During the summer holidays, 40 talented hockey and lacrosse players, along with our dedicated staff from the PE Department, embarked on an exhilarating 12-day, 11-night (14th July to 25th July 2024) sports tour of the East Coast of the USA.
The purpose of the tour was to develop our students’ hockey and lacrosse skills and gameplay over the 12 days, while also offering an incredible cultural experience. It was truly the trip of a lifetime!
After landing in Washington, the group travelled to Philadelphia, then on to New York, and finally finished in Boston for the final matches.
Mrs Lombaard (PE Teacher) reflected on the trip: “The USA lacrosse and hockey tour was particularly special for me, as I was able to share sport, culture, food, and (shopping!) in the country where I was born, raised, and educated. The girls soaked up every moment of the trip and were truly resilient – battling extreme heat and severe storms, yet still performing to an excellent standard! I was especially touched by how much the students loved visiting and exploring Boston, our final stop, which is my home city.
“Despite the busy schedule, the students managed to support the England men’s football team in the European Finals at a local pub in Philadelphia, and they also enjoyed a ‘proper’ American BBQ pool party hosted by the Central Penn Club hockey team in Harrisburg! However, I must say, the memories made on the coach will stay with me for years – whether it was answering an extraordinarily large volume of questions (mostly about the USA), Miss Huckle taking centre stage on the microphone, or Kat, our driver, keeping us safe and in line throughout the entire tour. It was a pleasure to take such a talented, kind, and fun group of students to play some incredible hockey and lacrosse in the USA!”
Molly Lincoln (Upper Sixth) added: “The USA lacrosse and hockey tour was an incredible experience which I will never forget. The balance between touring the amazing places we were in and playing high level sport was perfect. The staff and all the players on the trip made our time there even more special and we were all so supported by each other. The weather at times was extreme, from lightning and heavy rain to boiling heat but we all persevered in matches and excelled in every aspect of playing sport somewhere so out of our comfort zone.
“The excursions like Six Flags roller coaster park are a completely different ball game to any theme park I have ever been to in the UK, I have never seen roller coasters that size and they were thrilling!! The bus journeys to each place we travelled to felt so short with the fun games and entertainment from the microphone at the front of the bus. I will always be so grateful and feel so lucky to have experienced the BGS USA tour in order to have learnt so much to improve and support my hockey and lacrosse journey, but also to be part of such an outstanding trip where so many memories were made together.”
View a gallery of photos here.
