My Journey to Tokyo

Hey Everyone! I finally have a minute to sit down and write.   Since blogging last we have played against USA and Botswana, losing to the Americans 11-4 and beating Botswana 7-0, each in five innings.   The game against the USA was brutal on both sides: errors, walks and poor execution all around.   With that game behind us, we came out and scored seven runs against Botswana.   Although they might not have been the strongest team, a win is a win.   Tonight at 5:30 we are playing Puerto Rico.   For the past three years, many of my teammates have called the Puerto Ricans our “rivals”.   Many important games have come down to a face off between the two of us.   Most recently, in Bogota last summer, Canada triumphed and went on to participate in the championship game against the US.   Playing Puerto Rico is always a big game: full of emotion and intensity…I can’t wait to get onto the field later tonight. Having been in Cape...

Wednesday December 7, 2011 Hey Everyone! I just got back from our safari and a little batting practice.   After getting up super early this morning and driving an hour and a half to the safari place, we unloaded the bus, registered and walked into the caged park.   Waiting for us was a huge four-wheeler with four rows of seats and a small overhead cover.   The minute my teammates and I saw the four-wheeler, we sprinted to get our seats.   I landed myself a perfect spot, front and center.   I made sure to avoid the outside seats – just in case of a freak animal attack J .   Our ranger, Aubrey, introduced himself and started the vehicle up, it sounded like an old, rickety lawnmower.   The huge engine was working away, climbing over boulders, small trees and everything in its’ path.   It probably looked like one of those heavy duty Ford pickup truck commercials and felt like we were on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland…it was awesome. ...

Hey Everyone! I can’t believe the tournament officially begins tomorrow.   We have been in South Africa for almost a week now and everyone seems to have finally adjusted to the time change and new environment.   We just had our final exhibition game against the Aussies, and ended up losing 2-1.   Here’s a quick recap: we started the game off with a double by Jenny Gilbert and a double by myself, scoring our only run.   We held off the Aussies until the bottom of the third inning when they hit back-to-back bombs.   Not just homeruns that barely clear the fence, but bombs…the kind of homerun you don’t even need to watch go over, because you just know.   Our team played well, and I had forgotten how much fun I have playing with this group of girls.   We are always laughing, joking and having a great time, while maintaining our focus.   That game was it for our exhibition series.   After beating South Africa and losing to the Aussies, e...

Hey Everyone! -  I tried to post this last night, but of course, the Internet wasn’t working… Today we have been going non-stop!  We were up at 8:00AM for breakfast, headed to the field for practice at 9:30AM, were back at the hotel for less than an hour for lunch before heading out for a full afternoon of touring.  It is now about 9:15PM and we are left with two “free” hours tonight for homework before curfew at 11:00PM. The highlight of the day, and the trip thus far, has been visiting Robben Island.  For those of you who haven’t heard of it, Robben Island is the Alcatraz of South Africa; the only difference is that Alcatraz was for dangerous criminals while Robben Island was for political leaders and activists up until 1991.  Robben Island is most famously known for being the prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned (along with other political leaders from South Africa for many years up until 1991).  Our team took a thirty-minute ferry over to the is...

Hey everyone! It is day three here in South Africa and this place continues to amaze me, it is hands down the most beautiful country I have ever been to. Palm trees line the streets and the drive to the field looks like it came out of a scene from the Lion King…exactly what you pictured, right?!   The streets and cars are backwards and kids ride in the back of pick up trucks on the highways, but other than that, it is everything I had expected and more.   We were scheduled to play against South Africa last night as our first exhibition game and it was quite the night.   Our game was originally scheduled for 5PM, got moved to 7PM, then after warming up for two hours, we were stuck waiting for another game to end, an hour later we finally stepped onto the field, forty minutes later, they called the game because they couldn’t turn the lights on.   So after all that, we ended up playing South Africa this morning at 10AM.   It was great to get the team tog...

Hey Everyone! Cape Town, South Africa.  It isn't too often one gets the chance to travel half way across the world, crossing over the Atlantic Ocean, to play the sport they love with some (and against some) of their best friends.  Since qualifying for the World Championships in Bogota, Columbia last summer (2010), I have been waiting eagerly for right now, December 2011.  I can't believe that it is finally here.  Here I am, en route from Johannesburg to Cape Town, on my fifth and final flight of the day.  After twenty-three hours of traveling, I have no clue what the time is, what time zone I am in, or what the date is for that matter.  All I know is that I can't wait to finally be on the ground and begin the trip of a lifetime. Here's an overview of what has happened today: I started my morning off in Mountain View, CA.  I drove to San Francisco, flew to Denver, flew to Washington DC, flew to Dakar, Sengal, flew to Johannesburg, South Africa ...

Hey Everyone! I can't believe it...Our whirlwind of a trip is over :(  Two weeks later, I find myself back in Seattle and back to my "regular" life.  Our last few days in Guadalajara were hectic to say the least.  We played three games in less than twenty four hours to win ourselves the silver medal.  I couldn't be more proud of my teammates for coming out strong against Venezuela, winning 11-1, getting revenge against Cuba 4-0 (Cuba beat us in pool play 4-1), and finally taking on the USA once again for what seemed like the hundredth time this summer, eventually losing 11-1.  That being said, we were proud of ourselves.  Our primary goal in coming to Guadalajara was getting to that game, that gold medal game, and having the opportunity to compete for gold.  Our spirits were high after losing that final game.  Although it wasn't "Oh Canada" playing as we stood on the podium watching the flags rise, we realized wh...