Monday, July 26, 2010
A great day in York...
...No, not York Pennsylvania, but York, England. The Brits had the day off while the American kids, coaches and chaperones boarded an early bus north to York to see an amazing city filled with many sites of years gone by. We began with a walking tour of the walled city, followed by the guided, gruesome tour of York dungeon where the kids were scared out of their wits while learning about the dark side of the medieval England. It was followed by the various groups picnicking on the garden grounds and then having some free time for shopping and sightseeing. Highlights of purchases? The boys had a great time buying, among other things, a ukelele, a sword (which will be checked in baggage on the way home!), a sugar pig, teas, and gifts. The girls came back with packages filled with lots of, well, clothing. (This blogger happened to find a red purse to go with all of my black clothing...shocker.) The kids all had quite a fun time walking the streets and browsing the shops. The bus ride home was filled with chatter about the great day, and it was fun to see all of the new friendships blossoming. the children went home with lots of fun sleepovers and other fun plans with the host families, while the adults enjoyed an amazing Pimm's Party -- a wonderful English tradition that continues the enormous hospitality we have all been receiving since we've been here.
Tomorrow will be a late start following a welcomed lazy morning with the host families, followed by matches with WACS (ironically pronounced WAX) for the boys and a surprise match and warmup for the girls. More later.
Tomorrow will be a late start following a welcomed lazy morning with the host families, followed by matches with WACS (ironically pronounced WAX) for the boys and a surprise match and warmup for the girls. More later.
Another US Sweep...
In another day of matches, the Maryland Express Lacrosse team goes 3 - 0. The girls played Wirral and won with a score of 18 - 11, with offense playing defense and defenders going to the cage to score during the second half for a truly fun experience! The Timperley girls were in full force cheering on our girls, shouting "USA! USA!" at many times during the game. VC even ran the American flag up and down the sidelines at various times during the match! Afterward, the girls and families were treated to a lovely lunch inside the Wirral club, with great gifts for all the American players.
In boys' action, it was another day of great games. MD Express U16s started slowly as Brookfields jumped to a quick 2 - 0 lead, but our boys chipped away at it to even the score to 5 all in the third quarter. MD Express then went on a 6 goal run to make it 11 to 5 by the end of the third quarter. Brookfields closed it to 11 to 10 at the game became physical, and a goal with two minutes to go clinched the 12 to 10 victory!
The U14 team also won...more details to follow!
One of the most challenging things is becoming familiar with international rules. For the boys, you are not allowed to send on a substituted until the departing player has left the field. Personal fouls are non-releasable, even after a goal has been scored. On the girls' side, the referees are not calling shooting space or empty stick checks. It's been interesting!!
Last evening, all children and coaches went on a "ghost tour" of Manchester with a very entertaining tour guide. The kids got to see the sights of Manchester (and learn a bunch, without even realizing it!), and saw the location of scenes from the Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter films. It culminated with a great dinner at Wegamamas, where the kids ate edamame, Japanese noodles and potstickers. Talk about international relations! All arrived home safely by train.
We are currently getting ready for our day trip to York. All is well!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
More matches on the pitch...
Getting ready to go to the matches this morning. The girls are travelling to Wirral, with the boys going to Brooklands. We'll be going to the Manchester Ghost tour later tonight. Postings later. All is well in England!!!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
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