Field Hockey in Buenos Aires

We arrived back safely yesterday afternoon after a long flight from Argentina to Atlanta and Atlanta to Newark. Luckily our bus did not break down on the way back!

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.

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Yesterday we woke up early to our usual breakfast of tea, coffee, fresh orange and grapefruit juices, muffins and croissants. We took a bus ride that was longer than usual out to St. Catherine´s Moorlands School. This is the school and hockey team where Silvina Corvalan, one of our many Argentine hockey experts, coaches. In the morning we worked with Pablo on receptions and passing. After our session we ate lunch at the school. We stayed at the school and had another half session with Pablo and Coach Quinn. We practiced until about a half an hour before our game. Read the rest of this entry »

This morning we woke up earlier than usual to catch the ferry to Colonia, Uruguay. We met at 7:45am in the lobby after a quick breakfast of croissants from a local bakery. We boarded the bus to take us to the port. After a receiving our tickets, we got in line for customs and immigration. Everyone found it funny that we got a stamp for leaving the country and entering Uruguay even though it was only a few hours by ferry and for a day.

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Yesterday we had our first practice at Club Ciudad Buenos Aires (CCBA) not too far from our hotel. Everyone woke up feeling refreshed from a good night´s sleep and ready to play some hockey. The club is very large. It houses not only field hockey but, facilities for swimming, tennis and golf. There is also a club house restaurant where we ate lunch after our practice.

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After leaving for Newark Airport yesterday morning we encountered something unexpected. Everything was going well as we rode along the highway to our final destination. As we rounded the ramp towards the airport less than a mile away we heard a loud pop. Coach Quinn said, “It really felt like we were coasting down that ramp just now.” The bus driver pulled the bus over to check the tires and instead determined that the belt of the bus had broken and he would be unable to steer the bus to the airport. We were less than a mile away from the Delta terminal. The coaches scrambled quickly to their cell phones to get the situation under control. This was one situation in which Coach would definitely not need to “roll with the punches” as she would in Argentina. Read the rest of this entry »

We began preseason just yesterday and already we are off to a great start. Yesterday morning (at 6 am!!!) we ran our timed miles and tested our pro-agility and 20 yard dash. We also tested our one rep max for the bench and squat in the weight room with our strength and conditioning coach, Cory Walts. Everyone did very well and I think we all have high hopes for the season.

After breakfast, we practiced for two hours at the Haverford School. We worked on skills such as passing, dribbling, and “shaving,” a technique that eliminates the defense. It was a good first practice but, I think everyone was a little nervous.

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This August training camp will have a different feel for the Haverford College field hockey team. Instead of going through gruesome practices in the humid summer temperatures, the Fords will prepare for the season and get some South American culture on a nine-day trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

NCAA rules allow participating teams to make a trip abroad once every four years. Haverford will be making the trip through ZAG Hockey, which specializes in field hockey trips for college teams.

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