Alumnae Enrich LFA's UK Trip
In the planning to take our field hockey players back to England this spring, we were in touch with a few LFA alumnae who are now based in the UK. Their participation in our tour made for extra special visits in Canterbury--to play a game with the University of Kent--and in London, where the girls got a "local" tour guide.
In the autumn of 2016, we reached out to Nelly Nardelli '12 to ask her about field hockey in the Canterbury area. Nelly's family relocated to the UK in her Grade 10 year. However, she was an excellent field hockey player and had played for our Senior A team in her Grade 9 year. Not surprisingly, she's still an excellent field hockey player and the University of Kent graciously hosted us for a "scrimmage".
One of the great challenges for putting a tour together is finding appropriate games. We fielded a number of Senior A players, as well as several Junior and Senior B players. We even had a couple of girls take up field hockey and play Senior B this year specifically to join us on tour! Explaining this to Nelly, she got a great group of women out to play a game.
The university girls were brilliant! They approached the game with a simply perfect demeanor for our younger athletes. With several excellent players, including Nelly and a women from the top team in the region (Canterbury Hockey Club in England's National League), they offered a fast level of hockey that was great learning for our girls. However, they had several women new to the sport out as well, giving a balance. Our LFA girls came off with smiles, thoroughly enjoying the "banter" and funny comments the Kent women added to the game.
After the game, we were hosted for a "tea". There wasn't actually any tea involved--rather, it's just the sporting culture to host the visiting team for a light meal after a game. In this instance it was a "pasta bake" and some "squash" (squash is a concentrated liquid fruit drink mix that you mix with water). It was a wonderful afternoon and experience for our girls and we're most grateful to Nelly and the University of Kent Hockey Club.
Another feature of this trip was the number of family that came to cheer on our team. It was entirely common to see a Canadian flag pitch-side at a game. Cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents--even parents and siblings! Among the siblings was Ana Luisa Aparicio '15, who is studying at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Her sister is our goalie, Claudia Aparicio '17, who played some inspired hockey in front of family! With a term brake for Ana Luisa and a willingness to travel down, she cheered us on a couple of games (in Winchester and Oxford) before taking a group of our girls around London on our final day in England. It was greatly appreciated!
Having made our way over to England in 2014, there were a number of repeat stops. Alumnae from that trip will remember games and receptions with Cheltenham Ladies College, St. Edward's School (Oxford) and Cranbrook School (Kent). All were stunning hosts. All three were, again, highlights to this trip.
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One of the great challenges for putting a tour together is finding appropriate games. We fielded a number of Senior A players, as well as several Junior and Senior B players. We even had a couple of girls take up field hockey and play Senior B this year specifically to join us on tour! Explaining this to Nelly, she got a great group of women out to play a game.
The university girls were brilliant! They approached the game with a simply perfect demeanor for our younger athletes. With several excellent players, including Nelly and a women from the top team in the region (Canterbury Hockey Club in England's National League), they offered a fast level of hockey that was great learning for our girls. However, they had several women new to the sport out as well, giving a balance. Our LFA girls came off with smiles, thoroughly enjoying the "banter" and funny comments the Kent women added to the game.
After the game, we were hosted for a "tea". There wasn't actually any tea involved--rather, it's just the sporting culture to host the visiting team for a light meal after a game. In this instance it was a "pasta bake" and some "squash" (squash is a concentrated liquid fruit drink mix that you mix with water). It was a wonderful afternoon and experience for our girls and we're most grateful to Nelly and the University of Kent Hockey Club.
Another feature of this trip was the number of family that came to cheer on our team. It was entirely common to see a Canadian flag pitch-side at a game. Cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents--even parents and siblings! Among the siblings was Ana Luisa Aparicio '15, who is studying at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Her sister is our goalie, Claudia Aparicio '17, who played some inspired hockey in front of family! With a term brake for Ana Luisa and a willingness to travel down, she cheered us on a couple of games (in Winchester and Oxford) before taking a group of our girls around London on our final day in England. It was greatly appreciated!
Having made our way over to England in 2014, there were a number of repeat stops. Alumnae from that trip will remember games and receptions with Cheltenham Ladies College, St. Edward's School (Oxford) and Cranbrook School (Kent). All were stunning hosts. All three were, again, highlights to this trip.
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Tel: 604-738-9016
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Tel: 604-738-9016
Support LFA | Contact Us | School Calendar
