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The Penn State field hockey team is heading down under for a trip of a lifetime. Two weeks in Australia, touring some of the most historical and beautiful cities of that country, and the chance to suit up in the blue and white against some of Australia's top teams. The Lions have plans to tour Adelaide, Sydney and Cairns while also playing some top-level field hockey. The team has plans to snorkel in the beautiful coral reefs off the coast of Cairns, visit the famed Sydney Tower and walk among koalas in Flinders Chase National Park. Although they will be thousands of miles away in Australia, the Nittany Lions won't forget their friends, family and fans back home. Click the dates below to read journal entries from each member of the team as they describe in their own words what they enjoyed most about their trip. The experience is not one the players and coaches will soon forget, and since NCAA rules allow one trip every four years, who knows where the Nittany Lions will go next! Field Hockey Australia 2006 Itinerary May 15: Depart State College UPDATED! May 17: Arrive in Adelaide UPDATED! May 18: Tour of Adelaide, including visits to the local markets, Victoria Square, the North Terrace and a variety of parks and botanical gardens. At night: Game UPDATED! May 19: Cruise to Kangaroo Island and visit Seal Bay, home to 600 rare Australian Sea Lions, eat an Australian-style lunch and tour Flinders Chase National Park, Weirs Cove, the Cape du Couedic Lighthouse and Admirals Arch UPDATED! May 20: Sightsee in Adelaide, Game UPDATED! May 21: Depart for Sydney UPDATED! May 22: Tour Sydney, including beautiful Bondi Beach. At night: Game UPDATED! May 23: Climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge, dinner at the famous Sydney Tower UPDATED! May 24: Sightsee in Sydney. At night: Game at Olympic Field UPDATED! May 25: Depart for Cairns UPDATED! May 26: Snorkel trip off the coast of Cairns May 27: Sightseeing in Cairns, including a visit to the Cairns Night Zoo May 28: Return to State College
Day Nine: May 25 Night Owls Hey guys! Today started slow with our plane ride from Sydney to Cairns but ended up being a lot of fun with a trip to a night zoo. We had an early morning wake up call around 7 am for a 3 hour plane ride. We were greeted at the airport with very warm weather and lots of sunshine. Upon our arrival we took a quick tour of the city and it didn't take long until we were all poolside in our bathing suits. After soaking up some rays we got ready for the night zoo. Our night started off with an Aussie BBQ complete with steak, hot dogs, chicken and prawns (with eyes...gross!). While we were eating we all sang along to an Australian guitarist who played anything from Tom Petty to Janis Joplin. After our stomachs were full we went on a tour of the zoo petting koalas, kangaroos, snakes and even a wombat. We then went to an area with alligators who didn't really appreciate the company. We ended the night with singing and dancing with locals, learning their dances and even doing our own hokie pokie! Good times to be had and many more to come.
Day Eight: May 24 Downtime in Sydney Today we had a relaxing free day. It was very nice to be able to wake up whenever we wanted to. Unfortunately, most of us woke up quite early. We ate breakfast in the hotel, which provides a lot of great choices. We took our time getting ready and strolled off to the beach. The beach was called Manly beach, and we took a ferry to get there. The site is beautiful because the water is clear and there are rocks on the edges. There are tons of beach shops that we were able to poke around in. Of course we all bought a souvenir. After this stop most of us took the ferry to Darling Harbor to shop some more. There were so many boats to look at while we were on the ferry. While we were shopping the adults were doing the bridge climb. Everyone loved it. It was just a great experience. Soon enough it was game time again and we got the chance to play on the Olympic Field which was an unbelievable experience. We won our game 3-1, which made it that much better. Overall our day was nice and relaxed.
Hitting the Highlights Today was a very exciting day. All of the players and some of the parents went on the Sydney Harbor Bridge climb. Since we are traveling in such a large group we had to split up. The group we went on was the first tour of the morning, which started at 8:45. We took the bus downtown to the bridge. It was a cool morning with a breeze and no sun. When we go there we checked in and had some time to walk around the building and look at all the pictures. There was a wall of famous celebrities and athletes that had climbed the bridge previous to us. The names included Will Smith, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Bette Midler and Glenn Close. Soon enough we went into a room to begin our tour. We filled out a paper and had to take a standard breathalizer test that everyone must take. Of course everyone passed and we moved on to get our jumpsuits. We continued to get the rest of our gear and went through a short demo of the ladders and stairs we were to climb. Shortly after that we were making out way up the bridge. The sites were AMAZING! You could see the entire outline of the harbor, sailboats, and the skyline. Despite the chill and, at times, high winds, it was well worth it. While climbing down the bridge, we saw the other group of Penn Staters going up and of course we gave a "We are Penn State" cheer. After the climb everyone split up into smaller groups to explore the city, eat and shop. The rest of the afternoon was ours until 6:30 when we had to be dressed and ready to go to dinner in the revolving tower. It is one of the, if not the, tallest buildings in Sydney. If you are like me and thought the tower actually revolved, that is not true. On the inside, the floor rotates around, but not to worry, it goes slow and you can barely feel it. Dinner was set up in a buffet kind of style. There were about four different food bars to go to. The buffet had a variety of meats, salads, seafood, fried foods and of course, dessert. We were able to have a nice relaxing dinner all together. It was really nice. The lights of the city were beautiful from the view of the revolving tower. It was an awesome day.
Fun in the Sun Dear Fellow Followers of Penn State Field Hockey, We have arrived in the beautiful and busy city of Sydney, Australia. Today is Monday and we have toured this amazing city and all of the scenic areas. We started out by going to Bondi Beach where the water was surprisingly warm. The water and surrounding area is just breathtaking. Pictures do not do it any justice (of course this was a "team picture" spot.) There were plenty of shops to see and places to eat down there. Some people are planning to use Wednesday, our free day, to go back and spend some more time down there. Next we traveled to the top of a hill. It may sound boring at first, however we had a breathtaking view of the entire city. At the top of this hill we were able to see Sydney's skyline and the Sydney Harbour, which was again a team picture spot. We continued our travels to another hilltop only this time we could see what seemed like millions of miles of endless sea water. It was a really sunny day so we could see all the different shades of water from the top. It was really awesome to able to see the clear sky and water together against the beautiful rocks. On our way to the opera house we stopped at a harbour where we could see the naval ships of Australia. It was quite small and there were only three ships to see. This was just a short trip, but we had time to get many pictures because it was a good spot to have the opera house and the Sydney Harbour bridge behind us. Across from the harbour is the Opera House. Unfortunately we weren't able to go into the opera house because you had to pay ten dollars for a tour, so we just went to the gift shop. Mal Weisen counted all the stairs to the top for us -- 42 in total. The coolest thing about the opera house that we could see was the bathroom. Weird I know, but if you experienced it you would understand. The counter just had little dips in the sink and the water would just flow off the edge, feeling like it was going to flow off. Behind it was a little drain. That was the end of the touring part of our day. When we returned to the hotel some of us took a dip in the pool, which happens to be located on the 14th floor and has an amazing view. We had a game that night! We went over to the field early so we could get a tour of the facility. We were able to see the Olympic Cycling stadium and walk on the ramp or the floors they rode on. It was awesome and really cool to see. They also had a nice clubhouse inside where they had drinks for us to cool down with. The people there were really nice. Our game started at seven and of course it rained just as the whistle blew. We were able to play half of the first half until lightning struck then 20 minutes of a second half. Afterwards they had a huge Aussie bar-b-q. They had salad, corn, chicken, hamburgers, and some yummy desserts for us. We signed a few sticks for the ball girls who were under seven. Again, the people there were so inviting and really nice. The mayor of the town was even there to watch our game. The people there were so honored to have us there. They even decorated our locker room and made signs to welcome us. Our night ended around 10 p.m. with a bus ride back to the hotel. Tomorrow almost all of us will be doing the bridge climb, which to put in perspective is about 600 feet high, and probably another team picture spot! Hope all is well back in the USA!
Day Five: May 21 The day started pretty early with a 7 a.m. wake up call so we could eat breakfast before heading off to Sydney. The food was pretty good because we had the choice of fruit, cereal and muffins along with a hot plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and mushrooms. After breakfast we packed the bus to leave for the airport. It was about a 20-minute drive to the airport and our flight to Sydney was scheduled to leave at 9:50 so we had to check our luggage and find our terminal by 9. While we were waiting to board, Char asked each player to write 3 post cards to people who supported us for this trip. I thought it was a very nice gesture and I hope we'll write more throughout the trip. The flight was only about an hour and 45 minutes. We could watch the movies they supplied or listen to the music on our complimentary head sets. After we touched down, we claimed our luggage and loaded our things to another bus that took us directly to our hotel. We had a group meeting in the hotel lobby to discuss whether or not we were going to do the bridge climb. We ended up not doing it and instead had the rest of the day to ourselves. A handful of us went for a swim and hung out in the hotel for awhile, others went straight to the city and shopped. We had dinner on our own and my group ate at a nice cafe' on George Street. George Street is the main strip in the city. Even though it was a Sunday the strip was filled with tons of people. George Street takes you directly to the Sydney Opera house and we took pictures of the Harbor and sky line. It was a good 30-minute walk back from the harbor and it was getting pretty late so we all just went to bed. We have a city tour tomorrow morning, so we all need our rest!
Day Four: May 20 We started out our last day in Adelaide with a nice breakfast at the hotel. The usual cereal, toast, yogurt, fruit, and eggs kept us satisfied. After breakfast, it was right back to our rooms to get ready for our game. The bus pulled out of the hotel around 9:00, and we were on our way to our last game in Adelaide. When we got to the field we saw that there was another game before us, so we had fun watching them play while we warmed up. By the time the "unique buzzer" sounded on the scoreboard, we had won 4-0. It was great playing against the club teams and just being in that environment. After the game, the group stuck around the hockey club to watch a men's game that followed ours. While watching, we enjoyed a light lunch at the clubhouse. From the field, we split into two groups: one went on a tour, while the other group had an afternoon to themselves. While the group was at the country tour, the rest of us headed back to the hotel. The girls decided to get into the hot tub and relax for a while. It was so nice. After about an hour or so, or at least until our hands and feet were wrinkled, we hopped out and headed back to our rooms to get cleaned up for the rest of the day. Chase Bacon and I took a taxi into the city later. We both made ourselves promise not to buy anything else. We spent some time exploring the city, and decided to walk back to the hotel. We lived up to the "tourist" stereotype by constantly taking pictures. The country is so beautiful. We also lucked out by having the chance to see an Aussie-Rules Football game. The game was in a nearby park, so we stopped by for a while. It was really fun to watch, even though we didn't know all the rules. When we got back to the hotel, we took some time to get our rooms packed up for our departure in the morning. We also took some power naps...I think my internal clock is still off! After a refreshing nap, a bunch of us left for dinner. Chase, Jen Long, Mal Weisen and I ate at a cafe down the street. It was very good and again, we had so much fun talking with the locals and learning more about Adelaide. After dinner, the team met up and headed to a local hangout. There was a live band playing which was awesome. They didn't compare to our Natty of course! We had a great time talking with people, dancing, and going out together as a team. It was a great way to end our time in Adelaide!
Day Three: May 19 Wow, 5 A.M. came really quick!! Before we could even get a good night's sleep, we were up and at 'em. Even though it was so early, we were actually wide awake and left the hotel at 6:30 am to ride a bus two hours for our final destination of Kangaroo Island. We drove through the countryside and we were fortunate to see a true Aussie sunrise over the mountains which was breathtaking. Our bus driver gave us plenty of opportunities to be "tourists", stopping on the side of the road to let us take pictures of wild kangaroos. After the rather long bus ride, we boarded a ferry that took us to Kangaroo Island. We thought we would see a dolphin, whale or great white like we had hoped but the views and wildlife of Kangaroo Island soon made up for our brief disappointment. Our first stop was at a eucalyptus oil distillery. It was really interesting to see the process of making oil that helps remedy many different ailments. Our next stop was Seal Bay. This is one of the only places in the world where you can get up close and personal with sea lions. Some were playful, and some were rather sleepy, but all were beautiful. Our next stop on the 190-mile journey around Kangaroo Island was a place called Beckwith's Far. We had the chance to not only eat, but to walk around the big gum trees looking for koala bears. Koala bears are tricky to locate, but we soon found out that they are extremely photogenic. Our favorite stop on the journey was Remarkable Rocks of Australia. It is difficult to describe but our pictures that are coming will show you a glimpse of their spectacular size, beauty and shape. Words and pictures cannot even begin to describe how amazing these naturally carved rocks are. Being on such a natural high from the Remarkable Rocks, we headed just down the road to Admiral's Arch. We were stunned at the water color, ocean mist and the rocky coastline. With seals at play and wishing we all had surfboards, we took many pictures and just gazed in awe at the whole scene. We didn't think anything could top the previous two stops and moved on to what we at first thought would be a boring trip to the Visitor's Center. But it was anything but and we had an experience of a lifetime. WE GOT TO PET REAL LIFE WILD KANGAROOS!!!! One was pregnant with a little joey in her pouch, but the joey won't come out for a few months. With nothing else left to jam into our busy day, we headed to the airport for our third type of travel, planes. We flew home to the Adelaide airport which truly was a blessing because we didn't have to repeat the long bus ride. The team was on the first plane that was able to leave, and while others stayed behind, they got a chance to see some penguins. Everyone made it back to the hotel safely and crashed after the longest and best day of the trip so far.
Day Two: May 18 Hello again from Down Under!! Today we went on a lovely tour of the city of Adelaide. Our tour guide drove us all around the city, giving us details about the history and culture of the people. He dropped us off near the center of the city, giving us a chance to walk around and view the museum, art gallery and the local university. Some people saw the original Aboriginal art while others went to the market and Rundel mall area to shop. ABC, the Australian Broadcasting Company, stopped by to interview Char and a few of the players about our trip and expectations of the competition and our performance. We continued our tour to the beach where we walked along the beach gathering sea shells and dipping our toes in the Pacific Ocean. We then had a few hours to ourselves to relax before our game. At 6:15 we left for the match where we played on a very strange and rubbery type of "turf." We drew the match to a 1-1 tie, and found out they don't like over time. We played well, and although we were a little rusty, the Aussies were still impressed. After the game, the team invited us to join them at dinner. We socialized with both the women's and men's teams. It was a good time. By 11:30 we were all exhausted and we headed back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep for our 5 am wake up call tomorrow.
Day One: May 17 For some of us our adventure down under started Monday morning at 11am with a departure from East Area Locker Room. Molly Schriver and I were the lucky ones who had the wonderful opportunity to ride down with our coaches and coaching "support staff" to the Philly airport. Once we arrived in Philly we met the rest of our team who had spent one last night at home to pack and say goodbye to their family and friends. We thought for sure we would see some famous people in the LA airport and we didn't have to wait that long. Jodie Foster was in the security line behind Jen Beaumount and Jen's mom spent the time in line talking with her. We did have an early scare--Shaun Banta almost left her make-up in New Jersey! But thanks to her mom and our patient tour guide Gabe, Shaun and her make-up were reunited and on time for our departure. We thought the worst flight would be the 14-hour leg from LA to Melbourne, but in fact it was the six-hour flight from Philly to LA. Once we arrived in LA we met up with more of the coaching "support staff" and some friendly Aussies who informed us of all the wonders of down under. We had a great experience flying Quantas air; the flight attendants kept our stomachs full and all of us comfortable for the entire 14 hours. Our team rediscovered the kids in us through the multiple video games we could play on our personal TV screens. They kept us entertained for the whole trip. At one point, I looked next to me and Nat Blasco and Shaun were building their own animals! With about an hour left we all started to get anxious so we got up only to discover that we all had swollen ankles and feet from being on the plane for so long. We finally arrived in Melbourne, but our journey was not over yet! We still had to go through customs and take another flight to Adelaide. Unfortunately, not everyone made the flight! Char and her coaching "support staff" missed the connection due to some confusion with baggage and airline staff. But the rest of us enjoyed a short flight over the beautiful, rugged countryside to Adelaide. Once in Adelaide, the first thing everyone did was buy phone cards to call home and check in with family and friends. When we got to our hotel it was 11am Wednesday morning in Australia, but it was 9:45pm Tuesday night at home in the States. Surprisingly we all adjusted to the time difference, except for Mal Weisen who was so intrigued by Solitaire for the whole 14-hour flight that she barely stayed awake through our first team dinner. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking and jogging through Adelaide and enjoying the friendliness of the Australians. We are looking forward to the rest of our adventure and learning about the culture in this beautiful country. Our first game is tomorrow and ABC Sports in Adelaide will be there to cover it! Keep checking for daily updates of our adventure!! G'Day MATE!!!
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