hola barcelona!

Greetings from Spain.  Two weeks have past since I first arrived here and besides my lack of the Spanish language, all is going well so far.  This season, I am playing for RC Polo in Barcelona.  On paper, the team seems packed with Olympians and extremely skilled individuals.  Time will tell how well the team can gel and if we have the potential as a unit to win the title this year.

I have the pleasure of playing with 2 Olympians from Spain and 3 from the German team.  It is no secret that our team can score goals with the power of Eileen Hoffmann (Germany), Maike Stoeckel (Germany), and Noria Camon (Spain) up front.  We also have an extremely talented midfield and defense, so the league will watch as our team tries to put the pieces together to come out on top.

We train four days a week, in addition to a game every Sunday.  It does not sound like a busy schedule, but my time is filling up quickly with Spanish classes and of course, time to enjoy the wonderful cuisine with friends.  Amy Tran was in town a week ago to visit and enjoy some downtime since the Olympic Games.  It was wonderful to see her again and share many laughs.  After spending so much time with my USA teammates since January, it’s very sad to be so far from them everyday.   With the help of skype and a busy schedule, time seems to slip by very quickly.

Our season begins this weekend with a game against Atletic Terrassa, a consistently tough competitor.  I will write again soon to update you on our results.  Also, check back soon, as we plan to fill you in on the whereabout of many USA teammates that are spread across the country and some around the world.

Take care and work hard!

KS #13