Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
A World Away: Field Hockey Embarks on Training Trip to South Africa
March 16, 2015 | Field Hockey
DAY 1 – STUDENT MANAGER ANNIE MCLAUGHLIN
Although it might still be early for those of you in the United States, I'm going to keep this short and sweet because today was 1) probably the longest day of most of our lives and 2) because the longer I go without sleeping, the more likely I am to make grammatical/spelling errors.
Anyway, Saturday proved to be a VERY early morning (or late night, depending on who you ask) for TFH as we boarded the bus at 4 a.m. to depart for Newark International Airport. While the first flight seemed to go rather smoothly - namely for Maddie [Copeland] who slept through the entire seven hours - others found it more entertaining to run a marathon up and down the aisles (Ryan McCarthy and Colleen Boyce) to pass the time.
Nonetheless, TFH had a smooth landing at London's Heathrow Airport and had just a short layover before boarding the next flight to Cape Town. I'm just going to spare you the details of those 12+ hours for the sake of my (and your) sanity. Let's just say that I now know with certainty that I do not envy Mike [Pallister] and Ellen's [Dobrijevic] commute back and forth to the Motherland [Australia].
Upon arriving in South Africa, the team immediately headed to Table Mountain, a plateau rising out of the heart of Cape Town, from the airport with views that rivaled anything most of us have ever seen. After taking a cable car to the top, we walked around the plateau, took (probably too many) selfies, and then got in a short stretch with Terry before heading back down to the foot of the mountain where we immediately headed to the World League Finals, played between China and France.
The French took the title, winning 5-2. Boyce ran another marathon. Dani [Duseau] face planted in the grass where she immediately proceeded to pass out for the entirety of the match. And Mel [Meccage] got the best suntan out of anyone. Following the match, the team returned to the waterfront hotel where we were greeted with a much-needed glass of orange juice, and a glowing sunset. Until tomorrow: Zzzzz....
GAMEDAY - JUNIOR STRIKER MADDIE COPELAND
This afternoon we played our first game against the University of Cape Town. It marked our first game this spring season, and we were fortunate to have three of our seniors join us on the field again (Julia Boyle, Cassidy Arner, and Stephanie Goldberg).
Before the game started, we noticed that UCT did not have a goalkeeper, which meant they would play with an additional number in the backfield. This threw us a bit of a curveball. In addition, this was the first game that most of us had played with the new FIH field hockey rules; however, we adapted fairly well to both scenarios. The game started pretty slow and was scoreless at halftime. At the break, we discussed several areas we wanted to work on in order to execute better in the second half.
After making some minor adjustments, we were immediately able to score in the second half, and the goals kept on rolling. Teresa Benvenuti, Cat Caro, and Ryan McCarthy each scored. We ended up beating UCT 3-0. It was a great opportunity for us to try out a new playing system with new players in different positions. We recognized some areas to work on moving into our next two games, so hopefully we will improve overall in our next two matches.
After the game, the UCT players graciously provided us with dinner and an opportunity to chat and get to know them. It was great to meet the team, and very fun to hear about their lives here in Cape Town!
ROBBEN ISLAND - JUNIOR BACK KATE FERRARA
Today, Princeton Field Hockey went to Robben Island, an island turned prison during the oppressive Apartheid regime in Cape Town, South Africa. In the morning, we took a 20-minute ferry ride from the Old Harbor in Cape Town to the island.
Once on the island, we were met by Sparks, an ex-political prisoner. Sparks told us about his experiences as a political prisoner sentenced to serve fifteen years on Robben Island when he was seventeen years old for his involvement in the ANC, or African National Congress, an anti-Apartheid and pro-peace organization. He brought us to his cell in which he spent seven years before he was released from his sentence during a mass release of Robben Island in 1991.
Sparks spent his time in a communal cell in Section F of the prison, an area designated for general political prisoners. This small cell housed sixty prisoners and contained only two bathrooms. Sparks and his fellow political prisoners were not given beds, receiving only three blankets to sleep with, and the windows were only bars with no panes, exposing the prisoners to the elements of all seasons.
Black prisoners were only allowed a T-shirt and shorts with no jackets or shoes regardless of the season and all conversations were monitored through a surveillance system. Next, Sparks brought us to Section C, an area reserved for leaders of anti-Apartheid groups. This was the area in which Nelson Mandela, prominent ANC leader and the first president of South Africa, was housed. He showed us Mandela's two meter-by-two meter cell, in which Mandela spent seventeen hours of solitary confinement a day for seventeen years. The other days were reserved for hard labor.
Following our tour of the prison, a current resident of Robben Island took us on a tour around the island, visiting the lime quarry in which Mandela and other prisoners did hard labor, an old light house, and the village in which around two hundred people currently live. We even saw Sparks' house in the village!
Hearing about Sparks' and Mandela's experiences as political prisoners and their efforts to make peace with their oppressors following their release from imprisonment was a truly humbling experience for us. We then took a ferry back to Cape Town and spent some time at the Old Harbor, a vibrant section of Cape Town full of restaurants, shops, and live music. There we got lunch and did some much anticipated souvenir shopping.
SAFARI - FRESHMAN BACK DANIELLE DUSEAU
Today was our second full day on tour! Since we played a 70-minute game yesterday, we took today off from field hockey and used the opportunity to enjoy the amazing weather and views of South Africa. We started the day off with a few recovery workouts. Some of us went on a run down to the beach with our strength coach Terry, while others took to the pool for a workout with our faculty fellow Andrew.
After workouts and breakfast we boarded the bus for a 2.5-hour scenic bus ride to the Aquila Game Reserve. We ate a delicious lunch and soaked up some sun while we anxiously awaited our main activity for the day: the safari! The experience will definitely be remembered as a highlight from the trip. We saw every animal we had hoped to see, including zebras, elephants, rhinos, and even a nerve-wracking lion sighting. The weather was amazing and the views of the African wilderness from our jeeps were incredible!
After hitting the gift shop we loaded the bus back up and drove another 2.5 hrs back to Cape Town. Everyone promptly fell asleep the second we got on the bus, proving that the day's activities were a success. Once we got back into the city we ate a great dinner near the water, and afterwards we were all very excited to head down the street and grab some delicious gelato for dessert. Next we took a short ride back to the hotel, and now we're about to rest up for tomorrow's activity: cage diving with great white sharks! Can't wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us!
SHARK DIVING - SASKIA DE QUANT
Today the team faced their fears and experienced the once in a lifetime experience of cage-diving with great white sharks. The day started out with an early pool workout followed by whispers (not literally - never literally for this group of Tigers) of excitement and dread at breakfast. Once we had all loaded the bus and taken the motion sickness pills proscribed by Nurse [Mike] Pallister the team settled down for the long two hour drive to the sharks.
Come hour two it seemed as though most people had forgotten what was awaiting them in the shallows of the South African bay but it didn't last long. We arrived at the cage diving site and were quickly ushered into a safety briefing. By this point no one could hide their fear/excitement/adrenaline emotional overload. The small size of the lifejackets we were all equipped with didn't help. But spirits were high and although some had doubts it was clear that bailing was not an option (courtesy of Mel).
We piled onto the especially designed shark diving boat and set off. Everyone was beyond delighted to escape the cold NJ weather and stripped down into bathing suits to bask in the sun. The wind actually made the ride pretty cold but you wouldn't know it by Maddie Copeland and Annie McLaughlin's smiles.
When we arrived on site the cage was already floating ominously in the water and everyone had their eyes peeled for sharks. We were all handed wetsuits and spent a good 15 minutes trying to pull them on. I now know that black is not always a flattering color.
The first group was up. Eight of us stepped into the cage looking out into the murky water. Rosie the friendly shark (somehow the cute name made coming face-to-face with such an animal less terrifying ) that had been circling the boat came around to greet the Tigers and put on a fairly spectacular show.
The sharks were drawn in towards the boat with bait and a strange looking giant-finger thing that was supposed to look like a seal. Visibility wasn't great, but the girls came out thrilled by the experience of being up close to such a beautiful and misunderstood animal.
After taking off their wetsuits and sipping on delicious hot chocolate they were all too eager to get warm and watch as the others face their fears. By the time the second and third group had been, the water cleared up and more sharks had arrived. A total of five different sharks including a little young one had come to check out all of the commotion. Hundreds of pictures were taken, many of them selfies, and everyone came away feeling slightly less afraid of sharks.
Eventually we turned around and headed back to land. Back on firm ground we were debriefed, fed and sent on our way. All of the excitement and adrenaline had drained us and the two-hour drive provided an opportunity to snooze. Everyone (this time I do mean it literally) passed out on the bus.
When we got back to the hotel everyone rushed to shower and change in time to leave again in less than an hour. We quickly reloaded the bus and headed to Victoria Quay. With some time to shop everyone dispersed and spent away all foreign money that had on souvenirs or Zara.
Poor Rachel Park was even accosted by some young strangers who asked for a picture of her. An hour or so later and with empty pockets everyone proceeded to dinner. Although it took a while, the food was fabulous. Soup or salad to start, steak and vegetables to follow and Creme Brûlée or chocolate mousse to finish it off. Shout out to Teresa Benvenuti who also received a phone call with an internship offer somewhere between the steak and Creme Brûlée. Stomachs full and exhausted from the long day it was time to go back to the hotel go to sleep. A long day for the Tigers but it was another great one down here in Cape Town.
CAPE POINT AND BOULDERS BEACH – ELLEN DOBRIJEVIC
Today was a lovely day spent along the coast with lots of animals to gaze at and have selfies with. We started the day with a bus ride then a short boat ride to Seal Island. The large colony of seals were first found through their rather unpleasant smell, but soon enough everyone forgot about that and admired the seals that were on the rocks and in the water. Once back on shore we had a quick shopping stop at some markets on the foreshore where we could practice our haggling. Most of us returned to the bus both happy with the gifts we bought as well as the prices we had managed to negotiate.
A short trip away was Cape Point were we completed a short but steep walk up to a lighthouse were we enjoyed spectacular views of cliffs, beaches. Cape Point was fascinating as it is where the Atlantic ocean meets the Indian Ocean, and also where we had to be warned about fruit and purse snatching baboons!
Out last sightseeing stop of the day was Boulder Beach where we got to see a colony of African penguins. We saw many penguins, quite a few young penguins still with their downy feathers as well as some eggs and nests. We spent quite a while watching them and taking many photos before heading to a lunch of fish and chips by the water. After lunch we returned to the hotel to get prepared for out second match of the tour.
FROM HOLLAND TO SOUTH AFRICA – CAT CARO
My first time in Holland was nothing short of amazing. For starters, getting selected to travel to Holland was really exciting, and even though I had to miss midterm week, all the stress of getting my school-work done before leaving was worth it.
Something really cool that we got to do was stay with host families. Instead of getting a hotel, all the girls were split up in groups of 2-4 and assigned to a host family, with whom we stayed for the week. It added to the experience because we got to “live the Dutch lifestyle” a little while we were there. Along with field hockey, which everyone plays from preschool age 'until your dead' said my host mom, we rode bikes everywhere. Bicycles are the main means of transportation in town. We rode back and forth to the training center every day, and did some sightseeing excursions as well. On the last day we got to visit Amsterdam and bike around the city of Bilthoven,
We trained everyday and played four matches, three against top senor women club teams and one against the Dutch U-21 junior national team. Even though the results never fell in our favor, we grew a lot as a team and got better with each game.
As individual players and as a cohesive group we grew and improved. In the last two games we were playing against players who had been to the Olympics and were current national players. Since Holland is one of the top countries in field hockey (and won gold at the last Olympics) it was an amazing learning experience! I'm so grateful to have experienced Holland with the U-21's but now I am looking forward to meeting up with the TFH team in London and on to South Africa!
GAMEDAY VS. OLD MUTUAL – FRESHMAN STRIKER LEXI QUIRK
Our last game took place at the Capetown School of Science and technology at 9 am. It was a hot and humid day and the sun was cooking the grass surrounding the astro-turf. The backdrop of the game was beautiful as Table Mountain stood out darkly against the clear sky. In fact, the background was deemed so beautiful we were allowed to snap a quick pic between our warm with Terry and our stick and ball warm up with Kristen, Mel and Mike. We all stood along the fence, happy to get a picture before we became too sweaty. Then, after a short warm up our game commenced.
Similar to the other teams we have played, this club team, Old Mutual, had players ranging in age from 15-40. The game started off with Princeton quickly taking the lead. We continued to apply pressure to the opposition's defense quite well, allowing us to score several early goals. Yet, Old Mutual fought hard, putting two in the net before the game ended with a final score of 7-2. The game contained some nice highlights including an impressive reverse chip goal from Cat Caro, who was named Player of the Game by Old Mutual and received a pink hat as a reward.
After the game, we showered and changed quickly so we could all eat the delicious sandwiches and chocolate bars we had been provided with. People also took this time to relax and sit in the sun before we headed off to community service and then home.
Rachel Park and Ryan McCarthy spent most this time playing with a 10-month year Jack Russell terrier named Lucy. Ryan proved to be one of the only people capable of quieting Lucy down and was determined to be a possible dog whisperer. Then, about 30 minutes later, we loaded the bus and began the last leg of our journey.
COMMUNITY SERVICE - FRESHMAN STRIKER RACHEL PARK
Early this morning we departed the hotel for a settlement where we would visit various day cares and the elderly. We brought bags filled with toys for the kids and toiletries for the older members. When we arrived at the settlement we were greeted by a man who explained the establishment of the community and would later take us around on a tour. The community was built away from the city, but still close enough for the residents to have access to its resources. They are currently working to teach the residents skills like agriculture in order to further sustain themselves.
While we were at the settlement we also visited a high school and were able to chat with some of the students as they were on their morning break. Some of us were even able to join in a game of net ball, however I think everyone would agree that field hockey is our forte. We snapped a photo with some of the girls and boys, and then learned a bit about the student life from the principal and headmaster.
On our second community service trip we spent time at at an after school center. The kids usually do not come in on Saturdays, but since we were coming in, it was a special day. When we arrived, there were children dancing and playing net ball. We were immediately introduced and then split into various groups to either join in on the dancing or on a game of net ball. The freshmen and sophomores first played net ball while the juniors and seniors attempted to keep up with the younger kids dancing on the grass.
After finishing up outside, some of us moved indoors and learned a new dance while others were getting their hair braided. Finally lunch time came around and we sang Happy Birthday to both Bryce and Danielle before the kids lined up for their lunch bags. We spent a few more minutes while they munched on their burgers and then said our good byes. It was sad to leave the center after having so much fun dancing and running around with the boys and girls however they left with smiles on their faces so we were happy to know we were able to make their day a little brighter.