7/27/98

Hello from Annecy,

The Yanks have landed! We arrived a tired band of travelers on Friday afternoon. This being my first time in Europe the time change is significant ( 7 hours ahead of Houston). For most of the team this is their first taste of world travel. They are a great bunch and have a real team spirit to them. Competition begins tomorrow and we had our first rain today... all day. The forcast is for sunny tomorrow.

I’m typing this at a "cyper cafe". I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to get back here. Glen McMicken will hopefully be posting results so I’ll try to fill in with random thoughts on the trip and competitions. Glen was having lots of trouble trying to connect to AOL from our hotel and getting little ( read that no) help from AOL’s 800 help number.

Our hotel is an interesting story. We were supposed to be at the Holiday Inn right in Annecy. Instead we are in one in St. Pierre en Faucigny a good 45 minutes away! The hotel is nice and the food terrific, but we are out there! Travel will be a challenge, the staff is beginning to feel like stationmasters. The cynics out there might see a "plot " against us in this. I’ll reserve judgement for now. The Jamaicans are even farther out then we are. What did they ever do to the French? The people have been just great by the way. Very patient with pathetic attempts at french. Those 3 years of high school french a lifetime ago don’t go very far.

I think the team will do well. They seem focused and raring to go. They got a look at the new Track Digest and were not happy with Mike Byrne’s opinions. If he was trying to light a fire under them, he did. The men’s 4x100 definitely has a point to make to him.

I need to sign off for now. Hopefully I will be back soon.

Andy Ferrara

EISENHOWER H.S.

Houston, Tx

USA Junior National Team Staff