Please take your time and fill out this form carefully. Make sure we have the correct contact information and as many details about you as possible.
If you are selected, we will forward you an email to confirm we have a spot avaialble.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Try-Out Information:

Location:

Fox Valley Park
Indian Hill Rd
Goldens Bridge, NY 10526
(upper field)

Time:

Sunday, October 30, 2011 from 9-10:30 AM
Sunday, November 6, 2011 from 9-10:30 AM

Bring soccer ball, shin guards and cleats
$45 registration fee (pay at the field) – Checs made payable to AIST-NY

Paul Griffin will be running the try out along with other AIST scouts to find the best possible candidates for this event which will take place in August of 2012.

Try-Out Information:

Location:
Kellum Gym
887 Kellum Street
Lindenhurst, NY 11757

Time:

Thursday 12/1/2011 6:PM TO 8:PM
Thursday 1/19/2012 6:pM TO 8:PM

Bring your own lunch
Bring your own equipment (glove, bat, helmet, catchers equipment)
$45.00 Registration Fee (pay at the field) – Checks Made Payable to AIST – NY

Northeast Fastpitch Showcase

American International Sports Teams www.aist.us

New Windsor, N.Y. Mt Airy Sports Complex – http://nwrecisfun.com/site/mtairy.asp
- 3 game round robin to single elimination playoff
- Website to place roster and short player profiles up by Dec 1st 2011.
- Website will also address colleges and universities attending.
- Lighted fields(2)
- 4 Fields in Total
- Bathrooms,concession,and playground at complex Hotel and Restaurants
- Listing will be available on website u16, and u18 teams.
- Trophies for 1st and runner up each age group
- Scheduled team stations u16 and u18
- No fee for AIST Select Teams intering the tournament

Cost: $650.00 per team

To hold your space e-mail pgriff52@yahoo.com or complete registration below

If you are not able to attend one of the tryouts above, please register anyway and we will contact youw when the next tryout is available in your area.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Day 1 – Arrival in London:

On the first day, we met the infamous Chad. Running on little sleep, we tried to keep our eyes open as we started our bus tour of London. Despite our efforts, we all managed to fall asleep at some point along the way. Our first stop in London was Madame Tussauds wax museum. As we broke up into different groups we started to explore all that it had to offer. We all got to take pictures with our favorite celebrities and sports figures, including the royal family. The other tourists got the privilege of experiencing our lovely singing and dancing in the X-Factor live booth. Yeah, we don’t only play lacrosse, we are awesome singers too. Some “adventurous” members of our group decided to enter the Scream section of the museum. The adventurous spirit of the group dwindled as we entered, and we sprinted and screamed the entire way through. After the wax museum we hopped back on the bus and ventured off to the Tower of London. Here we saw our first Royal Guards and everyone was quick to snap a picture. We saw many parts of the castle including: the bloody tower; where it is rumored that two princes were murdered, the prison; where we had the opportunity to see the elaborate and beautiful inscriptions the prisoners made in the stone walls and finally the main tower; where we saw the elegant and magnificent crown jewels. We ended our day with a bus ride back to the hostel and a free night to explore our surroundings and mingle with the locals.

Nicole Sockett, Haverford College and Whitney Corby, Corning High School

Day 2 – Game 1 vs. St. Catherine’s and free time to explore:

After a desperately needed good night’s rest, we ate breakfast at the hostel and then boarded the bus. An hour and a half later we arrived at the Surrey Sports Park – a beautiful athletic facility equipped with multiple locker rooms, a myriad of “pitches” (fields), and even a Starbucks. The team began to warm up in a light drizzle which turned into a full out downpour. We played St. Catherine’s School lacrosse team and beat them 18-4, a great way to start the tour. Both teams then had the opportunity to mingle over lunch and learn more about each other’s culture and customs. Another bus ride took us to the center of London to spend the remainder of the day exploring. Some went shopping at Harrods, others wandered around Oxford Street, while some enjoyed Hyde Park. We wrapped up the day with dinner at Auberge, an Italian restaurant, and time at local pubs near the hostel. All in all, a great day.

Gina Lambiase, Baylor School

Day 3 – Games 2-4 and London Eye

We got a goodnights rest at the hostel in London and boarded the bus to get out to the Caterham’s Rugby club. We got to meet our new bus driver, Paul, who turned into our number one fan during the games (the first time he’s ever seen Lacrosse played). We played the three Centex teams back to back. We played white first and they were not the hardest competition but it was neat to play with them and kind of teach them the different things about lacrosse. Our second game was against their red team which is their best team, we were beating them at first but with no subs for us they quickly began to give us a game and the game ended in a tie. The last game was versus their blue team, which actually was a mixture of blue and white players, we had 7 different scorers in the game and a trick shot from Christina. After the games they gave us hamburgers and the team showered and received cute little medals. Playing the English teams was a lot different, it was quite the experience! After the games we went straight to the London eye, which is a giant ferris wheel right on the river Thames and it takes you all the way to the top of London, its right near big ben and the view from the top of it was breathtaking. A few girls had already been on the Eye before so they all went out in London near the eye to grab something to eat and afterwards we all headed back to the hostel to take showers and see what fun we could find in the city outside of our hostel.

Erica Albornoz, Mercyhurst College

August 4th statistics:

Christina Esposito- 10 goals. Controlled the offense the entire game.

Bootman- 3 goals. Did the draws for 50% of the game and won a majority of them herself.

Maggie- 3 goals. Has unbelievable finesse when controlling the ball on offense.

Erica- 1 goal.

Both goalies, Sam and Jess, are amazing and are true leaders on and off the field, and can break down every scenario on defense.

Defense slowed down the fast breaks had by the other team, and worked well together the entire game. This is a promising start to our 10 day tour in England and Ireland!

Miss Devin K. Schmidt

TC Williams High School- Minnie Howard Campus
Health and Physical Education Teacher
Lacrosse Coach

Game 3- Centex Red (their top team)

Scorers:

1. 1. Christina Esposito- 4
2. 2. Maggie- 2
3. 3. Sarah Bootman- 1

Final Score: Tie 8-8

Draw Control: We won 11 out of the 14 draws.

We were tired after the first game, and this Centex team was significantly better than the first team we played. The other team was faster and capitalized on our tiredness. Centex tied the game with 10 seconds left in the game. The girls felt as if a tie is equivalent to a loss.

Game 4 – Centex Blue

Scorers:

1. 1. Christina Esposito- 3
2. 2. Whitney Corby- 1
3. 3. Erica Albornoz- 1
4. 4. Maggie Comisky- 3
5. 5. Liz Anderson- 1
6. 6. Sarah Bootman- 1
7. 7. Nancy Happel- 1

Final Score: 11-3

Draw Control: 65%- won 9 out of the 14

Since it was the third game in a row, I knew the girls were mentally and physical tired. I decided to give the team specific goals to obtain throughout the game and they would earn a prize at the end. Immediately the girls perked up and focused on the goals. A few of our goals were:

1. Have 6 different scorers (we had 7),

2. 70%+ draw control (we had 65%),

3. 1 interception (Liz made it),

4. 1 trick shot (Christina Esposito did a ‘between the legs’ and scored). It was an exciting game. This game was the game that showed us we work well together.

Game 5: In Chester

Scorers:

1. 1. Erica Albornoz- 1
2. 2. Christina Esposito- 4
3. 3. Sarah Bootman- 3
4. 4. Liz Anderson- 1
5. 5. Whitney Corby- 1
6. 6. Maggie Comisky- 1

Final Score: 11-6

Draw Control: 52%- won 9 out of the 17

This was our biggest challenge to date. The other team was a lot more physical and gave us a run for our money. Within the first 5 minutes, a girl from the other team tore her ACL going to goal. We had 6 different scorers, and really capitalized on scoring when we had a fast break. Our goalies were the backbone of our defense, keeping everyone on their toes. Christina Esposito was the leader on offense from the start of the game.

Ali Green

East Stroudsburg University

 Day 1 – July 26^th, 2011

Flight from JFK to Paris was delayed for 1:30 for mechanical reasons. It made for an exciting transfer in Paris. After going through customs, we made a mad dash for the train station and got on our train with only 2 minutes to spare! The train ride through the French countryside was relaxing and beautiful.

The train station in Brussels had at least 50 different tracks coming in from every direction. It looked like a scene from the next Bourne movie. We met AIST President Chad Wilkinson and boarded a private tour bus headed for our guided walking tour in Brussels. The cloudy skies and light rain added ambiance to the dark Gothic architecture in the Grote Martkt (Market place), a central square in the middle of town.

After a light lunch (Proscuito Panini) and a guided tour of downtown Brussels, we drove past a few National monuments en route to a walking tour of Breendonk. Breendonk was a Nazi Concentration Camp in the early 1940’s and has been restored to its original state. Bunk beds with mattresses made of straw and burlap and cold cement walls must have provided little or no comfort in the winters. It was a sad, powerful and moving experience.

We drove to Antwerp and checked into a quaint hotel in the city. We had just enough time for a much needed shower and nap. Feeling revived, our team took the train into the center of town for a delicious Italian dinner. Everyone made the journey safely and Day One is complete.

Dave Williams

Head Softball Coach

CSU San Marcos

Day 2 – July 27^th, 2011

Ten hours of sleep, was broken up by a restless hour at 5am. Don’t know why I woke up. Just excited to see the town. A light breakfast, and then we were off to Antwerp. Another professional guided “backstage” tour gave us great insight into this former center of commerce for all of Europe. We saw an old fortress on the river, and buildings that are 300-500 years older than the United States!

We were on our own for the afternoon, so Chad Wilkinson (AIST) and I ate lunch and then did some investigative work. The mission: How to get the team to our 7pm game just outside of town. Chad decided the best thing for the team was a private taxi service. At 4:30pm, five matching silver Mercedes sedans were waiting at the front door of our hotel. They drove us to the game, as if we were high ranking U.S. diplomats.

Finally, we get to play our first game. It is a scheduled exhibition doubleheader with the Belgian National team. We took advantage of some key mistakes by the Belgian team, and jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Unfortunately, we showed that we were a bit rusty, as their pitchers held us to just 2 hits the rest of the game. Hope Bitzer (Rollins College) was great on the mound for the U.S. team and our 2-0 lead held up until late in the game when the Belgian team scored 4 runs in one inning on 2 walks, 2 hits and an error. The Belgians held on to win game one 4-2. Our team was lead by Sarah Locarnini from CSU Stanislaus who went 1 for 2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run.

Game two was an entirely different game. The U.S. bats were on fire! We scored 12 runs on 15 hits in the first 3 innings! With a comfortable lead, Hannah Faria (Point Loma Nazarene University) pitched a great game allowing just 2 runs on just a few hits. The final score was 16-2. We won our first game! Our top performers were: Sarah Locarnini (CSUS) 3-4 with 2 runs and 3 rbis, Hailey King (Central Baptist College) 2 doubles and 2 rbi, Hannah Faria (PLNU) 2-3, with a triple and 2 rbis, and The cousins Martika Armstead and Sha’Kyra Armstead (Indiana Tech) were a combined 5-7 with 4 rbis and 2 runs.

We celebrated our first victory with (believe it or not), a Pakistani/Mexican dinner in downtown Antwerp. The restaurant was Mexican, but the proprietor was of Middle-Eastern decent. Another great day in Belgium. Tomorrow we head to Holland for our first day of the Amsterdam Canal Series tournament.

Dave Williams

Head Softball Coach

CSU San Marcos

Day 3 – July 28^th, 2011

We checked out of our Brussels Hotel and boarded a bus to Amsterdam. The drive the scenic Holland countryside was beautiful, but many of us took the opportunity to get a few hour nap topped to catch up on the jet lag.

Just 15 minutes outside of town, we stopped at a tiny cheese and wooden shoe factory. It was a very small factory, but they produce some of the most delicious cheese that I have tasted. They produce and age the cheese (plain white cheese, pepper, garlic, smoked, etc.) in a small barn just outside of Amsterdam.

We also observed the making of Dutch wooden shoes. The owner had a great personality and really engaged the members of our group. We raided the gift shop and everyone will be bringing home something from our stop. We made it into our 4 star hotel in Amsterdam, and had enough time to have lunch and do more shopping!

At 4:30pm, we boarded a bus for our first softball game of the tournament. We faced the Netherlands Junior Olympic 17U team and played very well. In the first 3 innings, we scored 7 runs on 9 hits. Hope Bitzer (RC) and Christina Wolf (Southern Connecticut University) both crushed RBI triples to put us way ahead. Hope Bitzer (RC) and Hannah Faria (PLNU) shared the pitching duties and held the Netherlands to one run in the game. Final score 9-1.

Dave Williams

Head Softball Coach

CSU San Marcos

Day 4 – July 29^th, 2011

Today, we played the early games so we headed to the fields right after breakfast. We started out HOT in our game against the Tuscany team with 6 runs on 7 hits in the first inning. Melyssa Corral (Cal State Staislaus) led the team with a base hit, a double, a triple and scored 3 runs. Hope Bitzer (RC) got the win in the game, allowing only one run. Final score 9-1

The second game of the day was a nail-biter. The pitcher for our opponents (the host team Amsterdam), was a former D1 player at Missouri State. She kept our hitters guessing and held us to one hit in the first 5 innings. Hannah Faria (PLNU) was matching her pitch for pitch, and the game was scoreless after 5 innings.

The team from Amsterdam scratched out an unearned run in the sixth inning to take the lead 1-0, bringing the hometown fans to their feet. In the bottom of the 6^th, we responded when Hailey King (CBC) scored on a rbi double by Krissi Whitley (Southern Conneticut University). In the 7^th inning, Christina Wolf (SCU) coaxed a leadoff walk and moved to second on a Hannah Faria (PLNU) basehit to leftfield. Ashley Walkup (Point Loma Nazarene University) executed a perfect sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Hailey King (CBC) ended the game with 2 outs on a walk-off base hit to left field to win the game. Final score 2-1. Team AIST is now a perfect 3-0 in pool play.

After the games, we went for a walking tour of Amsterdam City Center. We saw the coffee shops, restaurants, gift shops, pubs and canals that make up one of the most interesting cities in the world. Chad and I stopped at an English Pub for a dinner of delicious Schnitzel and Fries.

Dave Williams

Head Softball Coach

CSU San Marcos

Day 5 – July 30^th, 2011

Breakfast at the hotel consisted of eggs, bacon and croissants with nutella. Nice! We are off to the fields at 10am for our first game of the day. We play Team USA1 which is an 18U travel ball team from North Carolina. Both pitchers dominate through the first 4 innings. In the top of the 5^th we break through and score 4 runs on 2 walks, 2 hits by Sha’Kyra Armstead (IIT) and Hailey King (CBC), a sac fly and a double by Krissi Whitley (SCU).

In the top of the 7^th, we added two more runs when Melyssa Corral (CSUS) doubled in Hailey King (CBC), and then Krissi Whitley’s (SCU) base hit scored Melyssa, picking up her second rbi hit of the game. Meanwhile, Hope Bitzer was brilliant on the mound finishing the 7 inning game with her first no-hitter of the tournament. Final score 6-0.

We have a 3 hour break between games today, giving us an opportunity to take advantage of the local food being offered at the clubhouse. I got a chance to sample the following: Frikandel (like Polish Sausage), Kroket (breaded and deep fried, mashed potatoes with pot roast), Sate Patat (chicken skewers with peanut sauce with fries) and Stroopwafels (waffle cookie with cream filling). Everything was freshly prepared and delicious.

Game two of the day turned out to be a pre-view game for tomorrow’s Championship game. By virtue of our win in the morning vs USA1, we have already qualified for the Amsterdam Canal Series Championship. We were the only undefeated team through pool-play, and our final pool play opponent (USA-NED) will face us in the finals tomorrow. They are a combination of U.S. and Netherland players.

Our Team suffers a big loss when starting infielder Hailey King (CBC) and starting outfielder Sha’Kyra Armstead both go down to injury. Both teams get on the scoreboard early. We score 2 runs in the top of the 2^nd inning with back to back doubles by Krissi Whitley (SCU) and Hope Bitzer (RC), and a sac fly. In the bottom half of the inning, the USA-NED team responds with 2 runs of their own on 3 hits.

In the top of the 4^th, pitcher Hannah Faria (PLNU) doubles to left but strains her hamstring sprinting to second base. It’s our 3^rd injury of the day, and forces us to change pitchers and Hannah must remain in the game and continue to play. Hope Bitzer enters the circle and picks up right where she left off, with strikeout after strikeout. We scored 2 more runs in the 6^th inning and 1 run in the seventh and go on to win 5-2. Hope Bitzer (RC) was un-hittable as she struck out 11 of the final 12 batters in the game! Team AIST finishes pool play with a perfect 5-0 record and limps into the Championship Game nursing 3 injuries.

In the evening, the tournament hosted a professional baseball game and “discoteque” for the players, families, friends and fans. AIST President Chad Wilkinsen and I returned to watch the baseball game and mingle with the locals. We left just after the game and before the music got too loud….old farts!

Dave Williams

Head Softball Coach

CSU San Marcos

Coach Dave Williams WINS his second European Championship!

Day 6 – July 31^st, 2011

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY! We got a chance to sleep in today! After a nice breakfast, we take the 12:30pm bus to the field for the Amsterdam Canal Series Championship game. Hearing our U.S. National anthem prior to the Championship game was a great inspiration. In the bottom of the first, our opponent the US/Netherland team threatens to score with two hits, but are stopped cold after 2 strikeouts by Team AIST pitcher Hope Bitzer (RC).

The pitchers for both teams are in control and after 5 innings the score is 0-0. In the sixth inning, Team AIST gets a leadoff triple down the third baseline from second baseman Hailey King (CBC). Catcher Melyssa Corral (CSUS) goes deep into the count, fouling off pitch after pitch, and then lifts a 2-2 pitch deep into centerfield for a sacrifice fly to score the first run of the game.

In the 7^th inning, the US Netherlands threatens again with a one out base hit up the middle. But Hope Bitzer (RC) ends the game by striking out the final two batters of the game. Team AIST wins another European Championship! Hope Bitzer (RC)throws a complete game 3 hit shoutout andclaims the tournament’s Best Pitcher award. Team AIST catcher Melyssa Corral (CSUS) was spectacular behind the plate (batted .391 for the week with the Championship game’s winning rbi) and is named the tournament MVP.

The awards ceremony was a parade of champions with almost all teams in attendance. The announcer spoke mostly in Dutch, introducing all the boys baseball teams and then introducing the Championship Baseball team from Belgium. Then they introduced all of the girls softball teams, and finally announced the A.I.S.T. /USA team as tournament champions! They announced the all-tournament players. We had our pitcher Hope Bitzer receive the “Best Pitcher” of the tournament award and our catcher Melyssa Corral accepted the tournament MVP award.

Our celebration continued all the way to the Hard Rock Café in Amsterdam. The restaurant is situated on a canal and has tables right next to the water with boats floating by. Everyone had a great time and continued the celebration into the City Center and the Amsterdam nightlife where the fun never ends!

Dave Williams

Head Softball Coach

CSU San Marcos

Day 7 – August 1^st, 2011

We wake up to a beautiful day in the Netherlands. Today is Monday and it is the first time we have seen a perfectly sunny day here in Amsterdam. At 10:30am we head out to Mike’s Bike Tour for our riding tour of the city. Almost everyone here gets around on a bicycle or moped.

First, we get a brief history lesson about the area. The city of Amsterdam is located within the Providence of Holland. Holland is one of the 12 providences within the Netherlands. Amsterdam was officially founded in or around 1275 which is over 700 years before the United States was founded.

We went through Amsterdam’s version of Central Park where we saw beautiful trees and grassy areas that most likely inspired artists like Van Gogh and Renoir. We actually saw an original Van Gogh statue that was about 20 feet tall.

We also got to see the Old Church, Central Station, the West Church, the Coffee Houses and Red Light District, the Weeping Tower, the Anne Frank house and much more. Our guide was both enthusiastic and entertaining. He commented about the weather and said we must have brought the sunshine with us from California and he begged us to stay longer so he could enjoy the nice weather!

We finished the tour at a traditional Windmill where they used to produce milk. It was next to one of the many canals and we all enjoyed a cold drink and a snack. The sky was clear and the temperature was 28 degrees (felt like 75-80 degrees). What a nice city…thank you for a great tour of the town A.I.S.T.!!

Dave Williams

Head Softball Coach

CSU San Marcos

Day 8 – August 2^nd, 2011

It’s another beautiful sunny day in Amsterdam. According to the locals, this is only the second sunny day in the past 2 months! Everyone in town is taking advantage of the beautiful weather by biking and/or having lunch in the park. The locals and tourists are enjoying the warm sun at any of the many street side restaurant tables.

We started off our day with a tour of the Anne Frank house. The tour included views of the actual room where Anne Frank and her family hid during the Nazi invasion. Over 103,000 Jews were literally taken from their homes, schools and places of business in the Netherlands during the early 1940’s. Having seen the Nazi Concentration Camp in Belgium earlier on our trip, brought added significance to our tour of the Anne frank house. For more info visit: www.annefrank.org .

It was our last day in Amsterdam, so we made the most of it. The rest of the day was spent sight-seeing and shopping for the last minute gifts for our friends and family back home. I was determined to find Dutch pancakes, so Chad and I found a place near the canal that served “poffertjes”. Yea, I still don’t quite know how to pronounce the name…but they were delicious silver dollar pancakes served with sugar and butter.

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to drop off our souvenirs at the hotel and to send Chad off to England. Most of the rest of the day was spent exploring the neighborhoods in and around Amsterdam. I was dependent on Chad for directions most of the week to find my way around, so today I really had to pay attention. I think one could get lost really easily in downtown Amsterdam. The city is divided by three main canals in the shape of rings. That means there aren’t too many streets that are straight!

I ran into Carl (our Bike tour guide) and a few of his friends sitting in outside the Waterhole (http://www.waterhole.nl) near Leidseplein Square. With their permission, I sat and listened to their hilarious stories for a couple hours. Carl is from England, his friend is from Germany, another guy was from Venezuela, and the forth guy sounded American but claimed to be European. They were 4 ex-patriots from four different countries who all somehow ended up in Amsterdam.

Aaron (the proprietor of the Waterhole) had suggested a restaurant nearby. It was a really small place and I wasn’t certain that I would be able to find it. Voila! On a side street just a few blocks away, I found the Café de Klos. This small restaurant is known for their meat! So, I asked the owner what was their specialty. He suggested the Spare Ribs, I said OK, and they were amazing! Maybe some of the meatiest ribs I have eaten, served dry (no sauce). The 4 large portions of ribs were seasoned so well and they were falling off the bone and very juicy. The meal included bread, baked potato and slaw. If you are ever in Amsterdam, make a point to get ribs at the Café de Klos at 41 Kerkstraat!

With another successful A.I.S.T. trip in the books, we will head out in the morning to fly back to the United States. We enjoyed the train ride through the French countryside, a guided tour of Brussels, games versus the Belgian National team, a guided tour of Antwerp (what was once the business capital of Europe), the Cheese and Wooden shoe factory, the many sights of Amsterdam, a bike tour, museum tours and a 1^st Place trophy! Thank you to Chad Wilkinson and Team A.I.S.T. for a very well organized and fun tour, and for the great cultural experience. AMAZING!

Dave Williams

Head Softball Coach

CSU San Marcos

From the Players point of view:

Day 1:

Bonjour!

Belgium has been absolutely amazing!! We have had a packed schedule of great tours and time to explore ourselves. It is organized so well, for us to have a memorable time! After landing in Paris, we took the train ride to Brussels, Belgium. The train ride was a first for me and the view from the train is beautiful! Shortly after arriving in Brussels, we were set up with a tour guide for a city tour. The tour was very informative and a lot of fun. We got to have our first taste of culture at a sandwich shop called Panos. The food is great!!! After the tour of the city of Brussels, we made our way in a really nice bus to a concentration camp named Breendonk. It was so interesting and very sad, but it was educational. It is a selfguided tour, so you walk at your own pace. It is a piece of history in front of you. We reloaded the bus and checked into the hotel in Antwerp. The hotel is nice and a short walk from lots of food and shops. We went to dinner at a place called, Da Giovannis. AMAZING pizza and calzones! We were stuffed and needless to say exhausted from the long day of traveling and sightseeing.

The next morning we headed off to our tour of Antwerp. We saw the most beautiful cathedral and learned a lot about the city. We learned about all the different markets that used to exist and the bombings that occurred that wiped away the city long ago. (the buildings are still ancient compared to Florida or really any of the U.S.) We saw a castle which was really cool, especially for a Disney princess love . After the tour, we were able to explore by ourselves. We went down the street of Meir, which is like Park Ave back at home, full of shops! It was packed and full of good deals!! Everything was on sale, 70 percent off. We made our way to Grand Station, it was MASSIVE! Stopped for a bite to eat at Windsor which is a place off Meir, and the white sauce pasta was amazing! After exploring for about 4 hours by ourselves, we made our way back to our first game against the Belgium National Team. It was so neat to be able to wear AMERICA across our chest. We were all stoked and got to speak to the ladies from the national team before. They were very nice. Our first game we were all a little jittery, and unfortunately lost 4-2. But the second game came back strong with a 16-2 win. We are back in the swing of things and are ready for the tournament in Amsterdam! After a late night, we stopped at a mexican place to eat. It was good, a little expensive for the type of food and got a little confusing at the end. It has been such an amazing trip and everyone has been really nice. Europe is amazing, I mean get real the Taxi drivers drive around in Mercedes! NO BIG DEAL! Needless to say, it has been amazing and it’s not even half over! We cannot wait until we get to Amsterdam for the Bike Tour and the Anne Frank House, and especially MORE GAMES!

Thanks to AIST for this amazing Experience!

Ciao

Hope Bitzer – Rollins University

Thursday- After a long flight, the girls were excited to land in London and get there day started. We left the airport and headed to play a U19 World Championship team, Allsorts; who gave us a run for our money. The girls fought hard, especially dealing with jetlag but they fell short in the end. After the game we were able to have some refreshments and get to know the other team a little. Although everyone was exhausted, we headed to the Hostel to get ready to head into the city of London for dinner and some exploring.

Day 2

Friday- Another early morning began with breakfast and a bus ride to the wax museum, Madame Troussads. The girls were very anxious to begin their walking tour with Tim our tour guide through the London Tower, Buckingham Palace and other views such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the London Eye, and The University of England. On the bus ride Tim provided us with many other sites along the way to the main attractions. The weather has been chilly but the sun is shining and the rain has held up for us so far. The girls headed for the city of London for the night as they prepare for their next game, tomorrow morning against the Scotland Squad at 11:30 a.m. From here we will head back into the city and have dinner and actually go on the London Eye.

Jessica Catanzano

Greensboro College