Rouen

So, since we didn't blog yesterday, we'll cover both days :]

Wednesday, the team slept in until 8 am, then got up to eat breakfast and do homework. We went to walk around Rouen and eat lunch. Amy and Britney Mathis talked about the history of Rouen including the Notre Dame in Rouen and Joan of Arc. We ate a delicious lunch complete with teeny-tiny mousse desserts. We then walked back to our hotel to prepare for unofficial practice. After a minor scare in which Brittany Cisneros got locked in the ice rink's bathroom (successfully saved by Gail Harriett) , we were ready to skate. In the middle of practice, Taylor, who had already injured her finger, dislocated her thumb. Thanks to our well-qualified team doctor, she was ready to skate in no time. After a good practice, we went to a small pizzeria where we had dinner. When we arrived at the hotel, we had a quick stretch/meditation session with Coach Meyer. It really helped us calm down and get to bed after a long day.

Thursday, we woke up at 5 am to walk to the ice rink for another unofficial practice. We had three half hour increments on the ice that were all successful and productive. Other teams were starting to show up at the rink which made the competition seem all the more eminent. Lynn Benson, our USA team leader, gave us the basics on how the competition will run. Shortly after, we had a couple hours to relax and do homework. When the team was refreshed, we went into town again to eat and shop. We were impressed by the large selection of French pastries we came across (they were so cute!). The team came back to the hotel and relaxed some more before going to the draw. Brittany Cisneros and Megan got to pick between a variety of toy bunnies and bears to determine our skate order for short. We drew fifth! (Starlights, our fellow Team USA members, will be skating third) After meeting up at the rink, we ate dinner and went back to our hotel for another quick stretching/meditation session. And now, we are going to bed! Goodnight!

P.S. Since it takes us 20 minutes to walk to the rink, we found a more efficient way to carry our bags (see below).