National Championships and National Team 2010

The past couple weeks have been crazy!! I got to spend a week at home training with the South team in preparations for National Championships which took place this past week in Virginia Beach. It was really nice to be at home and see my family because I hadn't seen them since April. Always nice to have a little time at home with loved ones! :)

Virginia Beach was a lot of fun though. We arrived Saturday (19th) for practice. It was quite hot, but team South was used to the heat and humidity since we had been practicing in it for months. The first game saw us head to head with Boston on Sunday. We were ready to start the tournament well and make a statement that the South was there to win. Although it wasn't the smoothest game, we got a solid 3-1 win and the 3 points we were looking for. There was no time for celebrating though because we had to turn around and play California at 9am the next morning. The South was ready for the challenge, with another 3-1 win.

Game 3 and the last game of pool play again Mid-Atlantic wasn't until Wednesday at 8pm. We had close to 3 days off. Needless to say, our team spent some nice time relaxing at the beach. Some of the parents were renting a beach house and they so graciously took care of us, including a CRAB FEAST on Tuesday evening! Wednesday morning was the USA soccer game vs. Algeria which was a must win to advance in the pool (we could relate). Roz Ellis, Caroline Blaum, and I watched intently as the minutes continued to pass without a goal in the game. As stoppage time approached, we all became very nervous and fidgety. As we all know, Landon Donovan came through with the late goal in stoppage time, and we all proceeded to celebrate like little kids in a candy store! Jumping up and down, running around the room, screaming, we felt as though we ourselves had scored!

Still pumped from the US game, we were ready to score our own Donovan-esque heroic style goal! We knew we were leading the pool, and needed a strong effort against Mid-Atlantic to keep our number one spot (they were right behind us at number 2 in the pool). In what seemed to be routine for the South, we went out and won the game 3-1 once again. In my opinion, that was our best performance of the tournament, even though we had a 2 hour lightning delay!! Our team was on the same page that night and it was not only fun to play, but fun to watch. It's amazing what you can do when everyone plays together.

After winning the pool, we were set up in the semi-finals against Pennsylvania on Friday who finished 2nd in the other pool. Unfortunately we didn't play quite as well as we had the previous game, and although it was a hard fought, close game, we ended up on the losing end. This was frustrating for our team because our goal was to win the whole tournament and we really wanted a shot at playing New Jersey who had won the other pool. But like true competitors, we showed up Saturday morning determined to go out with a win. We were facing Mid-Atlantic again and we knew they wanted a little revenge. Both teams fought through the exhaustion of a tough week, but we reigned victorious with a 5-2 win!

The best part of the day was that we finished early (of course with a win), but that we would be able to enjoy the whole US soccer game vs. Ghana! We meet at BW3 for some wings and soccer and a great atmosphere for the game. Although we yelled at the television and jumped up and down, unfortunately the US could not pull out another miracle goal to win the game. We still love their effort!

Finally, after all the games had concluded (including the final where New Jersey won a battle with PA 1-0) we had a banquet to honor all the teams, a retirement, and to announce the new National Squad for the upcoming year. First, I must mention that the one and only Melissa Leonetti retired from the team. She had an amazing career representing her country and will be greatly missed. I consider her a good friend and I will definitely miss playing with her! Best of luck to you in everything you do in the future Mel!! At last, the National Team was named. Although I have been on the team a few years, I still got the chills as soon as I heard my name called. It is such an amazing honor to play for the National Team and I am thankful for every opportunity that I get. On that note, there were a few new players named to the team, and I want to say a special welcome and congrats to those girls: Mel Brill, Jackie Kintzer, Melissa Gonzalez, Julia Reinprecht, Michelle Vitesse, and Paige Selenski.

Next up for the team: Training back in San Diego for a Tour to Spain and England at the end of July!! Keep following and supporting us!

CAL CUP and more

Hello everyone!

Sorry it's been a while since I last blogged. Our team has been all over the place the last few weeks!

At the end of the Argentina series, the team went it's separate ways, some returning back to California, and some staying on the East Coast for a little quality family time. For those of us that returned to California, we came back to the West Coast for a Memorial Day Weekend tournament called California Cup (better known as just Cal Cup) in Moorpark, CA. This tournament, as many of you know, has high school, social, mixed and a super division. Teams come from all of the United States, as well as from the world to play. Countries represented included: Canada, Mexico, Argentina, England, Scotland, Holland, Trinidad & Tobago, as well as the United States.

The team I played for, Rush'd, is based out of San Diego, CA and consisted of quite a few National Team players. In our super division, was a team comprised of the Mexican National Team, a team with Canadian National Team players, a club team from Canada, a club team from Argentina, and a few other American teams.

Before I explain more, I would like to thank the Langfords for allowing so many of us to stay with them for the weekend. It was very generous and I would not have wanted to stay anywhere besides Hotel Langford! On top of that, we were never lacking entertainment with Ryan, Rutger, Jazzy, and Michael as our house mates for the weekend!

The weekend ended on a high note for team Rush'd, taking down the club team from Argentina in the final game with a 2-0 win. Although we were still playing hockey and competing, Cal Cup was a nice change of pace for a lot of us because we were just playing for fun with no pressure on the outcome.

As we returned to San Diego for practice, the team began to split again, as many left to attend Keli Smith's in Virginia this past weekend. Another fun-filled weekend ensued! Congrats Kel!!

So, this week has left just 9 of us at practice before we all finally head off to our respective High Performance sites at the end of the week in preparation for National Championships. Although practices are a lot more intense (because we get a lot more reps in a short period of time), they are still fun, especially when we pull out the ball machine. (It is like a pitching machine where the coaches shoot balls at us). As you can imagine, it hurts if we mistrap the ball and get hit. So with that in mind, I'll leave you with the words of Nick Conway: "You don't need shinguards if you just trap the ball."

Expect the Unexpected

Although we are still in the United States, we are still on tour... and whenever we're on tour... we can expect the unexpected. Random things always seem to happen, someway, somehow.

Seeing that we are staying in the dorms here at American University, we all realized that our meals would be in one of the dining halls on campus. As we walked into "The Tavern" on Tuesday night for dinner we were informed that we were only allowed to have one thing off the menu (which included burgers, quesadillas, chicken fingers, and pizza). Most of us were starving at this point and were wondering first, how we were going to get enough to eat and second, if we were going to get any healthy food. Fortunately we worked out a way to get some pasta, deli sandwiches, some salads and fruit. Challenge number one: check.

We did get a break from the cafeteria food on Saturday though. Since most of our parents (and a lot of other friends and family too!) made it to the games on Saturday and Sunday, they organized a tailgate for us after the game on Saturday which was not only delicious, but reminded us that not everything that is unexpected is not bad. Plus we got dessert! :) Thanks parents!

Now, jump to Sunday night. Although we didn't get the results we had hoped from the weekend, and many of our friends and family had to leave to go back to work on Monday, we went to sleep excited to have a day off to let our bodies recover, to review the game film, and sight see a little bit in our nation's capital.

Monday: 4am. FIRE ALARM!!!
That's right. We got a bit of a rude awakening when the fire alarm decided to go off at 4am. As Maren and I sleepily stumbled from our room, we saw our coach, Lee, looking extremely confused standing in his boxers struggling with the door to his room. Come to find out he had a dream about his computer setting off the alarm, and in his rush to turn try to turn it off, he accidentally locked himself out of the room. Although we were all exhausted, we got a little chuckle out of the situation.

Even with random wake up calls, questionable meals, and a whole lot of free time on our hands, our team has always found a way to make the best of every situation, and even make them fun. We have learned to adapt and adjust, to control to things we can, and laugh about the things we can't.

But finally, I can't forget to mention the challenges that come along with playing Argentina, the number 2 team in the world. The real reason we are here. Every game brings new, exciting opportunities and obstacles. As we adapt to what Argentina throws at us, they too adjust to our game plan. We love this challenge. We thrive on it. We live for it.


"The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges." -Martin Luther King Jr.

"You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind" -Darwin P. Kingsley

Nation's Capital!

We have officially arrived in the Nation's Capital! After quite a long day's travel with a few delays here and there, we all safely arrived, including little Xavi (Keli Smith's little baby boy!).

As I sit here in the dorm room at American University, resting up and thinking about the first match tomorrow against Argentina, I can't help but think back to my college days. Remembering dorm life and game days of old. I can't help but think about my old roommate and my former teammates. I remember the amazing times we had and how everything that I went through at Wake Forest has helped to shape who I am today, not only as a field hockey player, but as a person. Most of all, I am thankful for all of these experiences and memories.

I am interrupted by little Xavi's cries from down the hall and I am quickly brought back to reality. This is not college. This is not my dorm room from years past. I am here representing so much more. In a familiar atmosphere, I am no longer wearing black and gold, but the red, white, and blue. The name of the front of the jersey is the United States. We are here to face one of the top teams in the world, Argentina. I am ready. We are ready.

Although we have played Argentina what seems like a million times in the past, this series will be a little bit different. With a few new players on board, and a new outlook on where our team is going, it will be a big test for us to see how we rebound after our World Cup Qualifier. Knowing the girls, we are up for the challenge. And who better to test us than Argentina.

More updates to come post game. Come out at watch (6pm) or follow us online!!!

GO STATES!!

Volunteering!

It's been a busy last week! We started training back up last week and it took us a little to get back into the routine we had been so accustomed to. We were all happy to be back training together though.

We spent much of the weekend together as well, volunteering for some very good causes. On Saturday a bunch of us, myself included, teamed up the with United Way in order to help out with Stuff the Bus. This was an event where we were helping to collect sports equipment to fill up, or stuff, a school bus. All the equipment collected would then be given to foster children who could not afford to buy it themselves.

Growing up, we were all fortunate enough to be given opportunities through sports. Not only was it a way to meet friends and a fun activity to participate in, it also kept us out of trouble and taught us a lot about life. Through sports, we learned teamwork, hard work, dedication, and time management, just to name a few. These skills, whether used in continuing athletics, or in the real world are invaluable. We wanted to help give back by providing these same opportunities to children less fortunate than we were.

For another worthy cause, much of the team participated in the Breath of Hope Lung Cancer Walk on Sunday. This was another cause whose meaning was felt close to the hearts of our team. Our former team captain, Kate Kinnear's mother passed away from lung cancer in 2006. We walked in honor of her, as well as all others whom we have known or not, who suffered through the battles of lung cancer.

After a great weekend of giving back, we had to get back to work ourselves for our final week of preparation before we head off to the East Coast to play Argentina in a 5 game test series at American University!!

GO STATES!

Steps

As we step back onto the field after returning from our time away, it feels surreal. We all know how hard it is to be away, seeing our family and friends, and to have to leave the comforts of these people to come back to training. It is especially difficult when we come back realizing we are no longer training in pursuit of the World Cup.

But we have all returned. As a team we choose to continue to take steps forward. We know what we need to do to progress, as individuals and as a team. We realize this is the most critical time for us to stay committed to the program and the process. Our focus returns to the short term and the upcoming Argentina series that is quickly approaching in a few weeks.

"To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping."

Off Time

The past week and a half we haven't had practice as a team. Although most of the team has gone home (back to the East Coast) to spend some time with friends and family, I have remained out in Chula Vista a little bit longer, along with a few other teammates.

Last week was a nice break from training where I found myself living life with no plan. What I mean by that is that I would wake up everyday without a plan and come up with it as the day went along. With such a set schedule of practice the majority of the year, I love times like these where I have no requirements. On Saturday I found my way up to UCLA to watch some of the track and field athletes from the OTC compete. It isn't often that we get to see our fellow athletes in action, and it's great to have support from those who know what we go through day in and day out. It was exciting to see in person just how good they really are at what they do.

Ready to get back to work, this week our workouts began again. Those of us that are still here (there are about 5 of us) have been going out to play everyday. We know every day is another opportunity to get better even if we only spend an hour out there, it is an hour that can better us. We all agreed that we wanted to analyze our form a little more because now is the time to look at the little details, critique them, and improve on them. Today, we pulled out a video camera and videoed our shooting drills. We watched ourselves, as well as each other, to help analyze how we did. This helped tremendously to see not only our tendencies, but to correct those things that aren't where they need to be.

Although I miss my teammates, I love having a little downtime to focus on the little things and putting everything back into perspective. I am going home next week to spend a little time with my friends and family as well before we start up again, but for right now I'm enjoying exploring Southern California in ways I haven't been able to during training blocks..... More fun to come!