More than 40 Parel Vallei High School pupils visited the Netherlands at the end of the first term for a 13-day hockey tour, during which they played against a number of Ducth hockey clubs.
The A-side girls played five games, winning two and losing three; the B-side girls played five games, winning two, drawing one and losing two; the A-side boys played five games, winning three and losing two and the B-side boys played four games, winning three and losing one.
The players also took part in two hockey clinics hosted by Dutch coaches, where they were able to refine and improve their playing skills.
They were hosted by club members and had the opportunity to explore the Netherlands as well, by touring a number of cities including Geldrop, Alpen aan den Rijn, Eindhoven, Amersfoort, Utrecht and Amsterdam.
They canoed along the canals and cycled through the streets of Utrecht. They visited the Amsterdam dungeons and the famous Madame Tussaud wax museum and even paid a visit to the Red Light District, so unique to Holland.
One of the highlights of the tour was a visit to Snow World, the world’s largest indoor ski-resort in Zoetermeer, which offered most of them a thrilling first-time experience of skiing.
The tour ended with a visit to a cheese and clog factory, where they demonstrated how to make cheese and clogs.
