I did have to travel for a total of 37 hours to get from Melbourne to Amsterdam!   

I was privileged enough to play in the Australian Hockey League and help Darwin to a 7th place finish, yes that might only be one place better than last, but we did end on a good last game at least!   I got to travel to Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney, and Melbourne.....such an amazing country.  Next time I go, I am definitely going to have to rent a Wicked Camper and drive the entire country!  

My next adventure lead me to Holland to help coach a U-16 team from San Diego in a club tournament.  We spent the first few days scrimmaging teams around Amsterdam, and then bused down to Valkenswaard, where we took on some of the best in the country.  Our girls held strong and taught me a thing or two about persistence.  

Now it is back to reality, I am here in San Diego practicing this week and then off to Argentina to compete against some of the world's best!

That's all for now!

Lauren