So we are back home in Vancouver, it is 4am and I am wide awake. The trip back was not a fun one. Some of us had to get up around 6am for an earlier flight into Shanghai, while the rest of the team got to sleep in an additional two hours before having the next flight to Shanghai , where we all met for our ongoing flight to Vancouver.

The flight was completely booked so the hope of having a row to myself was completely shut down. Kiss and I thought it would be great to sit together where we would both get our ideal seats (me the window and her the aisle).

Once we got to our seats, we realized we were worse off. Our seat was in front of the exit row; so they don’t recline. Also, our foot room was blocked by the dividing wall, meaning no room to stretch your feet the slightest bit. It was a long flight, and though most of us took sleeping pills, none of us slept.

The World Cup this time round was a tough one for everyone. We all have our own personal stories and reflections that I am sure each would be different. Nevertheless, all of us were heartbroken and disappointed with the way it ended. Read the rest of this entry »

So today was a great day for Team Canada. We won 4-0 on two goals from Sincy, one from Martina, and one from the young one Sophie. It was a solid performance.

We were very excited to get the job done after our loss to Norway which we lead at half but didn’t play our best in the second half. Candace (Chappy) had a great goal for us but the first half was the better half for us as a team.

In our group play, Australia tied Norway in the 83rd minute which makes our game against Australia a must win because with a tie, they would go through along with Norway, instead of us. It will be an exciting game, as are all the games here at the World Cup, so I hope you all tune in for that one.

It has been crazy since the games have started. We’ve been on the road waiting in anticipation while traveling to Japan for our final pre-World Cup game and then Singapore for our final days of training.

Since the tournament has started, days seem to be going much quicker. I love watching the other teams play and seeing other players represent their countries. It is a great event in itself but to watch the world’s best go against one another for the big cup is exhilarating. Read the rest of this entry »

Hello everyone from Hangzhou.

The trip over from Singapore was a good one in spite of the fact that we were up quite early. We all loved the flight over because we were once again on an aircraft where we had our own individual TV’s where we could choose from movies, to our favorite TV shows, to games. For someone who is unable to sleep, finding something to keep them occupied is not a problem on these flights.

I watched the movie Fracture with Anthony Hopkins which I enjoyed. Our flight was only five hours (I can’t believe I’m saying only, but compared to the fourteen and eighteen hour flights we’ve flown recently, this one was easy). We flew into Shanghai and drove through rush hour to Hangzhou which was between 2-3 hours with police escort.

It’s interesting to see how the traffic works here. Last time we were escorted in Brazil, it was like the sea parted when the police came through, here, it’s much different. Some people cut off the bus to follow the police to get ahead, and sometimes they go as far as to cut off the police cars that are escorting us. Read the rest of this entry »

We played Japan on August 30th and tied 0-0. Although the score show’s an uneventful game, there were actually quite a few goal chances and two disallowed goals. Melissa Tancredi scored a beautiful header off of a corner and the referee called it back, for what reason we are still bewildered.

On another corner, Randee went up for a header and a Japanese defender literally punched the ball over her head amazingly out of sight of the referee. We were frustrated by the bad calls, but in the end the game was useful in our preparation for the World Cup.

It’s exciting that almost everyone got a chance to play since players such as Amy Walsh, Mel Booth, Kristina Kiss, Robyn Gale are just coming back from injuries. Rhian Wilkinson and Tanya Dennis were the only ones not medically cleared to play just yet. Read the rest of this entry »