The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Soccer Travel Diary: Entry One
July 06 | Women's Soccer
Our European adventure began with a 6 a.m. departure from the
University of Akron. On our hour and a half van ride to Pittsburgh
International Airport there was an overwhelming feeling of
excitement and anticipation in the air.
From Pittsburgh we had a quick flight over to JFK airport in New
York. Once arriving in New York we had a five-hour layover. By the
time we claimed our baggage, checked-in, re-checked our baggage and
got through security the time passed fairly quickly.
Finally, it was time for us to board for our six-hour flight to
France en route to our final destination of Prague, Czech Republic.
By this time most of the players were starting to get tired, but
many still struggled to get comfortable and sleep on the large
Boeing 747.
After arriving in France, we literally had to sprint to make it to
our next flight on time. We had less than 20 minutes to find our
next gate and board the plane. I think coach had secretly planned
this, trying to get in an extra workout, but we did make it just in
time.
Reaching our seats relieved and exhausted we had a short, but
turbulent, hour and a half flight to Prague. We arrived in the
Czech Republic around 10 a.m., which is six hours ahead of Akron
time. Our trip guide, Vendi, was waiting for us at the airport and
brought us to the bus to complete our trip to the hotel.
By this time many of the players had been awake for over 36 hours
and fatigue was setting in. We went to our rooms for a quick rest
before our first introduction to the city of Prague. After having
lunch in the city, we got back on the bus to go to practice. We
trained at a nice facility, which is normally a private club.
Despite how tired we all were, we agreed it felt good to get a
workout in. It was also nice to be in a familiar atmosphere on the
field.
It's getting late and we are all tired, so I'll wrap this up. I'll
be in touch again soon.
Go Zips!
-Krystin Wilson
