HANOVER, N.H. -- A month from now, on Dec. 8, the Dartmouth women's lacrosse team will embark on a two-week tour of Australia for the third time in program history.

This year's trip continues in the exciting tradition of foreign travel for the Big Green, which also traveled to Australia in December of 2000 and 2004. Throughout the trip, which runs from Dec. 8 - 23, Dartmouth players will be blogging about their experience and fans can catch up on their adventures on DartmouthSports.com.

Dartmouth's tour will be a jam-packed trip filled with cultural and educational experiences as well as games against impressive teams including the Australian National Team as it preps for this summer's World Cup.

"For the players and this program it is the trip of a lifetime. Not many people can say that they have gone to Australia and the players always cite it as one of their most memorable experiences at Dartmouth," said Head Coach Amy Patton, now in her 17th season at the helm. "In addition to being a great opportunity educationally, the chance to spend two weeks bonding as a team in a foreign country while playing some of the best competition in the world has always had us better prepared for our first game."

The trip also provides Dartmouth's junior class - which has been away from Hanover on off terms, many studying in Europe - to reconnect with their teammates, especially the freshmen.

By the time the Big Green arrives in Sydney, it will be Dec. 10. The group will spend three days there enjoying the sites such as the Harbor, Opera House and Olympic Park. In addition to some practice sessions, the team will be free to sunbath, unwind and surf at the beach. Following it's stay in Sydney Dartmouth heads to Cairns for a three-day excursion. In years past this has been described as one of the most thrilling parts of the trip, including a visit to the Great Barrier Reef and scuba diving in the Coral Sea.

Then it's off to Adelaide where the Big Green hit's the field for the final five days. During that time, Dartmouth will play seven games in four days including contests against the Australian National Team and Team Koala.

It was perhaps no coincidence that following the last two trips Dartmouth won Ivy Championships in the spring season (2001, 2005). "There's no question that we will benefit, in 2000 and 2005 those teams had an extra special bond, it was a strength that they had that was just a little different," said Patton. "We'll be relying on each other in a foreign country and it's very fun but also such an experience that we will draw upon all season."

2008-11-07