It was hot and sticky when we arrived, but I was not expecting anything less. I was actually happy to be out of cold and snowy Buffalo! The hotel in San Jose was beautiful and tropical.  Soon after our arrival, Regions II, III, and IV arrived at the hotel. It was cool to see many of my past teammates from other events I had been to earlier this year and last year.

 

Each region had a pair of tour guides for the 10 days, and they arranged our times for training, games and sightseeing activities. The next day, we had our first training session, and then on Saturday we competed in our first match. I knew that the teams we would play in Costa Rica would be very good, as our tournament hosts had made sure we were playing the best competition possible. Our opponents were the professional women’s teams from Costa Rica, and the players were from 17-25 years old.

 

Our first match was against UCEM Alajuela, the second-best team in Costa Rica. It was a difficult match. The second match was on Sunday, and from the previous match we knew it was not going to be an easy game. We played San Jose this time, and it certainly was not an easy match, either, but we kept fighting and did okay. However, it was nice to have a little break to help recoup before our final two matches.

 

We changed hotels on that Monday, going from the Irazu (our original hotel) to the Tilajari, about three hours away. This hotel was even more tropical than the first, located right near a volcano and the rain forest. The practice field was right in the hotel grounds, so we trained when we arrived, and then had some fun. That night, we went to the Hot Springs, naturally made pools that are all different temperatures, made by the volcano. It was fun and relaxing to have a night off and just swim!

 

The next day, Tuesday, we went zip-lining! Zip-lining was the most fun, I think. It was a thrill to be up 400 feet or higher and go 40 miles an hour above the canopy of a rainforest on a steel cable! It was a great time to look out and see much of the beauty of Costa Rica. That was a once in a lifetime experience. After the zip-lining we had lunch and went back to the rainforest to hike to the LaFortuna waterfall. When we arrived at the waterfall, we went swimming in the pool it emptied into. It was gorgeous! Everything there was really green, and there were flowers everywhere that I had never seen before. When I looked up, I noticed that we actually went zip-lining over the waterfall! It was a ton of fun!

 

The next day, Wednesday, we had training in the morning, and then we were back on the road to the Irazu hotel. I guess you could say it wasn’t the greatest day for me, because in the last five minutes of training, I was injured. I dove and one of my players landed on top of me, pinning me to the ground and dislocating my collarbone. This part of my trip was definitely the least fun!  I had to wait for an ambulance and then go to a hospital, in a foreign country! It wasn’t the best time, but I knew I would be okay. For the next two days, I would just have to sit and root my team on from the sidelines.

 

The third game was against Heredia, and we had improved; we fought hard. The fourth and final game was against the best team, Arenal Coronado. We were nervous; this was an extremely good team. Though it was our toughest match, we seemed to be okay after the loss. The trip really brought us together, not only as a team, but as closer friends, too.

 

Overall, it was the experience of a lifetime — one that I will never forget. Just to be part of an international tournament was amazing. It was cool to do the same things that you always see the pros doing on TV — marching the starting line-ups out on the field and exchanging banners. This was by far my favorite trip, because I had the chance to meet people from another country and compete against them, which is not like everyday competition. I flew home on Sat., Apr. 4, with another great time and incredible experience under my belt.

 

Thank you to the Region I staff for choosing me for this trip!