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The day began at 8:00 am with breakfast at the hotel. Other than some minor changes on the menu, there was plenty of hot, delicious and familiar foods available for the boys. There might have been a minor panic among the parents when one of the two espresso machines broke down (there is, however, universal agreement that we want one of these machines at home - press a button and get a cappuccino, a machiato, or other espresso-based drink).
Now, as you saw in the prior post, today is Dave Harper's birthday and he was committed to celebrate by bungee jumping off a local bridge. The jump was captured by multiple still and video cameras and Paul Fink was the first to upload his recording of the event. Watch it on YouTube here.
We raced from the bridge to the Sibenik pool for our second scrimmage with the local club team. After besting the Croatians last night, the club sent a couple more players to play against their out-of-town guests. The games was another good test for the team and they prevailed again.
There are some differences between games at home and games in Croatia. The local club team did not gather to shake hands after the game (leaving our boys oddly lined up on the side of the pool). Instead, the local team simply changed and left. Our boys (after realizing no handshake would occur) picked up their goggles and did a warm-down swim set. It was clear that the boys could keep it going for quite a while.
Lunch was back at the hotel with roughly the same buffet as the day before. The boys ate their fill then returned to their rooms for half an hour. Linda then led the group on a short tour of downtown Vodice. The area is a small harbor town with plenty of shops and cafes. Nearly all the boys stopped at the gelato shop recommended by Linda. It was a wonderful cool treat on a hot day and based on informal polling, Nutella flavor was the biggest hit.
The boys huddled with Coach Lynch in the Vodice harbor for some afternoon instructions.
The boys traveled as a group and returned to the hotel (a short 10-minute walk away) for some rest during the hottest part of the day. The group regathered at 6:15 pm before returning to the Sibenik pool for the third and final match with the local club team. Now, after beating the local team twice, it was clear that some national pride was on the line as four new players arrived on the deck. The new players made the match far more competative with some very aggressive, challenging (and clean) play. Nevertheless, the Newport boys prevailed, beating the Croatians at their own game. The boys huddled with their coaches in the warm Croatian evening sunshine.
Soon thereafter, the sun set on Sibenik and we returned to our hotel for dinner and a good night's sleep.
