After a frustrating start of preseason with weather that refused to cooperate, we boarded a plane and headed toward a trip of a lifetime. Everything that needed to happen in Colorado to make the trip go smoothly, happened. On our first day, we took a long hike in Boulder, CO that led to incredible views and a number of photo opportunities. The dinner that night was in an incredible setting and we enjoyed laughter, good food and a chance to get to know each other outside of the dorm confines.
Friday of our trip we ventured to downtown Denver where we walked on 16th Street Mall and got some souvenir shopping done. We met with a sports psychologist near the steps of the Capitol building and spent some time talking about what is going to propel us to the successes we all want.
Our first scrimmage was played at an unbelievable facility adjacent to the stadium where the Colorado Rapids play. The sunset that occurred during our game was truly breathtaking, and we played to a 2-2 tie with a women’s select team.
Saturday morning we loaded up the vans and headed to southern Colorado. We stopped in Colorado Springs to visit Colorado College’s campus. We made a hefty contribution to the bookstore there and then took a peek at the Division I women’s soccer practice. We then headed to Canon City, CO where we put on the life jackets and went white water rafting under the Royal Gorge Bridge. Only one player barely fell out, and the experience was everything that a team building adventure should be.
Sunday morning we went for a run in the scorching temperatures along a trail that runs parallel to the river. We spent the rest of the day preparing for our second game. We played Division II CSU-Pueblo, and although the score was extremely lopsided in their favor, we scored 4 goals on them and had many things to be excited about with respect to our play.
We boarded the plane early on Monday, and headed back to Menomonie to finish out the remainder of our preseason. We had all gained valuable experiences, a chance to get to know each other, and more pictures than we know what to do with. All of the hard off-season work paid off and the team is already brainstorming about going on another adventure.
