DIARY #9 - Rain, rain go away!
The rain didn’t stop for a few days & with the boys keen to scrimmage some other teams it just couldn’t happen. We spent Thursday shopping & Friday we were able to spend the day with our families. Some went shopping, others visited the BMW factory & with the sun finally breaking through some went and watched another Greenville Drive game.
Saturday was Championship day and we finally got to scrimmage a USA team from Texas. We had a great time & although it wasn’t a serious game it was heaps of fun. The final started at 8.00pm & after a 4 run second inning the Caribbean jumped out to an early lead & held on to become World Series Champions.
After a late night we were up early to pack & get ready for the long trip home. See y’all soon Sydney and thanks to everyone in Easley for making it the trip of a lifetime.
DIARY #8 - Minor League parades
After a late arrival home from Atlanta we skipped breakfast and woke up around 10.30am and had an early lunch before jumping on a bus to go & watch a couple of the undefeated USA teams play a tight game in very wet conditions. It was then off to Greenville for some more shopping at the local mall. Our parents then picked us up from the mall and we were off to watch the Greenville Drive.
The Drive are the Single A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and their ground has a Green Monster in left field.
We were lucky enough to parade around the field before the game with the other World Series teams in front of the crowd which also included our families.
DIARY #7 - Late MLB game in Atlanta
Tuesday morning was a little overcast & with rain forecast we were undecided about the day ahead. We had our usual breakfast at Clemson and decided to walk to downtown Clemson for a look around the merchandise store. We then had some some lunch & with a storm approaching we had to hustle back to our rooms before the rain.
We had an hour to spare so played NFL Football in the rain before coming back to get ready for a road trip.
The coaches & parents had organised for us to travel to Atlanta to watch the Braves v Marlins and despite the rain it was a great experience. After an exciting game which didn’t finish until 12.15am we started the long drive home.
DIARY #6 - Coach Colin's birthday and a tight loss - 31 July
An early breakfast kicked day 6 off with all the players wishing Coach Colin a Happy Birthday. Our host family organised a bus for us and we headed for Dick’s Sporting Goods and the Greenville shopping centre to look for some bargains. Our families joined us for Col’s birthday celebration with lunch at the Longhorn Steakhouse.
After lunch it was back on the bus to Clemson to relax before the big game. Game time was approaching so it was time to get ready & head for dinner at the gym of local church. The boys weren’t too hungry so dinner was quick & we headed to the ground to get our work in before the game.
We were the home team and took to the field first & Italy got off to quick start with a couple of runs. In the bottom we got straight on the board with Pearly hitting a yeeeeeet to centre field to leave us down by 1.
From there is was a pitchers duel with both teams making some great plays to back up the quality pitching. Unfortunately we took the loss after a hard fought game but kept battling for the entire 7 innings.
DIARY #5: Relaxing and preparation ramps up - 30 July
Another day off for us today & we had a sleep in & a late breakfast due to the late finish of the big game the night before. Our host family kindly organised for us to visit a friend of theirs who has a pool so we spent the afternoon a few miles out of Easley on a 62 Acre property with a beautiful pool.
Our families were also invited & we had a fantastic afternoon relaxing around the pool on another hot day. After the swim we headed back to the field to watch our opponents tomorrow which after a tight game Europe-Africa lost & we will face them in an elimination game on Monday night (U.S time).
We had dinner at the ground and then went back to watch another game & mingle with the locals before heading home.
DIARY #4: Nerves aplenty as game one is here - 29 July
Game day was finally here & all the boys were pumped & excited but also a little nervous. Our game was scheduled for a 4.00pm start so the morning was relaxing.
Our parents cleaned out the merchandise store & delivered a heap of Aussie & World Series gear for us & it was great to see them. After lunch it was time to get on the bus & head over to the grounds and seeing where we we would be playing for the next week was amazing.
The facility had three diamonds that were perfect plus a massive batting cage with eight tunnels & space for four bullpens. We had a chilled warmup but as game time drew closer the intensity started to rise. The previous game went extra innings so game time was delayed & with the extremely hot weather is was tough to stay focused.
We warmed up again and then were introduced on to the field for the National Anthem. We were the home team so were in the field first & started strong, we put a couple of runs on the board & after five innings were up a couple of runs. We battled hard in the extreme heat but were unlucky in the end against a very good team.
We put in a great effort and I am extremely proud of the way all the boys played.
DIARY #3: Corn Hole tournament and parade
After an early breakfast we had team photos taken next to Clemson University’s Death Valley Football Stadium. We then caught a bus to Easley for a morning of shopping at Academy Sports, Walmart & Marshall.
A quick lunch back at Clemson & then Myles and Chetty Boy played in a table tennis & corn hole tournament against the Caribbean team. We then headed over to a nearby field for a light stretch and throw before another game of basketball with the boys from our host family showing us how to shoot hoops.
All the teams then caught a bus to the Easley Baseball fields for dinner in the gymnasium which was organised by the local Rotary International volunteers.
After dinner the teams were then given a police escort through downtown Easley & were then introduced to the crowd and our families. We were able to catch up with our families before heading home to get ready for our first game against Venezuela tomorrow.
After a good night sleep but still a little jet lagged, we were up early looking forward to our first full day at Clemson.
We had breakfast & a long walk to stretch the legs and saw their amazing sporting facilities.
The Football field is the pinnacle but the Baseball, Soccer, Basketball & training facilities are outstanding.
After lunch we had a team bonding session with a game of basketball & a walk.
It has been a great experience so far but also a hot one with the temperature around 32 degrees.
DAY 1: AND WE'RE OFF!
The team arrived at Sydney Airport at 6.00am Wednesday morning very excited for the trip ahead with the boys.
Our first leg was a 16 hour flight to Houston with not much sleep.
We then had a 3 hour lay over before another 3 hour flight to Charlotte.
We arrived in Charlotte around 5.30pm Wednesday after a rough flight, to be greeted by our host family before the final leg of our trip which was a 2 1/2 hour bus trip to Clemson University.
After approximately 24 hours travelling we were tired but the arrival at Clemson was surreal.
The view from our room of an 80,000 seat Football Stadium was unbelievable.
We then had to wait around for about an hour but it was worth it, being presented with our Aussie uniform was the highlight of a long & tiring day.
The team arrived at Sydney Airport at 6.00am Wednesday morning very excited for the trip ahead with the boys.
Our first leg was a 16 hour flight to Houston with not much sleep.
We then had a 3 hour lay over before another 3 hour flight to Charlotte.
We arrived in Charlotte around 5.30pm Wednesday after a rough flight, to be greeted by our host family before the final leg of our trip which was a 2 1/2 hour bus trip to Clemson University.
After approximately 24 hours travelling we were tired but the arrival at Clemson was surreal.
The view from our room of an 80,000 seat Football Stadium was unbelievable.
We then had to wait around for about an hour but it was worth it, being presented with our Aussie uniform was the highlight of a long & tiring day.