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Princeton University Athletics
Women's Lacrosse Team Diary #1
December 13, 2004 | Women's Lacrosse
Dec. 13, 2004
SYDNEY, Australia - Well, it's the beginning of our third day here in Sydney, Australia, and it's safe to say that the team is in great spirits to say the least.
Three days ago, we were checking in at Newark Airport with doubts about whether or not we would actually be arriving in Los Angeles in time to make the long trip to the "Land Down Under". However, as the flight attendant personally wished the Princeton lacrosse team the best of luck, he reassured all 37 of us that the flight had been held. Some three hours later, though, we began to wonder if that had been such a good idea. Technical complications left us stranded on the runway with no air conditioning.
Finally, we took off. Thirteen hours, two soggy meals and many bags of pretzels later we were in Sydney! Excited to be on the ground, we boarded a bus for a tour of the city, ending at Bondi Beach where we enjoyed our first Australian meal.
After that, some of us were dropped off to climb the Sydney Bridge. Though weather prevented their actual climb to the summit, we do have pictures of the group dressed in purple jump suits and yellow helmets. Most of the rest of the group went to the world-famous Syndey Opera House for a production of "The Messiah." There were over 440 voices singing in a house where even the seats and light fixtures were tuned for maximum resonation. Some tried to make their way back to Bondi Beach for a few hours in the sun. However, public transporation can be tricky in Sydney, and they found themselves further from our base at the Sydney Aaron's Hotel than anticipated even after cabs, trains and buses. The few others remaining explored Sydney's Darling Harbour, our eventual team dinner spot, on their own.
The next morning, we found ourselves up by sunrise and eagerly awaiting the bus for practice. Apparently, jetlag is not just a myth.
We headed off to Sydney's Olympic Park, where we practiced in the rain, clouds and then unfamiliar sun of Australia. We were fortunate enough to play on the Olympic field hockey turf; we realized that was the closest we will come to playing in the Olympics, seeing that lacrosse isn't an Olympic sport just yet. Anyway, we made the most of it.
After practice, we toured the rest of the park before heading off to Manly Beach for our much-anticipated surfing lesson. This was the highlight of our short stay in Sydney. Everyone donned wetsuits or rash guards to at least gain the look, if not the skill, of real Australian surfers.
We were excited to notice that one of our instructors was particularly blond, tan and attractive; mysteriously, everyone seemed to need his help the most! Though not everyone managed to stand, everyone did have a tremendous time. Unbelievably, the lesson ended in a hail and rain storm that forced everyone to run for cover and spend some time exploring (shopping, of course!) at Manly Harbour.
From this point, we were on our own. Some people stayed in Manly for dinner, others returned to Darling Harbour. However, we all reconvened for a little Sydney night life later in the evening. Though it was a Monday night, this group of 25 American girls had a great night together on our last night in Sydney.
This morning we have packed up our huge amount of luggage and are preparing to leave for Cairns. We can't wait to find out what awaits us there.