After arriving back at the hotel last night we dined and then Tom, Jim and Brett Eisenhardt (we found him in Barcelona and he has joined our group) had to go off to a meeting for all of the coaches. The rest of the chaperones got to relax back at the hotel with the boys. After a rigorous meeting the coaches returned with a better understanding of the tournament rules, strategies and Flamenco dancing. The players had all been confined to their rooms as their curfew had passed. The coaches thought it would be best to gather the other chaperones to discuss strategy (in case they needed to step in) so they found a place to gather and confer.
Morning came early and several missed the daily early morning walk on the beach. After breakfast at the hotel we headed to the 12:00 opening ceremonies. The teams mingled and then marched onto the main field grouped by country, proudly displayIng their country’s flag. We played Sweden in our first match. After starting slow and giving up an early goal the boys settled down and came on strong. We played a great second half and despite several great scoring opportunities we did not find the back of the net and finished the game down 0- 1.
Back to the hotel for a late lunch and then it was time for the beach. The boys rented several paddleboats and had a good time splashing around in the Mediterranean Sea. Several of the guys made some new friends from Holland.
