Traveling

TigerBlog has traveled to 37 states in this country. 

Trust him. He just double checked the list. 

Of those 37 states, he's seen a Princeton team play in 26 of them. That's like, what, a little more half of all the states, right? 

And that doesn't take into account one Canadian province and five other countries that he's traveled to with Princeton teams.  

Of those 26 states, by the way, he's been to 12 of them solely while traveling to see a Princeton team play. 

The opportunity to see so much of this country and a few other parts of the world has been one of the best parts of all his time that he's been here. He's gotten to see some places he otherwise never would have, and those experiences have been amazing. 

TB thought of those trips as some current or about-to-be Princeton athletes have been competing internationally in the days before school starts up again. 

For instance, there is Talia Schenck of the field hockey team, who is currently with the United States U21 team at the Junior Pan Am Games in Asuncion, Paraguay. You think she'll ever forget her time there? 

And is it a destination she might otherwise want to go on vacation? Perhaps, but unlikely. And now she has been able to see a part of the world that she might never have been. 

She certainly made the most of Day 1 yesterday, by the way. The United States team opened the tournament with an 8-0 win over Mexico, and Schenck — a rising senior at Princeton — scored twice. 

27' Schenck's finish on the penalty corner to put USA up 5-0 pic.twitter.com/rdX5v5l1hM

— USA Field Hockey (@USAFieldHockey) August 11, 2025

Next up for the Americans will be Wednesday against Chile, who defeated Guyana 11-0 in its first game yesterday. Those are the four teams in Group B. The Group A teams — Argentina, Canada, Uruguay and Paraguay — have their openers tomorrow. 

The tournament runs through the 19th. 

The U.S. men's national team is also competing at the Junior Pan Am Games, which are in their second edition and first with field hockey included. The American men are being coach by Princeton assistant coach Pat Harris, who recently won silver with the men's full national team at the Pan Am Cup in Uruguay. 

By the way, it's winter in South America. All of the pictures that TB saw from the Pan Am Cup showed winter coats and hats. It appears that winters in Asuncion are much more mild.  

Meanwhile, a mere 7,345 miles away, over in Trakai, Lithuania, the World U19 rowing championships recently concluded with a haul of gold for the Princetonians. 

Lauren DuBois, an incoming freshman, won gold in the women's fours with the United States team, who edged out Great Britain for first after trailing after 1,500 meters. Her soon-to-be classmates Ed Galer (men's fours) and Ivo Monaghan (men's eights) won gold with Great Britain. 

What is there to do in Trakia? It sits 17 miles from the Lithuanian capital city of Vilnuius and is considered a lake resort. It certainly looks beautiful, at least from the pictures that TB could find. 

Hey, for $240 you can have a four-hour hot air balloon ride over the city and its lakes and castles. Interested? Click HERE and read the reviews, including the one from two weeks ago that says "this is the most amazing thing I've ever done."

Asuncion, by the way, is the capital of Paraguay and its largest city, with a population of 460,000. It is known for its Seven Hills and its long history as one of the major points in the evolution of South America. 

TB would probably prefer the hot air balloon ride over the more urban setting, but either way, it's amazing where athletic pursuits can take you. 

Win or lose, it's an experience to cherish for those who have the opportunity.