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Post by barbedad20 on Dec 24, 2007 9:34:58 GMT -6
I have had a few requests (ok, just 1) to start a blog with day by day accounts of The Lady Buc's trip to LA so here I go. I will update and you can read or ignore as you see fit.
Background- I approached the Barbe parents back in March about doing a Senior Soccer Trip since the majority of Barbe's team will be graduating this year and the success over the past 4 years is due in large part because of these 8 seniors. All jumped on board and I made a promise to each parent that we would raise all money for the trip and we would not go if I had to ask for any money. The girls and parents raised $10,200 for this trip and everything (airfare, hotels, food, sightseeing, rental vans, etc) is paid for. A girl could go with no money in her pocket and have a blast. We leave Christmas night and return on Dec 30th. Our last night, Sat night, will consist of a banquet at Medieval Times in LA.
Tournament Format- The Excalibur Cup is a 32 team invitation only of 31 of the top teams from California and Barbe. (Yes, alot of begging on my part to get us in!!). The bracket is simple. 32 teams play, 16 winners play, 8 winners play, 4 winners play, and the final 2 play for the Excalibur Cup Champion. If you lose along the way you drop into the Sir Lancelot Cup so the Excalibur Cup winner is the only team that goes 5-0. The winning coach and players of the Excalibur Cup go to this big rock and the winning coach removes the sword from the rock and that is your trophy, an engraved sword. Interesting format, one I have never seen done for a soccer tournament.
Game 1- Barbe plays the host high school, Foothill High School, on Thursday at 3:30.
More to come as the trip begins........
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Post by burtvincent on Dec 24, 2007 11:37:39 GMT -6
I for one will be folowing this thread with great interest. Barbedad please try to give us some idea of the size of the schools you will be playing
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Post by dawgster on Dec 26, 2007 13:55:01 GMT -6
Just wanted to wish the Young Ladies from Barbe the best of Luck. I know that they will "REPRESENT". Temporaraily I'm Barbe Fan - just don't tell shsdad.
Looking forward to watching you play STM on Jan 4th. Again good luck to you guys. :-)
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Post by bubble on Dec 26, 2007 20:27:25 GMT -6
Just wanted to wish the barbe ladies alot of luck for their trip. Some one just remind then it is not a vacation you are their to play soccer and win!!
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Post by pompey on Dec 26, 2007 21:52:30 GMT -6
Just wanted to wish the barbe ladies alot of luck for their trip. Some one just remind then it is not a vacation you are their to play soccer and win!! no, no, no..........it is a vacation to have fun and bet the girls will be focussed for some serious soccer too. They better have fun or the journey was pointless. A link: www.excaliburtournament.com/ |
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Post by barbedad20 on Dec 27, 2007 13:54:41 GMT -6
Update for day 1.....
After an uneventful trip to LA (except the 3 am starting time) we loaded up the girls and headed to Hollywood (and yes, it was close to the Beverly Hillbillies, country come to town). First stop was in the middle of the road to take a picture of the girls in front of the Hollywood Sign. From there is was to Freak Central (aka Hollywood Blvd) for the star walk. Took pictures with every big star impersonator (Rambo, Chuckie, Spiderman, Darth Vador, Sponge Bob) etc and saw the hand prints of all the stars. Then there was the trip down to Rodeo Drive and once again...... COUNTRY COME TO TOWN....... Yes, I blended........ I must say everything you can imagine about Rodeo Drive is accurate and the glitz and glamor is indescribable. I saw more Ferrari's and Lamborghini's than I have ever seen (not too many of those in Lake Charles, except for the one 'burtvincent" drives. The girls went shopping at Rodeo Dr and needless to say no one bought anything. From there it was off to Universal City and though we are in LA there was a 40 mph wind and made it feel freezing outside. Dinner was a nice catered dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. We returned to the Hotel and by 10 pm every girl was sound asleep.
I spoke with some of the local parents and most agreed they haven't seen as much of LA in the past 10 years as we have in the first 24 hours. We watched a couple of games this morning and every team here is top notch.
First game today is at 3:30 and we are playing FootHills HS with a student base of 3800 students. The local team is best known for their water polo team and lacrosse and needless to say I had the deer in the headlight look going What the Heck is That?
After game tonight it is off to Huntington Beach and I will update the game later tonight so wish us luck.......
More to come......
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Post by pompey on Dec 27, 2007 14:12:01 GMT -6
Good luck, keep up the posts, love it....
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Post by Wofford Dad f/k/a SJA Dad on Dec 27, 2007 15:22:42 GMT -6
Have the girls paint eye black in classic gothic. Throw some live crawfish on the field before the game and claim that it is a South Louisiana tradition. Then burn some incense, roll your heads around like in a trance, lapse into some voodoo gibberish and samba to "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals, bite the heads off a few mice ala Ozzie Ozbourne circa 1978, and you'll be good to go. Works for me every time.
You will win 5-2. Guaranteed.
Seriously.
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Post by futbolspectator on Dec 27, 2007 19:51:44 GMT -6
i usually do that when i go to sleep
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Post by q on Dec 27, 2007 20:34:31 GMT -6
According to the tournament website:
Foothill (CA) 4
Barbe 0
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Post by barbedad20 on Dec 27, 2007 22:03:16 GMT -6
First Game Down and all I can say is wow!!! Before the game started I spoke with a few FootHills Parents and found out the starting center mid is a member of the National Team and early signer with Portland (last year final 4 team and past National Champion) so I new we were in trouble. Of course I had to say something intimidating about our girls so of course I told him Poopsie was the MVP of Lake Charles National Team with birthdays between Oct 1st and Oct 3rd and it flew over his head like a duck on opening day. Sorry, I digress....... Foothills scored in the first 3 minutes on a misplaced ball by the keeper and I was praying that was not going to be the game winner and boy should I Know that God has a sense of humor and my wishes came true. The next 2 goals were nice goals created by #15 (National Player) driving thru the 3 defenders it seemed were marking her and left the ball for anyone who wanted to score. The final dagger, or should I say sword thru the heart in keeping with the Excalibur theme, was a goal I still can't understand happened by the Laws of Physics. Ball was on the goal line about 10 yards off the post and forward shoots and bends the ball in back of net, not deflected, never touched and finds the back of net. Game ends 4-0 and though Barbe had some nice shots on goal Foothill was the better team. Game was very physical on both sides but very clean. I have seen most of Louisiana's best teams (St Thomas More, St Louis, MCA, Mandeville, Sacred Heart and #10 Acadiana  and in my humble opinion no Louisiana teams would have won this game today. The most impressive part was after the game, Barbe had Mardi Gras Beads for their girls and FootHills girls made scarfs for all the girls. Took team photos with both teams together and you would think the paparazzi was there with the photographs being taken and I know it is hard to imagine but not 1 person ask for my autograph or picture mistaking me for Tom Cruise. Had a nice dinner with the girls and preparing for t-row. Game is at 8 am against Fountain Valley from Los Angeles. Win or lose and next game will be at 12:30. More to come on the adventures of Barbe in California........ |
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Post by dawgster on Dec 28, 2007 12:10:53 GMT -6
Just viewed the site. They are listed in the Merlin 2007 (Consolation Flight)
It shows the score: Fountain Valley (CA) 1 - Barbe 0
I'm guessing that is a final, as it is now 12:07 PM Central time and this match started at 8:00 AM Western. barbedad20 will have to fill the gaps. Just looking at the score, it must of been a heck of a match.
They play next at 12:30 PM Western against ND Belmont.
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Post by barbedad20 on Dec 28, 2007 12:33:25 GMT -6
Game 2 in the books and finally Barbe plays a game that we could be proud of. Game is against Fountain Valley (3200 students out of San Diego) and a very evenly matched game. Both teams had moments of 10 minute stretches in offensive have and both teams had a few nice shots on goal. Half 0-0. Ten minutes into second half FVHS scores on a nice corner headed into the back of net. Barbe had 2 shots from the 6 and both went untouched over the crossbar. When you are struggling offensively, those are the crucial shots you have to convert but Barbe couldn't. Excellent played match with final 1-0 FVHS.
Here is what I have noticed about the California style of soccer and the Louisiana style of soccer. Though no one had ever commented on the size of Barbe it is very noticeable that every player is taller and "thicker" than every Barbe girl and just as fast or faster. Good to see Barbe play better soccer and looking forward to the 12:30 match against Notre Dame High School.
And on a side note, Barbe again hands out Mardi Gras beads to all their girls and you would think we were handing out solid gold the way the girls fought for the beads. My favorite part was when the girls came across the field and one girls yells to her mommy "Hey mom, I got beads and I didn't have to show my boobies like you did to get yours." The look on the moms face:
Trip to LA- $10,200
Mardi Gras Beads- $59
Look on Moms face with the boobie comment- Priceless.....
More to come after 12:30 game.
Tonights plan is heading to Huntington Beach to watch the surfers and to do a little shopping.
Thanks for keeping up with the Adventures of Barbe Soccer in LA...
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Post by dawgster on Dec 28, 2007 16:26:42 GMT -6
ND Belmont 2 - Barbe 0
I'm guessing it's off to the beach? I hear sunsets on the coast are beautiful!
Overall, I'm willing to bet it was a great trip. Hats off to the Barbe Coaching Staff.
Imagine trying to plan your game without never ever seeing your opponents in action.
Hats off to the Barbe Parents for rising the money for this adventure....not soon to be forgotten. :-)
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Post by barbedad20 on Dec 28, 2007 16:28:12 GMT -6
Game 3 played against Notre Dame High School out of San Francisco. Notre Dame is an All Girls High School and is a small school state champ. Very physical game to the point of being dirty and final score ND 2 Barbe 0. 2 girls had to be carted off from ND and one looked to be a serious knee injury.
Headed to Huntington Beach to watch some surfers and do some shopping at the beach shops. Will update scores from who we have played and see how they fare. The 1st team Barbe played (FootHill) is still undefeated and play the defending champion at 2:00 and should be an excellent match.
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Post by barbedad20 on Dec 28, 2007 22:52:41 GMT -6
Excellent night with watching the sunset and surfers on Huntington Beach. Too cold for me but those guys seemed to not mind getting in the water. Spent a few hours at the Irvine Center outdoor mall and the girls spent enough money to finance some 3rd world countries.
Update on the Excalibur Tournament: Foothills High School is still undefeated and into the Final Four. Good to see the team we lost to is beating all the teams in its path.
Up for t-row- Morning with Mickey and Minne Mouse and evening dinner with the Knights at Medieval Times.
More to come t-row.....
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Post by barbedad20 on Dec 29, 2007 23:03:05 GMT -6
Last night in LA and it was definitely a "TEAM BONDING" moment.... Brought 40 screaming Barbe players/parents to a great show at Medieval Times. Booed the Green Knight (who we named "Acadiana") booed the Black Knight (who we called "Lafayette") and the Yellow Knight (who we called "Sulphur"). Girls had a great time and we acked a fool on our last night. A great show and dinner and a great way to end the trip.
And final recap...... The team we lost to first (FootHill) played with out their National Player today and lost in the semi's. If any team wants a top notch tournament to attend, I highly recommend the Excalibur Cup. Well run and top notch competition. Every team here was excellent and impressive.
Even though Barbe went 0-3 I believe we leave this week a better team. Most importantly, my Barbe Girls will forget losing to Acadiana 0-1 last week in a few months but they will remember all the adventures in Los Angeles for a lifetime. To me, that is what soccer is all about. A lifetime of memories and I hope when I am 80 years old in a Nursing Home the girls will come visit me and start the conversation with "Mr. Brian, I remember when we went to Los Angeles and we........... " I will lay in my diaper with a smile on my face.......
Thanks for following the adventures of Barbe's Trip to Los Angeles........
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Post by jus4kicks on Dec 30, 2007 7:18:45 GMT -6
We all get caught up in the "wins" and "loses" but it's truly the soccer memories that mean the most, and it sounds like the Barbe girls have made some great ones! Hats off to everyone who made it possible, and thanks for a great read Barbedad.
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Post by neutral on Dec 30, 2007 8:16:02 GMT -6
Barbedad, this must have been a great experience. I am glad there were no injuries especially when you are so far away from home. Have a safe trip home and please wish happy new year to everyone on the team.
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Post by sosoplayer24 on Dec 31, 2007 0:34:16 GMT -6
Congrats Barbe on a great trip that we can all just envy. Be proud and thankful of the support you have for your school and your program. Your program sets a high mark that many are trying to achieve. Congratulations and good luck in your run for a title.
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and in my humble opinion no Louisiana teams would have won this game today. The most impressive part was after the game, Barbe had Mardi Gras Beads for their girls and FootHills girls made scarfs for all the girls. Took team photos with both teams together and you would think the paparazzi was there with the photographs being taken and I know it is hard to imagine but not 1 person ask for my autograph or picture mistaking me for Tom Cruise.