Day 3 has come and gone, leading us into the last set of games before the 2009-10 Qwest Tour team is selected. Even though the pressure is mounting a bit, we were all able to let our hair down today and enjoy each other’s company. This morning we had a meeting with a US Anti-Doping Agency representative. All of the athletes here at camp are or will be registered with USADA at some point in future. This basically means that we have to give them whereabouts and schedule updates at all times so that they can come and drug test us in an effort to protect the sanctity of our sport. As odd as it may be to have someone watch you give a urine sample, we all recognize that is is a part of our job as elite athletes, and it ensures that everyone is playing by the same rules so that when the Red, White and Blue step out on the ice, we are competing fair so that our opponents will compete fair. An added bonus is that we tend to retell old drug testing horror stories that are mortifying and hilarious, but I think I will abstain from sharing them on the internet to protect the innocent. I think you can imagine what the content might be like…

Then, I headed on over to the rink to bid a fond farewell to our U18 team who are traveling up to Calgary tonight to play a three game series with the Canadians. We wish them all the best in their trials with our friends to the North. Then it was on to practice. Since we didn’t have a game today, the purpose of practice was to flush our legs and get a good recovery for tomorrow’s contest. We did some shooting drills, but mostly we played some competitive small games to get the creative juices flowing. My favorite was a three on three game with three nets in one end zone. The beauty of it was that you could shoot on any net, forcing us to play the space more than the opposing player. This is seriously my new favorite drill, so if you come to a camp at any point and I am coaching, you will probably be playing this one. It was fast paced and fun. I think I need not say it but my team was clearly victorious. Although, frankly, in practice, if you look at the odds, the goalies always win in a landslide.

Tags: CAITLIN CAHOW, FESTIVAL, NATIONAL TEAMS, OLYMPICS, QWEST TOUR, TEAM USA, USA, WOMEN'S HOCKEY

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