Day 24 - USA vs. Scotland, My One Play, Swapping Gear, 5am, End of Tour
Woke up, ate breakfast, got into the vans at 9:15am for Commonwealth Stadium which is in downtown Edmonton. We arrive at 10am, go into the athlete's entrance and into the locker room. We each claim a cubby, but as Phaidra sits down next to mine I have to move because she and I have very different pre-game "zones". She seemed a bit put off when I said that I couldn't sit next to her, but I explained that she gets hyper and talkative and I need a bit more calm around me and not to be offended. Getting into performance mode is important and every athlete should know what they need to get there.
Since we had some time before warm-ups, I went out to see the field. The stadium was quite large, with a large Trinitron screen at one end. It was cool to walk around the field, but we couldn't go on it because the paint was drying from them lining the field in the morning. It was really cold (2 degrees C), but thankfully there was no rain. Many of us wore long-sleeved under armour during the game.
We had to sneak under a fence to warm up on a practice field outside the stadium, but then had about 20 min on the actual field. Back inside to the locker room, pre-game speech by Kathy, a few words from Crouse, and we brought it in for a 1-2-3 "Team" chant. We lined up in the tunnel and ran out to take the field for the National Anthems. The anthems are always very moving, although it's a bit tough with our anthem because we never know which version they'll play and when it'll be fast or slow or if notes are held or shortened. I think we'd do a bit better if we did it acapella, but finding the right note to start on is tough (not too high for us altos…).
The game started and we scored a quick try in the first few minutes of the game. The first half was a blur and we were back in the locker room for half-time. The second half was a bit difficult for the replacements because as the minutes went by we were still at 17-0, and not sure if we'd get to go in. A few subs in within 20 minutes of the half and then Kate Pope went in with about 7 minutes left and I was certain Claudia would finish the game. At minute 78, KTP nods to me and says "go warm up". This was one of the most internally frustrating moments I've had. Part of me wanted to "die peacefully"; playing for only 2 minutes made me seem like a charity case and my dignity didn't like that. But then the other half of me said seize every opportunity and bite my tongue. I shook my head and mumbled a few things as I was taking off my track suit and all the other layers I had on, and Kate Cox saw me fighting with myself and said "Get out there now" and with that I stepped to the sideline and the touch judge signaled me in.
For some reason, as I stepped onto the field I started sprinting and I ran as fast as I could to the scrum at the other side of the field. I'm sure it looked comical, and later It was the feeling you get when you're doing sprints and you can't feel your legs but it feels good. Keenya said that if it had been a contest for speed or form I would have won for both.
I put the ball into the scrum which was about 7 meters from scoring and told Tina to keep it in and drag with her for a push over try. The scrum began to stall, the ref said "Use it white", and I passed out to Heather who then passed it through the line out to Ellie who scored, and the whistle blew. I had only one play for the game, but it was a good one (it sure helps my stats!). As the game ended, I was thankful to have that one play even if it was silly that I only went in for 2 minutes. It was quite a lot to take in for this little scrumhalf and I wanted to see Rob but couldn't find him in the stands after the game so I had a moment by myself before going back into the locker room.
We showered, went upstairs to the VIP room and had some great food (and free beer!) as we watched the first half of the Canada vs. France match below. After exchanging pins with Scotland, we went back to join our fans and watched the end of the game (France won, 17-8). Then we went back upstairs to be part of Dude and Jen Joyce's Canadian wedding with rose petals, cake, and champagne. The New Zealand vs. England match began and we returned to our fans. It was an exciting match, especially NZ's ball movement. England put up a very good fight, with the difference being a couple of break-aways and NZ won, 25-17.
As the final whistle blew, we ran to the vans (KTP said that she would leave stragglers behind) and we flew back to the hotel to change into our #1s (our nicest US outfit) for the closing dinner. This dinner would also be a gear swap, so we came with bags of stuff to trade with other countries.
I hit the ground running and did most of my trades within the first 20 minutes, scoring an Espana backpack and a few jerseys, shorts, tshirts, etc. One of the best moments was when we began trading our #1s (blue collared shirt) with other teams. I don't think we're technically supposed to, but no one really likes them. A lot of people got the Scotland button-down, with Sinkler and I opting for the Espana #1s. By the end of the dinner, Patty Jervey had on the entire Scotland outfit…plaid pants and all! After some wine we were eager to get out of our USA gear so the party could begin at the Lion's Head, the bar next to our hotel.
It was crowded but everyone had a great time, singing along with karaoke for a bit and just hanging out. At 2pm, I think a group went to a bar nearby called Overtime, but many of us went back to the hotel to get ready for the 5am departure. I'll be staying an extra 9 days to see Banff and Jasper, but I woke up at 5am to see everyone off. Tina didn't make it for the departure, but she told KTP not to worry about her and that she'd figure out another flight later. Tina is funny that way, but I imagine it doesn't stress her out to improvise that stuff.
I must have hugged people several times because I was in shock that it was all over and that I wouldn't be with them again under these circumstances. They packed into the van and rode off into the dawn. I had trouble getting back to sleep with the thought of everything ending.
Since we had some time before warm-ups, I went out to see the field. The stadium was quite large, with a large Trinitron screen at one end. It was cool to walk around the field, but we couldn't go on it because the paint was drying from them lining the field in the morning. It was really cold (2 degrees C), but thankfully there was no rain. Many of us wore long-sleeved under armour during the game.
We had to sneak under a fence to warm up on a practice field outside the stadium, but then had about 20 min on the actual field. Back inside to the locker room, pre-game speech by Kathy, a few words from Crouse, and we brought it in for a 1-2-3 "Team" chant. We lined up in the tunnel and ran out to take the field for the National Anthems. The anthems are always very moving, although it's a bit tough with our anthem because we never know which version they'll play and when it'll be fast or slow or if notes are held or shortened. I think we'd do a bit better if we did it acapella, but finding the right note to start on is tough (not too high for us altos…).
The game started and we scored a quick try in the first few minutes of the game. The first half was a blur and we were back in the locker room for half-time. The second half was a bit difficult for the replacements because as the minutes went by we were still at 17-0, and not sure if we'd get to go in. A few subs in within 20 minutes of the half and then Kate Pope went in with about 7 minutes left and I was certain Claudia would finish the game. At minute 78, KTP nods to me and says "go warm up". This was one of the most internally frustrating moments I've had. Part of me wanted to "die peacefully"; playing for only 2 minutes made me seem like a charity case and my dignity didn't like that. But then the other half of me said seize every opportunity and bite my tongue. I shook my head and mumbled a few things as I was taking off my track suit and all the other layers I had on, and Kate Cox saw me fighting with myself and said "Get out there now" and with that I stepped to the sideline and the touch judge signaled me in.
For some reason, as I stepped onto the field I started sprinting and I ran as fast as I could to the scrum at the other side of the field. I'm sure it looked comical, and later It was the feeling you get when you're doing sprints and you can't feel your legs but it feels good. Keenya said that if it had been a contest for speed or form I would have won for both.
I put the ball into the scrum which was about 7 meters from scoring and told Tina to keep it in and drag with her for a push over try. The scrum began to stall, the ref said "Use it white", and I passed out to Heather who then passed it through the line out to Ellie who scored, and the whistle blew. I had only one play for the game, but it was a good one (it sure helps my stats!). As the game ended, I was thankful to have that one play even if it was silly that I only went in for 2 minutes. It was quite a lot to take in for this little scrumhalf and I wanted to see Rob but couldn't find him in the stands after the game so I had a moment by myself before going back into the locker room.
We showered, went upstairs to the VIP room and had some great food (and free beer!) as we watched the first half of the Canada vs. France match below. After exchanging pins with Scotland, we went back to join our fans and watched the end of the game (France won, 17-8). Then we went back upstairs to be part of Dude and Jen Joyce's Canadian wedding with rose petals, cake, and champagne. The New Zealand vs. England match began and we returned to our fans. It was an exciting match, especially NZ's ball movement. England put up a very good fight, with the difference being a couple of break-aways and NZ won, 25-17.
As the final whistle blew, we ran to the vans (KTP said that she would leave stragglers behind) and we flew back to the hotel to change into our #1s (our nicest US outfit) for the closing dinner. This dinner would also be a gear swap, so we came with bags of stuff to trade with other countries.
I hit the ground running and did most of my trades within the first 20 minutes, scoring an Espana backpack and a few jerseys, shorts, tshirts, etc. One of the best moments was when we began trading our #1s (blue collared shirt) with other teams. I don't think we're technically supposed to, but no one really likes them. A lot of people got the Scotland button-down, with Sinkler and I opting for the Espana #1s. By the end of the dinner, Patty Jervey had on the entire Scotland outfit…plaid pants and all! After some wine we were eager to get out of our USA gear so the party could begin at the Lion's Head, the bar next to our hotel.
It was crowded but everyone had a great time, singing along with karaoke for a bit and just hanging out. At 2pm, I think a group went to a bar nearby called Overtime, but many of us went back to the hotel to get ready for the 5am departure. I'll be staying an extra 9 days to see Banff and Jasper, but I woke up at 5am to see everyone off. Tina didn't make it for the departure, but she told KTP not to worry about her and that she'd figure out another flight later. Tina is funny that way, but I imagine it doesn't stress her out to improvise that stuff.
I must have hugged people several times because I was in shock that it was all over and that I wouldn't be with them again under these circumstances. They packed into the van and rode off into the dawn. I had trouble getting back to sleep with the thought of everything ending.
posted by Lee Knight at 9:30 PM
2 Comments:
You rock Lee!!
Awesome, Lee. Thanks so much for blogging your world cup experience. I loved reading it.
And you make the entire (Austin) Valkyries team jealous for getting to be there for Dude and JJ's wedding.
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