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2008 Penn Women’s Squash Tour of Cape Town
Jack Wyant takes the Penn women on tour ... |
January 8, 2008
The final leg of our trip consisted of travelling to the Aquila
Game reserve.
Not knowing what we were getting into, we awoke very early to be
there at prime animal viewing time and before the weather got too
hot! When we arrived we stopped for a minute to look at the
crocodiles, and then hopped in out 15 person jeep with our tour
guide. First stop, the watering hole, where we saw 3 hippos,
including one baby! After that we got a visit from a giraffe, who
crossed right in front of the jeep! Thinking we were so lucky for
getting that close, we had no idea what we were in for later on.
Running off of our adrenaline from our close encounter with the
giraffe, we were extremely excited to see the zebras, who didn't
seem to mind us coming in for a close look.
Moving along on the tour, two elephants were spotted in the
distance. As we watched them play, they came closer and closer until
we were about 15feet away from them. They stopped at a tree, ate
bark, and played with each other. At this point, we thought it could
get no better... Then we saw water buffalo, who did not enjoy our
presence, and made that known through their noises of discontent.
Taking their warning, we moved along to see Springbok which are very
similar to the gazelle—smaller but very quick with great leaping
ability. Our tour guide told us interesting facts about them, such
as in their life span of 9 years, they do not need to drink water
once to survive.
Continuing on our journey and learning so much from our tour guide,
we were told that rhinos are very difficult to get close to, for
they were the most aggressive. However, because of our luck, we were
able to get very close to them, without them noticing, for the white
rhino can only see up to 4 meters away, and we were 5! Nearing the
end of our tour, we saw ostrich (the second fastest land animal) who
apparently can kill a lion with a single kick! Finally, we drove in
search of a lion, with our tour guide explaining how rare it was to
see them, because this game reserve dedicated 300 acres for the
lions to roam. As he guide scanned the mountains for a slight
glimpse of a lion, Coach noticed 3 lions about 3 meters away! We got
to see all of them, as they lazed about beneath the shade of a rock.
It was incredible to see the lions so close, and our tour guide was
just as excited about this chance encounter as we were.
After the game park we were all exhausted from being in the heat of
the sun all day and snacked on a few sandwiches in the pool area of
the Aquila Hotel. It was just our luck, yet again, that they
happened to be taking the cheetahs out for a stroll around the pool.
We all had a chance to play with them for the second time on the
trip. After the encounter we made our way back to the campground
where we would be spending our last night. The “luxury tented camp”
was just that and was made up of permanent tents with fancy
bathrooms and running water in each one. Just as we were sitting
down to a dinner of grilled lamb, chicken and sausage, and a special
grilled bread, some of our friends from the Durbanville squash club
stopped in to say goodbye! After another great braae (BBQ) many
laughs, and even some dancing, 13 tired girls called it a night in
our tents beneath the African stars.
The following morning we all sadly packed up our things and made our
way to the airport after one final stop at the beach.
Our incredible journey ended with flights from Cape Town to
Johannesburg, Johannesburg to London, and finally, London to
Philly--quite a memorable experience!
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January 7, 2008
Today we packed up our things and headed out of the Breakwater Lodge
moving inland from the harbour to the Ruslamere Guest House.
But first, after two days of cancellations due to high winds, the
weather conditions cleared up and were ready for us to brave the
ascent to the top of Table Mountain.
Often referred to as “Table Top Mountain” by the squash team, Table
Mountain reaches about 1000 meters (3000 feet) above sea level, is
one of Cape Town’s most beautiful attractions. Thanks to our well
connected driver, William, we beat the three hour lines and were
escorted right to the base of the cable car station. The cable car
was equipped with a rotating floor that did a full 360 degree turn
on the way up the mountain so that we were able to get a great view
of the mountain, the city of Cape Town, and Lions Head—the smaller
mountain nearby. Stepping into the confined cable car there were
mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement.
As we reached the top the anxiety had gone away and we stepped out
of the cable car onto a flat mountain peak that gave us the most
beautiful view of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean as well as the city
of Cape Town. We realized how lucky we were to be looking down on
such an incredible place. From the top of the mountain we were able
to see the suburbs surrounding the city, that were filled with tiny
little houses and buildings, a view that somewhat resembles that of
an airplane approaching the runway. As we finished taking in the
view, and the feeling of being on top of the world, we descended
down the mountain in the cable car.
Following Table Mountain, we made a short trip to Signal Hill,
historically a warning post to alert the settlers of Africa that
sailors had arrived and to bring their goods to sell to the sailors.
Today there is a cannon shot daily at noon that symbolizes the
history of Signal Hill.
That morning was filled with engaging activities that tested our
fear of heights and expanded our brains with information, but the
main event of that afternoon was Match #2 against Durbanville
the club of our fearless leader, Trevor Davies, better known to the
members as “tricky Trev” for his dying drop shots and devious
boasts. Once at the club, we were greeted by some familiar faces
from the match against Western Province Cricket Club and a number of
new eager looking opponents. The club itself was a facility
different from any we had seen before. With an enormous television
screen projecting the latest cricket match versus the West Indies,
an oak wood bar, a fully stocked kitchen, and a ladies room
decorated entirely in purple, Durbanville was much more than a
state-of-the-art squash club, but also the social centre for all
local fans of the game.
After our opponents were assigned, the games began. One of the most
memorable matches was Britt Hebden’s five-gamer where the warm up
goggles for the match were a pair of pink tinted 2-0-0-0-8 New Years
Eve sunglasses. Kristen Lange’s games were equally as nail biting,
as she took on Trevor in another 5 game match. At 2 all, coach Jack
showed his complete faith in his Penn player and bet twenty US
dollars that she would win that last game. To both Kristen and
probably Jack’s dismay, Tricky Trev managed to pull through in the
clutch. However, the loss was soon forgotten with the overpowering
aroma of grilling fish on the outside brick grill just outside. The
braae, or what we Americans would call a barbeque, was a feast of
salads, pasta dishes, and the local fish called snook. Fair warning
was given—Snook is a beautiful fish but has many bones still in tact
making half the fun of our meal feeling out for the bits of bone.
Tummies full and fingers licked, the braae was followed by speeches
of appreciation from both teams. The Penn women thanked Durbanville
in our own typically boisterous way. Half the girls joined captain
Elizabeth’s “Shoshaloza” (South African anthem) with the
Durbanville-ites assisting.
After a long and eventful day the girls, Jack, Mary, and William
pilled into the bus and headed back to our hotel in hopes that the
new beds and crisp sheets could rock us to sleep for another busy
day tomorrow!
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January 6, 2008
Greetings from Cape Town, today was another jam-packed day complete
with squash sight-seeing, history and some more squash. We began the
day at the Durbanville Squash Club, where we had the
privilege to play with one of the world’s best young players,
Tenille Swartz and Richard Castle, South African National
Coach.
We then trekked off to Blue Peter’s Restaurant for sun
bathing, lunch and another beautiful view of Table Mountain. After
lunch we were given a moving and educational tour of a South African
Township where poverty is widespread and living conditions are very
poor.
We were greeted by many friendly and playful children and invited
into some homes to get an up close view of their lives. After this
remarkable experience we switched gears and headed off to our fourth
and final squash match in Cape Town against Paarl Squash Club.
Following some long matches, good food and great company we headed
back to the hotel for some much needed rest and relaxation.
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January 5, 2008
Today we had a very busy day. We started out with a bus ride to Cape
Point, nearly the southernmost tip of Africa. On the way we stopped
for a photo op in front of the 12 Apostles (photo above).
The road we travelled along was very beautiful, following the coast
much of the way. We then stopped for a quick break at Hout’s Bay,
which included many small shops, as well as an opportunity to pet a
seal! We made our way to Cape of Good Hope which lies within
the National Park called Spear.
We entered with a warning from our bus driver to not walk around
with food or else the baboons will grab it from your hands. After a
quick picture at the Cape, we made our way to Cape Point
where we climbed to the top (800m) for amazing views of both the
Indian Ocean on one side, and the Atlantic on the other.
After making our way back down, we took a quick ride to
Simonstown for a look at some African penguins! I know what
you’re thinking, penguins in Africa? You bet!
We then headed over to the Muizenberg beach for lunch and a
quick dip in the Indian Ocean. We left the beach and drove over to
the Western Province Cricket Club for a match with some local
players. Everyone got a great match in and we ended the day with a
post-match braae (South African BBQ) and socializing with our
opponents.
It was a jam packed day filled with one exciting activity one after
the other, leaving us tired for a great night's rest.
 "We
knew that we were going to be taking a trip this year, but it was
thrilling to find out that we would be going to South Africa."
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January 4, 2008
After the cancelled activities of yesterday we were hoping the winds
would have died down today. Unfortunately, they were as strong as
ever so we headed to the courts for an early hit. We started with a
solid warm up, followed by a great game of 50 Up with Tara Chawla
‘09 eventually winning, even beating Jack.
We finished with some court sprints which snapped us out of our
vacation stupor. With Robben Island and Table Mountain out
due to the gale force winds, our host, Trevor Davies secured box
seats to the South Africa – West Indies cricket test match.
The ground, as it’s called, was beautiful with ivy growing on the
exterior walls and the sun was shining all day. In the match, we
were very fortunate to see South Africa bat, and one of their best
players (Kallis) perform.
 Since we had
no idea of the rules of the game we were all continually asking
anyone who would listen to help us understand what was going on. We
learned the terminology, the basic rules, and how long a match lasts
(FYI this one lasts for 5 days, a little longer than a squash
match!!)
We just got back from a nice dinner allowing us to relax and gear up
for our big day tomorrow which includes a visit to see the penguins,
swimming at the beach, and most importantly we get to hone our
skills through a match against the members of the Western province
Cricket Club.
 “We
are very excited about this trip. We will be the first Penn team
ever to visit South Africa, and we are hoping that this trip will
not only be a memorable experience for our athletes but also an
opportunity to spread the name of the University of Pennsylvania
worldwide."
 Head
Coach |
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Sydney Scott, Britt Hebden, Chloe
Wynne, Elizabeth Kern, Tara Chawla, Alisha Turner,
Emily Goodwin, Allie Friedman, Christina Matthias, Lauralynn Drury,
Anita Sellers,
Annie Madeira, Kristen Lange, Mary DiStanislao, Jack Wyant |
December 30, 2007
On Sunday night, December 30th, we boarded our Boeing 767 plane
sporting our Penn track suits and brand new racket bags. We
anxiously took our seats in preparation for the 25 hours of
travelling ahead that would lead us to a tour of one of the most
beautiful locations in the world, Cape Town, South Africa. We passed
the long travel time with movies, naps, conversation, books, and
tabloid magazines. Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, a
movie about the illegal diamond trade in Sierra Leone, was a flight
favourite amongst the players. The first encounter with a member of
the global Penn family (of what would soon be many) occurred on the
flight from London to Cape Town. We met the husband of Rena Barnard,
an English professor at Penn, who taught Emily Goodwin C’09 last
year. Barnard, on leave from Penn, is teaching at Stellenbosch
University, and was at the arrival gate to greet her husband, also
enabling her to coincidentally welcome Emily to South Africa with an
enormous hug.
We were lucky enough on approach to get tremendous views of the
coast line; we landed smoothly in the Cape Town airport at 6:00 a.m.
on January 1st, just as the sun rose over Table Mountain. Fortunate
not to have lost any checked luggage, the team made our way to the
Breakwater Lodge Hotel, located at the Waterfront.
As we stepped out of our mini-bus, a tour guide named Trevor Davies
greeted us with a large grin and an excited introduction. Trevor
gave us a quick walking tour of the Waterfront, which was quite
desolate at 7:00 a.m. on New Years Day, but nonetheless provided us
with our first essential series of photo opportunities. Following
our brisk walk around the waterfront, we got right to business and
headed to our first training session of the trip. A medley of
running, biking, and squash in a state-of-the-art fitness center
were a great fix to our travel fatigue. While finishing up our
session with a few sets of sit-ups and push-ups, we had our second
encounter with Penn family. A very nice man from Cape Town
introduced himself and informed us that his son (Jeff Fisher C’12)
would be attending Penn next fall. It’s absolutely amazing to truly
come face to face with immense extent of Penn’s global network.
Exhausted from our morning activities, we drove straight to the
beach from the fitness club for some much-needed relaxation time.
Although the strong wind (which we have found is a trend in the
South African summer), slightly interrupted the sunbathing attempts
of the team by blowing sand in every other direction, we still
enjoyed the 80 degree sunshine as well as the gorgeous view of Cape
Town that outlined the scene behind us. While some of the team
members were brave enough to go for a swim in the frigid water,
others chose merely to dance their feet in the tips of the vivacious
waves. We then headed back to town and spent the rest of the day
walking around the waterfront and resting some before a team dinner
at Santa Ana’s steakhouse, South Africa’s equivalent to Applebee’s—mmmm!
Wednesday morning we woke up at 7:30 a.m. for a morning training
session at Western Provinces Cricket Club. We stuffed our sun-kissed
faces with the likings of a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel
complete with eggs, oatmeal, muffins, breakfast meats, cereal, and
fruit. In the midst of such a feast, we had our third encounter with
Penn family, meeting Dr. Robert Borer C’59 who rowed for Penn over
45 years ago. Earning a degree in medicine and then moving to
Australia for the relaxed lifestyle with which it provided him, he
was visiting Cape Town with his wife and happened to be staying in
our hotel. This third encounter proved that PENN IS EVERYWHERE . . .
and we LOVE IT!
On the way to the WPCC, the bus driver kindly showed us a video
about South Africa’s most well known locations and characteristics.
After a great practice consisting of deep length, attacking boasts
and abundant nicks, we rushed back to the waterfront to make a 1
p.m. ferry ride to Robben Island, the location of the prison that
housed Nelson Mandela. We literally ran through town to make it to
the ferry on time, only to find that it was cancelled on account of
windy conditions at sea. Disappointed for only a few, short moments,
we immediately bounced back with another plan. Thanks to Mary
DiStanislao (Penn Associate Athletic Director) and her guide book,
we decided to go to a flea market in the city to test our bargaining
expertise. Filled with copious amounts of jewellery, paintings,
crafts, clothing, instruments and a hodgepodge of other widgets, the
huge market was a perfect place to redirect our touring energy
towards the search for the perfect African souvenir.
One of the best finds of the day was a bongo drum, which Allie
Friedman C’09 skilfully tested out, beat after beat, at the seller’s
tent. Unfortunately for her roommates back at school, when she
realized the difficulty in packing up such a belonging for the trip
home, she decided to pass on the purchase. Later that night, we
found an incredibly delicious Italian pizzeria, a great improvement
from the previous night’s meal. Mary and Chloe Wynne C’08 savoured
every bite of their ostrich ragu covered pasta. Stopping for hot
chocolates to warm our hands during the windy walk ahead, we
strolled back to the Breakwater Lodge Hotel to get a good night
sleep in hopes of a long and full day tomorrow that, fingers-crossed
and weather-permitting, will include a visit to both Robben Island
and Table Mountain prior to an afternoon training session, as well
as a visit to Camp’s Bay beach afterwards.
Talk about making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
With eight more days to go, we can’t wait to continue exploring this
incredible city and to put our hard training to play in our upcoming
match against WPCC on Friday.
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