Greetings from sunny Barbados. Sorry for the delay in getting some info back to the faithful but internet has been tough to come by for free. I’m sitting by a pool at a nearby hotel, pirating at this moment. Fitting I guess.
The majority of the touring party arrived here Thursday afternoon, March 4th and couldn’t believe the change from the frigid morning we had in the long term parking lot at JFK waiting for the terminal shuttle bus. Hard to believe it was the same day for sure. We got all checked in and most went straight into the beautiful blue water.
Friday was a training day, and it was immediately apparent to all that we were “not in Kansas anymore”!! Lots of sunscreen and water did little to subdue the heat and humidity, but the team did work hard through it. It also made it clear to all that the proper mindset, and A LOT of HYDRATION would be required for success the following day in our opening matches.
Saturday brought the first matches of the tour, the arrival of the final members of the touring party, and a day for all to remember as we played two matches on the infield of the island horse racing track on the day of the biggest horse race of the year! It truly was an unforgettable experience. Despite the heat and distractions that the day threw at them, the teams really performed on the pitch. The B-side opened the day with a 49-5 victory, and the A-side followed them up with a 39-5 victory. It was a great way to start, and following some food and songs at the Barbados rugby clubhouse which is also located on the infield of the horse track, the team went home for some well deserved sleep. They thought that they were going out, but after two rugby matches in that kind of heat and humidity, their bodies had other plans!
Sunday was a recovery day, and Monday was the last tough training day.
Yesterday saw most of the team go on a Catamaran adventure during the day. Apparently besides the food, snorkeling with sea turtles was the highlight of the trip. The evening brought another run around the island, a team Q&A session for the backs and forwards that seemed useful, and was completed with another Yoga session on the beach lead by our very own physio/den mother extraordinaire Sumie. This time it was under the most beautiful starry evening sky any of us had ever seen.
Today it was a morning training session for all, and then tonight under the lights we will have our third match of the tour, as a mixed side will take the pitch against our next opponents.
Hard to believe that we are already on the downhill side of this incredible spring break tour.
Tomorrow will be a recovery day, and there is a small group including yours truly who going deep sea fishing, so that should be great.
Well I’ll be in touch to let you know how tonight (and tomorrow) goes.
Cheers everyone.
DF.
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