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RHIAN'S SOCCER JOURNALS:

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL 8th July 2008

We arrived in Toronto last night just after 8:00pm,and I was ravenous by the time we had collected our bags and reached the hotel. We are staying at an upscale hotel right downtown in the city, and I have a great view of the CN tower out of my window. In another direction I can see Nathan Phillips Square and the Town Hall which resembles a spaceship.

However, I could not concentrate on the view, as I was so hungry. I wasn't alone, and the whole team filled themselves up with bread and butter long before the actual food even arrived. Unfortunately, and because of this, we were all pretty hungry again a few hours later, just after all the main dishes and food had been put away.

Like most of the team, I had a rough time getting a good sleep last night. Even a three hour time difference makes a big impact at night time. I tried to head to bed at midnight loc al time, but that was still only 9:00 pm for we West coast residents. So, I just stayed in bed, wide awake. By 2:00 am, I was insanely frustrated with this lack of sleep, and vowed not look at the time again. Thus I have no idea when I did finally nod off.

What I do know is that I felt utterly exhausted this morning. My resultant bad mood soon wore off though, as by 10:00am the team was on the road heading to the Winners flagship store to meet and greet some of our sponsors and fans. And, it was a fun morning and I really enjoyed myself. First, we met the brass at Winners, who gave us a great little talk and some really nice bracelets. Then, there were the fantastic fans who waited patiently in line to meet us. We sat and signed autographs, took pictures and managed to mix and mingle for the next two hours. I loved every minute of it.

I find it odd when our fans thank us for coming out to these signing sessions. The occasions are honestly such a thrill for us. We have played at home so rarely in the last three years that I have started to convince myself that the boos that have accompanied our entrance out onto foreign fields, and that follow good plays that we make, are actually people supporting us. This Thursday, it is going to be interesting to have people on our side, and actually cheering for us.

Getting to meet the people and fans who pay to see us play, and getting to talk to the people who follow our results and games all over the world, is our honour and pleasure. It is not a duty, but worthwhile and fun and enjoyable.

We had some time off after the morning at the Winners store, so I sat down to write this journal, then I read a little and laid down to rest. It did not take long for our 3:30 pm rendezvous to arrive. Then, we again boarded the bus and headed off to training.

We had been told that this was going to be a short bus trip from downtown to the BMO Stadium at Exhibition Place. However, we guessed that something might be wrong when we went past the stadium on the highway and headed down the 403 for another 15 minutes without turning around. We were pretty sure that the schedule was in trouble and that we were going to be late. So, even though we were all on time boarding the bus, no one had told the driver where we were going. He thought we were headed for Oakville.

Luckily for us, the fans and teams who had come out to watch us train were good sports about our tardy entrance, and they even cheered loudly when we finally made it out on to the field. The session took a little time to get going, as we are all a little rusty from our time off and from the travel. Eventually though, we started moving into top gear and the session turned into the usual intense and focused practice that we have become used to in recent weeks, We didn’t do too many drills, but spent most of our time playing an 8 vs 8 game on a small field. I think the young girl soccer players in the stands enjoyed this.

After the training session, we had a meet and greet out on the field. Again, just like this morning, it was good to see our fans up close and personal. We stayed out on the field for about 45 minutes before hurrying off to shower and board the bus again for Oakville.

Kara Lang’s parents had graciously, and bravely, decided to host a barbeque for the team, officials, family and friends. The poor Langs, I don’t think they realized how much we could put away. The food was delicious though, and it was good to escape from the hotel, if only for a while.

The weather was good to us and dry, despite the ominous rumble of thunder ad lightning all around us. We spent a pleasant evening under a stormy sky eating the Lang’s out of house and home, I’m sure they’ll think twice before inviting our ravenous posse over again. In all seriousness though, the team had a great evening and I would like to thank not only the Lang’s for hosting the event, but the Tancredi parents and grandparents and Mrs Matheson and others for helping out - the food was delicious.