Tuesday June 1, 2010 Women's national team

One picture is of the Women's National Team (missing 3 starter) and the other is of the indoor practice facility.

On this date, I began my day with a morning swim. It rained most of the morning so it was actually overcast and cool. The rainy season has completely changed the appearance of Grenada. Everything is green and lush, and truly beautiful. It is a good way to see Grenada before I return home.

I returned to my guest house after my swim and began work on my reports. I finished my report to the IOC and now have only my Strategic Plan to complete. It is half done and I hope to finish it this morning. Thursday, Nanan wants to take me around the Island and visit family and friends and we will probably go from cookout to cookout. This will be our Lime day. Thursday is a holiday in Grenada (Corpus Christi) and everyone is off work. This will be a good day to bid farewell.

Tuesday, we had the women's national team practice at the indoor facility in Lacerne. I had no idea what to expect. The picture actually makes it look much different that how it looks in person. First impressions are lasting....and I remember my first impression when I entered the building. It was somewhat dark in there as it is enclosed, however, there are no windows. The walls are made of "holey" brick which provides ventilation. The ceiling is high and there are cement bleachers. The court is recessed with seating high above. The court itself is also made of cement, however, it is painted green. It is a nice facility and the paint gives the illusion of a 'softer' surface and it is fairly smooth. Wind is not a factor in here and that is a different experience. Sand players understand how wind affects the ball and actually the game, but indoor players will not understand as much. I learned the OECS competition will be held indoors on a wood court surface. I'm excited for the athletes to compete on that type of surface and feel we will adjust well. Better to practice in tougher conditions than vice versa.

Tonight we had a limited showing of athletes for practice. We started at 5pm with only 6 athletes. Two more arrived at 5:30 and then another two arrived at 6:00pm. We worked on ball control, team transition, and then serve receive sideout options. We introduced 3-person serve receive formations, but it was difficult because we were missing three starters. They had a championship Netball competition and were unable to attend. I was a bit sad to not see everyone because this was my last practice session with the ladies, however, I understand.

The players presented me with a thank you card and gifts. It was a nice evening and I appreciate their generosity. The gifts were a computer mouse pad of Grenada, and a small tile of Grenada.

After practice, we went to Nanan's house where we had prepared one of my favorite dishes, Crayfish soup. It was delicious. I returned home and sat on my porch for a bit and looked at the night sky and harbor. It was a good day.

I wanted to tell you a bit more about Mango Dog, because he fascinates me. He is an older 'gentleman' and I must admit, when I first met him, I thought he was homeless and a wanderer. He has no teeth, is about 65 years old, very thin, a beard, and greying, longer hair. He talks with a strong Grenadian dialect and I could understand maybe one out of every four words he spoke. Nanan said he comes from a wealthy family and owns several nice homes in Grenada. He has 10 children, a wife and keeper and all live in the U. S. He also has several brothers and sisters that live in the states, as do his children. They all want him to move there, or at least move into one of the nice homes. But Mango Dog says NO. He lives alone in a one room shanty with his dog. He says he's not going anywhere and will die in Grenada. He is well respected for willingness to lead a simple, old-school Grenadian life. One man and his dog....that is his motto. A very unique individual indeed.

Today is a big day as the Junior National boys scrimmage the Men's national team. I am excited for the match tonight and am anxious to see how we perform.

Respect and Love.