Bears In Bermuda: Day 1-3

HAMILTON, Bermuda – The Cal field hockey team embarked on its 10-day foreign tour to Bermuda this week. The Golden Bears arrived in Bermuda on Thursday afternoon local time, and the last three days have been spent immersing themselves in the local culture and sightseeing before getting ready for the first of three competitions against the Bermuda National Team.

The trip began in earnest with the Bears enjoying the Bermuda Day Half Marathon. The team participated in the relay portion of the half marathon. The Bermuda Day Half Marathon is as popular in Bermuda as the Boston Marathon is in Boston.

"It's their day of celebration, and the whole island turns out. It's really cool, you get to see the whole demographic of the island," said The Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey Shellie Onstead. "Prior to us coming here there was a little press about us visiting the island, so we were placed in the front third of the parade. It was so cool seeing people chant "Go Bears!" And being with Dr. Ty is so great because he's from here and he's such a terrific host and ambassador, every few feet along the parade route it was like "Hi, how are you doing, good to see you!"

Following the half marathon, the Bears took part in the Bermuda Day Parade. They walked in the event sporting their "Bears In Bermuda" shirts and proudly displayed their Cal Field Hockey flag. The rainy weather didn't dampen the spirits of anyone involved. Bermuda Day is widely considered the first day of summer and is celebrated annually on the last Friday in May. Locals line the streets to enjoy a vibrant celebration, beginning with a half-marathon derby followed by a colorful parade winding through Hamilton full of music, culture, and patriotic pride. The first Bermuda Day Parade was held in 1979 and remains a steadfast celebration featuring dance groups, bands, majorettes, decorated floats, and Gombey troupes.

"It was a special experience to participate in the half-marathon relay run, followed by the Bermuda Day Parade. I think we generated some interest for our youth clinic on Tuesday (from 5:30-6:30 pm at the National Stadium). We are off to a great start," said Onstead.
 
Saturday was another eventful day. The Bears spent a leisurely morning at the resort before having lunch as a group and heading off to their afternoon excursion, a trip to the Crystal Caves of Bermuda.
 
On Sunday, the Bears turned their attention to the competition. Cal had a practice in the morning and a few hours later was back on the field at the Flora Duffy Field for a first scrimmage against the National Team. Bermuda is using these scrimmages as preparation for the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Games.
 
"We had to get out of touring and culture mode, it was time to get back to the field and get our hockey heads back on," said Onstead. "It was the first time with live competition with this group, we have a lot of new players integrating into our squad. Bermuda gave us a really solid three quarters, they led 2-1 after the first. I urged the team to pick up the pace in the fourth quarter. We had a good group out there and scored five or six goals in the fourth quarter to win 9-2."
 
"Most importantly, we had a lot of fun playing Bermuda!" said junior forward Kiki de Bruijne. "It was a great opportunity for us to experience an international style of play, and grow as a new team while working on our on-field connections."
 
The Bears will continue their tour tomorrow. The team will begin the day by visiting a few local schools. Cal will spread the word about sport, competition, and promoting field hockey.
 
Cal has a scrimmage scheduled against Bermuda tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. local time. There is no official stream of tomorrow's match. However, Dr. Ty Douglas will live stream the match on his YouTube page.
 
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