Jamaica Netball Tour

Jamaica Netball Tour th

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9 – 19 February 2012

TEAM LIST: COACHES: Mrs Henderson Miss Mobbs Mrs Stockting A TEAM

B TEAM

Jenny Swinn

Ria Rhodes ©

Beth Buxley-Softley ©

Anna Shadbolt

Leah Jones

Kirsty Asher

Ellie D’Alton

Lucy Morgan

Olivia Ellis

Lottie Williams

Alice Neilson

Emily Bevens

Natalie Fairhurst

Alicia Mcdowell

Ella Hall

Georgina Hill

Frankie Dukes

Hattie Rawson-Smith

Thursday 9th February The tour began on 9th February with a painfully early 6.15 meet at school and we headed to Gatwick for our 10 hour Virgin Atlantic flight into Kingston, Jamaica.

After a hearty full English we boarded the plane and settled down to a flight full of food, films and interesting attempts at sleeping positions. We arrived at Norman Manley airport and were welcomed by a tanoy announcement requesting our presence at the information desk. After passing through VIP boarder control and lugging the kit bags through customs we headed out for photos and interviews with the national paper. We were greeted by Jennifer and Anne and taken to our minibus where we met Antonio our driver for the trip. After a 30 minute bus ride to Knutsford court Hotel we were introduced to Jamaican cuisine at a private welcoming party. Here we were given a few short speeches from Brenda, the President of the Netball Association and the hotel managers who all made sure we were settled at the hotel and were looking forward to a 'whooping' by their netball teams! After numerous group photos we all headed to our rooms and relaxed into a long awaited night's sleep ready to tackle the 10 days ahead of us.

Friday 10th February We were to be at breakfast for 8 am. Some of us arrived bright and early due to jetlag, yet we felt the effects later on at training! We made the most of our complimentary breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and exotic fruit juices. After this we were fuelled up and ready to take on our first full day which started with a tour of Kingston and Port Royal. We drove along the newly manufactured roads from Downtown Kingston to Fort Charles, where we were given a guided tour.

Charles Fort is the only surviving English Fort in Jamaica after the devastating effects of the 1862 earthquake. Following this, we then visited the Bob Marley museum, which was actually the man him self’s former house. The museum was set up by Rita Marley and it aims to portray the key aspects of Bob Marley's life.

We were given a tour by a 'very enthusiastic' guide who showed us around his house and even sung some of his songs to us as we stood exactly where he used to play football in his front garden. The tour ended with a 20 minute video playing us his iconic songs and interviews before he lost his battle of cancer at 38.

We then went to a local mall with the chance to sample some local cuisine, yet in typical British fashion the majority of us headed to the KFC! We were given money to spend in the supermarket as well for lunch the next day; it proved quite a challenge to get our heads round the Jamaican $83: US $1 exchange rate! After

lunch we were given 40 minutes to chill out by the pool and get ready for our late afternoon training session at the National Stadium under the watchful eyes of the 'Sunshine Girls', Jamaica's national netball team. Two hours later, feeling suitably hot, sweaty and exhausted we went back to the hotel to get showered and glammed up for a meal out at Usain Bolt's new sport's bar restaurant, 'Tracks and Records'. We were given a variety of different local dishes in which we all found one dish we liked, despite their slightly spicy custom! We then headed back to the hotel were we went straight to sleep ready for the first match of the tour on the Saturday.

Saturday 11th February Having had a solid night’s sleep, we had our breakfast at 730. We all enjoyed another full English on offer with a great selection of fruit and yoghurt. We put our KES netball dresses on and walked out of the hotel feeling very professional on the way to our match. However, most of us were rather daunted by the prospect of playing the Jamaicans because of what we'd seen when they were training casually at our training session! We arrived at the courts in the boiling heat to see that we did indeed have some spectators and a televised video camera waiting for us! The B's played first, unfortunately losing by 19-4 to Mona High School, but putting on a great performance especially considering we weren't at all used to the heat. The A's played afterwards and well but lost 18-9.

Afterwards we all enjoyed the shade and some fresh fruit and lots and lots of water! We had lots of pictures and exchanged gifts with the 2 schools and Miss Mobbs even had an interview with the press! We made our way back to the hotel and enjoyed a lovely relaxing afternoon by the pool in the gorgeous sun. We packed all our bags and then some of us had difficulty heaving them down the stairs. We departed the hotel at 4:00 and went back to the netball courts to watch two fantastic netball matches. One was the final of the local league and the second was the equivalent of a superleague final in England. The stands were completely full and it was a great atmosphere to experience. We left the courts at 6:30 to start on our way to Ocho Rios. We all enjoyed a fun sing-along before falling deeply asleep after a long day.

Sunday 12th February Again today we woke to eat breakfast at 7.30 at our new hotel. After being provided with fresh fruit, cakes and pastries and a glass of orange juice, we had a new challenge of using the toaster which seemed to be giving shocks to anyone who touched it. We then went back to our rooms to get changed into our Jamaica t-shirts that we had been given, and got ready to leave for the Dunns River Waterfall. It was a 5 minute drive away and when we arrived we were full of nerves and excitement. We met our tour guide and he took us down to the bottom of the waterfall to start our climb. As we made our way down we caught side of the waterfall at some points how steep it was. At the bottom of the waterfall was a beach which had been featured in the James Bond film Dr. No. We were then told to hold hands and make a human chain. Miss Mobbs and Miss Stockting took the lead while Mrs Henderson held up the back. Climbing the waterfall was amazing and was definitely one of the best parts of the tour so far.

We all had to follow a path that the tour guide had taken which was the safest route. Another tour guide joined us with a camera and filmed the whole climb which Mrs Henderson later brought on DVD. The waterfall was steep at some points which resulted in lots of water which you had to either stand in or jump over. The climb lasted for about 45 minutes and once we had done it we all wanted to do it again. The teachers then gave us about 15 minutes to get changed into our dry clothes ready for going to an orphanage for disabled children.

Because by this time we were all hungry, we stopped at a small supermarket to stock up on lunch and snacks. The journey to Widows Mite was a long drive through the mountains and we spent it preparing some songs to sing when we arrived. After singing lots and lots of songs to work out what we all knew, we finally decided on Price Tag, Reach and Don't Stop Me Now. Widows Mite was located in a small valley on the top of a small hill where they had eight girls and five boys aged between 14 and 26 and they all had a variety of disabilities. When we pulled into the drive of the orphanage we saw a girl called Sharni who was 19 years old. As soon as the doors to the bus opened she jumped on board and

started to hug everyone one of us to show her excitement for seeing us. We were then taken into the main room where we met all of the other girls and boys and sung our 3 songs for them. They seemed to love it as one of the boys seemed to shout 'again, again, again'. As most of them were unable to eat by themselves we all helped in feeding them and giving them some cake that Jenny had bought early in the day. We also took along some stickers, netballs, balloons, sweets and sunglasses for them. After feeding them all we all went outside and did some passing exercises and sang some more songs. After spending a couple of hours at Widows Mite, Jenny handed over the cheque for the money donated by the charity commission.

We then said our goodbyes to everyone and hopped back onto the bus ready for the long drive back to our hotel.

When we got back to the hotel we had about an hour to get ready for dinner at Evita's Italian Restaurant which had brilliant views over Ocho Rios. After eating garlic bread, pizza and pasta we were all pretty exhausted when we got back to our hotel, however we all found time to watch our favorite programme Teen Mom which seemed to be on our TV's before we went to sleep.

Monday 13

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Today we had a more relaxed start to the day as we didn't have to leave the hotel until 12:30 and it was particularly special as it was Mrs. Henderson’s birthday! We had a late breakfast at 9:00am and were hoping to have time for some sunbathing however it was raining! We then walked down the road to the local supermarket to pick up some lunch and on the way back stopped at the market for half an hour. Having got back to the hotel at about 10:30 we had time to relax for the netball game ahead which we left for at 12:30. We then headed off with an hour and a half journey ahead of us into the mountains for our next game at Westwood High School which is an all-girls school from age 11-16. The girls were all very friendly and gave us all a tour of their school which is very different to ours for many reasons particularly as they only have one Chemistry, Physics and Biology lab for all 700 students. One of the things we found quite funny about their school was that the naughty girls were singled out by having to wear a white dress rather than the standard navy blue one. We were all very excited about playing this school in particular as we had heard that they had gained sponsorship to put in the netball court just for us when they were told that an English netball team was visiting Jamaica. The netball games kicked off at 2:30 starting with the B team who played to their junior side. It was a very tough game as the score was very level throughout the game and remained so as the final score was 12-12. The A team then took to the court and played their senor team. After the first quarter we were very much in the lead as the score was 10-2 so everyone swapped positions so the score wasn’t so one sided.

We ended up with a score of 22-10 which was a great achievement. The

atmosphere throughout the 2 games was ecstatic as the whole school turned up to watch and they were all constantly chanting and cheering!! After the games we had some time to socialize with the girls by exchanging emails, playing killer and learning some 'Pachua' the Jamaican language.

We then all got back on the bus feeling quite sad to leave as they were all such nice girls. On the way back we stopped off for Dinner on the way back which consisted of chicken and chips or fish and chips which was delicious!! We got back to the hotel at about 9:45pm very tired!

Tuesday 14th On Tuesday we had the luxury of a second relaxed morning at the hotel with breakfast at 9.00 and departure for Montego Bay at 10.00. After a scenic drive down the Jamaican coast line we arrived at Montego Bay High School ready for our third match. The sun was blazing down and we all felt slightly apprehensive about playing in the heat as we changed into our netball dresses. Once again we had a big crowd of girls from the School watching and cheering for their teams but they were all very welcoming and excited for us to be there. The B's played first and they started strong despite the mid-day sun. It was a tough match all round but the KES team pulled ahead finishing with a strong final score of 22-8. It was the A's turn next who also came out strong against the Jamaican girls triumphing with a great score of 23-10. We all felt considerably hot and bothered so retreated to the auditorium of the school with the Jamaican girls where we enjoyed some shade and traditional Jamaican patties for a late lunch. We then socialized with the girls finding out about their day-to-day life at school and home while we cooled down with freezing cold 'ting' the best local Jamaican soda drink!

Soon the Jamaican girls were showing us some dance moves and before we knew it a full on dance off took place with singing, dancing and some acrobatics from both English and Jamaican girls! Jenny presented the Netball Coach with the King

Edwards plate and all too soon we had to be on our way. Everyone was exhausted so many took the journey as an opportunity for a nap on the coach as we returned back to Ocho Rios. That evening after some rejuvenating showers we all made our way to a local Chinese restaurant where we enjoyed the choice of either jerk or sweet and sour chicken. After our meal we were taken through the restaurant where beautiful waterfalls cascaded down around the outside part of the restaurant. It all looked amazing with special lights and decorations up for Valentine ’s Day. After enjoying the view we returned to the hotel, worn out from another full on day!

Wednesday 15th Wednesday started with a particularly early start, we had breakfast 6:30 and were on the bus to Negril by 7. After the long three and a half hour journey, where everyone caught up on their missed sleep, we arrived on the beach to a view of a beautiful catamaran. With everyone excited for the trip we boarded the boat and began our catamaran cruise.

We were all very quick to lay our towels down and hit the sunbathing hard with stunning views, reggae music and a nice breeze. Before long we had stopped at our first destination, where we kitted up in flippers and snorkels and jumped in the clear ocean. We had a great snorkel and we saw trumpet fish, a puffer fish and even a baracuda was sighted! Too quickly we were ushered back on the catamaran and set sail again, this time we all took advantage of the free bar and were all sipping fruit punch in the sun. Our next stop was near some caves which had a ruin of an old bar in them, we swam through in awe of the cave scenery and when back at the boat we all jumped at the chance to use the slide attached to the roof of the catamaran. The first slide in came as a shock to us as we didn't realize how high it is or quite how tightly we had to hold onto our bikini's! Then some of the girls started to experiment with flips and going down the slide head first, all too great applause and a lot of photo-snapping. Again we were cut short

and it was time to go again, and this was our final journey back to the beach. We were treated to some reggae dancing lessons from the boat crew and then it was time to say goodbye. Hungry from the swimming we rushed to lunch where we were told it was jerk chicken burger and chips, but it turned out to be jerk chicken and rice and burger and chips! Full from that humongous lunch we were all ready to lie down in the sun and not move for hours, so that at 4:30 when it was time to go, more than one person was looking a bit pink. From Negril beach we drove to Rick's Cafe which is on the very west-end of the island. Rick's cafe has a great atmosphere and was buzzing with a live band and plenty to see.

As we had limited time we got seated for dinner straight away and enjoyed the views of cliff jumpers and finally the beautiful sunset. It was soon 6:45 and time for the long bus-ride back, which was in silence as everyone slept after this full but very enjoyable day!

Thursday 16th We all woke bright and early at 7.15, excited seeing that the sun was again shining bright, as we were spending the morning at an all-inclusive resort called, 'The Breezes in Trelawney'. As we approached the hotel about 9.30, we were all looking forward to topping up our tans, while some of us were succumbed to sitting in the shade due to too much sun the previous day; however this didn't stop most of us, as we headed straight to the breezy beach. The hotel had a great atmosphere, and while we were being given the tour, we saw the 2 large pools, the two flumes, volleyball, and many other activities which were busy going on.

As we were sunbathing, many of us continued going to the drinks bar, making the most of not having to pay for the drinks, with many virgin pina coladas being drunk, while sat relaxing on the beach or by the pool. From 12 onwards, everyone began to make the most of the snack bar, ordering burgers, while some of us enjoyed a hearty game of volleyball, consisting of many face plants in to the water. Too soon, we had to be on our way again, as we made our way to Montego Bay, to play Herbert Morrissons High School, all of us feeling rather wary about this match, as we had been told they had a number of national players! The B's match was underway at 2pm, with the courts being right under the blazing sun, as expected it was a tough match, with the final score being 20-9, with them only conceding one goal in the last quarter, some of us being very

impressed with our efforts knowing their GA was a national player. The A's match involved 2 national players and was an extremely close match, with tensions running high, at half time as it was a draw, the final score was 18-13, with their coach coming up to congratulate us for the efforts put in, as commonly everyone receives a 'whooping' from the extremely tough side.

After the match, we were all treated to cake then we socialized with our opponents, once again a dance off was taking place, causing Alice to hide, as she wasn’t too keen on doing her infamous worm on the hard tarmac court. Another short game of 'Killer' took place, even causing the boys from the school to join in, with Hattie shooting some very impressive shots. We then made our way to the Luminous Lagoon, all very excited, yet quite nervous, as we set out on the boat in the dark.

As we approached the lagoon and jumped in, we were amazed as the water glowed as we moved, with our bodies illuminating, all getting excited as we jumped up and saw it all sticking to our clothes. The sand underneath was a weird sensation which many of us were not keen on, being very soft, and every time you touched it thinking you were sinking. As we were all called back on the boat, we were still amazed by the incredible experience, with the microbes still sticking to us, causing spots of phosphorescent. We then went past a Pirates ship, a tour from a hotel by a Spanish owner, which had only been going for 6 months; we went as close as possible with the music and dancing buzzing from the ship. As we got back on firm land, we had a quick change by all, and with Anthony's speedy driving, we made it to the restaurant nearly on time. The restaurant was owned

by Joe James, David James the footballer’s dad, which excited some, and we were treated to photos at the end. The food was extremely good, and we all got back on the bus feeling full, and tired, as we made our way back to the hotel.

Friday 17th Today we played our final match day against St.Hildas high school. As ever, breakfast consisted of juice, cake, toast or cereal, helping us to build up our energy for the day to follow. We departed the hotel at 9.30, arriving an hour later at the school, which looked surprisingly like Hogwarts and had all of us singing the Harry Potter theme tune! It was Jamaica day, where all the schools in the country were celebrating their 50th year of independence. Eager to get on with celebrations, matches began almost immediately on arrival. The B team played first against the Juniors (who turned out to be the stronger side of the two St Hildas teams).

Yet another 'senior-junior mix up!' Therefore unfortunately, despite a tough, well fought match the Bs lost 11-18. The As fared better and finished victorious with a 15-6 win. After this, we experienced our first Jamaican school lunch. The choices consisted of BBQ chicken or curried chicken with rice, both of which were delicious. Lunch gave us the opportunity to sit and socialize with our opponents,

giving us a better idea of typical school life in Jamaica. We then made our way to the auditorium where we were given front row seats to the Jamaica day concert.

Many of the students performed a variety of entertaining acts, which included singing and dancing. Nearing the end of the concert, we were surprised to discover that the school wanted us to devise our own piece to perform in front of the whole school!

Headed by those who could actually sing, we decided to perform 'Price tag,' which had undeniably become our tour song. The crowd was already excited by our choice of song and they livened up even more when we cracked out our dance moves.

The amount of cheering that followed was truly surprising and overwhelming and reached its peak when Alice did the worm center stage. St Hilda's was extremely welcoming and we were paid a lot of special attention during our time there.

After the concert, we were shown to the back of the hall where we were able to sample some of Jamaica's national dishes, in particular ackee and saltfish, and learn a bit about its culture. Following this we said our goodbyes and made our way back to the hotel. That night most of us 'glammed up' for our final dinner together at Scotchies. After enjoying an authentic Jamaican meal consisting of: Jerk pork and chicken, rice, festival and yam in our private hut, the thank you speeches commenced. We presented Anne and Antonio with a King Edwards mug in appreciation of their help and unwavering support throughout the trip. Finally,

on return to the hotel, we were treated to VIRGIN cocktails at the bar and gave a final performance of 'Price Tag' to our coaches and fellow hotel residents, one of which actually joined in with a guitar! We eventually made our way up to bed and got some sleep before the long journey home the following day.

Today we finished packing our bags and suitcases ready for the long flight back to chilly England. In the morning we had breakfast as usual at around 8:30 with some up earlier to catch the early rays then headed to the market and supermarket for last minute stocking up of snacks, mugs, bracelets and other souvenirs. Some of us tried out our haggling skills against the stall merchants and tried not to get too badly ripped off. Being our last day we then had the rest of the morning and early afternoon to do as we wished which for most of us meant topping up our tans. Lunch was provided by the pool bar and gave us the opportunity to eat something other than fried or jerk food. By 4 o'clock we were showered, changed (and a bit sunburnt) and were boarding the bus for the airport. This time we'd be flying from Montego Bay airport rather than taking the long trip back to Kingston! We were all sad to leave the sunshine and the beach but also glad to be coming home again, after a once in a life time incredible trip!

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