ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The eighth-ranked Navy squash team, who amassed an 11-1 record in the first half of the season, came together on Dec. 27 and flew to Spain where it would spend six days training at Club Natacio Barcelona. Barcelona, Spain proved not only an incredible city for the 13-member squad to hone its craft over the holiday break, but the cultural experience gained was invaluable.

"The trip to Spain was an excellent opportunity for the team to train and immerse itself in a foreign culture," said team captain Senen Ubina. "We had a blast trying local cuisine, practicing our Spanish and visiting all the historical landmarks. It was truly a trip to remember!"

The following diary was kept by first-year head coach Tyler Osborne and briefly highlights each day's adventure.

Day 1 - We landed in Barcelona early Friday morning and took some time getting to the hotel and settling in. We spent the afternoon exploring the area around our hotel, including La Boqueria (a massive food market with delicious fruit smoothies and a vast assortment of fresh meats and cheeses), Las Ramblas and the Barcelona Cathedral. We enjoyed and early dinner and we were off to bed.
 
Day 2 – We had our first squash session of the week at Club Natacio Barcelona. The facility was incredible with three courts, a large multipurpose room and a wonderful panoramic view overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. After a quick lunch in town, we headed off to the infamous Barcelona football stadium. No games were taking place during the week, but we took a tour, sat on the sidelines and visited the locker rooms!
 
Day 3 – We had our second squash session in the morning which included a run up to Montjuic castle. Credit to Lt. Carter who ended up making the run up to the top three straight times!! He was the fastest one down the hill each time, as well. The afternoon was spent with a hefty walk to see the Arc de Triomf and the Sagrada Familia. The latter is still in the renovations stages, but really quite extraordinary to view.  
 
Day 4 - New Years Eve! We had our third consecutive day with a morning practice, slightly lighter on this day as the legs were sore with the run from the day prior. We got some competitive team volleyball in, as well, where Team Ubina ousted Team Kjorlien, 25-23. The afternoon presented more flexibility so Lt. Carter and myself made the rather long and uphill climb up to the monastery which led to some incredible views of the city and surrounding area. It proved to be a well-worth hike. Some of the team members visited a few of Barcelona's many gardens and saw the Catalan Palace. We brought in the New Year with fireworks in downtown Barcelona. Happy New Year to all!!
 
Day 5 - A day off from the squash courts today, and the team spent it doing a variety of things. I had yet to be up to Montjuic Castle, so Lt. Carter and I climbed up to the top and strolled through Olympic Park on the way down. A few of the other members took some time to explore the Gaudi Museum.
 
Day 6 - We started the day off with an intrasquad match led by seniors Senen Ubina and Dylan Sweeney on Team Blue and Jamie Kjorlien and John Kacergins on Team Gold. A couple hard-fought 3-2 victories gave Team Gold a 4-2 win in just under 2 hours. Really great squash from the guys to bring the training trip to an end. Lt. Carter and I got some shopping in during the afternoon, while a small group checked out the Catalan National Art Museum. We finished the trip off with a fabulous team dinner with paella being the most popular dish. It was a great evening to conclude a phenomenal trip.
 
"Thank you so much to all of our alumni and Friends of Navy Squash for their constant support which makes these trips possible," said Osborne. "The team and I are incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to travel and explore places we might never see again."

After a month-and-a-half layoff from competition, Navy will kick off the second half of the season on Wednesday when it travels to the nation's capital to face No. 14 George Washington at 5:30 pm. Three of the Mids' final five regular-season matches will be played at home - Jan. 19 vs. Williams (11:00 am), Jan. 27 vs. Cornell (12:00 pm) and Feb. 10 vs. Franklin & Marshall (2:00 pm).

### Go Navy ###