UCSB Head Coach Paul Ramsey is in China
Jun. 22, 2008  Beijing, China - UCSB head coach Paul Ramsey is abroad coaching a team made up mostly of California players competing under the name USA California. The team is in Beijing and has finished the China Ambition Lacrosse Friendship Games 6-0. The team finished preliminary play on Saturday 4-0 with wins over international teams.
Saturday Preliminaries
California USA 14 Japan B 2
California USA 11, Hong Kong 1
California USA 11, Japan C 4
California USA 11, Korea 0
Sunday
Semi-Final: California USA 12, Japan C 1
Championship: California USA 9, Japan A 7
In addition to the games, though, the team has done quite a bit of touring.
1) Toured and hiked the Badaling portion of the Great Wall of China. It is steeper than you might think.
2) Visited and toured the Forbidden City. This was the regular home for the Emperor.
3) Visited the Summer Palace, which is where the Emperor would go when Beijing got too hot.
4) Visited the Temple of the Heavens.
5) Toured and shopped in a jade factory.
6) Toured and shopped in the Silk Market.
7) Marveled at the sight of all the Olympic venues and wondered
like everyone else how they will be finished by the Opening Ceremonies.
8) Visited Tiananmen Square.
9) Eaten all kinds of dubiously indigenous delectable cuisine at
the behest of our hosts. Subsequently we ran with glee into a KFC when
we spotted it. Note, even the Japanese and Korean teams here were happy
when they saw the KFC after our two hosted meals. Experiencing what
different people eat is a great part of this tour.
10) The team is the first American women's lacrosse team to play
lacrosse in Beijing and this is the first organized event the Chinese
Lacrosse Association has hosted.
The Chinese Lacrosse Association is hosting the Friendship
Games in a development effort to increase the popularity of lacrosse in
Beijing. Next year they will hold the event in Shanghai. Japanese teams
are here participating and based on the history of relations between
China and Japan just being present to view this is a major highlight of
the trip.
In the championships game California got up 4-0
before Japan rallied to make it interesting at 5-5 and 6-6. California
went up 8-6 with a Courtney Cronin (Claremont '09) feed from the top to
a low cutting Mallory Singer (Claremont '07). Japan responded with a
fastbreak goal off the draw but fourteen year old Audrey Le of Houston,
Texas put in the insurance goal on a free position bounce shot to
provide the final 9-7 score. California then finished the game with the
ball.
California flies to Tokyo on Monday and has a free day Tuesday for
sightseeing. Games resume on Wednesday when California takes on the
Tokyo U-23 Team. More information is available on www.usacalifornia.com.
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