Thursday, April 8th  5:45am our journey begins…

We got an early start Thursday morning. After loading the bus with our luggage and all our drinks and snacks that were so graciously donated, our girls slowly got on and were fast asleep before we left Alpharetta. We did not hear a peep from them for hours. The coaches watched the Park Vista game and rewound it at some spots, over and over, (yes I so wanted to tell them stop talking and WATCH IT… but, I promised to be on my best behavior and not say a word, so quietly, I sat and watched it, over and over, and bit my tongue, LOL). When the girls finally woke that morning, the donuts and muffins were a huge hit. The laughter started shortly after that. The coaches handed out papers for the girls to work on together. They had to write down 5 of their plays and make up one and had to write down the defense to the plays. The girls worked hard with each other. Of course, the seniors won. The coaches put on the Park Vista game to go over a few things and when we got to that last point by Amanda that tied the game, the bus went wild! The girls wanted to watch a movie. We watched Sherlock Holmes. We stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-A and the girls enjoyed being able to stretch their legs.  What a wonderful group of girls we have. We finished Sherlock Holmes and watched The Blind Side. What a GREAT movie!!! The girls spent the remainder of the trip sleeping, reading, playing on lap tops, taking pictures, listening to iPods, talking, joking, eating, and just having fun.

There were storms coming in so we decided to drive straight to the practice field and get in a little practice before it started raining. All was going well until the last few minutes of practice, when Alison jumped for the interception and landed wrong on her ankle. It started swelling and turning a pretty shade of purple immediately. Practice ended and she went to the ER with Coach MacMichael and Roger Ware. When we finally pulled up to our hotel, the girls were anxious to get in the showers. We unloaded and headed to our rooms to shower and get ready for dinner.

Dinner was another story. We walked across the street to Holihans and they sat us in a back room and gave us one waitress that seemed to be confused. Because of our size, they gave us a set menu with only 5 drinks on it and like 4 items to order from which was perfect (thanks Roger!). Things had to be explained to the waitress many times. Dinner finally came as did Alison, with crutches and a smile. She only sprained it thankfully, but will be out for these games this weekend. She's just hoping it is better so she can wear heals to the prom!!! After dinner the girls and coaches walked back to the hotel to relax and prepare for tomorrow. Christine and I decided to hang out for a little while more at Holihans. We walked over and sat at a table near the bar. Our waitress from the other room came over (after about 10 minutes of sitting there with no service) and asked us if we wanted anything to eat. Of course, I had to say, “no thank you, we just were in the other room with you and ate there”. I got the “deer in the headlights” look. Bless her heart.

 

Friday, April 9th 

Our first game wasn’t until noon today so the coaches let the girls sleep in. They didn’t have to meet downstairs until, oh now I have forgotten, but I want to say 9am. The hotel had a nice breakfast bar set up with eggs and sausage, cereals, muffins, bagels, toast, fruits, and juice. The girls all came down with sleepy eyes and some even still in pajamas! They all ate and headed back up to get ready for their game. We loaded the bus, crutches and all. Coach Godby gave his pep talk on the way. The girls seemed a bit lethargic on the ride there. I think that 10 hour bus ride was a bit rough on them!

Game 1 Milton vs. Mason, OH. When we got there, they all got off the bus and headed to the field to practice. Alison did a great job on her crutches! Her grandparents came and brought a goodie box for her! It was so nice to see the other parents and family up there to cheer us on, though I couldn’t convince anyone to help out with videoing the game. Thank you Coach MacMichael for doing that! It was a bit cooler than expected. Our girls still looked a bit lethargic but Roger Ware had a talk with Bailey and she got them going! Our first game against Mason, OH was exciting. It was a close game. The coaches did a good job trying to get all of our players in. That coach from the other team was scaring me. The refs seem to call a lot less than they do down south. It was a bit of a physical game. Lydia fell wrong and was holding her wrist. She had to be taking to the ER. We had some interesting calls (like one call the ref made, he wasn’t sure who it was against, but he knew it was a call… WHAT???) but we prevailed in the end. We pulled our first win on our spring break trip! The final score was 16-14. After the game we sat down and had a picnic lunch. The wind made it so cold! We were all happy to be back on the warm bus with Roger! We headed to our second game of the day.

Game 2 Milton vs. Connelly School of the Holy Child, MD. This was such a pretty campus we were on and I can’t believe Roger (our bus driver) was able to get the bus in there! It was amazing! I think he had centimeters between him and the wall of the school and guard hut, but he just moved in there like the pro that he was! We got to the field. It was a bit warmer than earlier so that was good. We were all missing Lydia and hoping she was ok. Alison hobbled up there with her crutches and her constant smile! We started this game so much stronger than this morning. We seemed alive and pulled ahead and stayed ahead the whole game. Lydia showed up with a removable cast on her arm. She sprained her thumb so that’s good! She’s hoping to be well enough tomorrow to have the trainer wrap it so she can play in the last two games! The two in casts sat there and cheered on their teammates! The coaches again, did a great job getting everyone on the field for some playing time. Some of the calls during this game were also a bit suspicious (like the yellow card on Elizabeth…. what was that about? None of us knew.) I also have a picture of Elizabeth getting hit in the head and her goggles being moved, the next frame she is trying to fix her goggles, and guess what… no call!!! Anyways, no worries, we pulled out a 16-9 victory.

Coach Godby was so excited for the girls. He got on the bus and told them so. This was the first time Milton has come up north and won 2 games during their spring break trip! The coaches have now agreed to do a dance for the girls if they win all 4 games. Coach Godby also agreed to shave his head if they win states. LOOK OUT!

Friday night was so much fun. Roger had planned a fun buffet dinner with pool tables at a place that was known for their chili. The food was perfect for the girls! We had a private room upstairs and the girls had fun playing against each other and the coaches. Roger even humored me with a game of pool. He killed me but it was fun anyways!  We had some happy girls this evening, even those two in casts!

 

Saturday, April 10th 

We all met for breakfast at 7:30 this morning. We walked over to the Comfort Inn next door because they had a room set up for us. They had everything our hotel had but add French toast and waffles! We all loaded the bus and left by 8:15. Coach Godby gave his pep talk. He is so proud of how well the girls are doing and wants them to keep playing their best. The games were at St. Stephens-St. Agnes. Now that is an incredible high school campus. They actually have a lacrosse only turf field that was donated by a parent. It’s beautiful.

Game 3 Milton vs. Bullis, MD. Thank you Alison Burton for taking over as video queen! This game was INTENSE. These Bullis girls played hard and were good!  They kept setting blind picks… which I thought was illegal, but what do I know. No worries, our defense played awesome and were forcing turnovers and Bailey was playing out of her mind with 10 saves in the first half. All of our girls were all just playing so amazingly! Lydia was back on the field, wrapped thumb and all! We were ahead at half time by 6-1. Again, the coaches did a great job getting everyone on the field. It was such an exciting game. When the second half started, the other team rallied and caught up with us, but we rallied more and finished with a score of 11-7. This was Coach Godby’s 100th win with Milton! Congratulations Coach Godby!  

After the game I was walking over to the concession stand to meet the girls for lunch and I overheard one of the Bullis’ girls talking on the phone to her mom. She said “no mom, we lost but we caught back up so it was a good game”… “oh, some team from Georgia”… cracked me up!

We got to watch a couple of games before our next game. We saw West Albemarle play Notre Dame Prep which was a close game the whole time. The best game though, had to be the game between St. Stephens-St Agnes, VA and Loyola Academy, IL.  SSSA won by 2. Those two teams were incredible!

Game 4 Milton vs West Albemarle, VA. Our last game and our girls are psyched! We have never won so many games up north and we want to come home with all wins! The girls seemed more sluggish than they were for the first game. I think the waiting around tired them out! No worries, we played hard and kept our momentum going. We are doing a great job on our riding. Amanda did an awesome job with the draw! Our girls just play so well together. Our defense is playing strong together as is our offense. The coaches made sure everyone got to get in for play time. We ended this game with a 16-9 victory. Coach Godby got the cooler of water on his head after this game! I didn't get a picture thought because I didn't know it was coming! It was so perfect too!

4 wins up north for spring break – a Milton first! GO EAGLES! And yes.... the girls got their dance! Go Coaches! SO FUNNY!

Tonight we ate Mexican at a great restaurant. The food was good and the service was great! Thanks again to Roger for arranging this! After dinner, we all headed back to the hotel to pack. The seniors had a meeting with the Coaches and the rest of the team went and toilet papered the seniors’ rooms as well as saran wrapped the toilets. TO DARN FUNNY! The seniors, being as smart as they are, came back and told the other girls that the hotel people were very angry and the police were on the way. HAHAHAHA. I wish I was up there for all of that! I did send my camera so I will share the pictures soon!!!

Sunday, April 11th 5:45am

We were told to meet at 5:45 and we were leaving at 6:00. I got to the lobby at 530 and as soon as I saw the bus, I headed out there to make sure we had a cooler full of drinks and snacks on the bus. Our awesome bus driver, Roger, was out there doing it so I just helped him out. I hope we get him again next year! I went back in and close to 6:00 I started to see girls arrive, with all their stuff, and very sleepy! Some say they just woke up others at 5:57 LOL! They ate. It was after 6:10 and we are still missing Savannah and Casey. Elizabeth gave them a call. They were still in bed! Their alarms didn't go off! I finally grab something to eat because I’ve been up long enough. The last two finally make it down there with sleepy eyes! They rushed through breakfast and got on the bus. Everyone fell fast asleep! We made a pit stop around 8 and girls got up for 2nd breakfast lol. We had bagels and snacks and started a movie. We got to watch Mean Girls. It was the first time I sat through that movie completely. I had to laugh at some of it. We got to watch 2012 next. As soon as it started getting good…. It was lunch time! We stopped in North Carolina at a shopping center so we got to chose between Five Guys, Quiznos, and a Mexican Restaurant. Oh… and let’s not forget Rita’s! It was a nice break. Alison’s foot looked huge from all the sitting. She had to take her cast off and elevate it. It was looking better after that. We got back on the bus and finished 2012. It had some cool effects, nice action, but way too much “yeah right” things happening. The next movie was Meet the Morgans. UGH. That was probably the worst movie I’ve seen in a while. Sarah Jessica Parker's voice was just getting on my last nerve. She sounded like she was trying hard to be Snow White with the innocent, sweet voice... just didn't fit her! Oh well, I think the girls liked it! What a wonderful surprise for the girls to pull up to our Milton Stadium and see all of you with balloons, signs and noise makers! Thank you guys for a great reception!!!!

 

A BIG THANKS

Thank you to our girls for their amazing attitudes on and off that field! It was not only a pleasure to watch each girl play with such talent and commitment, it was also a pleasure to watch them off the field. We must have the politest team on earth! I heard more thank-yous from our team than any other. Most every girl thanked the refs during stick check. Some of them even made it a point to thank the refs after the games and also, thank their coaches as well as the moms who rode the bus and our awesome bus driver, Roger. They were all perfect at all the restaurants we went to and just so well behaved and kind to one another.

Thank you to our coaches for helping our girls reach their goals and become the players that they are today, for all your time and commitment to our team, and for your love of the game. Some of us parents might not always agree with some of the things you do, but just always know, we appreciate all you do… (even when I’m complaining LOL)!

Thank you to Roger Ware (Allie's dad) for planning this wonderful trip. Without him, we couldn’t have done it! He not only planned our bus ride and got us the best driver ever, (Roger Steward), he got our hotel, checked all the girls and coaches in and got their keys, planned our meals, talked to the people at the games/tournament to make sure everything ran smoothly, made sure we had enough ice, helped with our injured players, DID EVERYTHING! Thank you so much Roger. We are going to miss you next year!

Thank you to Stacey Thompson (Allison's mom) for making those wonderful personalized pillow cases for the girls and coaches to travel with. They were a big hit!

Thank you to Mike Ruland (Annie's dad) for coming up there and doing our stats. Especially thanks for always encouraging our players and being such a positive role in their lives. Oh yeah, and thanks for doing surgery on Elizabeth’s stick =)!

Thank you Christine Lockett (Melissa's mom) for riding the bus up there and being the mom to all the girls! Thanks for helping with the stats as well and always being there when the girls needed you.

Thank you to Roger Steward, the best bus driver ever! He not only got us safely to our destinations, he made sure we had drinks on the bus, the bus was clean, and even came to the games and cheered on our girls! If you could have just seen him get that HUGE bus through some majorly tight places with cars parked all around, you would be in as much awe as I am!

Thanks to all of those who came, brought family, and cheered on our girls up north!

Thank you to Amy Nye (Emma's mom) for being a great team mom and arranging our welcoming party.

Thanks to all of the parents who donated drinks and snacks for the trips, and sharing your wonderful girls with us.

I so enjoyed the trip on the bus with the girls. I took so many pictures. It might be a few days before I get them all uploaded!!!

Dawn (Elizabeth's mom)

Sample Itinerary for Spring Break Trip

Thursday April 8th

5:30am – Meet in front of the stadium to load bags and get on the bus. 

6:00am – Depart for VA.

5:00pm – check in at Hotel (hotel information listed below).

5:30pm – Leave for practice at St. Stephens and St. Agnes.   

8:00pm – Eat dinner at location TBA.

9:00pm – Arrive back at Hotel, team meeting, sleep.

Friday April 9th

 9:00am – wake up

 9:15am – team breakfast

10:00am – depart for game vs. Mason Ohio (@ Potomac MD)

12:00pm – Lunch

4:00pm – game vs. Holy Child MD (@ Potomac MD)

6:00pm – Dinner TBA

9:00pm – Hotel (team meeting, sleep)

Saturday April 10th

7:30am – wake up

8:00am – team breakfast

8:30am – depart for game vs. Bullis School MD (@ SSSA)

10:00pm – Lunch

3:00pm – game vs. West Albemarle VA (@SSSA)

6:00pm – Dinner TBA

Team Activity TBA

10:00pm – Hotel (team meeting, sleep)

Sunday April 6th

 7:00am – wake up and pack up on bus

 7:30am – breakfast

 8:00am – Depart for Atlanta; lunch on the way

6:00 or 7:00pm – Arrive at Milton

 

Hampton Inn, Springfield VA

6550  Loisdale Court

Springfield, VA 22150
703-924-9444

Hello All:

We will not be having a pre-Spring Break trip pasta party... we will
arrange to bring pizza and drinks or a similar alternative to the
field after practice on Wednesday evening.

Please remember to donate a box of snacks for the bus ride. Those
people who are required to donate water are: the Hardys, Nyes and the
Wares. Anyone else who would like to donate water, it would be
greatly appreciated.


Tim has sent out the schedule and departure information. If anyone
is still looking for that let me know and I will forward.

That's it.

Any questions, let me know. I will be leaving tomorrow for a short
trip and may not have access to email. If you need to reach me call
my cell phone at 610-295-4789.

Have a nice break.

Amy

Go Eagles!

The following are the game locations for each game during spring break.  We will be playing games at 3 different schools in the DC area. 

Game 1 - Friday 4/9 @ 12:00 vs. Mason Ohio
Stone Ridge School
9101 Rockville Pike
Bethesda MD 20814

 

Game 2 - Friday 4/9 @ 4:00 vs. Holy Child MD
Georgetown Visitation School
1524 Thirty Fifth St.
NW Washington DC 20007

 

Games 3 and 4 - Saturday 4/10 - 10:00 vs. Bullis School MD; 3:00 vs. West Albemarle VA
St. Stephens and St. Agnes School
1000 St. Stephens Rd.
Alexandria VA 22304

Spring Break Workout:  Monday and Tuesday

1. Warm up

2. Jog 20 minute

3. Stretch

4. Lunge x 20 yds – 10 push ups

5. Lunge x 20 yds – 10 sit ups

6. Lunge Jumps x 20 yds – 10 push ups

7. Lunge Jumps x 20 yds – 10 sit ups

8. Broad Jumps x 20 yds – 10 push ups

9. Broad Jumps x 20 yds – 10 sit ups

10. Skaters x 20 yds – 10 push ups

11. Skaters x 20 yds – 10 Sit ups

12.  10 push ups

13. 10 sit ups

14.  Planks x :30 seconds

15.  Stretch for 1 minute

16.  Planks x :45 seconds

17.  Stretch for 1 minute

18.  Planks x :60 seconds

19.  Stretch

20.  Partner passing