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Today, we started with the usual plan of breakfast at 8:00 in the Park Hotel. The boys are finding their favorite items and eating their fill. The cereals are popular (they have Coco Puffs and Golden Grahams), as are the breads, pastries and scrambled eggs. At 8:45, the boys assembled to watch the film from the prior evening's games. Coach Cory filmed the games from the top of the bleachers (providing an excellent view) and provided detailed commentary. The team would be training all morning with film, weights and then a scrimmage at noon.
The parents took this opportunity to explore the city (a farmer's market was one of the discoveries), relax in the wellness center at the hotel, or simply catch up on work.
The noon scrimmage featured the same 16 & under group from the Eger Water Polo Club, but it seemed as if they had a couple of bigger boys with them as well. The coach kept both lines of boys busy - while one scrimmages, the other did training drills with Coach Cory (the heavy balls were put to good use). The weather here is perfect. Mid 70's, light breeze and plenty of sunshine.
The design of the Eger pool provides great views of the games. On one side, there are benches approximately 4 feet from the edge of the pool and about 3 feet above the water. The bleachers on the opposite side sit close to the pool and are fairly steep. From the top row, you get an almost top down view of the action. Here are a couple of views of Newport Harbor in defensive formation, and then countering:
Lunch was at the restaurant by the pool. Today's offering was a vegitable noodle soup followed by spaghetti with meat sauce. Needless to say, the plates were licked clean. A couple of the moms offered their plates to the boys, and the team shared the extra at each table.
After lunch, it was time for some sightseeing. Just up the hill from the pool stood the Eger Castle. The medevial structure played an important role in Hungary's history as the location of a major battle between the Hungarians and the Turks (the Hungarians prevailed). Before we started the tour, Linda gave us a great overview of Hungarian history (though our AP students may have learned a different version of a couple of the accounts).
Our tour included a number of interesting elements in the castle's design and history.
The castle tour lasted just over an hour, so the boys had a good hour back at the hotel for rest.
The evening scrimmage again featured the mighty Eger 18 & under club (no 19 & 20 year old national team players for this match). This would be Newport's first official game in Hungary. The teams stayed within one point of each other well into the fourth quarter. With only a couple minutes left, Newport was able to add a few more goals for a 15-11 final.
After the game, we headed to dinner at the White Stag - a famous game (as in hunting) restaurant located right next to the hotel. We enjoyed a delicious meal of goulash, stuffed chicken with pomme frites (french fries) and a light, ice cream cake dessert. A piano player performed a collection of familiar tunes and melodies (with a brief guest appearance by Dan Stevens). With dinner over at 9:30 (relatively early for our European travels), the team decided to head out on the town for an ice cream. What could be a better team bonding experience than a quest for ice cream in a foreign country? It was a wonderful, educational and productive day for the team.
The parents took this opportunity to explore the city (a farmer's market was one of the discoveries), relax in the wellness center at the hotel, or simply catch up on work.
The noon scrimmage featured the same 16 & under group from the Eger Water Polo Club, but it seemed as if they had a couple of bigger boys with them as well. The coach kept both lines of boys busy - while one scrimmages, the other did training drills with Coach Cory (the heavy balls were put to good use). The weather here is perfect. Mid 70's, light breeze and plenty of sunshine.
The design of the Eger pool provides great views of the games. On one side, there are benches approximately 4 feet from the edge of the pool and about 3 feet above the water. The bleachers on the opposite side sit close to the pool and are fairly steep. From the top row, you get an almost top down view of the action. Here are a couple of views of Newport Harbor in defensive formation, and then countering:
Lunch was at the restaurant by the pool. Today's offering was a vegitable noodle soup followed by spaghetti with meat sauce. Needless to say, the plates were licked clean. A couple of the moms offered their plates to the boys, and the team shared the extra at each table.
After lunch, it was time for some sightseeing. Just up the hill from the pool stood the Eger Castle. The medevial structure played an important role in Hungary's history as the location of a major battle between the Hungarians and the Turks (the Hungarians prevailed). Before we started the tour, Linda gave us a great overview of Hungarian history (though our AP students may have learned a different version of a couple of the accounts).
Our tour included a number of interesting elements in the castle's design and history.
The castle tour lasted just over an hour, so the boys had a good hour back at the hotel for rest.
The evening scrimmage again featured the mighty Eger 18 & under club (no 19 & 20 year old national team players for this match). This would be Newport's first official game in Hungary. The teams stayed within one point of each other well into the fourth quarter. With only a couple minutes left, Newport was able to add a few more goals for a 15-11 final.
After the game, we headed to dinner at the White Stag - a famous game (as in hunting) restaurant located right next to the hotel. We enjoyed a delicious meal of goulash, stuffed chicken with pomme frites (french fries) and a light, ice cream cake dessert. A piano player performed a collection of familiar tunes and melodies (with a brief guest appearance by Dan Stevens). With dinner over at 9:30 (relatively early for our European travels), the team decided to head out on the town for an ice cream. What could be a better team bonding experience than a quest for ice cream in a foreign country? It was a wonderful, educational and productive day for the team.
