Women’s 1st Team Travel to Asturias for Mid-season training.
In January the Women’s 1st Team travelled to the Region of Asturias in the North of Spain for Mid-season training. The team spent 6 days training with local teams and visiting various cultural sights.
The trip was organised by 3rd Year Centre Ines Jardon Parages who is from Oviedo, Asturias. The team were fortunate to have her as their very own local guide for trip. Ines’ family welcomed the team into their homes to share stories and exceptional home-made local food dishes. 
The Team made the City of Gijon their base and stayed in the city centre, just a 2-minute walk from the beautiful beach and only a 5–minute walk to the closest training facility. The first full day was spent enjoying a walking tour of the old town in Gijon, a visit to the SeaLife centre and of course trying some tapas. Fully fuelled, the team trained with a local team ‘Codema Basket Femenino’ that evening and experienced a Spanish practise – the session was mainly based on using various footwork and finishes but with plenty of transition in-between to challenge their cardiovascular systems! Following the session, the team were invited for supper at a nearby restaurant, it was a great occasion for all the players to get to know one another.
Over the next few days the Team travelled to the nearby Cities of Oviedo, Aviles and Santander as well as the popular seaside town of Colunga. Meals were usually at the centre of the planning process and fortunately the players were able to experience and enjoy fantastic food at each destination. The mature cheeses and steaks were a big hit!
Ines’ former Team ‘Fundacion Gijon Baloncesto’ and Coach welcomed the Saints to their training facility for a competitive, mostly 5v5 full court session. It was a great opportunity to play against the local high-level talent and another opportunity for the players to engage with the Spanish players.
The trip concluded with a visit to Cangas de Onis in the picturesque mountains of Covedonga – a place with a vast amount of history and beauty.
A special Saints thank you to Ines’ family for looking after the team on their trip and to both local basketball teams for allowing the players to train with them. The Women’s 1st team had an extremely memorable time in Asturias and thoroughly enjoyed their mid-season break.