Field Hockey

Towson Field Hockey European Tour

May 30
Megan Edwards

Biking Through the Tunnels

Today was our official ADVENTURE DAY! We explored the ruins of an old castle in Valkenburg, went mountain biking in underground tunnels, and repelled down an old well. I think that most of us would agree that it was our favorite day (not saying that all the other days weren’t amazing).

I’d have to say that the underground mountain biking was my favorite part. It is very hard to explain because we have nothing like it in the U.S. but Mel and I are going to try our hardest to replicate it in Baltimore. We plan to start digging as soon as we get home. It was so much fun.

We had to ride in a single file line following our tour guide, Maurice. We liked Maurice! We were riding pretty fast so on a couple of occasions the few of us in the back were left stranded until Maurice came to the rescue. The ceilings were really low so you had to duck or you would hit your head. It was so much fun.

Today was also our last day of playing. Our opponent was the Maastricht Hockey Club. The so-called friendly match was not so friendly. They were the toughest competition we had seen all week. Although we lost by quite a few goals, we hung in there and fought hard til the end. Playing against a team with such high skill level is a great experience for the team because it will help prepare them for the upcoming season’s games against teams like ODU, JMU, and William and Mary.

The Maastricht team played aggressively and was very fast. They always seemed to know exactly where they were going to pass before they received the ball. They hit the ball hard and right to each other’s sticks. Our defense was a little unorganized but improved throughout the game as we got used to their style of play. We did a lot of good things and even though we lost, we learned so many ways to improve our game.

Megan Edwards

May 30
Hilary Blanchard

Preparing for the Climb

Today was the best day of the trip by far. Adventure day took place in Valkenburg, Holland. We had some free time early in the morning to shop and have lunch. Then we started our adventure.

First, we rode mountain bikes. We descended 40 meters underground to where the caves were located and then road our bikes off-road for six miles. It was so exciting.

Afterwards, we went rock climbing. We repelled down a 30-meter well in an ancient castle and we also got to rock climb down in the caves.

Later we traveled to Maastricht to play our last game. It was a very rough match. Amy’s lip got hit and Loren got a concussion. We gave a valiant effort though.

Tonight we all hung out together because it was Tiff’s last night here.

Hilary