Thanks for reading the blog and supporting us!

On behalf of all the tourists, I would like to thank the parents and others who followed the blog, and who posted encouragement or, in the case of Mr Lyddon, provided much amusement. I would also like to thank Mr Oehler for taking all the photos on the blog, all the teachers for organising such a fantastic tour and my fellow tourists for making it such an enjoyable experience. We are now just about to go to the gate for our flight, so our time in Canada is nearly over, but I am sure that it is an experience that none of us will forget.

Thanks again for following our progress,
Oliver Schofield

End of Tour Awards

Last night, after our tour meal at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown, Vancouver, the teachers made the tour awards. They decided that there was no one most improved player, as we all improved during the tour, so they awarded each of us a T-shirt with our tour number on the front and all our results in Canada on the back. There were some individual awards in addition to this:

2nd Biggest Tackle on Tour: Rory McKenna
Biggest Tackle on Tour: Ed Aspinal
Excellent Tourists: Ed Wilson, Oliver Schofield
Back of the Tour: Tom Nosek
Forward of the Tour: Sam Quintana
Player of the Tour: Will Cobb

Whale Watching

Today we traveled out across the choppy seas from Vancouver in search of orcas, or killer whales. On the way we saw bald eagles and seals, but the highlight was a majestic pod of nineteen orcas, which were swimming very close to our boat. We spent our last afternoon browsing downtown Vancouver.

Victory on Vancouver Island

Yesterday we became the first ever KES Bath rugby tour to win all of our matches, with a 38-0 victory over Crimson Tide, one of the top teams in British Colombia taking us to 5-0 overall. We were under a lot of pressure for the first 20 minutes, but withstood this well and responded strongly, with tries scored by Sam Mount, Mike Papadopoulos, Will Cobb and Ed Wilson, and Henry Brown scoring two. Ed Wilson converted four out of the six tries. Crimson Tide awarded Man of the Match to Sam Mount, taking his total to 3/5. After the match, we thanked the three players who are leaving us after the tour, Clem Eastel, Ed Wilson and Chris Isaacs. All three made great contributions and will be sorely missed. The match was played in Victoria on Vancouver Island, which we reached via a picturesque ferry trip.

The team after winning the match.

The tourists on the outward ferry journey.

Another shot of the tourists on the ferry.

Sunset during the return ferry journey.

Vancouver, the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain

Yesterday we travelled from Abbotsford to downtown Vancouver. After a morning walk around in Vancouver, visiting the Vancouver Canucks stadium and shop, we drove to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, a 120 year old wobbly rope bridge in the rainforest 70m above the ground. After hearing about the history of the bridge, we crossed it, and spent some time enjoying the rest of the park, with its lush vegetation and wildlife. We then travelled to Grouse Mountain, and took a cable car to the summit. There we watched a lumberjack show, and caught a glimpse of the mountain's two tame grizzly bears.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Other bridges high in the rainforest.

We finally saw some Grizzly Bears at Grouse Mountain.

Victory against Abbotsford RFC, 66-0

We continued our winning streak today with a 66-0 victory against Abbotsford RFC, a team that had been undefeated in the area for four years. The match kicked off at 12:30pm, so it was much hotter than our other matches, which were played in the evening. We were also conscious that rugby gets better in British Colombia the closer you get to the coast, but we still managed to pull off an excellent victory. The Abbotsford team gave us a real physical challenge, but we continued to build upon our experiences in previous matches and scored some lovely team tries. The forwards scrummages and rucked very successfully, and the backs' moves were also excellent. Henry Brown, Ollie Currie, Sam Mount, Mike Papadopoulos, Nick Legg and Chris Isaacs all scored, and Will Cobb and Fergus Witt scored twice. Sam Mount scored seven out of nine conversions, and Ed Wilson scored the final one. Abbotsford RFC awarded man of the match to Sam Mount.

We then enjoyed freshly-barbecued burgers and hot dogs at the after-match tea, and a personalized cake baked by one of the Abbotsford parents.

The team with our Abbotsford RFC opponents after the match.

Captain Will Cobb poses with the coaches.

The fabulous cake made for us to eat after the match.

White Water Rafting and Abbotsford

Today we left our billets early in the morning and traveled to the Chilliwack River Rafting Centre, where we ate lunch and then prepared for white water rafting, putting on wetsuits and buoyancy aids. We were then driven up the river, given a safety talk and shown the different paddling styles that we would need to use on the river. After this, the boats were set off and we rafted down 14km of rapids, with rocks, eddies, fallen trees and other obstacles along the way. Those that did fall off the boat were quickly pulled in, and we all enjoyed a swim in one of the more gentle parts of the river. The experience of rafting was highly exhilarating, and not one that we will forget in a hurry. After the rafting had finished, we drove to the penultimate stop on our tour, Abbotsford, where we are staying for two nights.

Victory against the Salmon Arm Yeti, 62-0

We continued our winning streak today with a 62-0 victory over the Salmon Arm Yeti. The scoreline did not reflect the fact that this match was much tougher than the previous two, and the team stepped up a pace, especially the forwards who focused on more physicality and bigger hits. There were some excellent tries after structured rugby, and some great defence against the larger Canadian team. Ollie Currie, Sam Mount, Fergus Witt, Mike Papadopolous and Chris Isaacs each scored a try, Will Cobb scored two, and Henry Brown scored the first hat-trick of the tour with three tries. Ed Wilson converted six out of the ten tries, bringing our score to 62 points. The Yetis awarded Man of the Match in the Forwards to Chris Isaacs and in the Backs to Ed Wilson.

We also have a match report from the captain of the Salmon Arm Yeti team, George Walton:

'Today's match was definitly one of the toughest games that I've seen in a long time, and I have the bruises to prove it. The win was well deserved! Congratulations to the KES team and good luck on the rest of your tour; I hope maybe we'll see each other in a few years on the other side of the pond.'

Canmore to Salmon Arm

After an early wake-up, the tourists embarked upon an 8-hour journey West through the Rocky Mountains from Canmore in Alberta to Salmon Arm in British Colombia. The journey was made more pleasant by the fabulous mountain visage, and frequent rest stops. We have now crossed into a different time zone, and are now at -8hrs GMT instead of -7. On our journey, we spotted a wolf, but still no bear activity.

Upon arrival in Salmon Arm we spent half an hour at Lake Shuswap, where we saw ospreys nesting on the lakefront. Salmon Arm is a tranquil town with a population of about 16,000. We then met our billets, with whom we will spend the next two nights.

Banff National Park

Today we visited the Banff National Park, and were treated to stunning views of lakes, mountains and cascading waterfalls. We walked along a trail around Lake Moraine, and then visited Lake Louise. We also took a gondola up to the top of Mount Sulphur, from which we could survey the park, with its vast pine forests and beautiful landscape, and see the exclusive Banff Springs Hotel. The scenery was quite unlike anything that most of us had seen before - it was vast, mostly uninhabited, and extremely picturesque.

The tourists pose in front of Lake Moraine.

We were able to get right up close to some of the park's waterfalls.

The landscape at Lake Moraine.

Another shot of Lake Moraine.

Unfortunately, we have yet to see a bear, but we hold out hope.

Mr Tidball and a bear... who's scared of who?

The view from the top of the Mount Sulphur was spectacular.

Calgary to Canmore

Yesterday we left Calgary and travelled to Canmore, the second stop on our tour. On the way we stopped off at the Olympic Park, home to the ski jumps upon which Eddie the Eagle competed in 1988, and the track that saw the debut of the Jamaican Bobsleigh team. We spent some time in the museum, including trying out the skiing and ice hockey simulators, then went to the top of the 120m high ski jump. We then visited the training bobsleigh run, which is being used by Canadian athletes in preparation for Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. We then visited town of Banff, nestled at the foot of the Rockies. We checked in to our new hotel, and spent some time in the pool, complete with three-storey waterslide.

Henry Brown and Sam Mount try out a bobsleigh.

The teachers sample the feeling of Olympic victory.

1st: Rory Lyddon, 2nd: James Worsdall, 3rd: Charlie Robertson.

The imposing view of the Rockies from Banff.

KES v. Red Deer Titans - Photos

Mr. Tidball gives a team talk at the end of one of the quarters of the match.

Sam Hewitt takes the ball in a lineout.

The team sings Running Bear, the tour song, complete with actions.

The team on the bus after the match.

It was not the first time that KES has visited the Red Deer Titans: this plaque was presented to them in 1993 when Andy Robinson coached rugby at the school.

Victory against the Red Deer Titans, 79-0

We scored a resounding victory in our second match against the Red Deer Titans. Having spent nearly three hours on the coach to reach the club, owing to traffic, we were eager to get out on the field, and ended up with a fabulous score of 79-0. Tries were scored by Ed Wilson, Will Cobb, James Worsdall, Ollie Currie, Mike Papadopoulos, Charlie Robertson and Chris Isaacs, and Sam Mount, Henry Brown and Rob Goodman each scored two. Ed Wilson also scored five conversions, and Sam Mount another two. The backs' moves won the game for us, with some beautiful lines being cut and much-improved realignment. The Titans awarded Man of the Match to fly-half Sam Mount, who, as Tour Captain, presented the Titans with ties and socks. After the match we sang the tour song, Runing Bear, with the Red Deer and then headed back for our final night in Calgary.

Some Photos

The Calgary Stampede grandstand, complete with flaming 'CS' logo.

The fair at the Calgary Stampede.

The water slide at the pool was a source of great amusement.

Team photo at the Stampede.

The Calgary Stampede

The tourists had an early-morning training session yesterday, followed by a 2-hour all-you-can-eat brunch buffet, in which Ed Aspinal won the prize for continuing to eat for the longest. We then visited the Calgary Stampede, 'The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth'. We spent time wondering among the many stalls, games and rides - the Calgary Stampede is an enormous fair as well as a rodeo - and then went into the Grandstand to watch the Rodeo Final. We were then treated to 3 and a half hours of Tie-Down Racing, where men raced to tie up a calf; Bareback Riding, where riders fought to stay on a bucking horse; Steer Wrestling, in which a young bull was wrestled to the ground by a cowboy; Saddle Bronc, which was similar to Bareback Racing but with a saddle; Barrel Racing, in which cowgirls raced their horses around three barrels, without knocking them over; and - craziest of them all - bull riding, where the cowboys tries to stay on the back of a bucking bull for at least 8 seconds and were then scored on technique. Luckily we saw no injuries!

After more time spent in the fair, we returned to the Grandstand in the evening for the Chuckwagon Racing and the finale show. The Chuckwagons were horse-drawn carts that raced at breakneck speed around the track, accompanied by outriders, and symbolising the first pioneers who came to Western Canada. After this, we saw the finale show, named the Big Show, in which Candian singers, dancers and a comedian entertained us into the night. The show was concluded with a fabulous fireworks display. We hope to upload some photos of the Stampede soon.

A Lazy Day

The tourists enjoyed a relaxing day today, with a lie in followed by a long breakfast and a swim. We then visited a large mall, and spent the afternoon browsing the shops and watching a film.

First Victory and First Drama

We had a great first day in Calgary, with a tour of the city and a visit to the Calgary Tower, a 600-foot skyscraper. Some tourists then enjoyed the shops on 8th Avenue, but a group got stuck in a Calgary Tower lift 475 feet above the ground, for 45 minutes, with one adult who didn't speak English. Luckily, everyone was fine and there was still some time to wander in the city.

In the evening we won the first match of the tour, played at the Calgary Rugby Union ground against the Calgary Hornets, with a score of 32 - 17. Tries were scored by Ben Thomas, Tom Nosek, Charlie Robertson and Tom Gane, and Will Cobb, the captain, scored two. It was very much a game of two halves - in the first half we played their U16 side and scored some good tries, conceding none, but in the second half they sent out their U18s, whose physicality made the competition tougher. We missed a few try opportunities and ended up conceding three, but overall the match was a promising start to the tour, and we will be able to build on our success.

The Hornets awarded Player of the Match to fullback Tom Nosek. Sam Mount was made Tour Captain, and presented the opposition with our tour ties, and Will Cobb was made Rugby Captain. Special mention also goes to Ed Wilson, who received a Yellow Card for a try-saving spear tackle.

Arrival in Canada

We have arrived in Calgary, 'cow city'. The 11 hour flight was not a lot of fun, but bearable. We all have our cowboy hats on.

KES Canada Blog

The plan is to blog throughout the tour, put some match reports up, and mske it an easy way for parents to follow our progress. We may end up doing two posts and then giving up, but we might as well give it a go...