RHIAN'S SOCCER JOURNALS: 

END OF SEASON BLUES AND THE FINAL MATCH 30th October 2009

A very happy early birthday to my great friend Robyn Gayle. I am looking forward to seeing her at the National camp in a week's time. The Women's National team is assembling on 3rd November 2009 in Florida, but Diana and I will not arrive until a few days later, because of the Norway Cup Final. It has been a while since we were all together, so I am already excited about seeing everyone again and getting the team back on track.

Unfortunately, the tournament in Mexico was cancelled. We were looking forward to playing some good high calibre games before the New Year, but we are pleased just to be heading into any kind of camp. At the very least, we will have some good practice time.

Here in Norway, the weather is becoming very cold and the frost is now a permanent fixture. Not even the pallid sunshine gets rid of it during the day. We are just waiting for the snow to arrive. However, the last few days of the soccer season are still unfolding. This weekend we are flying out to Alusand for our final game of the Toppserien season. We leave tonight and fly back early on Sunday morning. The end of a season is always a little sad, but the cold weather, and the fact that the Norway Cup final is right around the corner definitely helps us tune out the melancholy.

I also have a feeling that after playing Alusand in the freezing cold, we will be ready to welcome the end of the 2009 campaign. We played a scrimmage against a boys' team last night. We did not do well, and the ground was literally frozen solid. By the end of the game, our gear on the side of the field was covered in frost and by the time the final whistle went, there was rime ice on top of that. No one hung around for long after the whistle. We quickly disappeared into the night.

Our trip to Fortuna Alusund should be a good outing for us, and I will make sure to send an update on the match as soon as I can.