Titans USA Tour 2023

“There is no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this”. John Ruskin

We woke up this morning to the gorgeous scenery of Sutherlin where we were surrounded by mountains and treated to unseasonably warm weather – some of the tour troop even broke out the shorts (the locals looked at us strangely…..but that’s probably not because of the shorts 😊).

The students had enjoyed their first homestay, where 13 of the girls were treated to the higher echelon of homestays, palatial even, staying in the third largest house/homestead/mansion (take your pick) in Oregon. Complete with nine bedrooms, wings, gaming room, indoor basketball court, cinema room, sauna, gym, lift and pool house (did I mention the stables), we actually had trouble convincing the girls to get back on the bus. The boys were jealous to say the least.

After a night of conversation, it was an early morning as the students had the pleasure of enjoying four periods of lessons with their American counterparts and even use the legitimate High School cafeteria. While our students may have elected not to stretch themselves too far academically in their lessons, it was a great experience for them to see what it’s like to be a part of the American school system.

Once we’d dazzled with our educational prowess, it was time to bid farewell to our new friends, and hop back on the bus (here, we go again) and head back to Portland for an afternoon in our now familiar territory before we fly out to Sacramento tomorrow morning.

We had a quick stop at Eugene on the way back, where the students grabbed lunch, while some of the adults forwent a meal for the opportunity to do some speedy shopping (wonder who that was?) The well fed students and the well shopped adults, hopped back on our home away from home and continued on our way to Portland.

It was amazing how the rain picked up the closer we got to our destination, sort of like when you’re driving back to the South East! Made us feel like home.

We checked back into the hotel we’d left only a day ago, to have Johnny comment “gee this place looks just like the last place we stayed at”. Bless him, he says he was joking, but we’re not sure.

After a lightning quick delivery of bags up to our rooms, we headed out to Italian for a team dinner and some sustenance ready for the big days to come. Tomorrow, we fly out to Sacramento where we’ll have a night together at a hotel before heading off on three nights of homestay and the last round of basketball. Big days coming, Oh, and did I mention we’re off to the NBA tomorrow night – now that’s created some excitement among the camp!

The Flag!

We have numerous students teetering on the brink of flagdom, their time is coming, for Matilda surely it can only be a matter of days as her matildaisms become more frequent. I can almost feel it in the air.

But today’s winner is no stranger to the flag, he’s already had it in his possession once for some speed-walking and nearly earnt it again for leaving his new shoes on a bench then having to sprint back and wrench them from the hands of a homeless man, but his hiatus is over – welcome back Mackye Baron. Mackye is known not only for his presence on the basketball court but also for his allure to the ladies off the court, And the females at Sutherlin High School were no exception, they’re only human!

As soon as we walked into the Sutherlin High School gym, Mackye’s magnetism was felt, especially by one awe-struck young poppet. The girl in red spotted him and made a beeline for her target, she had to meet him. She worked out her in was through Portia, so she struck up a conversation, took and seat, and then tailed Portia until it was her moment to strike. In preparation, she went and reapplied her make up, then when she returned, she gained the introduction to Mackye and it was infatuation at first sight. Her plan was coming together. She proceeded to stick with him like glue for the next three basketball games. Mackye darted and weaved but not well enough as his admirer followed every step. He thought he was pretty clever and popped himself in the midst of the all the boys who were under instructions to keep him safe, but all to no avail, she just stepped over them all and squeezed in next to him. Luckily when it came time for him to play basketball there was no room on the bench so there was a little bit of distance that came between them. But not for long, as soon as the game was finished, Mackye’s shadow was back, and she was impressed with what she saw on the court which cemented their relationship even further. Unfortunately, it was a one way street, and the relationship was doomed from the get go. Mackye let her down gently – he ran! There’s now talk of an aftershave change to try and reduce his magnetism with the ladies. Get ready Sacramento we’re on our way…

Footnote: Apologies for the lack of photos, the students are getting camera shy, had to give them a day’s rest. They’re even too scared to sleep around me on the bus 😊