Aug. 6, by Ashley Hudson
Where to begin...

We had matches today, which I just love after a long training camp. It was so serious that the Polish coaches were picking the line-ups. 

So we wake up, head over to the gym for the matches and everyone is crowded around the board. We all look for our names... And you guessed it. My name was not on the board. Dangit! I guess it wasn't meant for me to wrestle today. I didn't get that lucky. I had some match-ups and we had to wrestle in between the circles, super ghetto but so would happen to me. Just adapting to adversity. Ha ha ha yeah. The matches went alright. Had a chance to figure out how to strengthen the mental preparation side to wrestling. I usually neglect that part. Hmmmm

Today was the soccer showdown between Keith and I. I'm feeling anti-climatic tonight since it's 2 a.m. so I'm  just going to say Keith beat me 2-0. I have them recorded as proof and the first two he scored I was scared of the ball coming and knocking my teeth out. It's a legitimate concern. The moment I realized he could never aim at my face, since that requires talent, I started blocking the next three shots. I'm bitter about the loss and since he beat me in long jump yesterday, I just feel like a loser in Poland. Once again, they break me. 

Our bus leaves in two hours for Warsaw. Ali Bernard has an earlier flight than us, so she left at 1:30 a.m. Clarissa Chun and I went down to see who she was going to the airport with, since it's a two-hour drive to Warsaw, and the lobby is a ghost town. We wait and wait and wait. A cab pulls up. Good luck with that Ali ... Of course, he doesn't speak English. So when I told him to "take care of her. She's one of my own," - he didn't get the humor. But anyway, I hope she makes it back to Mapleleaf land. 

Poland has been a roller coaster. One minute you are starving and getting attacked by mosquitoes, the next you are laying out in the terrace soaking up the rays before evening practice, or then back to small hand towels. They keep me on my toes here. The wrestling has been intense and really productive and the friendships made is even cooler! Sappy I know. 

Even though my life stands as Poland/Keith: 1 Ashley: 0 , I'm ok with the fact that in 24 hours I'll be back home (with huge bag of tootsie rolls by my side,) for a week. Then I'm off to Team Camp in the trusty Springs! 
 
P.S. I have Shark Week episodes DVRed!!!!! So pumped! Best week of the year. 

Aug. 4, by Kelsey Campbell
We’ve finally reached the home stretch of our adventures in Poland. We opened up with a typical practice of live combat, live situations, and drilling of technique. I had the opportunity to spar with one of the German freestyle wrestlers. It was a great couple of goes. Afterward, the U.S. team worked individually, trouble-shooting areas. The in-between recovery was a little shorter, as our workouts were 11 a.m. and 4:30 (though a few of us came in at 4:00 for more technical instruction). 

After our second workout, the team decided to have an outing to a local pizza place in the nearby town. I’m never much of a “tourist,” so I hadn’t really even seen much of the town. It turned into great team bonding, as Keith Wilson defended himself once again as the greatest soccer player amongst us wrestlers. Ashley Hudson, I believe, is still vying for a rematch. And if I heard correctly, they will be having a shootout tomorrow. Five shots each. Winner takes all. We will be sure to keep you all posted on the play-by-play results.

There is simply something about pizza parlors in a foreign country that can bring a team together. We did finally leave, just a few minutes too late for the neighboring ice-cream shop. Luckily, the walk back was less mosquito-infested. Mosquito’s, I might add, are not amongst the flying creatures I am accustomed to back in Colorado. I suppose they can’t really handle the altitude. Here, it is a whole different story. They attack with a vengeance. They will sting through layers of clothing. Polish mosquitoes have evolved into superior enemies. 

Tomorrow, camp culminates with six matches. Three in the morning and three in the evening. As far as I’m informed, the coaches have chosen match-ups. I’m excited to finish out the camp strong. More so, I’m excited to be on my way back to the good ole USA.  More to come!

Aug. 3, by Ashley Hudson
I have been out of the blogging world for a few days. I went off the grid. I had a come to baby Jesus meeting and relized I need to suck it up.

But I can’t live life off of French fries and rainbow flavored Mentos. The cafeteria is……….is……….. ok. I’ll just say it, awful. I don’t like warm cheese and stale bread. Pork soup? No one trusts pork. Why not chicken soup? It’s little things like that, which make me want to be a fat American. I don’t know if you remember but I love my ice in my drink or extremely cold. Well, yesterday in the café the juices were out. I was super thirsty and I hate gas water, or any carbonation for that matter, so I was in desperate need of a beverage. Just my luck, I see the lady with the roll-out cart with the tin canister of juices. O yeah! --- O NO! I poured my cup to start drinking it and it’s HOT! HOT cherry, strawberry and orange flavored juice! I needed that thirst to be quenched. It only made it that much worse. It was at that moment that I gave up on Poland. You win Poland. I try to be tough and tell myself to adapt but it’s hard, ok.      

The soccer game we played the first day I would like to say was ridiculous. I want fair teams. And a rematch, Keith.  Seriously. I want one before we leave. 

Forewarning - the rest of this is going to be depressing. Today we went to Auschwitz. So I can’t really make this enjoyable. It was such an educational experience however. Especially since WWII has been in history books since fourth grade, we actually got to see it all in person. Some of the scenery looks exactly like the movie, Boy In the Striped Pajamas. (Which I totally recommend to watch!)

We woke up and had a 6:30 a.m. track run/drill session. That was fun. Then it was straight on the bus for three hours. Of course, I went to the floor and slept with the most attractive face, like someone posted on themat.com! Ahem. Haters are going to hate. I wish I didn’t find out about that until it had been posted for 12 hours.  What can I do though?! Ha ha ha. Play it off. 

So we arrive and start the four-hour tour. Which was amazing. The tour guide taught me so much more than I already knew about the Holocaust. It has always been a passion of mine, so to actually be where the center of all the chaos started was so powerful. They took us in a room that had the weight loss of the victims and pictures and how many calories they were given a day. I’m sorry they had to have been given fewer calories than that to become that skinny. They claimed they were fed 1,200 calories, and due to dehydration and malnutrition their internal organs started to shrink. Side note: I wonder what wrestlers organs look like? The museum was efficiently run and set up to meet all the visitors needs so everyone could get the same experience. All the rooms were jam-packed with raw emotion. Whether it is pictures, or artifacts from those that occupied the camp. 

I feel guilty for the life I have, by just seeing what those people were put through. It is especially scary that so many people fell victim to such hate. I for sure recommend it as top five on the ol’ the bucket list. Poland, just when I think you are a no go, you step up and pull out a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Sad day, but the best way to summarize why to go is, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayana.

Aug. 2, by Kelsey Campbell
Day one of the Polish Training Camp has commenced. We left Hotel 500 at a comfortable 9 a.m. (which may have been earlier for some than for others). The freestyle men left a few hours prior, but back to the States. We were told the drive to Spala from Poznan would be 3 hours, but our road-tripping track-record had us doubting. We managed the trip in just over four hours, as women’s U.S. team, along with virtually every other female competitor from the weekend. We had a few hours to eat and rest, before the U.S. girls put in a workout for the day.

A change of scenery is always nice, especially when you’ve spent most of your training in one wrestling room for a few days. We took our skills to the nearby field where some soccer combat would take place. Clarissa Chun and I were deemed “team captains,” and picked our teams. I decided to give Coach Keith Wilson a chance at victory by inviting him to my team. It evolved into 40 minutes of wrestlers playing soccer at its finest. It wasn’t the World Cup, but I’d like to think we had a group that could hold our own. We followed up the game with some light drilling. I was still pretty spent from the competition the day before, but it was good to work some technique while it’s still fresh in your mind.

Today’s training was a great combination of drilling, grinding and technique. The first workout opened with various tumbling and stretching. The structure of the Polish practice is very different from ours in Colorado. It is very much drilling, then live combat, then back to drilling, par terre, and so on. We constantly change partners and the pace of it all keeps you on your toes. I got to spar with the girls I competed against in the Polish Open, as well as many girls I’d competed against in the past. The second practice opened similarly to the first. While both practices had quite a bit of live wrestling, we ended this workout with a shark-bait set-up. Although my body is somewhat worn from competition and training, I have felt really good about where our wrestling, as a team is going.

Tomorrow, I am excited to share that we will be visited the Auschwitz concentration camp. This will follow a 6:30 a.m. workout, and we will be on the road by 8:30. More to come from Polska!

July 31, by Kelsey Campbell
The tournament has finally come to a close. Both competition days were later starts (1 p.m.), but were run pretty efficiently considering the space of the venue and the size of the tournament. 

Hotel 500 has been good to the U.S. team. Breakfast has been out of this world. This particular morning, it being after weigh-in, I took no shame in indulging in the very Euro bread selection. We met as a team at 11:30 and headed to the venue to warm up.

Yesterday, Clarissa Chun and Ali Bernard had great performances, winning gold and bronze. Today, the battle would continue, as Whitney Conder, Leigh Jaynes, and I would compete against some tough international opponents.

The tournament began with mainly men’s freestyle matches. I personally love competing on these tours when the freestyle or Greco teams are present. The men’s freestyle team that came to Poland brought such great energy. The U.S. women often see them train and battle it out in domestic competition, so it’s great to see them take it overseas to the next level. Starting late, and having a long day of warming up, cooling down, competing, correcting, and so forth, watching the men compete not only helps us stay engaged with the tournament, but I think also puts a fire in us as we also step on the mat looking for the win. 

And as much as we much stay engaged and focused for each individual match, there never fails to be at least one moment to lighten the mood. As I prepared for my final match, I was jumping around trying to stay warm, with Terry Steiner and Keith Wilson at my sides coaching me. Carrie Harmon-Moore was also present, when Ashley Hudson caught our eye. It seems the tournament wasn’t quite as exciting as we thought, since she was out cold in the bleachers. The good thing was that, reclined in the second row of the cluttered seating, she had a camera gripped tightly in her right arm. Awake or out cold, at least we know our equipment is safe with Ms. Hudson. 

Following the tournament, all of the teams gathered in the dining area for the tradition post-tournament banquet. Tervel Dlagnev and Whitney shined on the dance floor as a Michael Jackson hit the air. As tired as I was from the day, it was definitely worth being there with the team. Not only to celebrate individual victories, but to celebrate Team USA. 

Tomorrow the freestyle team will return to the States, while the women’s team continues on to the Spala Olympic Training Center for a four-day camp. As always, większa ilość przybywać (more to come)!

July 29, by Kelsey Campbell
We’ve relocated to Hotel  500. At last, we’ve arrived. The women’s team opened the day with a good workout. We executed technique from different  positions for about 90 minutes. Half of us, Clarissa Chun, Ashley Hudson and Ali Bernard, would weigh in later in the day, so this was an important final workout for them to have their weight in line and get their bodies feeling good for the competition tomorrow. We bused over to the Hotel around 2 p.m., got settled and unpacked. 

We met up again 5, as the weigh-in for 48, 55, 63, and 72 kilos would begin at 6 p.m. I wanted to get on the mat so I worked out with my coach, Keith Wilson. Having Terry Steiner and Keith on this trip has been such a great opportunity. With the small group we have, I've really tried to take advantage of the one-on-one time with them, breaking down technical details, as I prepare for the World Championships in September. Today’s mat time with Keith was no less than that. It was also just good to roll around on the venue mat, to get a feel for the environment, and see the international representation. 

After the girls weighed in we all headed back to the hotel for dinner. As we sat, eating the typical European meal of meat and potatoes, the coaches, trainer Carrie Harmon-Moore, and I reminisced on past trips. Keith is still in denial of his less than ethical score-keeping tendencies when it comes to basketball and soccer. Luckily, Kevin Black isn’t here to egg him on! 

We met as a team to discuss logistics shortly after dinner. Some girls ventured to the nearby store. Some of us are getting in our hand-washing for the trip. Ashley is happy about the regulation-sized towels, among other things. It’s good to see familiar faces here at Hotel 500, from Colorado, from around the U.S., and even international friends and opponents. More to come!

July 28, by Ashley Hudson
Day 2: Well, it was a good night sleep. I woke up at 8 a.m. for about 20 minutes, so I could eat my breakfast of tootsie rolls and went back to sleep until practice at 11. Whoops. Practice was interesting since it was with the Polish chicks. They love their rolls for warm-up. I personally am extremely motion sick, so it was a struggle. Not to mention their little coach could move in ways no man should. He has skill. I felt like I had never been on the mat trying to do these movements with their team.
 
When we did eventually start wrestling, it was a challenge since the coach would switch to technique to live and I would have to keep asking. They seemed to have their game face on and not want me to ask dumb questions, but I forgot to learn Polish before I came here.  Rossetta Stone should sponsor USA Wrestling. Just saying. Practice was good, and  it was a nice workout to get the feeling back after a long trip. 

After practice, Campbell and Hudson Adventures began again. We first wanted to go to the mall here since it was rated No. 1 in the World for 2010. I needed to check this out for myself. They better know they can’t just be throwing titles like that around. Especially for a shopper like myself.

Well, I went downstairs to find a ride to the mall. When I approached a group of people I asked about rides and one man grabbed my wrist and rushed me down the hall. I was like, wait I just need a ride to the mall… And he kept saying “Press! Press!…” In my head I was thinking, I hope this isn’t the press we have in America because I look so scrubby. Oh don’t worry it was the press I was thinking. A conference room had been set up with cameras and a long table with snacks and water. Great! The man asks me to sit down and I was like a deer in headlights. I just needed a ride to the mall - OK!? I turn to the man next to me and ask him in German – “How long is this?” He replies, “Oh, 15-20 minutes.” Ugh….. Where are my teammates? Maybe one of them will save me? No such luck. Finally after 15 minutes of solid Polish talk I took my exit and didn’t look back. Super random but something I would get peer-pressured into.

We found the President of the Poland Wrestling Federation to drive us to Hotel 500, our soon-to-be hotel. It was a solid car ride in which Campbell fell asleep leaving Hudson to man the fort … or the Toyota. He was a nice man and educated me on the land and how the Euro soccer championships are here in a year. So there is a lot of construction on roads.  We get to the hotel and meet our friends, and we brought snacks!... and wrestling shoes, ahem… We could only stay for about 25 minutes and had to catch a cab back. The taxi tried to charge us $40 U.S. … I haggled it down to $25. No biggie.

Practice was an intense sauna session. The Polish coaches were in there with their speedos, VIVA Europe?? Ha ha. Dinner was a bust tonight: Rice with apple bits in it, Bologna slices, cottage cheese and some Danish. Yum… Weigh-ins tomorrow for my weight class and we move to HOTEL 500 at 2 p.m. tomorrow!!!!!! Big towels, look out!

July 27
Part 1, by Kelsey Campbell
After many long hours of travel (nothing short of entertaining, I might add), we’ve finally arrived… Sort of.

The bulk of the group met up in Montreal, Canada. Clarissa Chun, Whitney Conder, Leigh Jaynes, Coach Keith Wilson, Coach Terry Steiner, and I arrived from Colorado Springs, and met Carrie Harmon-Moore and Ashley Hudson. The 7:29 flight from Montreal to Munich, followed by a quick layover before meeting Ali Bernard, came to a much-desired end upon our arrival to Poznan. And, I think it’s safe to say that anytime a full team arrives with all of our intended luggage, we’re off to a good start!

Day one, of course, came with its own set of surprises. Location, for example. We’re not completely sure where we are. What I can glean is that it is some kind of training center. The Polish girls are here. And the American in me came out almost instinctively as I asked their 55 kilo girl, “Do you have laundry service?” I learned many trips ago the value of hand-washing clothes, but it never hurts to ask. 

We’ve had one team workout since our arrival, a nice mix of agility and technique, followed by cardio, sauna and whatever else the need was. We’ll be relocating to Hotel 500 in a few short days. As we get settled in, I can’t help but recall this trip two years ago. I had just begun traveling regularly, learning the ropes of overseas ventures. I remember being wide-eyed as up-and-coming stars like Jon Reader and Reece Humphrey wrestled here with the University team alongside the women’s team. Now a lot of us are a little older, a little better, and back here on a mission.
 
Part 2, by Ashley Hudson
Wednesday Night: Poland time.

Never in your life do you realize how important wi-fi, ice, and a big towel are unless you are overseas. I hate when I forget foreigners don’t like ice with their drinks, I mean if I could fit a glacier in my glass of water, I would! The towels here are the ones you use as display hand towels in the guest bathroom, but it’s whatever.

After making here in one piece, it is ALWAYS entertaining to see who is at the airport to take your team to their destination. They normally pick the person who has the least English vocabulary. But this guy wasn’t too shabby. The bus was better than most I have been picked up in but it got a little confusing when it came down to where we were going. A lot of us had heard from the men’s freestyle team that the hotel was nice and had great internet and was, oh I don’t know… a HOTEL. We walk up to a cute little training center in the middle of high rise apartments. Ok…we can deal with this, but for how long?  We then are informed that we are only here until Friday. 

Word on the street is that we are going to go to Hotel 500 on Friday. That is right across the street from the venue and where our other countrymen are. 

The food was decent, they had ketchup which is not just a condiment to me, it’s a way of life. Put that on the good old butter noodles with bacon. Oh yeah! I’m hoping the sun comes out so we can get some rays but who knows. Practice and interesting things to come I’m sure.  

P.S. I heard that stuff has potential of getting stolen out of rooms…I promise I will go Taken (the movie) on someone if that happens to my belongings. I have a set of specialized skills, I will find you and I will…get my stuff back. The end.