Colorado's lacrosse team is on a 12-day trip to Australia to compete against teams in Australia and take in some sights along the way. The team will play four games and have six practices before hitting the sightseeing portion of the trip to Adelaide, Cairns and Sydney. Check back here each day for blog updates from members of the team and follow @CUBuffsWLAX and #BuffsDownUnder on social media for up-to-the-minute updates.
We really made the most of our last day in Sydney. It was jammed packed starting off with a 5am wake up call so we could do the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb. A few of us were a little nervous to climb over a suspension bridge but our nerves disappeared when we saw the amazing view of the city, which included an aerial view of the world famous Sydney Opera House and "The Rocks", a well known part of the city. It was so cool to hear all the stories about the history of the bridge and how it was built from our tour guide as we did the climb. After the bridge, we had a quick turn around and hopped on the ferry to Manly Beach to catch our last rays of sun, as well as a couple waves with a team surf lesson. We were easily amused by anyone who was able to stand for more than 5 seconds without falling off their board. Although we got lots of compliments from our instructors during our land training skills, the same was not true once we hit the water. Lastly, we finished up the day with a team barbecue where we all got to cook our own steak dinner. It showed who the true chefs on the team were and pointed out those who needed the help of the team dad's to get the perfect grilling technique. We're so lucky to have gotten to spend the last days of our trip relaxing and exploring this awesome city. Hopefully we will all make it back at some point to check out the rest that Australia has to offer.
Day 10 - December 27
By Bridget Mitchell, freshman
The day started off by leaving the Cairns airport for our third and final city of the trip: Sydney. By this time, we are pros at getting through Australian airports, and the best thing about them is you don't have to take your shoes off when you go through security. After our three and a half hour flight, we got off the plane and were quickly bussed to our hotel in the middle of the city. On the ride there, our tour guide, Carmel, explained to us that Sydney started as a penal, or punishment, colony causing the city to not be on a perfect grid. We soon went to dinner at a restaurant on the Daring Harbor where people either ate fish sticks or steak. It soon became quiet as we were chowing down after the long day of traveling. As the meal came to a close, my teammates quickly left for the circus show at the Opera House or to go shopping before the stores closed. I walked with some teammates through the city stopping at stores along the way. We went to the Pitt Street Mall and were surprised when all the stores were closed by seven being that it was a public holiday due to Christmas being on a Sunday this year. We finished our night walking along the boardwalk across from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. We are excited to be in Sydney and loving the city life!
Today was remarkable, we spent time at one of the 7 wonders of the world: The Great Barrier Reef. I wish pictures could do justice but this was a moment we will all remember forever! We headed out on our hour long boat ride to the Reef at about 9am. We made sure to layer on sunscreen and have our GoPros fully charged! When we arrived to the Reef a group of us went Scuba diving. We received a quick lesson by our tour guide of the do's and do not's of breathing in an oxygen tank. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous! Next thing you know we were thrown into the water, linked arms with our instructor and took off to scope out the home of millions of tropical fish. Nemo had a pretty rad crib. We spent the rest of the day snorkeling and checking out the Reef on our own. I met a turtle, named him Crush, he was quite a dude! Overall it was an amazing experience and we loved every minute!
We woke up this Christmas morning bright eyed and bushy tailed. At 10 we hopped on the bus with our swim suits and GoPros, ready for the day. The bus dropped us off at crystal cascades park. We followed a path that snaked along a small river into the rain forest. We eventually came to a big swimming hole and eagerly dove in after the hot walk. The pool was in a bowl enclosed by a waterfall on one side. We paddled around in the cool black water, taking turns going under the waterfall, and climbing around the sides of the bowl. We explored the river and found a few spots to jump into the water. One such spot was a thin canal surrounded by high walls with a rope leading up the high side. Johnna, Blair and I scrambled up the rock face and looked over the 40ft ledge into the pool. We giddily discussed the probable injuries if we jumped, whether or not the fish were piranhas, and came to the conclusion that we would probably not die. So, after about 5 minutes of hyping each other up and a few count downs, I took the leap. I felt like I was flying I was in the air so long. I penciled down deep into the water and came to the surface with only a ton of water up my nose and a terrible wedgie. Shortly after my test run, Johnna jumped and then Blair. Regardless of the atomic wedgies, we climbed the wall again and jumped until it came time to get back on the bus. We loaded onto the bus, looking forward to seeing the house a few of the parents were staying in. We swam and ate dinner at the house, fueling the Christmas vibes with some classic tunes and holiday apparel. Gifts were not forgotten. The parents kindly put together a gift for the team, beautiful gold bracelets with coordinates of Adelaide to commemorate the trip. After gifts were passed out, we played card games and laughed while reminiscing about old memories. The night was capped off with enthusiastic dancing and singing, which carried onto the bus ride back to the hotel, thanks to DJ Perri B. Despite being miles from home and family, this Christmas Day was filled with love and will always be one to remember with a smile.
After five days of lacrosse in Adelaide, we headed to Cairns for the Christmas holiday. A 4 AM wake up had everyone pretty tired. After lots of sleeping and traveling, we arrived in the humid Cairns. The surrounding mountains make me feel like I'm in Jurassic Park. We settled into our hotel and then had some free time to explore the Esplanade. Some girls opted to run while others went to the man-made lagoon. We can't swim in the ocean here due to the presence of salt-water crocodiles and deadly jellyfish. Once everyone had explored Cairns, the team strolled to Dundee's for a flavorful Christmas Eve dinner. We all got to try a variety of meats: crocodile, kangaroo, emu, beef, and fish. Everyone had different opinions of the food, but all enjoyed trying something new. Everyone agreed that the ice cream bar for dessert was delicious.
We are all excited to spend Christmas at the beach and with each other. Happy Holidays!!
After a good nights sleep we started our morning off with an inter-squad scrimmage and our last practice of 2016! We got to have the rest of the day to ourselves which included shopping, sailing, paddle boarding, and even spotted some stingrays. Exploring the city was a must as it was our last day in Adelaide before we head off to spend Christmas in Cairns. We are very excited to spend our time in the water and adventuring the Great Barrier Reef! 3 am wake up call awaits!
This morning was a bit of a struggle for some...let's just say there were a lot of sun burns this morning. We were able to quickly forget about these painful burns once we got to practice and started moving around. We started the day off with a great practice to help prepare us for our final game in Australia. After practice we had time to go explore in Adelaide and do some shopping, which our team is really good at. For those of us who didn't have third degree burns we were able to enjoy the beautiful beaches here. After we explored Adelaide it was time to focus for our final game. After three great games we were able to finish number four off with a win. We ended the night with another great BBQ with the Australian team and let's not forget the surprise appearance from Santa on his sleigh (the lawn mower).
Day 4 - December 21
By Madison Krause, senior
As the jet lag is finally starting to wear off and we are adjusting to the time down under, we are having the time of our lives! Our day started off with our final game against Team Australia which was a great fight until the end. We had some free time after the game where we made our way down to the beach to soak in the sun and work on our tans. After three bottles of sunscreen were gone we headed back to get ready for some community service where we got to share our love of lacrosse with some pretty amazing people. Teaching how to cradle and throw brought us back to our first time holding a stick. We then made our way back to the resort to get ready to go into town and have some free time. Dinner by the beach was a must. As we head back to bed we are preparing for one last game against Australia's All Star team!
Day 3 - December 20
By Madison Krause, senior
We are wiped from our fully packed day! We started off with a special practice this morning getting to work with Team Australia and learn some new drills! It was an awesome experience for the team getting to work with the professionals. After our practice we headed down to our cricket lesson where we learned how to throw a pitch and aim at the wicket. We picked it up pretty quickly and had such a fun time getting to learn the game! While we could of played cricket all day, it was time to head back and get ready for our match round two against Team Australia. We fought hard and came out with a win! As a special treat our coaches took us out for ice cream in the city of Glenelg and it definitely hit the spot! Now it's off to bed as we get our beauty sleep for our last match against Team Australia in the morning! The lacrosse team in the cages learning how to play cricket. Day 2 - December 19
By Madison Krause, senior
What a day! We started off with a light practice to get our legs going for our first game of the trip against Team Australia. We made our way to the Cleland Wildlife Park where we got to hang with some of Australia's finest, the koalas and kangaroos! After spending a few hours feeding and playing with the animals, it was time to get back for our match. Our first game was an exciting one getting to face great competition and play against some of the best players in the world. We ended our day with a beach side dinner at the sailing club where our views were painted with pink and orange as a thunderstorm in the distance came rolling in. We are headed off to bed as we prepare for another fun day in Adelaide! The team enjoying Australian animals at the Cleland Wildlife Park
Day 1 - December 18
By Madison Krause, senior
Denver -> LA , LA -> to Sydney, Sydney -> Adelaide. It's been a long 35 hours of traveling but we've finally made it. After the last flight we loaded up the bus and made our way to our humble abode for the next five days at the picturesque Adelaide Shores bungalows, sitting right along side the Pacific Ocean. A few hours of rest, relaxation and a quick walk to the beach, we were ready to head into our first practice of the trip as we prepare for the week of games that lie ahead. One big lap around the facilities was in order to get the blood flowing and the mind focused. We were back at it with the ball and stick in our hands ready to get back at the game we love. Our night ended by polishing off 10 boxes of pizza to carb-o-load before our big day tomorrow.
