Chillaxin in Hilton Head

Today is our last full day in Hilton Head. Tomorrow we leave in the morning and begin our drive to Poughkeepsie, New York to play Vassar College. We have had a wonderful week of productive practices and fun on the beach. Our time in Hilton Head has helped the team come together and bond, while re-energizing us for the rest of the season.

The weather has been great, although a few of us have gotten pretty nasty sunburns. We have been able to spend time on the beach before and after practice. The water is cold but your body gets used to the temperature after a few minutes. We have played Frisbee, bacci ball and buried our statistician, Brooke, in the sand. Today the wind picked up in the afternoon, which made the beach a sandy and windy mess. Instead, we headed to the pool and hot tub.

Practices have gone well and have helped refocus the team on our goals. We were able to keep our stick skills sharp and take care of some injuries. Now we are playing hard to keep in shape and be sharp on the field. One of our practice fields overlooked the water and was surrounded by marsh, quite a bit more scenic than North Fields. Spring break has given the team time to discuss why we are playing, what we want to get out of the season and how we can achieve our goals.

Last night, my housemates and I went miniature golfing with some members of the women’s and men’s tennis teams. The tennis teams are also staying on Hilton Head Island and it was great fun to meet up with them. I amazed myself by getting a couple hole-in ones. Both tennis teams had an early match this morning; they were playing University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, who is one of the top teams in the nation. The women’s team has already played several matches; unfortunately they lost their first two. They are getting in a lot of good competition and practice, while enjoying the beach and gorgeous weather. The men are also having a great time and are doing well in their matches. The men won one of their first three matches and looks forward to more talented opponents.

This morning I woke up with a few other guys to see the sunrise on the beach. It was well worth waking up. The sunrise was beautiful and we saw a group of dolphins and some interesting birds. We went back to our house and made a tasty breakfast of pancakes and eggs.

Tonight we are going out for a seafood diner, which should be great. I miss good seafood; you can’t get a lot of seafood variety in Ohio. We are looking forward to our last night in Hilton Head. Then we have a two day drive to Vassar. The trip will be a bit long, but we are very excited about playing Vassar and hopefully getting our first win.