Pumped Up Kicks, New Zealand Style!

Rachel wanted to play soccer for her high school team, so she approached the coach, who asked her if she had played in the States.  When Rachel replied "Yes" the coach basically welcomed her to the team!  That was it.  Within a few days, she was training and playing in games.  Crazy!  It's been a great experience for her to play in New Zealand, and a terrific opportunity to stay in shape and learn new things.

One immediate obstacle, though, was that the coach wasn't able to find a uniform to fit Rachel.  She hasn't been thrilled about wearing a jersey top that's a few sizes too big, but what choice does she have?  You can't really appreciate the largeness of the shirt in a shot like this...

...but check out Rachel in action!  How did this flying squirrel ever manage to advance down the field?

They play two halves here, like in Utah, but they are only 25 minutes each!  Rachel is used to 40-minute halves.  She rarely sat out during her last season, so she would get very tired over the course of the game.  Here, she feels like she is just getting warmed up, then the game is over!  Rachel doesn't think kiwi soccer is as aggressive, and maybe the shorter time on the field has a lot to do with that?  One thing she does like better about playing in New Zealand is that she got out of school for a whole day to play in a tournament.  It wasn't a regional or championship-type tournament, just games with some of the local schools.  That was fun.  Her team doesn't have a great record, and the season is almost over, but it's still been a great experience for her.

One other interesting thing to note... when Steve went to this game to take photos, he was puzzled that there wasn't a single other parent on the sideline watching the game.  Maybe it was just an abnormal day, but that is certainly not what we're used to.  In fact, when Steve pulled out the camera with the big zoom lens attached, he noticed that some young guys across the field started posing and acting goofy.  He later realized that they thought he was a photographer for the newspaper!  Ha ha.  He humored them by snapping this shot.  

A few more pics of Rachel in action...

...and a pretty rainbow shot from our house later that evening.  Fun times in New Zealand!