Update from Mendoza

Hi Year 5,

Congratulations to those students who said their Captain's Speeches on Monday - I am so proud of you :) I hope it was a positive experience for you all and I'm looking forward to hearing the results!

A lot has happened since I last updated the blog. I have umpired two games and been the video umpire on two games. I have a quarter final tomorrow night at 6pm - New Zealand vs. England - it will be on the YouTube channel at 8am Sydney time on Friday morning - https://www.youtube.com/user/fihockey.

My first game was insane!!! Argentinean fans jumping up and down in the stands ... screaming and yelling all match haha. I couldn't hear myself blow the whistle over their noise!

My two video umpire gigs were super scary! So much pressure lol - can't wait to tell you about it when I get back.

I umpired the Netherlands (world #1) vs. Japan - nice game - 0-0 right until 19 seconds to go when the Netherlands scored.

I've also had two rest days - Monday and today. We went shopping on Monday - we got stopped so many times for photos and autographs by people walking in the streets. It's so crazy - I'm like, "you know I'm an umpire" haha. We went to some wineries today - absolutely beautiful. I've included some photos below - can you believe it's 35 degrees here each day but you can see snow on mountains in the distance!!! The photos don't really give the views justice. Just gorgeous.

Anyway, I'm exhausted so I am going to get some sleep before a big day tomorrow.

Hope everything is well at school :)

Miss Seymour

Our transport - this double decker takes us everywhere. Most comfortable coach ... the seats recline ... leg rests ... music ... everything!

2nd Fitness Session

Out for lunch after shopping - Kelly, Mercedes, myself, Steph and Sarah

Lunch time entertainment on the first rest day!

Out for lunch with a stray dog! They are everywhere!

Classic jump photo in front of a fountain. Mercedes from Argentina, Steph for the US, me and Kelly from New Zealand.

I got this photo from one of the umpires who took a photo of all the Argentinean girls that stopped us in the shops for photos and autographs haha

Sarah, my awesome Scottish roomie, Annelize and I - great friends :)

The first vineyard we visited today.

Malbec vineyard.

Gorgeous vineyard!

Having lunch in the middle of a vineyard.

A cherry tree - amazing - as we drove past in the bus, we were able to open our windows and pick and eat them straight from the tree!

The gorgeous view from our bus today. 35 degrees outside but snow on the mountains!

This photo and the next two are screen shots from Mum when she was watching me on YouTube from Sydney.

Talking to my co-umpire - I assume she said something funny lol

Signalling a Video Team Referral last night ... "T" = team referral

First few days in Mendoza for Champions Trophy!

Hello from Mendoza, Argentina,

What a whirlwind of a few days!!

I had a great flight over - no delays and nice and quiet so I could sleep :) I had lots to do Tuesday night so I didn't start packing to midnight - got to bed about 4am - up again at 6am - so I was well and truly ready to sleep! I had company to fly with as I am here with another Aussie umpire which is always nice. We met up with 4 of the other umpires at our 4 hour stop over in Santiago - made it go quickly and it was lovely to catch up with them all.

It's a much shorter trip to Argentina than it is to Europe! Just the 14 hour flight from Sydney to Santiago, Chile and then 1 hour flight across the border to Mendoza. A nice change from the 2x 12 hour flights and 1x 1 hour flight to Glasgow in July.

Most of the umpires arrived here the same time as us on Wednesday. Get how funny this is - I left Sydney on Wednesday 26th at 11:50am and after a 20 hour journey, arrived in Mendoza at 4:30pm on the same day!!! Makes my head spin when I try to think about it. A good discussion for when we are talking about time zones in Maths.

I umpired a practice match on Thursday morning between New Zealand and Germany - was good to get the legs moving and get a feel for the pitch. All of us then did a fitness session followed by a long briefing (a meeting when we talk about the rules and how we are going to work as a team).

I showed my video clip on Thursday night that some of you helped me with lol - everyone loved it :) I will upload the whole thing when I get the chance.

Friday included more fitness and more meetings including a meeting about how the video umpire process is going to work. My roomie Sarah from Scotland and my good friend Annelize from South Africa (you might remember them both from Comm Games) went for a walk after lunch to the supermarket down the road. A pair of stray dogs came and laid next to us while we had lunch and then followed us to the supermarket. I was a little scared and tense that they'd attack us but it seemed they just wanted to keep us company. We tried to lose them along the way, e.g. crossing the road and going into shops but they just followed us across the road and back again and waited outside the shops for us. It was extremely weird!! THEN ... anyone that passed at got chased or barked at! Could not believe what we were seeing. They even ran onto the road in front of cars to bark at people on bikes and scooters haha. They were like our personal body guards.

We are 14 hours behind here. So while it is about 3:30am back home in Sydney on Sunday morning and I should be fast asleep - I am eating a ham and cheese toasted sandwich in the hotel lobby for lunch on Saturday. Can't eat too much because I am too nervous for my game tonight.

As most of you know Miss Russell got married yesterday!! So exciting!! My Mum went and face-Timed me from the Church so that I could watch Miss Russell walk down the aisle and come back down it as Mrs Dew. It was beautiful to watch. I was very sad not to be there though. Mum got a great photo of Mitch and Tom lol. All this was happening at 1am in the morning for me so I am a bit tired this morning.

I umpire my first game tonight at 7pm (9am Sunday morning for you in Sydney) - Argentina vs. Germany. It is a HUGE game for my first game ... the butterflies are swarming around in my stomach. It is the home team so I will have thousands of screaming Argentinean fans to keep happy. If you have chance - get on the FIH YouTube channel and look at how many people come to watch me umpire (haha I mean watch Argentina play)! https://www.youtube.com/user/fihockey All the games are streamed live and should be put up as clips after they are finished so you should be able to get on whenever and watch bits of games. Wish me luck :)

Have a wonderful day and I will update the blog again when I get a chance. Enjoy the photos.

From Miss Seymour

Day 1 fitness session - bit bright so I am squinting lol. There's myself on the right and then Carol from Ireland, Roachy from Australia, Fanneke from the Netherlands, Sarah from Scotland, Steph from USA, (and now the bottom row) Mercedes from Argentina, Mariana from Argentina and Annelize from South Africa. Cheiko from Japan and Kelly from New Zealand are missing because their flights were delayed. They are in the photo below.

The whole umpiring team before we went out to dinner last night. Cheiko is in the purple jumper at the front and Kelly is next to her in the black singlet. The lady on the far right in the green shirt is Louise from England and she is one of the Umpire Managers. The other umpire manager is called Renee and you can sort of see her head at the back in the middle behind Carol.

Me watching Miss Russell walk down the aisle on FaceTime haha

Picture Mrs Rolfe sent me of Father Sarkis and Mr and Mrs Dew!

Mrs Rolfe also sent me this picture of all the beautiful teachers at Mrs Dew's wedding reception :)

I have a couple more photos but my iPhoto is being painful. Will upload them later :)

Argentina here I come!

Goodbye Year 5!

Have a wonderful 2 weeks with Miss Ferderer ... don't miss me too much ;)

Thank you to Lucas, Connor, Chris and Ethan for the great video you put together for me to take away to show my umpiring buddies lol.

South Africa vs. New Zealand

Good morning!!!

What a day.

I got to sit 3m away from Prince William and Kate as well as Prince Harry and Prince Edward. I couldn't believe they had come to watch the hockey and sat right in the next section. I think I looked creepy taking lots of photos but everyone was doing it lol. I'm just on my phone at the moment so I'll upload the photos later.

And then I had an awesome game. It was the top of the table clash - New Zealand vs. South Africa. So fast and skilful. I'm only just winding down now ready to go to sleep (and it's 1:47am!!!). I think it's safe to say I am going to be exhausted tomorrow.

It is a rest day and we are off to Edinburgh!!!

Will write again soon. Have a great day.

From Miss Seymour

Rest Day and 3rd Day of the Competition

Saturday was a rest day. I had a great sleep in (as the games were super late the night before) and enjoyed a big breakfast :) We then went shopping!! I bought lots of things at the Official Merchandise Superstore and a new hockey bag (mainly to take all my shopping home in lol).

I did some washing and other things that needed doing and then headed out to watch the Aussie men play their first game. It was great to see them score lots of goals!

We went to a local hockey club for dinner - they fed us a lovely curry - so yummy!

And today ... the marathon was on ... and all the runners ran straight past the front of our hotel - it was very cool - all the streets were barricaded off and there were cop cars, police on motor bikes, and helicopters and everything! The Aussie won the men's marathon which is fantastic!! I was so proud to be an Aussie when the smile overtook his face as he crossed the finish line (watched that big on the tele)!

I had my second match this afternoon at 4pm. It was a big game - New Zealand vs. India. Mum, Dad, Hayley and Ryan were all in the crowd so that was really special!! Nothing like having your family in the crowd to support you :)

Prince Edward and his wife were also at the hockey today ... lots of security around for them.

Tomorrow (Monday 28th) I umpire at 9pm ... huge, HUGE game for me ... top of the table clash - New Zealand vs. South Africa. I think it will be about 6am on Tuesday morning for you guys if you want to watch it on TenPlay :)

Hope you don't miss me too much ;)

Be good, from Miss Seymour

Wendy, Fza and I during the game this afternoon - New Zealand vs. India

The Kookaburras (Aussie men) in action against Wales yesterday

Some of the umpires on the bus on the way to the pitch. Across the back is Aleesha (NZ), myself, Hannah (England), Sarah (Scotland), Ayanna (Trinidad and Tobago), Alex (Scotland) and Wendy (Canada)

The "Big G" outside the Official Merchandise Superstore!

First game

Hi Year 5,

Sorry for my lack of posts. I haven't had a lot a free time over the last few days and I have had trouble with the internet on my computer - so I'm now using my Roomie's computer so I can share some photos. The internet in the hotel is quite slow and it is very painful to upload the pictures - so I hope you enjoy them!

I'll try and catch you up with what I have been doing over the last couple of days.

It was an early start after the opening ceremony last Thursday. I was the video umpire for the 11am game - when I sat down in my spot, I nearly fell off my chair because I couldn't believe that the Queen was on the screen - she had come out to watch the hockey game I was the video umpire on!! Pretty special :)

I then had to wait until the last game of the day to umpire my first match. I was on with my Roomie - Hannah from England. I was super nervous! We enjoyed the game and India beat Canada 4-2.

I was then the reserve umpire for 2 games (i.e. I was the spare umpire) on the Friday. It was good not to have the stress of umpiring or video umpiring.

And because I didn't have to focus on umpiring too much on the Friday - I had a chance to catch up with Mum and Dad and Hayley as they had come all the way over to be with me!!

We walked over to the "Glasgow Green" - which is like the central part of the games where they show everything on BIG screens and there's lots of food and games etc. We walked around, went on the ferris wheel (which was awesome), ate some lunch and looked around at what was available. There was this really cool Usain Bolt activity - I'll have to tell you about it when I get home. I have attached some photos of the time I spent with my family. It's really special to have them over here. Nicole arrives on Monday.

I hope everything is going well at school.

From Miss Seymour

P.S - Maddy - can you please tell your Dad I said thanks for the lovely email he sent me - for some reason I can't reply to it.

The Hockeyroos against Malaysia in their first game

Mum, Dad, Hayley and Ryan (Hayley's travelling buddy) filling out legacy tags at Glasgow Green

My legacy tag - I'll tell you about this when I get back

Myself, Mum and Ryan before getting on the ferris wheel.

Dad and I on the ferris wheel!

Opening Ceremony

Oh what a night it was!!

It was the most unbelievable experience ... I feel so blessed to have been a part of it.

We got all dressed up in our official uniforms and headed off on the bus - it was stinking hot ... and excitement filled the air in Glasgow.

With our special passes, we didn't have to line up for too long and our seats were pretty good :) We saw Rod Stewart and Ian Thorpe AND the Queen and of course all the athletes. It was one big party.

I had to video umpire at 11am the next day so unfortunately I had to leave a little before the end but I watched the end of it on the TV when I got back to the hotel.

Enjoy the pictures :)

Hannah (my Roomie) and I on the bus on the way to the Opening Ceremony

Outside the stadium of the Opening Ceremony

Eating our dinner from the snack boxes they gave us before it all started

Watching Ian Thorpe get his make up done before he got interviewed

We sat right next to all the participating country's flags

My good Scottish friend Sarah Wilson :)

During the Opening Ceremony!

How cool is this shot! Couldn't believe I got it on camera because it all happened so fast!

The Queen!!! Look how close we were to her!! She's amazing!

Team Australia about to walk out

Team Australia walking out

These are the 4 Hockey Australia officials - myself, Minka (the Umpires Manager), Tammy (a judge) and Adam (umpire)

Hannah and I during the Opening Ceremony

A group of the umpires getting excited during one of the breaks!

Day 2

Well that’s Day 2 done and dusted!

We were up nice and early ready for a full day of meetings. The bus took us all out to the fields – it was sooooo exciting. We had to go through security (just like at the airport) and the stadium looks amazing – the pitch is beautiful and all the stands are up with big tv screens and a huge scoreboard.

We pretty much had meetings all day – just discussing rules and how to do the video umpire referrals – and we watched a practice match while we ate lunch.

There was an hour of free time this afternoon which I just used to have a nap because I was so tired. We then went out to a local cricket club for a team bonding session and dinner.

It’s now 11pm and I’m well and truly ready for bed!!

It’s the Opening Ceremony tomorrow night which I can’t wait for J

I have managed to upload 3 photos for you – enjoy.

I hope everything is well at school.

Miss Seymour

The arrivals team that met us at Glasgow Airport.

Inside the Accreditation Centre where we got our uniforms.

A picture of the pitch where we first walked in!

Hopefully the wifi at the pitch is a bit faster and I can upload a few more there.

I'm here!!

Woo hoo!!

It's wonderful here. I love it! Everyone is in a good mood all the time (except for me at the moment as I'm sooooooooooo tired lol) and so unbelievably friendly. We all have something in common to talk about and excitement is building.

It has been a very, very long time since I have slept in a bed. It is 9:45pm at the moment on Monday night - it is 6:45am at home in Sydney. I have not slept properly since Saturday night - which means, apart from a couple of naps on the plane, I have been awake roughly for 48 hours. I couldn't really hold a conversation at dinner tonight. I'm in bed now writing this and am looking forward to some sleep.

We arrived at Glasgow International airport at 8.30am this morning. I was on the same flight as 5 other umpires so it was good to see some familiar faces when I got off. We were met by some lovely Scottish people (who all sound like Mrs Cameron - and sometimes I don't understand what they say even though they are speaking English lol) - and one lady even gave us all hugs lol (no idea who she was)!

We were taken to our hotel and had a chance to look around the Glasgow city centre before going to try on and pick up our uniforms - this process took over 2 hours!!! The uniforms are fantastic though :) I will take a photo when I am in the gear and post it up for you to see.

Tomorrow is a big day. Breakfast at 7:45am. We leave for the fields at 8:30am and have an umpires briefing from 9am-12pm. We have further meetings and fitness testing in the afternoon and into the night.

Time for sleep.

Have a great day,

Miss Seymour

(I do have some photos but they are taking way too long to upload - a job for another day - sorry)

Singapore...

Free wifi in Singapore woo hoo!!

Sore legs after a 9 hour flight ... 14 hours until the next stretch of legs in London.

Watched the movie "Noah" on the way over - it was great and read lots of my book :) hopefully will get some zzzz's on this leg.

Ready to take off!!

Well the day has finally arrived! After a busy night of packing, cleaning and organising, I am about to board the first of two flights to the Commonwealth Games. To say I am unbelievably excited is an understatement!

I have just eaten some lunch and am now relaxing before my flight boards in about 20 minutes.

My plane is headed for London with a short stopover in Singapore to refuel. It should take about 23 hours. I then jump on a short flight from London to Glasgow ... yippee!! I arrive at 8:30am on Monday morning (Glasgow time) - it will actually be 5:30pm on Monday afternoon for you guys (Sydney time).

The games don't start until Thursday but I am looking forward to all of the things that will happen before then e.g. the Opening Ceremony and going to pick up my Comm Games "officials" uniform.

For those of you who are interested in watching some hockey (- and maybe see me!!) - here is some information from the Hockey Australia website (copied and pasted below) ... and ALL the hockey games will be streamed live on the FIH YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/fihockey.

Have a wonderful day at school tomorrow and be good!!

I'll write again soon,

Miss Seymour

TV, ONLINE & RADIO GUIDE TO FOLLOWING THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES, 23 JULY - 3 AUGUST 2014

Television and online

Network Ten is the official Australian broadcaster for the Commonwealth Games. Network Ten will deliver viewers extensive coverage of the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, 24 hours a day across TEN, ONE and www.tenplay.com.au.

In addition to the coverage on TEN and ONE each day, eight dedicated digital channels will be available on www.tenplay.com.au, enabling viewers to watch their favourite events and athletes from anywhere, at any time, on any device.

>> DOWNLOAD your state-by-state guide of Ten's TV coverage

ONE
8.30am – 6.00pm
Glasgow Encore
Throughout each day, ONE will encore all of the highlights, action and medal ceremonies from overnight in Glasgow. Tune into ONE to catch up on the news and highlights ahead of another evening of live sport on TEN.

Digital Offering:
In addition to the 24-hour free-to-air coverage on TEN and ONE, eight digital channels will also be available on www.tenplay.com.au, enabling viewers to watch their favourite events and athletes from anywhere, at any time, on any device – live and free.

Live Streams:
Eight live streams will be available on www.tenplay.com.au and www.tenplay.com.au Apps for iOS, Android and Xbox One.

On most days, this will include six digital-only streams commencing at 5.30pm through to close-of-play at 10am each morning.

The TEN and ONE channels will also stream concurrently with the free-to-air TV broadcast.

Commonwealth Games

Hi Year 5,

There's nothing on here yet - I will make my first post at the airport on Sunday. I am super excited and can't wait to share this journey with you.

I have a day at uni tomorrow and then it's cleaning and packing time Saturday night!

Have a wonderful weekend with your beautiful families. My family are all over in Europe waiting for me :) I will speak with you very soon!

From Miss Seymour