This year our soccer team traveled to San Clemente for our team retreat. We stayed in a gorgeous beach house thanks to the Hirsch family. Upon arrival on Wednesday morning, all 30 girls made sandwiches for lunch and headed down to the beach. We enjoyed playing volleyball, tanning and getting to know each other a little more. Even though the water was a little chilly, mist of the pups enjoyed the waves. It was a relaxing environment and a perfect way to catalyize friendships.
After we hiked back up to the house, the Hirsch family began to prepare dinner. In the mean time, the girls on the team found ways to entertain themselves. Some went up onto the deck and played Scategories, others were playing Sharades, and the pups were all preparing for the highlight of the night: the Freshman Dance. We split the pups into two teams and had them choreograph a dance to RESPECT by Aretha Franklin. When the time came, the two teams definitely gave the crowd a great show. There wasn't one person there without a smile on their face.
Later on that night we all headed back down to the beach for a bonfire. The smores were amazing and dj Tiffany had everyone entertained. Next, the seniors had the rest of the team do a trust walk activity. Every girl had to blindfold herself with a long soccer sock and lined up single file. We were instructed to hold onto the shoulders of the person in front of us. As the seniors led the team around the dark beach, they had us overcome random obstacles. Our job as blindfolded teammates was to enhance our communication so that the girl behind us could overcome the obstacle. It was a fun and unique way to establish trust and communication within our team. After the trust walk we all gathered around the bonfire and each of the 8 seniors delivered a short speech about our upcoming season, important advice, and motivating words of wisdom.
The next morning all of us woke up to the smell of pancakes, bacon, orange juice, and fresh fruit. After breakfast we went on a 30 minute team jog along the beach. When we returned the captains had another activity planned for us. Each girl wrote their names on a large piece of butcher paper and we sat In a huge circle. Every 30 seconds, we passed the papers to the left. Each girl on the team wrote a few positive words about the person who's paper she had. Eventually, every girl on the team had a paper with positive and encouraging words from every member of her team. Next we went around and talked about our favorite characteristics and also revealed some things that others may not have known. The captains did a great job at helping the team get to know each other on a more personal level. Chemistry on and off the field is an incredibly important tool to become champions.
The team spent the last couple of hours at the beach before returning back to San Bernardino. Overall, this CSUSB Women's soccer retreat was better than any other retreat I have ever experienced. The vibe that I get from all of the girls is unlike any other feeling. We were able to create stronger bonds within the team which is crucial to the way we play on the field. The girls ultimately became more of a family and we are so excited to show everyone what were made of! Go Yotes!!!
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