After our game on Sunday, some of the players were able to get on the early flight out. Kara had to catch a 5:15 flight which she made and she sprinted off right after warming down as did Walsh. The Vancouver players had a chance to come back to the hotel and shower and they too were soon off leaving only a few of us.

Lucky for me, or so I thought before it happened, my flight left soon after midnight. I got to travel with Shel, Ian, and Jodi-Ann (Jar), as they were heading out the the U-18 Camp in St. John’s, Newfoundland to play against the Germans U-18.

I was off to my first official recruiting trip for my new University of Rutgers. As excited as I was for my new adventure, the travel of 12 hours seemed to take away from that excitement. I was not fortunate
enough to travel like our coaches, who got bumped up to first class, but I sure did try. If only they weren’t completely booked. It turned out that the agent at the gates daughter is a huge fan and he was going to try and get us upgraded, but unfortunately, everyone showed up which meant no upgrades. The good thing is that Jar and I initially had middle seats but we got an isle and a window seat, yet the window seat was the last seat, in the last row that did not recline. Jar got that one of course . . . seniority had to be pulled at that moment of course. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, I know, I know I’m horrible, but it isn’t from me just not wanting to write a journal, I have been quite busy. Prior to coming to training camp, I enthusiastically enjoyed my first preseason at Rutgers University. It had been quite an experience working with such dedicated girls, that it is much more fulfilling than I expected it to be. I will write more on my coaching a little later.

I know many of you have seen the score of our first game against Germany and although the score was 3-1, for those of you who watched the game that score did not truly reflect the game. We played well but weren’t able to capitalize on our chances as Germany did. It was a great experience for the team and for me especially as I got to play back at home in Vancouver in front of my friends and family which can never get old. Read the rest of this entry »

KK’S JOURNAL ENTRY VIA THE INCREDIBLE MIND OF AMY WALSH

So here’s the deal, great readers of karinaleblanc.com: KK slacks off on her journals and passes the buck to yours truly. I have no problem with it (apart from robbing me of precious nap time) but I wanted to make sure that her devoted followers were not let down by a replacement writer. With that out of the way, here’s what we’ve been up to…

First of all, I can’t believe it’s already Aug 31st…It seems like we just got here. Actually, it doesn’t at all! Camp always goes at a snail’s pace, and the days simply run into each other. If we didn’t read the newspaper every day, it would be Groundhog Day at the hotel. Despite the usual grind of camp, we have managed to amuse ourselves quite well…and given the personalities present at the moment, this should not come as a surprise to any of you. Prior to dining at Earl’s on Saturday night last week, (a much needed respite from four days of intense training), we had a tough scrimmage in Abbotsford. We faced a boys team we’d played in January and March camps, and we knew we were in for a battle. They’re strong, fast and competitive, just the kind of opposition we need to prep us for the Germans. Read the rest of this entry »