2011 First Team Tour Report
Our bus trip towards our first destination was a very long one, but we all enjoyed it. The boys spent most of their time joking around, while the girls read their magazines. We stopped at Storms River on the way there, where we all enjoyed our packed lunches.
When we arrived in Plettenberg Bay, the boys’ soccer side played their first match. They won 7-0 against Plettenberg Bay Sports Club, which meant our tour was off to a good start!
We arrived at the beautiful Carmel Guest Farm, which is situated just outside George. We were all excited to see our sleeping arrangements and have dinner. That night, the girls held their first evening of initiation, which the senior girls were in charge of.
Although the breakfast was delicious, we are walking around like zombies because our bodies were not used to waking up so early after the holidays. The entertainment for the second day was an interesting and educational show about the Birds of Prey at Radical Raptors. Not only were there incredible birds to see, but also a fun playground which had things like a ‘foofie’ slide to keep us entertained.
En route to our matches at the Knysna Sports School, we had lunch at KFC. The boys’ soccer team drew 1-1 against Karatara and lost 1-0 to Rheenendal, and the boys’ hockey team lost their match by 4goals to 0 against the Knysna Sports School. The girls lost their first match, 1-0, against Knysna Primary and won their second match, 7-0, against the Knysna Sports School. That night, we enjoyed another wonderful supper at Carmel. After supper, some of us enjoyed watching the entertaining Tour de France, while the rest of us were occupied at Carmel’s Barn which had a pool table, a table tennis table and a dart board.
Breakfast on the third day was just as delicious as the previous day. We went straight to the movies and watched ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’, which was hilarious! After the movies, at Garden Route Mall, we had 30 minutes of free time to shop until we dropped.
Our fixtures on that day took place at Outeniqua Primary. The boys’ hockey played a match against Wynberg Primary from Cape Town, which they lost 1-0. Even though the boys lost, they played extremely well, as the team used a new form of game play and the goal from Wynberg was only scored in the last minute of play. The girls’ match was against Outeniqua, which we lost 1-0. The hockey boys played their second match against Outeniqua, which they lost 3-1. We went back to the farm for supper which, not surprisingly, was very good.
The fourth day of tour was the most entertaining and funny one. We drove through to Oudtshoorn and visited the Cango Caves and the Cango Ostrich Farm, where we rode ostriches and bought lots of gifts for our families back in Port Elizabeth. The Cango Caves were very fascinating and it was amazing to see how nature could be so spectacular. The girls played against Van Rede and drew 1-1, and thereafter the boys played against them as well, but lost 3-0. That evening we enjoyed a lovely meal at the Spur in the Garden Route Mall.
Breakfast at Carmel was as delicious as expected, but it had to be a quick one as we needed to get our bags packed and be on our way. We made a quick stop at Victoria Bay, where we enjoyed some fresh fruit and watched the surfers pull off some moves.
We played our last matches on Friday. The boys, hockey team beat Greenwood, 4-0, the girls won 3-0. The boys’ soccer drew 2-2, which was a lovely way to end off our tour.
We all enjoyed a Carzone, which is a delicious pizza that is folded over, at Skaftins and made our way back home. When we arrived, it was pouring with rain, but we were still happy to see our families.
On behalf of the players that attended the First Team Tour in 2011, we would just like to give a big word of thanks to all the staff that were involved in the tour. Giving us the opportunity to play sport and to have fun was greatly appreciated!
Please click on http://www.stgeorgesprep.co.za/page/gallery to see photos of the tour.
Ali Mitchley (First Team Girls Hockey Captain),
Guto Ocharo (First Team Boys Hockey Captain)
Jordan Fulton (First Team Boys Soccer Captain).
