Pictures from July 9

Scenes from Soccerfest:

No, that isn't one of your daughters hogging the camera, it is Kapua, from the Diamond Head team.

Yeah, this is fun!!

Watching Adam play:

Resplendent in their Soccerfest jerseys:

July 9--Soccer Breaks Out

Today, we played soccer. It was Soccerfest, a wonderful AYSO tradition where the teams are scrambled and the kids play 2 short games with new teammates before the competition begins. We pitched our canopy at the team formation site and the somewhat chaotic process created 10 teams, all given new, and in some cases, garish uniforms. Ginger served as our head coach today, and I think she had fun trying to learn everyone's name, create lineups and substitution patterns and generally keep track of the craziness. This also gave me a chance to walk around and watch our players perform with their talented new teammates. I saw some great stuff, and I think that the girls not only made new friends, but got new confidence in their ability to compete. The only person in our group to score a goal today, though, was Adam, playing in the U19 division. And Katharine and I, and most of the girls, were there to see it and cheer him on, in appreciation for all that he has been doing--and will continue to do this week.

We have continued to be friends with the girls from Diamond Head, who have hung out with us under our canopy and around the fields.

It was a hot day, and we made sure the girls drank plenty of water and applied lots of sunscreen.

After Adam's last game, we cleared our area and rushed back to the hotel for a quick change and turnaround to the Hawaiian Waters water park for the "Youth Event". The place was packed, and some of the girls had a blast in the wave pool and on the other rides. Others were less impressed, but it was fun seeing the new Soccerfest friends, and, of course, the Diamond Head girls.

We got back about 10, because we have a game at 9:15 tomorrow. Considering the terrible Honolulu traffic, we will be leaving for the fields at 7:15. Our first game is against our Diamond Head buddies, and we play at 2:15 against Central Torrance.

Our girls have great spirit and think that they can win tomorrow, and I refuse to disagree. But I have told them that I will only be disappointed in them if they don't give a great effort. What happens in the game is less important than them knowing that they did their best.

Pictures from July 8

Scenes from the Opening Ceremony

July 8--Opening Ceremony

Another fun filled and action packed day here in Hawaii. We started early--at 7:30--with a spirited practice at the field across the street. I have seen amazing progress over the past few days and I hope that it carries through to the games.

We then treated the girls to a full breakfast (not just the pretty good continental breakfast we have been having at the hotel) at a local landmark around the corner from the hotel, Eggs & Things. We had eggs, and things. In large quantities.

After breakfast, the team went to the nearest beach for a swim and some more beach time. And yes, they are wearing sunscreen, although the sun is so strong that some of the girls are getting a bit of sunburn anyway.

It was a quick lunch, then back to the hotel for showers and changing into uniforms to go to the opening ceremonies. We headed out to the fields, ran into bad traffic, and finally arrived at the fields, which are beautiful, and spent a bit too much time waiting around. We met kids from other regions, traded pins and waited. Finally, we marched into the stadium with all of the other teams. It was fun to walk into a crowded stadium, with people cheering.

The National Games provided some more Polynesian style entertainment and fireworks.

Then, we crawled out (great field complex, not enough roads), and ordered pizza. Which we are waiting for.

Tomorrow is Soccerfest and the youth event at a water park.

Pictures will be up on the blog soon. Most of today's pictures are by Hannah (except for the one of the team sitting on the field, which I took.)

Actual soccer gets played tomorrow!!!

Pictures From July 7

The Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor:



The ruins of the Arizona:

The team at the Arizona Memorial:

At the luau, our dinner, or part of it, at least, is prepared:

The fire twirling guy:

By the way, all of the pictures that I have posted so far, and those above, were taken by Adam.

July 7--Not So Much Soccer Today

Well, after two amazing days, an only great day almost seems like a disappointment. And yet, it was still a great day.

We started with an early breakfast and a trip to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. We were lucky that we had arranged to have a group admission, allowing us to not only jump the long line, but have a talk by an educational specialist, who was clearly not a tour guide (at least, he made that clear to me). After the talk, we saw an interesting movie about the Pearl Harbor attack, including Japanese film footage of the bombing. Then we took the boat out to the Arizona Memorial. While I think that this may have bored some of the girls, most of them seemed interested, even moved, by the visit.

Then, the plan was to visit the field complex where we will be playing the Games, then grab lunch, make a quick trip to Wal-mart for supplies and souvenirs, then check in at registration. So, somethings don't go as planned.

Apparently they have changed the road numbers here since the map I was using was printed, so we got lost. Then, we finally found the fields, which are massive, beautiful and well maintained. Just like WI Lower.

We did hit Wal-Mart, and the mall food court for lunch (my thai food was quite delicious, actually). Then, we went to team check in, which took forever, requiring us to rush back, change w/o showering and go to the luau, which was a 5 minute walk from the hotel. The luau was about what you'd expect. Cheesy entertainment--although the fire twirling guy was great, but the food was good (at least I thought so).

Some of the kids walked on the beach afterwards, but most came back, and a few had a quick swim.

So, lots of fun, if a bit hectic. Tomorrow--practice, snorkeling (probably), and opening ceremonies. Let the games begin.

July 6-The Aloha Spirit Blesses Us Again

I had the girls up early for a 7 am practice. There is a large field across the street from the hotel that is part of a military recreation facility, and they don't seem to care if we use it. The team gave me a spirited practice and worked hard for an hour and a half. Which was followed by showers and breakfast.

We loaded up the vans and hit the road at about 10:30 for an around the island tour. Katharine's college friend Carol grew up in Hawaii and her father had sent us his suggested tour, which we modified a bit. The first stop was the Pali Lookout, a gorgeous spot up in the mountains with an amazing view. It is where King Kameameha won a battle to consolidate his control over Hawaii.

From there, we visited the Byodo-In Buddhist temple, a replica of one in Japan and enjoyed the beautiful building and setting, the koi pond and the large Buddah.

We then drove through interesting scenery and great sea views until we stopped for lunch in a small town, Hauula. There were two places open, next to each other, a Domino's pizza and Papa Ole's, which served local food. Most of the group opted for pizza, but those of us who risked the local food were rewarded with a great, and reasonably priced, meal. And to top it off, apparently because I told them we were a group from NY, the owner gave us a sheet pan full of some of the best banana bread I ever ate as a gift. The aloha spirit blessed us again.

A few more miles down the coast, was the beach house of Katharine's friend Carol's family. We pulled into the driveway and in about 5 minutes were on an essentially private beach with small waves. We all jumped in and the kids used Carol's familiy's boogie boards and had an amazing time, which ended with a little soccer on the front lawn.

We reluctantly left Carol and her husband Peter and continued to head around Oahu. We passed beaches famous for surfers and sea turtles, but neither beach had anything to see, so we continued to the quaint town of Haleiwa, and visited Matsumoto's, universally considered the best "shave ice" place in Oahu. We braved the line for delicious snow cones with flavored syrup. Mine was watermelon, honeydew and banana cream, and was delicious.

By then, we were all exhausted, so we drove straight back to the hotel, through pineapple fields and other great scenery. After another round of showers, we went a few blocks down Ala Moana Road to the Wailana Coffee House, which did not blink at our large party and assigned us a very capable waiter. The Wailana is basically a diner, but one that has kimchi and seaweed in the salad bar. A bunch of the kids had pancakes.

The camaraderie and bonding among the girls has been fun to watch. The car rides have been hilarious.

Tomorrow, we have a visit to Pearl Harbor, team check in and a luau.

Captain's Post 2

From Sara Rod.

Hey parents, Today we started off with an early practice, everyone was still jet lagged but we pulled through it. After we all showered and ate breakfast we went on a island tour, we saw beautiful landscapes such as mountains and amazing beaches. We went to a Buddhist temple which is made without nails!!! In the temple was a giant Buddha and many fish. Then we went to a beautiful beach house which was amazing, the water was hotter and the waves were bigger then the beach we went to yesterday. We were all beat from the beach so we decided we would get shaved ice(it was awesome). Then we headed to the hotel and got ready for dinner. It was a fun day =D!

Pictures from July 6

Apparently bees are a problem at the Pali Overlook



View from the Pali Overlook:


At the Pali Overlook:

Thanks for the bags, Hossein:


The Byodo-In Temple:

On the semi-private beach:



Car ride hijinks:

Dramatic scenery on the way to the hotel:

July 5--The AYSO Ohana

We got to Kapiolani Park a little before 9. The parents from the Diamond Head and Honolulu teams were already beginning to set up the picnic. I met with the coaches of the two teams, and was told that they had planned a rotating scrimmage--we would play a short game against Diamond Head and then Diamond Head would play Honolulu and then we would play Honolulu. Then we would eat.

As usual, we started off slow, but improved in the second half against Diamond Head. Then after watching the two Hawaii teams play, we had another tough match against Honolulu. Our difficulties in scoring continue.

Then, the real fun began. The local families laid on a spread of local delicacies not to be believed. From roast pork to salads, from donuts to ices to fruit, Soon, all of the girls on the three teams, and Adam, were sitting under the trees, laughing, sharing jokes, stories and screen names. And the adults mingled, chatted and shared stories, mostly about our kids. It was really a special thing to see. It was if they had known each other for years. It was a great example of what they call the AYSO Ohana here.

After a while, the local girls started to leave, and we all changed and walked across the park to the beach. The Pacific was beautiful, and we swam and enjoyed the beach. Soon, three of the girls from the Diamond Head team showed up and joined our girls in the water. After a while, Adam started a beach soccer game, which was ended by the lifeguards, so they moved off the beach to the grass and played for nearly an hour, without any coaches forcing them to.

When that got boring, one of the Hawaiian girls suggested that we needed smoothies, so we loaded up the vans and went to the Health Bar for what were legitimately great smoothies. We bid goodbye to our new friends and returned to the hotel for showers.

Dinner was supposed to be at the International Marketplace, but we couldn't find parking, so we returned to the hotel and had a nice meal at the Cheeseburger Waikiki restaurant next door. Fatigue hit hard, and we went back to the hotel for a relatively early night.

Tomorrow will start with a 7am practice, followed by breakfast and a driving trip around Oahu. Then, we will figure out something.

Captain's Post 1

This is from Sarah F.:

Aloha!
Today was our first full day in Oahu, and it was filled with joy and adventure. We scrimmaged against two Hawaii teams, and lost to both of them but made some new friends! Three girls from Hawaii, named Kapua, Tatiana, and Kristin accompanied us to the beach. It was beautiful and very exciting for some of us who had never been in the Pacific Ocean before. Kapua, Tatiana, and Kristin took us to the local smoothie store called The Health Bar. We had some delicious smoothies--and a very expensive bill. We attempted to go shopping but there was no parking, so we just drove around for a while. We discovered that ABC stores are in abundance--we counted 10 in like 20 minutes. Eventually we decided to go the cheeseburger place which our friendly bus driver recommended after we left the airport. It is right next to our hotel so we may end up there more than a few times if only for convenience. Now that we are back at the hotel, it is finally kicking in that it's VERY early in the morning in our heads. There is some serious jet lag going on and there is in air of hysteria in some of the rooms. We are looking forward to rest of our trip, especially snorkeling and hanging out with our new friends at the waterpark.
Aloha and mahalo,
Sarah

Pictures from July 5

Clouds over the mountains.

Scrimmage against Diamond Head team at Kapiolani Park.

The girls, Adam and their new Hawaiian friends on the beach

We Made It!!

It is 4:16 New York time, and I am getting ready for bed--but I thought you would like to hear from me when you wake up on Saturday. It has been a long day. The bus ride to the airport was long and slow, but the kids seemed to be excited. We had the kind of chaotic check in that you could imagine, and there were other groups, including an AYSO team from Somers, but we made it through.

The kids had some great airport food for lunch, as we attempted to figure out who was sitting where on the plane. Ultimately, we just waited until we boarded, and the flight was like a 10 hour game of musical chairs, as the kids moved around and socialized with each other. Luckily, about half the people on the plane were AYSO teams from Area 3T, and no one complained.

We landed 15 minutes early, and were met by ICES representatives with flower leis for all of us. Our luggage came off the plane quickly, and I went, with a representative from each of our teams, to get a rental van. ICES was supposed to supply a bus, which they ultimately did, after a long delay. The bus made it to the hotel just in time for checkin, a quick change and a run to the beach to watch fireworks.

The hotel seems fine, and everyone is exhausted and excited.

Tomorrow we have our scrimmage/picnic, and the adventure begins in earnest.

Waiting for the Bus to the Airport/At the Airport

Here's one, thanks to Phil:

And a few more, thanks to Hossein:

And We're Off

Here we go.......