England Exchange Blog

They’re off to Boston & then home … The boys made their flight on time and enjoyed some shopping at the Portland Mall before arriving at Boston Logan Airport.  So hopefully, they are getting some sleep before they arrive home in London in the morning.

Actually I’m surprised some of the SCD gents are awake and walking about considering a good many of them never went to sleep – thinking they’ll catch some shut-eye on the plane (smart lads). I know that at 5 am a few of my guys went outside to play tennis. I believe they woke the horses. And of course the sun was out – nice! When I came into the living room this morning at 7 am they were pretending to be dozing and then all started laughing letting me in on their sleep depravation plan.

I suggested they get a little rest since two hours into their trip they will stop to shop a bit more and they certainly don’t want to miss the Portland Mall. No sooner than I spoke those words they closed their eyes and were out for at least an hour and a half.

When I woke them, they scrambled to finish packing and off we went to Dysarts – Truck Stop and 24 hour a day eatery. We were the first to arrive – actually we beat the coaches – (yes, I said it again, we arrived before the coaches). With our breakfasts ordered the rest of the Host families started appearing one by one. Most sat down and had a quick bite to eat. As the time drew near we all went outside to await the arrival of the bus.

Once outdoors we decided to get last minute photo opps prior to the buses arrival. We attempted, and I believe accomplished, the difficult task of getting the hosts and their SCD guests together so you can now put faces to the e-mail addresses. After several complete group photos the bus arrived and the SCD lads tossed their luggage under the bus – literally – then they went back to say final farewells to the hosts. Lost of hugs, laughs, a few tears and loads of promised future communication via the world wide facebook/twitter/ web/ichat/e-mail thingy.

The guys and coaches climbed into the bus … the door closed slowly …  we waved from outside, they waved from within (a bit hard to see with the tinted glass, but we assumed they were waving) … and the bus drove off!

Once again, a huge thank you to our UK families for allowing your son’s to visit our homes and enter our lives. They were a true delight!

And to our Blackbear HOST families, we can’t thank you enough for your generous hospitality. 

Thank you once again,

MJ & Hal

What a day, with a 70% chance of rain, and I checked seven times in the earlier half, I would have bet it was going to pour, hail and thunderstorm (so the weather-folk predicted), and I would have lost, big time. The sun was out, blazing, evaporating the nights heavy rainfall even as clouds quickly passed overhead occasionally obscuring the sunshine for a brief moment. All the players were happy to be outside, finally, in the nice warm weather and all the hosts were asking if they had on enough sun-screen and had plenty to drink!

The U-15 SCD players vs the Terriers got underway at the appointed time and what a game it was. From the first whistle SCD dominated play with wonderful passing, terrific shots on goal and excellent team work. They scored during the first half with a super passing combination and held the lead for most of the game until one of the Terriers had a quick, lucky, break and was able to squeeze a ball into the back of the net.

The UK-15’s followed the Terriers unexpected goal with an array of passing and shots to dazzle the spectators in the stands, however, the Terriers goalie played brilliantly and thwarted each attempt (and there were many in the last few moments) a seven to one ratio. In the end it was a very hard fought and well played match by both squads concluding with a 1-1 tie. I believe SCD would have taken it had the game been closer to regulation time. It was simply too short, only an hour long in total.

In the stands the temperature dropped a few degrees and the clouds slowly crept in. Hmmmm, maybe the weather-dudes weren’t going to be wrong after all. There was a brief rest period while the Terriers changed from White to Dark Blue Jersey’s.  At the appropriate time the SCD U-18’s took to the field anxious to challenge the Terriers who were ably assisted by some of the SCD U-15 players. Another well played hour long match. The SCD 18’s had a passing element which kept the Terriers guessing and running and running and … you get the picture. Not long into the first half the SCD-18’s scored. George Holland scored a beautiful header off a Luke King cross (George is staying at my house). Not taking credit, but we did serve home-made pancakes topped with strawberries and powdered sugar along with thickly sliced perfectly cooked bacon for brunch.

The SCD squad continued to put on a skillful display of teamwork and George Holland notched his second with a great individual effort off a dead ball just outside of the 18 yard box, curling the ball into far post (dedicated to his brother William).  Luke King then tallied the third goal and as the minutes wore on they were able to tally another goal. The final score was 4-0 and they culminated their USA visit with an undefeated record.

Quite impressive!

At the games conclusion the temperature dropped even further and the clouds blanketed the sky as we climbed into our vehicles to head back to our separate houses for the farewell night.

For those SCD parents who want to know … YES, your son’s were a true delight in every way. They were courteous, thoughtful, helpful, gracious, respectful and always thankful … on and off the field. After talking to most, if not all of the host families, I’d have to conclude that everyone was thrilled to have your young men stay in their homes and become part of their families (even for the briefest of time), we will miss them when they leave tomorrow and will look forward to the next SCD football ambassadors with open arms.

THANK YOU,

Hal

p.s. I am sending home CD’s containing higher res versions of all the jpegs you saw on-line + many more (almost 200 in total) with the SCD players who stayed at my house along with a few copies for the coaches. So check with George, Gus, Jake or Nils if you’d like to see all the images.

Hello UK SCD parents, sisters, brothers, relatives and friends …

What a day! The forecast was for a bit of rain, who would have believed more precipitation was possible. As the song goes “I’m a Believer”. The SCD players (u-15) had a 12 pm game. The beautiful Point Lookout field is about 1.2 to 1.5 hours from most of the host families homes and to be on time we had to leave no later than 10am.

On time being ready for an 11:30 am warm-up.  We arrived before the coaches (did I say, “before the coaches”), having driven through a moderately light but steady rain. Traffic was a bit slow as the streets were slick. Upon arrival at the picturesque field the young men immediately took to the turf and began warming up. I think this was to impress the coaches, either that or to stay warm as the temperature was lower than normal. The opposing U-15 Terriers, under the coaching guidance of Seth Brown, were on the field too warming up for the game.

The rain started coming down a bit harder, but nonetheless the game was about to commence as the clock struck noon. A few of us noticed that the usually well drained field at Point Lookout was starting to take on a glistening appearance on the outskirts as water began to rise.

The game began and both teams played well.  SCD appeared to be in control from the start with several early shots on goal, but the Terriers put together a few passes in reply bringing the ball down the field and well within the SCD defensive line. As the SCD players kicked into gear the spectators noticed a significant amount of water beading up all over the field. I don’t know if the players noticed the water build up at first until their quick give and go passes abruptly stopped midway on their journey to the feet of the receiver.

The rain continued to increase in pace and quantity and the players were sliding about spraying water everywhere. Slide tackles turned into hydroplaning players and the only way to move the ball up field was by lofting it well over everyone’s heads. Dribbling down the sidelines became a frustrating task as the ball oft times got hung up in the now flooded areas of the field, the dribbler uncharacteristically racing ahead of the ball.

The teams did very well and both goalies were outstanding, stopping several attempts from either side. SCD had many more air assaults and direct shots on goal, while the Terriers seemed to get just inside the 18 on the ground before Gus put an end to their efforts. As the rain continued and the half-time whistle drew near, it was apparent to the coaches that to continue the game would be a lesson in futility with the possibility of unnecessary injuries due to the wet slippery turf field and the extra effort required to make the simplest of passes. Therefore the game was called at half-time with a score of 0-0. The much anticipated second game with the SCD 18’s was cancelled too, with the hopes of playing both matches on Monday, closer to home base at the Hampden turf field.

With the afternoon free I know our guests are doing what comes naturally, shopping and more shopping. I suppose many of the others will be doing likewise.

Tomorrow, Saturday, is a “Day free for shopping, outdoor activities with host families” … hopefully it won’t rain!

Best regards,

Hal

Just to give you all a current update. Your young men had a two hour practice with Coach Seth Brown (Head coach from Husson University).

The day was overcast, a tad bit cool and the ground very wet from last nights precipitation. In other words … perfect weather for practicing fütbol. From what I understand, coach Brown lead the players through some extensive drills that hadn’t been practiced before.

Everyone survived. And after practice headed out to two simultaneous afternoon gatherings for swimming, games (video, pool, ping pong, etc.) and wonderful food.  Thank you Cormiers and McHughs!

My bunch … after the get togethers … along with about half the squad went shopping and then headed out to see the new Harry Potter – The Half Blood Prince. The movie was a big hit. However, I get the sense that everyone is exhausted.

Well, it’s been a long day and the U-15’s have a game at 10am and must arrive at the turf field no later than 9:15 am … so I’ll say good night.

Best regards,

Hal