AMBER BECHARD: REPORTING FROM BARCELONA, SPAIN

Hola!

Today was finally game day!  We were back on the court officially competing for the first time since the national championship gold medal game 5 months ago.  This was our main reason for coming to Barcelona and we didn't know quite what to expect from our opponents. We quickly learned that the odds were placed against us, but we surprised everyone by competing and keeping it close against Sant Adria. Although we fell short by a score of 82-63 we battled hard and overcame some injuries (myself included). We are looking forward to playing our next game on Monday and are hoping to continue to compete and improve.

This evening we went on a group tour to Camp Nou which is a football stadium in Barcelona. It has been the home of FC Barcelona for several years now. We also had time to check out the Barcelona soccer store that was beside the stadium. The store was 4 stories high filled with unique soccer gear and jerseys.

Our second destination of the night was to the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. This was where the 1992 Olympic summer games were held. I ran track at OFSAA in high school so for me, going inside the stadium and looking down on the track where the Olympics took gave me goosebumps. The structure of the stadium was beautiful and being inside was such an amazing experience.

After spending some time in the stadium we went to the Olympic museum. It was filled with highlight videos and proud moments of the 1992 summer Olympics. Overall our evening tour was a success and a great experience for the team.

I also have a little flash back from yesterday when our coaches (Ajay, Kingsley, Aycha) and therapist (Emily) had an amazing experience driving electric bikes around town.  Here is a guest blog quote from Coach Aych:
"Speed going up to 45km/h we 'super heroed' the beach strip enjoying the beauty and culture of Spain. We had one bad experience when Coach Kings front wheel fell off but he managed to gracefully jump off into a squat.
Overall the consensus was real lit!"

I am glad everyone all got back safely that's for sure!  Until tomorrow, buenas noches!