Quick Update

Hello all....I am just getting ready to head out to watch the last men's game of the round robin, but it's been so long since I updated my blog that I thought I should write a quick blurb!

Yesterday I was a 4th official on the match between Papua New Guinea and Turkey. It was kinda a slow game, with Turkey definitely being the better team. Unfortunately for me the game stayed 1-0 for far too long, and the coach from Turkey was getting frustrated..with everything. And with me being the 4th official, it is my job to "absorb" all that frustration. At least it kept the game a bit interesting for me. Turkey ended up winning 4-0 which solidified their place in the semi-final, and with Papua New Guinea losing that qualified Iran in the 2nd semi-final place. In the other pool, Equatoral New Guinea finished in first and Chile in second.

Today we had a debriefing for the last 2 games, followed by the appointments for the semis and the 5th/6th place game. I am happy to report that I will be the 4th official for the game between Turkey and Chile. I'm sure Turkey will be "thrilled" to see me again! I have been on everyone of their matches...surely they are going to think I am the only referee here...hehehe.

Tomorrow we have a complete rest day...no training...for the first day. Unfortunately, because I have to run a fitness test in Trinidad in a little over 2 weeks, I will be hitting the gym to run a practice test on the treadmill. No rest day for me :( Also, it is Alain's birthday tomorrow...so...Happy Birthday sweetheart! I'll have a piece of cake for you...after the gym ;)

Opening Ceremonies

Two nights ago we were fortunate enough to attend the opening ceremonies for the Singapore Youth Olympics. It was an amazing experience. We sat in an open-air stadium facing a floating stage. On our seat were goodie bags that had snacks, water, flying doves (complete with batteries), a plastic raincoat, and many other things. The show itself was so good. There were tons of different performers, music, fireworks, and of course, the lighting of the first ever Youth Olympic Touch. I will post a whole bunch of photos, because the words definitely don’t do it justice.

Man, it's good...

to get the first one under your belt! Like I mentioned previously, I was a bit nervous (as usual), going into this game because I really didn't know what to expect, but overall, the game went well. The players are very young, as well as being very inexperienced in international football. I have to say, I was very impressed with the skill level of the girls. They played very well, although not as accurate as I'm sure they hoped (2 own goals), but overall it was pretty good! The game itself was played in good spirit, and the intensity was high for the entire match. At half-time the scored as 2-1 in favour of Iran, but by the end of the match, Turkey had managed to score 3 more goals to win 4-2. After each and every goal, the girls ran over to the bench cheering so much...it really was amazing to be a part of. I am, for the most part, happy with my performance (as referees, we are never perfect), but I feel that I controlled the game well, and managed most of the situations correctly. One thing that I learned while refereeing this game is the difference with the young players and injuries. Everytime they are "injured", they want the doctor to come on, and it seems to take forever to get the game restarted. That is one thing that I will have to be aware of in the future. Also, the teams are not that experienced in FIFA protocal for when they can come onto the field and if they do, that the player must leave...and when they leave...they must wait for me to wave them back on! All these things make for a very crazy game, as you have to be aware all the time! Things are even more stressful when the FIFA president is sitting in the stands :) It really was so amazing to be part of the inargural match, of the first ever Youth Olympic Games

I have posted a few photos, but I don't have any yet from my match, as they were taken by other referees. As soon as I get a few, I will post them as well. For these games, we have 15 match balls...it takes us 15 mins to check them all and add air. Also, there is no time to rest when the ball goes out, as there is a ballboy with a new ball immediately ready to go! Check out my awful stance in the picture in our dressing room...what was I thinking with that! I am off to la pisina (pool) now for my recovery session. It's my spanish great ;)

FIFA Banquet and Appointments

Last night we had the official FIFA banquet. I was such an amazing evening, with many many important people in attendance from both the IOC and FIFA. I was fortunate enough to get my picture taken with the President of FIFA, Mr Joseph Blatter, which was an honour for me, as this was the first time that I have met him. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get my eyes open for the photo, so....I do have a photo with the president...but...my eyes are closed!

Before the banquet, when I called the butler to ask to borrom an iron, she offered to iron my blouse for me....sweet! Every night she comes into my room and turns down my bed, sets the "cosy" lights, and puts a chocolate on my pillow! I love my husband, but this is going to be hard to leave!

Last night, in addition to the banquet, we got the appointments for all the round robin games. I was lucky enough (I think)to get the opening match of the tournament. It is a pretty amazing opportunity as it is the first ever Youth Olympics, and I am getting the honour to referee the opening match. The president of FIFA will be in attendance, so it will be very important for me to perform well. The game itself should be interesting as I am refereeing 2 very new countries to womens' football. I am expecting it to be quite unpredictable and that in itself is the scary part!

Stay tuned to hear how it goes!

I Have Arrived

I am happy to say that I have arrived (along with my luggage) safe and sound in Singapore. My first impression..."what a beautiful country". I am very happy to be here, and I am really looking forward to this tournament. The travel to get here was very long (17 hours), but actually quite uneventful. As with every FIFA tournament, I flew business class, which meant that I had my very own sleeping pod. Honestly...this makes the travel so much easier. I was able to get about 8 hours of sleep during the flight and this really helped with my jet lag. When I arrived I was greeted by a nice young man in a shirt and tie...who then proceeded to carry my luggage outside to the waiting BMW with my driver who would take me to the hotel. I definitely felt like a big deal!

Pulling up to the hotel, my jaw dropped! This is, by far, the nicest hotel that I have ever stayed at. There were at least 8 bellman, standing on the red carpet to welcome me and tend to my every need! I felt kinda bad though...I'm sure they were expecting a tip, but I didn't have any cash on me...sorry :( This is one of those hotels where they bring your bags to your room for you, and then the butler comes to meet with you to show you the features of the room, including the TV in the bathroom, and then asks if you would like her to run you a bubble bath...are you kidding me! There are no light switches in the room...everything is controlled by buttons...including the curtains. There are 2 chandlers, one in the living room and the other in the bathroom, and even a doorbell! It's a really nice hotel.

Today began our official duties. We had our first of many tournament meetings. We started at 10am and went until lunch. Then we started back up again at 3pm, and finished just before dinner. It was a really long day. Tomorrow morning we have "weight control"...which basically means they are keeping track of our weight to make sure that we don't gain or lose too much while we are here. I am really hoping for the latter -guess I should hurry up and finish my Junior Mints so I can get started on that! After weight control we will have a light breakfast and then head out for training (both physical and technical). In the afternoon we will have a meeting to get the 1st round of appointments.

At the Youth Olympics there is both a female and a male soccer competition. It is a unique experience as it is very rare for the male and female referees to be together at the same tournament. The womens games start on Aug 12th, and the mens start on the 13th. I'm pretty sure that we will be in the stadium whenever we aren't refereeing, meaning that we will watch both the male and female competitions. I hope that there will be some time to watch some of the other sports that are here...but...not too sure about that!

The Night Before Departure...

Well actually, it is the night of departure! I am just finishing up my last bit of packing before I head to the airport. This aftenoon as I was checking my flight itinerary I realized that 2:45....actually meant AM and not PM as I originally assumed. So, in the space of about 5 mins, I lost 12 hours of time...shoot! The positive part of that is, at least I found out this afternoon, not tomorrow afternoon. That would have been a disaster!

I am off to Singapore to referee in the 1st ever Youth Olympic Games. I am really excited to travel to Singapore because I hear that it is an absolutely beautiful country. I will try to take a ton of photos and stay current on my blog to keep you all posted.

Off to finish packing....