Dead Sea and Petra

It has been an exciting and productive week. We have worked hard in daily fitness training. Fitness sessions are varied including strength training, field movement exercises, game type situations and teamwork exercises. 

On tournament rest days, the referees and instructors review clips from recent games, identify points of emphasis and discuss areas for us to improve on. The following day we implement the concepts we have learned on the field. 

In the last week we have been fortunate to have excursions to some of Jordan’s most iconic locations. 

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth measuring 1312 ft below sea level. The salt concentration of the water is so high (9X the salt concentration of the ocean) that you can easily float in the water. The salts and minerals have excellent health benefits and are used around the world in industry, medicine, agricultural and skin care. We enjoyed effortlessly floating in the sea and tried out the natural mud facials. We stayed until sunset and had a beautiful view across the sea of Israel. 

Yesterday we had the opportunity to see one of the 7 wonders of the world right here in Jordan! Petra is an archaeological site nicknamed the rose city from its red sandstone and cliffs. The city dates back to 300 B.C. It is often referred to as the lost city because it was not found by the western world until 1812.  Its most distinguished feature is the temple Al-Khazneh, hand carved directly into a vibrant cliff face amongst the desert canyons and mountains. You may recognize it from the movies Indiana Jones and the Lost Cursade and the Mummy Returns. Personally we thought the best vantage point of the temple was from the back of a camel! 

We are so grateful to FIFA and JFA for these opportunities.

Quarter Finals start tomorrow and we are excited for the knock-out matches to begin.