We met at MSP at 9:45am this morning and, despite several group check-in "hurdles", we successfully got ten kids and two coaches through security with plenty of time to spare. We grabbed some lunch and rifled through some "get to know you" type of conversations before we boarded the plane. Some of our kids already knew each other, or had at least played against each other, so that helped break the ice as well.
Once we boarded the plane, everyone was seated and ready to go when it was announced that we would be slightly delayed due to a "loose screw in one of the overhead compartments." Better yet, when the mechanic showed up 45 minutes later, he proceeded to rip off two pieces of duct tape and "fix" the compartment. Wow.
Once we were finally on our way, about 90 minutes late, the flight was just fine. We landed in Washington DC at Dulles airport around 5:00pm and were greeted by Ryan Murphy and Ray Harvey from the U.S. State Department. They are our lead contacts for the SportsUnited Division that is largely responsible for this trip. We collected our luggage (minus the hockey bags and sticks that didn't make the plane) and headed outside to our bus where the California contingent was already waiting. We were behind schedule so we didn't have time to stop at the hotel.
Our next stop was George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia where the kids participated in some team building activities and more "get to know each other" exercises. These activities were geared towards brainstorming, being creative and working as a team to solve a problem. The kids did a great job and it was very effective in breaking down the communication walls and getting 20 strangers to open up to each other.
After a nice buffet dinner at Brion's Grill, we headed back to the hotel. Our hockey bags were delivered around 10:15pm (still no stick bag!) and we held a quick meeting to discuss our expectations of the trip. It was a great first day.
United States Contingent
Girls: Laura Bowman (Minnetonka, MN), Emilie Brigham (Anoka, MN), Rachel Carranza (San Francisco, CA), Elizabeth Chapman (Los Angeles, CA), Victoria Huynh (Los Angeles, CA), Gabriella Monaco (VT), Rachel Peroutky (Farmington, MN), Kaitlin Storo (Chanhassen, MN), Anastasia Thompson (Los Angeles, CA) & Lauren Wedell (Arden Hills, MN). Coaches: Jessica Christopherson (Coon Rapids, MN) & Emily Teachout (San Francisco, CA).
Boys: James Blount (San Francisco, CA), Benjamin Cencer (Clear Lake, MN), Carter Dahl (San Francisco, CA), Matt Derby (Big Lake, MN), Garret Kingsbury (Bakersfield, CA), Elliot Moorman (Saint Paul, MN), Benjamin Newman (MN), Jacob Olenak (San Francisco, CA), Alexander Stoley (San Francisco, CA) & Rory Taylor (Minneapolis, MN). Coaches: Bret Kingsbury (Bakersfield, CA) & Scott Macho (South Saint Paul, MN).
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