Archive for March, 2007

Portugal, Pizza and Pottery

Friday, March 16th, 2007
Hola from the Algarve! We won our first two games beating China 2-1 and Finland 1-0. They have been great games for us and we continue to improve every game. We play Sweden tonight and if we win we go to the final. It will be a great test for our team.
We have been enjoying ourselves over here. Tina Ellerton’s (formerly Fringpong) daughter, Mackenzie celebrated her 6th birthday and we had a party for her. We had cake, presents, and even a pinata that Tina brought all the way over form the States! We all had so much fun!
We are continuing to eat pizza, crepes, and Indian food. A few of us have ventured out and tried a few different restaurants, but we tend to stick with our favorites.  I stick with pizza and ice cream.
I have been shopping in some of the stores close to our hotel and there are lots of unique things. There are a ton of soccer jerseys from Portugal to Arsenal. I love going to the sporting good stores and looking at them. I bought a little Portugal jersey for my little nephew. I can’t wait to give it to him!
Portugal is known for their pottery and tomorrow we are going to venture out and see what we can find. I always enjoy going because I really like seeing the new designs and pieces that they have. I tend to buy things for family and friends and they usually really like it! The pottery is very unique and colorful. Plus, it is fun knowing that it is really from Portugal!
I have been working on finding dates, times and age groups for the 2nd Lindsay Tarpley Gold Medal Soccer Camp and I think they are almost finalized! The dates will be at the end of June and they will be announced next week. I am really looking forward to holding a camp again.  Keep looking on the website for more information regarding the camp!
That is all for now! Thanks for reading.
Go USA!
Tarp

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Portugal Arrival

Tuesday, March 6th, 2007
We made it to Portugal! I feel very fortunate to be here again representing the United States. This is my fifth time to Portugal and I still love to come back. Our team gets excited for this trip because there is a lot to look forward to. The trip was fairly easy , only a 6 hour flight from Newark to Lisbon. We arrived in Lisbon at 8 AM and we had about a 3½ hour bus ride to our hotel in Albufeira, Portugal. We are staying at the Hotel Montechoro. The hotel is nice and there is a strip of popular shops, restaurants and our favorite dessert place which makes the best crapes with ice cream that I’ve ever had. It is fun coming back because we usually stay at the same hotel so we know the employees and workers around the area.
My favorite restaurant is the place that makes the famous crapes. The crapes are so good because the pancake is very thin and they load on ice cream, fruit, whip cream and top it off with any type of syrup you want. Also, I really like their thin crust pizza. What gets better than pizza and ice cream!? It is always fun to go back for our first crape of the trip!
We have been working hard since we arrived. We play China in our first game and it will be a tough game. They are a very good team. Then we play Finland and Sweden. The Algarve Cup is a very prestigious tournament and the best teams in the world are here. We are excited to start the games!
Well, I am off to walk down to the ocean. Looking out of my hotel room, I can see the Ocean. It is beautiful and I want to see how cold the water actually is! I will write more later.
Thanks for reading.
Tarp

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New Pro League!

Tuesday, March 6th, 2007
Great news arrived last week that the Women’s Professional Soccer League is coming back! There was a press release that came out last week to announce that in 2008 the league will be up and running. Currently there are 6 investors that are committed to making the league happen. The locations are: Chicago, IL; St.Louis, Mo; Washington D.C; Dallas, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and the other locations are still up in the air. The idea is to start small and hopefully expand as time goes on.
I am so excited about the league. Not only will it help develop players, but it also gives younger girls hope that they can play soccer professionally. Title IX has been so influential to young girls and women and the league will hopefully give women an opportunity to continue to play once they have completed their collegiate careers. This is an amazing opportunity for women!
In order for the league to prosper, we need fans and support! I hope you are as excited about the league as I am! I will update you more when I find out.
Tarp

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