WOMEN'S SOCCER NORWEGIAN TOUR: DAY 2
ASKER, NORWAY (08/16/03) -- Juniors Michelle Van Wert, Jen Harris and Katrina Butner all had an enjoyable second day in Norway. Here are their thoughts on a first day of practice in a new country.
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6:30 a.m. came bright and early as we woke up for our first day of practice. We headed down to the first floor for an interesting kind of breakfast. The buffet included Norwegian pancakes with fruit toppings (they looked like omelettes). There also was scrambled eggs, fried hot dogs, salami, fish, dried fruit, crackers with chocolate spread, and fresh bread.
After breakfast we all walked down to the field which is 10 minutes away. While the girls practiced, I bought pre-packaged ham and cheese, fresh bread, mustard, fruit and cookies.
After lunch, we met the municipal mayor. We received a warm welcome from him on behalf of the town of Asker, as we enjoyed an arrangement of fresh fruit. We then went on a tour of their government building where legal matters are voted on. We even went on the roof of the building where we had a view of all of Asker.
Before leaving, (senior captain) Michelle Ford presented the mayor with a pendant of the Saint Joseph's emblem. The rest of the day followed with shopping in Asker, practice and a spaghetti dinner made by the coaches in the club house of the club we practice at. In four words - our coaches can cook!
After dinner, some girls walked around Asker to check things out and others did their daily way to 7-11 for some ice cream which costs 29 kroners (two dollars). We survived our first day of practices and headed to bed. Once again, 6:30 a.m. would come very early in the "Land of the Midnight Sun."
- Michelle Van Wert
At 6:30 a.m., we are again awakened by the the tv alarm clock. However, we received a nice surprise when we realized breakfast was served an hour later and we got to go back to bed. We then had a three hour practice with sprints.
While trying to locate a mispaced ball in the Norwegian thicket, several players broke out with "foreign rash," which fortunatley cleared up quickly. We then walked to a nearby lake and went a little picture crazy trying to capture the beautiful scenery.
Some girls braved the chilly water, while others tried to stay dry on the shore or kayaked around the lake. Unfortunatley, a few girls, including coach Jess (Reynolds), tipped over.
After relaxing at the lake, we walked back to the hotel and got ready for practice. There we worked on offensive set players. The coaches and Michelle Van Wert made us another great dinner of fajitas and the sophomore class cleaned up.
Tonight we have an 11 p.m. curfew so we are well rested for our first preseason match. We are also looking forward to sleeping in and having some free time to ourselves in the morning.
- Jen Harris and Katrina Butner
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