As Alicia prepares to attend Appalachain State University Softball overnight camp this week. She also wants to update everyone on her upcoming events.
Here is my schedule for the coming weekend in Raleigh. I play for the Spirits Fastpitch Black 18U and I am #4.
July 20th Friday Game 1 – 12:00pm at Walnut Creek field 6 vs NC Peaches Game 2 – 3:00pm at Walnut Creek field 6 vs NC Stingers 18U
July 21st Saturday Game 3 – 10:30am at Walnut Creek field 5 vs the NC Challengers Renzi Game 4 – 4:30pm at Walnut Creek field 5 vs Triad Thunder Game 5 – 7:30pm at Worthdale Park vs Carolina Stars – Bullington
July 22nd Sunday Game 6 – 9:45am at Buffaloe Park field 3 vs VA Fauquier Freeze
I also wanted to include my travel interary. I will be leaving to on July 30th to travel to China to play and train with the Chinese National Softball Team. I am told this will be a life changing event for me. I will be coached by American coaches as well as Chinese coaches.
July 31, 2012 Depart Los Angeles International Airport, USA to Beijing, China
August 1-6 Beijing, China Six nights at Muxiyuan Hotel Training and softball games at Beijing Muxiyuan Technology School - Muxiyuan softball field Sightseeing: Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace Shopping
August 7 Beijing to Xishuangbanna
August 7-14 Xishuangbanna, China Training at Xishuangbanna Shengjing Xincheng Baseball & Softball Training Center Eight nights Xishuangbanna baseball and softball player’s apartments Training and softball games with Chinese culture Sightseeing
August 15 Xishuangbanna to Beijing One night hotel Beijing Airport
August 16 Depart Beijing, China to Los Angeles International Airport, USA
In Chinese Softball game you bow to the opposing team and bow to the umpire to show respect and honor.
Alicia at bat
This team was the Tianjin team. This is the only game we won.
This team is GuangDong and said to be the most difficult team. Their coach " Coach Wendy" did not like our coaches.
This is what the 2008 Olympic Softball Stadium looks like now, after only four years. It was really sad to see. They are turning it into a baseball field because we were told softball is not as popular.
This is TFS International on the infield ground of the stadium. We even took our positions and pretended we were playing there.
This is a picture of the dugout, where the construction workers have made their homes while they are working on changing this peace of history into a baseball field.
This is the inside of the dugout and example of what the construction worker's homes look like. Many of the workers travel from outside of Beijing to work in Beijing because they are so poor in their area.
The first picture is of TFS International Softball team with the Beijing Pro Team. They were our first game. Their pitcher was a 34 yr old former Olympic player. There are only about nine pro softball teams in China and the National team picks the best players from those nine teams. Some teams have more players on them than others.
This photo is of Alicia warming up with her Chinese teammate whom is 23 yr. old and attends a University in Beijing. This field was artifical tuff and the balls slid very quickly across the field.
Alicia just returned from Beijing, China on August 17th, where she played and trained on the TFS International Softball team. This photo is of their first day of practice on August 1st. The team was made up of American girls and Chinese girls. Communication was a big part of learning to play together. They stayed at the Muxiyuan Sports Technology School for most of the trip. That is a Chinese sports school that families give their children over to the sport and the child stays and trains there.
On August 3rd and 4th the TFS International team played two games each day against Pro Chinese teams that came from different parts of China. The Beijing team had a former Olympic pitcher that was 34 years old on the team. The Chinese National Team is made up of the best players from the Pro teams.
