Leaving LA and Hollister

Firstly, apologies for lack of updates over the last couple of days. Our illustrious leader Coach Skeen has left us for a brief return to NZ and blog duties have been left to the macaphobic Coach Jordan.

Thursday 4th October:
Our trip out of LA was relatively uneventful with the main highlights being the rest breaks at truck stops, the barren landscape broken frequently by massive orchards and the occasional cattle farm (which abruptly woke many from their sleeping). Our driver Derek was definitely the main entertainment with a life story that was madder than any US sitcom. His stories were made even funnier by the fact that he sounded just like Donkey from Shrek.

Our arrival at San Benito HS, Hollister, resembled that of One Direction in Auckland (according to Josh) with the entire squad assembled in front of the school, cheering and waving banners. Definitely the best welcome so far. The staff were looked after by the larger than life Coach Morales, a local legend. The squad dispersed quickly once billets had been arranged and met shortly after at the local Air Jam, a talent contest organised by the Hollister community. The boys got involved and did not disappoint with a rousing Haka that almost resulted in the local sheriff being called for crowd control. Luckily Tom Batts went for the shortened version of the haka and prevented chaos from ensuing.

Friday 5th October:
Friday morning saw the team meet outside the school and spend an hour waiting for a bus to take us to the local outlet stores, only to find out that the bus was waiting around the corner, wondering where we were. A certain student was overheard uttering "this wouldn't have happened if Mr Skeen was around." This fact is not disputed by the staff who reckon we would have been there for at least 90 mins. The time gave everyone a chance to discuss their previous evening and the overwhelming response was that we had once again received amazing welcomes and hospitality from our billet families. The generosity and friendliness of the people we have met continues to amaze and overwhelm.

Arrival at Gilroy's Outlet Mall saw the boys scatter in all directions with 2hrs 45min to visit as many shops as possible and try and put a dent in their shopping lists (and yes, for many this includes presents for those at home). See below for the main players in this. A rendition of Happy Birthday and NY cheesecake saw us congratulate Fletcher Boswell on reaching the ripe old age of 17.

We returned to San Benito HS at 3pm to run tomorrow's course with the local team as our guides. The course, designed and cleared by Coach Morales, is a fast, relatively flat and dusty 3 mile (4.8 km) course at the bottom of the school grounds. The team will be hoping for a cool day, similar to today, in order to be able to perform at their best. Afterwards they returned home with their billets to dress for tonight's football match between San Benito and Salinas. An instruction not to wear purple or yellow (the opposing team's colours) but to wear grammar gear saw a number of boys leaving in a confused state!


Points of note:

Hamish Barclay is reported to have been introducing himself as Kyle Esterhuizen in an attempt to increase his popularity. His arrival this morning without a voice this morning suggests that this may have been a successful method.

Fletcher Boswell celebrated his birthday in style with the purchase of a pair of 5 fingers shoes, after recommendation by Coach Skeen.

Hamish Kerr was seen purchasing a large fraction of his baggage allowance in jelly beans. A dental appointment may be required on return to NZ.

Captain Asher Meltzer was spotted looking flustered and muttering "too many bargains, not enough time."

Alistair McDermott showed his support for Pink Ribbon Day with his purchase of a pair of neon pink laces.

James Kenrick is now the proud owner of a pair of noise cancelling headphones, allegedly to avoid Coach Jordan's jokes.

Coaches Jones and Gordon showed their acclimatisation by donning their hoodies once the mercury dropped below 90'F (32'C). Coach Jones was also spotted trying on clothes in the middle of a store, stating that "there was not enough time for using the changing rooms."

Coach Jordan put an end to rumours of him being the last big spender with his purchase of a pair of CK jeans for $16.09, surely the bargain of the day.

Looking forward to catching up on the last few day's news once we get online.

Good morning all in NZ.