Skip to main content

Jumping Back on the Horse

The sun woke me up this morning. Yup - my phone died in the middle of the night leaving me alarm-less; I had to rely on the good ole California sunshine to awaken me from my peaceful slumber. But I'm not complaining - I mean, it could be worse, like New jersey worse.

Anyway, I am pretty excited. We jumped back on the horse today, getting back to business on the hockey pitch (and the weight room, ughhh) with our first official training of the New Year. Following a short training, we had a team meeting about what to expect over the next year. We set a task for ourselves that is achievable in February - QUALIFICATION for the 2010 World Cup. It will be quite a formidable task, nevertheless one we are fully capable of attaining.

So with our preparation underway, we will test ourselves immediately as we host Olympic Champions Holland in Chula Vista next week. It will be a great opportunity to measure up against the best in the world.

Personally, I am incredibly excited about hosting the Dutch on American soil. I have spent the last three months in Den Haag, Netherlands playing with Klein Switzerland (Little Switzerland). I have learned a great deal playing in the Dutch league and I am eager to see if it transfers into my play for the USA. Time will tell.

Speaking of time. It is bed time. As they say in Dutch, Slaap lekker.

xx rache

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Opening Ceremonies

Amazing. Fantastic. Exhilarating. Beautiful. Nothing I can write will do justice to what was the 2008 Opening Ceremonies. The Chinese have put on an incredible and extraordinary show; one that captivates the mind and enlivens the senses - its magnificence touches the very core of the human heart. Our opening ceremonies experience started early in the day @ 5:15 - and like most days here in Beijing, it was incredibly hot and humid. Dressed in our Gatsby-esque Polo outfits, the perspiration started immediately as we walked out of our building. Our first stop en route to the Birds Nest was at the Fencing Center where we mingled with other athletes and awaited the arrival of President Bush. It was amazing to be in a room filled with so many talented athletes. President Bush arrived with an entourage of people including his father President George H.W. Bush, his wife, First Lady Laura Bush, the Secretary of the Treasury, and many others...After making some remarks, the President min...

Out and About in the Village. . .

Good Evening, or should I say Good Morning. Regardless of the time of day, the news I have to share is exciting. First let me preface you with the fact that the village is thriving as new batches of athletes arrive daily. The chaos in the dining hall is a key indicator of the increase in athlete volume. In order to understand the capacity of the dining hall let me draw you a mental picture . . . combine 6 football fields (3 deep and 2 wide), then line the space with thousands upon thousands of tables, put in buffet style food stands and add one McDonalds café, and there you have the village dining hall. Needless to say, the dining hall is the prime location for socializing, culturizing, and simply people watching. Today, there was extra excitement at meal time as some big time athletes arrived - ehhh, maybe you have heard of Michael Phelps, or perhaps Roger Federer or how about Spanish tennis phenom, Rafael Nadal. Yes indeed, we saw all of them. What is so amazing to me is the...

One Point Ties

Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose; and three times we tied - and unfortunately, ties didn't give us the point total we needed to go through to the medal rounds. The tie to Great Britain left a bitter taste in my mouth - it was extremely disappointing not to get a result because we feel that we are fully competent of succeeding at this level. I believe we have proved that we can play with the best in the world - the next step is proving that we can beat the best (consistently). Tomorrow, we play Spain in the 7/8th classification match. This game will be a great opportunity to play a highly skilled and talented opponent; it is an opportunity to get a win against a quality side. And it will be our last opportunity to showcase USA Field Hockey in the 2008 Olympic Games. Go USA.