“I really need my glasses.” Michelle de Wit

It was a very early 7.00am start at school this morning (it was even still dark and I think I saw an owl), which was a tad early after a night full of chatting with homestays. The generous hospitality of our Granite Falls High School friends was greatly appreciated by our Titans crew and even extended to a fully cooked breakfast at school. After our pancakes, sausages and scrambled eggs, our Aussie travellers were sent back to school 😊. The students had the pleasure of enjoying four periods of lessons with their American counterparts and even use the legitimate High School cafeteria (complete with tater tots). While our students may have elected not to stretch themselves too far academically in their lessons, it was a great experience for our students to see what it’s like to be a part of the American school system. Interesting points during our Granite Falls visit were Michelle admiring a new electronic smartboard (which turned out to be a window), a few clogged toilets and who can forget Michelle questioning whether it was their (American) left or ours? Thanks to all at Granite Falls for their fantastic hospitality and generosity.

Starting to get a little weary, we boarded the bus at 12.30pm and headed straight to La Conner High School. Some took the chance for a quick nap, some enjoyed the scenery, others kept on talking. La Conner is a town in Skagit County, Washington, with a population of 939 – a tiny town with big charm. It is a balance of people who work and live here, including the Swinomish Tribal Community, Shelter Bay residents from across the channel, fishermen, farmers, artists, and carpenters – a diverse mix of cultures and educational backgrounds.

The La Conner School District serves approximately 600 students in three schools: Elementary (K-5), Middle (6-8), and High (9-12). There are 190 students in Grades 9-12. We arrived at the school at about 2.00pm, and it was pretty much, get in, get suited up and get ready to go.

Fun Facts:

• Situated on the delta near the mouth of the Skagit River, La Conner was founded in the early 1860’s and is Skagit County’s oldest community.
• La Conner is often voted the most perfect Washington state weekend getaway destination
• In the month of April, the town annually hosts the majority of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival event
• La Conner is wintering grounds for swans and Canada geese.
• La Conner is on the National Registry of Historic places. The Civic Garden Club was the first courthouse north of Seattle.

Junior Varsity Boys:

Starting to get a little weary, our boys were a little sluggish on the get go. Conall kicked off the scoring, closely followed by Joel Duncan and Darcy. Jake was rebounding strongly and James was providing plenty of drive down the court. The boys started to lift their defensive pressure and worked hard to finish off the quarter to finish 5 points up (8-13). It was a slow start to the second quarter by both teams with limited scoring. Max and the two Joels were putting the hard yards in on defence creating turnovers but our team was failing to capitalise. At half time we had managed to hold on to a slender 3 point lead (17-20). The boys started strongly in the third, edging the lead out to 11 points halfway through the third with some accurate shooting by Darcy and Joel Duncan. Conall was a proving powerhouse under the basket and Joel Dent was providing some great passing options to help increase our score. Stuart was working hard both ends of the court and the team dominated the third quarter to lead by 29 points (19-48). James started the final quarter with a three pointer, and Mason converted from the foul line to keep the scoreline ticking along. La Conner pegged the lead back with a last minute scoring flurry but the Titans secured the win by 29 points (31-60).

Varsity Girls:

The fairtytale is over! La Conner came out fighting in the first quarter and certainly let the girls know they meant business. With three minutes left to go in the first quarter we were four points down. Emilia, Ella and Emily had all registered a score to keep us in the game. Ellen and Sarah were ferreting around the packs, bringing out the ball and delivering it to their team. La Conner were scoring freely and by the quarter time break we were 11 points down (18-7). The pressure was relentless in the second with La Conner maintaining their accurate shooting. Gabby, Emmason and Kayleigh  worked tirelessly on defence to try and stem the tide.  The girls steadied and kept fighting hard to be 18 points down at half time (33-15). Our Titans girls’ never give up attitude came into play in the third. Emmason and Emily were scrapping for the ball and Ella was proving strong with rebounds. We headed into the three quarter break 24 points down (52-28). Gabby and Emmason got us on the scoreboard early in the final quarter with Ellen working hard to create turnovers and bringing the ball back our end. The girls fought hard but went down 74-41.

Varsity Boys:

Our Varsity Boys were out to seek redemption after the girls’ loss and came out firing. Matt Withers set the scoreboard alight with 10 points in the first quarter. Matt Black and Oli were bringing the ball down the court to create plays for their team mates with Malok flying high bringing in the rebounds. La Conner was still in the game but our Varsity Titans lead the first quarter by 11 points (14-25). Oscar proved too strong under the basket scoring the first 6 points at the start of the second quarter, with Toby notching up another 4 points. Jaidyn, Conall and Alex were applying the defensive pressure under the basket, and by half time the score saw Titans lead by 23 points (32-55). The Titans started the third quarter with some great team passing to get Matt Withers to the basket. Jaidyn’s height was proving a problem for La Conner adding another 4 points to the board and Malok was proving a handful for his La Conner counterparts. AJ found the space and added another four points to the tally with Oli adding 2 points to take the lead out to 26 points heading into the third quarter break (46-72). The boys didn’t ease up in the fourth and increased the lead with some great team play. Darcy and Joel Duncan came into the game and Toby hit his three point range, dropping three in the last quarter. The boys ran out winners by 35 points (60-95).

The Flag!

It’s fantastic when someone is present to witness a potential ‘Flag’ incident, it’s even better when it’s caught on CCTV footage. There’s nothing better we like on tour than a bit of an awkward fall, nothing that causes injury just some minor embarrassment. Our flag recipient for Day 5 had a stumble in her pact not to win the flag – guess what Sharon Adams, it’s all yours…..again! That’s right, Sharon is a previous recipient of the flag from back on the 2015 tour, and the reason she won it then was due to a fall out of the bus. Pattern emerging? Sharon’s latest fall from grace happened in the nearly (yes, nearly) empty halls of Granite Falls High School at about 9.00pm in the evening. It was a simple walk to grab her suitcase, or so she thought. Unfortunately for Sharon, traction and gravity were not on her side, as she rounded to collect her bag, something moved, someone slipped and she faceplanted onto the floor. Luckily for one of us, I may have been in the vicinity (thaaaaank you) and turned in time to see a fleeting view of the faceplant and the fastest ‘get up’ on history. After my laughter had quelled and no injuries reported I lamented about my disappointmentS at missing the entire stumble. Imagine my pure joy when our Granite Falls friends let me know it would all be recorded on the CCTV footage. Hooraaaaay. So, while the kids were studying in class this morning, the Granite Falls team were studying the footage….and they found it. Funny the first time, even funnier the second, still hysterical the third. Henceforth, by Titans decree we have renamed Granite Falls and it will now be known as ‘Sharon Falls’ (thank you Anthony).