Sunday, June 29, 2008

sayonara

Here's some pics from Maishima island, it's in the middle of Osaka bay, the sun came out for us on our last day in Japan.




Osaka from one of the many bridges


coaches at the farwell party with some of the JLA staff

DAICHI! I got to see my buddy Daichi, who took the shinkansen all the way from Tokyo to come see our last game. He stayed around for a while and visited with me, the team, and other japanese friends. It was great to see him again (Daichi played a year at Oregon when he was studying abroad, he went to Waseda University in Tokyo and is now working for Johnson-Johnson).



party pics



It was really hard saying goodbye to Nana. She was a great friend and a great host. She got me a couple great goodbye presents, and I ended up giving her my Oregon game jersey, practice shorts, and my USA practice shorts (trading gear over here is so popular. I've got BAGS of Japanese gear to bring back, I made out pretty well!). But ya, Nana was great-maybe I'll get a chance to visit my Japanese girlfriend again sometime...





More pics from yesterdays game, there had to be over 1000 people there, it was a sweet venue and the fans really got to see a great game. We played the best we had played all trip, and it's kind of a bummer we didn't get to play more teams. Next year, USA West is heading to Tokyo and Seoul, where they will get a chance to play some of the better teams in Japan and then shoot it out at the International tournament in Korea. I'll be giving great recommendations to all the Oregon boys who are interested in the trip next year, who will for sure make an impact on the team just like I did.
This was an incredible adventure and I'm so fortunate to be givin the opportunity to play overseas, and with a great group of guys. I can't wait to get back home and share all my stories and souveniers with friends and family. To any future USA Wester's who may be reading this: West is a legit organization and the coaches and players alike are all top-notch people. Any opportunity you have to play internationally you must take. This trip has only left me wanting more. I hope now as a college graduate, that lacrosse will continue to open doors for me all over the world.


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