14 Stitches
Blog by Rosemary Dixon and Kelly Burke

Monday was the first day that we had the opportunity to experience the Argentine way of playing hockey. Transitioning from field turf to astro turf was a minor adjustment but reaffirmed the value of Coach's wonderful summer workout packet.

We felt privileged to be coached by Lalo and Francisco - both of whom have played and coached at the highest level internationally. Thanks to both of them, we were able to get another perspective on various techniques; they introduced new drills and videos that emphasized choosing what was "better" not simply what was "easy."

After watching brief videos and demonstrations, we would then apply the skills and concepts on the field. The entire session used a system in which we refined the way to properly execute the skills (or drills) and were subsequently rewarded with points and prizes from our Argentine coaches.

At the end of the clinic, everyone was hungry and we went to a local Italian restaurant - Broccolino - for a late (by American standards) lunch. Shopping followed the meal - you'll notice that is a common theme: play, eat, shop - and then it was time to get ready for our first game against CUBA Universidad, a club team.

All in all, we put up a great fight - playing with lots of intensity. After the fast-paced game, and acknowledging what we needed to work on, we enjoyed refreshments and sandwiches with the opposing team. Although we didn't have the Kelly's RV, soft pretzels or Heath cookies, it was nice to brush up on our Spanish and talk about the most popular places to go and things to do, along with learning about each other's interests and majors.

At the end we sang "Feliz cumpleaños" to Ellie and one of the opposing players and enjoyed various kinds of cake in celebration of their birthdays. It was then time to pack up and taker the double-decker back to the hotel to rest up for another day in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, Andrea had to get stitches at the hospital for a cut just below her knee. They have a pay-as-you-go health care system that is affordable and quick. We were very happy to hear it wasn't a major injury for our Pandgie!