University of Mary Washington – Italy Field Hockey Blog
May 17, 2012
University of Mary Washington Blog:
Day 1 – Rome – Blog by: Mallory Peebles and Sarah Rankin
We arrived in Rome at 2:30 and met with Chad, our AIST tour manager, and Giancarlo, our Italian guide, they will be travelling with us on our trip throughout Italy. We immediately freshened up, exchanged currency, and headed to the city of Rome. The first place we went was the Piazza Navona, where we met our Rome tour guide, Fabio. He then walked us past the House of Senate and we headed toward the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a dome building built by Emperor Adrian. The center of the ceiling has a huge hole, which lets sunlight and rain into the Pantheon, the rainwater is drained through vats in the floor. After the Pantheon we headed to the Trevi Fountain. Everyone throws a coin into the fountain while making a wish, but obviously our wishes have already come true since we’re in Italy. Our last stop is the Coliseum, the arena was absolutely huge and we took many group pictures here. Finally, we head back to dinner at the hotel, with a delicious desert of gelato. We all crashed as soon as we laid down in bed, relieved to sleep but excited to see the Vatican in the morning.
Day 2 – Rome – Blog by: Mallory Peebles and Sarah Rankin
Today we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel, and then dressed for the Vatican. The Vatican requests that everyone dress in clothes which cover knees and shoulders. As we drove into the city everyone enjoyed seeing the sights, because we slept on the bus yesterday. We meet with Fabio again in front of Vatican City, which is the smallest country in the world. Fabio had already gotten our tickets so we didn’t have to wait in any of the very long lines. The Sistine Chapel, the Vatican museum, and St. Peter’s Basilica are all located inside of Vatican City. We began our tour in the museum which is overwhelming with so many paintings and sculptures, Fabio explained the history and importance of all the art as we walked through. From the museum we made our way to the Sistine Chapel, fortunately Fabio had explained the history of the Sistine Chapel before we entered, because the guards are very particular about too much noise and camera flashes. Every few minutes the guards enter the chapel and shushed the crowds when they become too loud. The chapel was absolutely beautiful, and it amazed us that everything was built and painted completely by hand. Our last stop In the Vatican was St. Peters Basilica. In the Basilica we had 20 minutes to walk about and see all of the dome ceilings, statues, and artwork. Afterwards, we had a couple hours of free time around Rome before we would meet up at the bus. We walked all around Rome and saw the Spanish Steps, the Capitol, ate Italian pizza and went shopping. Now we are heading to Tuscany, a welcome 3 hour ride that allows us to rest our feet after so much walking and touring.
Berry College Softball – Dominican Republic Blog
May 10, 2012
Day 1-4 Blog by Lacey Herring
May 5 – 8, 2012
We have been in the Dominican Republic for four days, and have already participated in many fun, unique activities and have witnessed many interesting aspects what life in the Dominican is about. The outskirts of the city was where we were exposed to how others live in this country. Seeing all of the trash on the sides of the roads and the poor conditions in which these people live really made me realize how blessed we are to live so well. We worry about something so small as not having our cell phones for a week while some of the Dominican people don’t even have a solid roof over their heads. To me this is one of the best experiences I have had on this trip so far because it has opened my eyes to see exactly how blessed we are back home.
On Sunday, our second day, we took a trip to the market to purchase some souvenirs. This was a hectic, but also hilarious experience. Everywhere I went I saw my teammates and their parents trying to bargain for the items they wanted to purchase. After spending a couple of hours at the market, we took a tour around the city to learn a more about the country’s history. It was very interesting to learn about the different aspects of the culture here. I really enjoyed the market because it was an extremely different experience from shopping for name brand clothing at shopping malls in Georgia. Also, we took a boat trip today (Tuesday) to Sonao Island. On our way to the island we listened to music and danced around on the boat, which was a lot of fun. The beach was very calm compared to the beach at our resort, and the water was absolutely gorgeous. We swam around in the ocean and laid out on the beach for a few hours before coming back to the resort for dinner. Even though we have only been here for 4 days, it has been an experience that my teammates, coaches, and I will never forget.
Day 5 – Blog by Andrea Cole
May 9, 2012
The day started off early as the team headed to the downtown Santo Domingo area to take on a Dominican team that was compiled of players from various universities. Since tropical weather dumped rain on the city the night before, a change in plans took the group on a pre-game hike. The venue of the excursion was Tres Ojos, an underground cavern filled with pools, tropical plants, and exotic animals. The hike down in the cave was muggy and slippery, but well worth the effort. The pools at the bottom of the cave gave the place its name, The Three Eyes. There were actually four crystalline pools of water, but there was only time to visit three as the fourth pool required a boat ride deep into the caves. On the way up, hikers saw various beautiful plants and vines, as well as an iguana and multiple honey beehives hanging on the cave walls. After the hike, the team arrived at the second field to find a grass infield, bases that resembled pillows strapped to the ground, and a lack of dugouts. The parents had a great view, sitting on a patio with tables and chairs behind the fence. The Lady Vikings got off to a slower start against the Dominican team than the previous day, but remained strong and we preceded to sweep the Dominicans with a final score of 14-1. Because of a stomach bug that swept through the team, the Vikings had a change of starting lineup. Courtney Cauthen started in left field, with Lacey Herring at short, Denice Aleman at second, and Lindsey Campbell as the designated hitter. Courtney Hodges, starting at third base, had a blast that would have been a grand slam on any field with a fence at a reasonable length. Others that posted hits that helped the team were Lacey Herring, Kristen Stoll, Katie Stanford, and Lindsey Campbell. Holly Todd made a few excellent catches in the outfield to keep runners off of the bases. Andrea Cole started the game, pitching three innings, allowing one run. Caillee Shamoun relieved, recording a save and allowing no runs. After the games and pictures with the Dominican girls, the group headed to a restaurant on the beach between Santo Domingo and Capella beach. Boca Marina was a picturesque spot, resembling what one would see on a post card, or on a pamphlet for a travel agency. The restaurant had a bar on the land, but all of the tables were out on a pier that had huts that provided a shady view of the crystalline ocean water. The most interesting detail of the venue was the beds on the end of the pier that allowed customers to lounge and take in the view during or after their meal. The food was excellent and the atmosphere utterly Caribbean. The late lunch was a great way to wind down another busy day of touring and playing softball.
Become an AIST Scout!
November 10, 2011
If you are a coaching professional and would like the opportunity to become a scout for our select teams, please fill out the form below. Paul Griffin will be your contact for information on how to become an AIST recruiter. You can call Paul at 631.957.7093 or email him at pgriff52@yahoo.com.
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Lax Fest Update
August 4, 2011
Ireland and England Laxfest Tour – August 3 – 11, 2011 – Daily Blog:
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 Read more
England / Ireland Last Day
July 29, 2011
The first half of the day we were free to roam the city of Dublin and get some last minute shopping in. We all met at the hostel and rode the bus to endless mountains and farm lands. It was called Glendalough and was the most amazing beautiful place I have ever been too. It was exactly what we all wanted to see and was exactly what we all pictured when we thought, Dublin. We then ate alongside the ocean and all agreed it was the best meal we had thus far. After lunch/dinner we went to the game vs. Ireland. They were a developmental team and had improved greatly from the years before. After we chatted and traded shirts with them. They invited us out tonight so we are going to meet them their! Great last day and the best trip I have ever been on!
Ali Green
East Stroudsburg University
