Over the October reading week, the Lancer women's volleyball team ventured off the beaten track and made the journey to San Ramon, Costa Rica. The goal of this adventure was to come together as a team and work with the local community schools to learn about the culture in the region.

Head coach Lucas Hodgson gives us an account of the trip:

Everything started off with some solid rain, which was expected in the rain forest. However, nothing can prepare you for the intensity of the rain they get there. On average, San Ramon receives 15 feet of rain annually. When compared to the less than 1 foot Windsor sees annually, you start get an idea of this intensity. We stayed at the Soltis Center, a Science Research and Education center run by Texas A&M University located right in the middle of the forest on a mountain top with surreal views and sounds all around you. Dr. Chris Houser, the Dean of Science for the University of Windsor, was instrumental in our planning of this adventure as he has traveled there many times with his students to conduct research.

One of our major goals was to learn as much as we could and immerse ourselves in the local culture, what we didn't expect was a country-wide teacher's strike to put a dent in our plans. Our guide and translator, Francisco Morazan Fernandez was quick to set our minds at ease, saying that if we showed up at the school's field, the locals would come. He was not kidding. We took some equipment down to the school's field and with every passing minute a few more children and their families showed up. The 15 athletes did an amazing job teaching the local kids some new sports. Everyone had a tremendous time playing frisbee, volleyball and soccer all morning. At one point, the children wanted to teach the athletes a game they themselves love to play. That's when the potato sacks came out and the racing began. When all was said and done, I am not sure who learned more, the children or the athletes themselves. Despite a language barrier, everyone would agree that "FUN" was the common language that morning.

After a couple of practices in the "Gymnasio Siglo XXI" in San Carlos we ventured out on a couple of excursions. First, we went zip lining just outside La Fortuna at Sky Adventures in the Arenal Volcano Park. We took a tram up approximately 3000 meters above sea level, then began zip lining our way back down. After 7 lines and some of the most incredible views of Lake Arenal and the volcano, we were back to where we started.

Our second excursion was a river raft down the Penas Blancas River. In true rainforest fashion, mother nature unleashed her fury on us, but it did not get in the way of our fun. As the 3 boats made their way down we were still fortunate enough to see some large iguanas and howler monkeys which make a noise that definitely doesn't match their size. These little guys sound like gorillas.

Back at the Soltis Center, and once the rain let up, Francisco and our second guide Roberto Alfaro Rojas took us on what was planned to be a 2-3 hour hike in the rainforest. Everything started off relatively normal until we ran into a few obstacles that took us off the main trails turning our site-seeing hike into a much more challenging adventure. Approximately 2 hours in the hike started to get much harder. The team worked together in many spots just to get to the next level or path, so we could continue the hike. We reached our first destination almost 4 hours in when we got to one of the most incredible waterfalls that had a swimming hole that the girls could cool off and get some much-needed rest. The next stage of our adventure was the hardest as it was a hike straight up the mountain where only one athlete could go at a time with the help of the guides. Once we reached the main road back to the Center, it was nothing but appreciation for our guides and each other.

Wrapping up our time in Costa Rica, were our matches vs the ASOVOL women's team out of San Carlos. These matches provided the athletes with competition like they have never seen before. The Lancers were able to overcome a variety of obstacles including environment and language barriers to win the match 2-1.
The employees and students from the Soltis Centre also made the trip to San Carlos to watch one of our matches and show off some of the Lancer pride they obtained during our stay with them. What a memorable moment when they hung a "GO LANCERS" sign to cheer on their new favorite team.
Around 100 children from local volleyball clubs attended the matches providing the Lancers with an opportunity to run mini-clinics with the various age groups and hand out some t-shirts and memorabilia from back home. The looks on the faces of these children provided the team with a priceless and lasting memory to take home and cherish.

This trip was an amazing team building and growth opportunity for our athletes. They did a lot in the community to leave a lasting impression and grew as a team exponentially while preparing for the upcoming season.

We want to thank Dr. Houser for his knowledge and guidance in preparation for this trip and also thank all the staff at the Soltis Center for their support and help while we were there.