One part of my pre world cup training has been that I get a full body massage on a regular basis, approximately every three weeks. I'm getting older and the players seem to be getting younger and faster, so to keep up with them I need to take care of myself.

Sadly, there is nothing much I can do about my hair, I'm not happy about it, but the up side is that I apparently have too much testosterone, the male hormone! There is something that I can do about looking after my body however, and in particular my muscular system and my feet. So I've enjoyed maintaining my fitness through regular aerobic work outs which include chasing my 4 year old daughter Emily around the place, teaching Phys. Ed. to a great series of Grade 8 classes, and more recently umpiring in the Ontario High School & Club Leagues. There is nothing better than running three full games in a day to get you fit!

I found a great place five minutes from my house in Port Credit called Sports Performance Centre (SPC), where they do Chiro, Physio, Personal Training and Registered Massage Therapy. Work out hard one day and "relax" for 90 minutes another day. I say relax because although they find the odd strain and knot in the strangest of places, I find there is nothing quite like lying down and having a qualified practitioner manipulate your entire body, so that when you leave over an hour and a half later you feel ten years younger.

So having got myself in a very pleasing physical and mental condition where I'm raring to go, I need to look after myself whilst I'm here in Prague. One of my first tasks for me, was to find a local masseur and also a place to have a pedicure and manicure. Luckily the later can be found in the mall two minutes from our IRIS Hotel and the former is being provided by our hosts at the Slavia Hotel.

So this morning as part of my pre game (Australia v Japan) preparation I enjoyed a full body massage. I was a little tight after yesterday's "energiser bunny" workout, so this would be ideal. The masseur was great and got my legs and the lactic acid that was partially in there, in particular, feeling like they were ready to go once again. I plan on using this service a couple more times later on in the week, if the timings allow me to.

So to the game. Switching up from a B Group game to an A Group game doesn't faze me. I treat all the teams that umpire exactly the same. They all deserve the best that I can give them. Yes, there will be differences in terms of speed, styles of defence / offence, and potentially skill level, but I am mentally prepared for the differences that this level of game brings with it. A game is a game and this is a world cup, so I'm ready to go.

Every team here has its stars, whether that's a stand out goalkeeper, an awesome quick footed strong defender, a quick adaptive midfielder or a clinical attacker. One of the benefits of being an umpire at this level is that I get to stand on a field, watch and enjoy what these players are capable of. During the game you don't really get to take it all in at the time as you have a job to do, but certain key moments provided by the players and by calls that you make, stick with you, so that you can review them in your head and with your peers, post game. This game had lots in it to review.

1) Green Card for persistent creeping
2) Yellow Card for persistent Three Seconds Violation
3) Speed & Distance of passing up and the field
4) Speed of catching and passing around the goal to create the opportunity to shoot
5) One back to back save by the Japanese GK
6) One particular Jen Adams (2005 WC MVP) goal: wait, fake, wait, move GK and flick... the ball screamed into the top corner and out again, and all before you could breath.

...to name just six.

The score, as I've mentioned before was irrelevant to me, and can be often misleading when seen in the cold light of day. 24-8 to Australia. It tells you nothing about the speed of the game, the end to end tussle that existed in the game right up until the final minute, that kept Lynn, Cheryl, Jodi (4th) and I very very busy. Neither the Japanese nor the Australians seemed prepared to take a breather. It was fascinating, entertaining and a great example of what excellent athlete's women's field lacrosse is developing all around the world. All 36 athlete's in today's game for me deserved the standing ovation and applause that the passionate crowd gave them at the conclusion of the game.

I thought the umpiring crew on this game were a team: tight, on the mark and allowing the players to determine the outcome within a safe environment. I certainly enjoyed working with them all. They are all very experienced top level officials, from whom I can learn a great deal, as indeed are the entire TD/U team that is here, that's what makes it so much fun for me.

We had deserved a well earned rest but with the schedule as it was, we had just over an hour to debrief, shower and unwind before returning to the stadium field so we could sit back and watch a classic USA v Canada match up also from Group A. If I just tell you that Canada led at half time by 4 goals to 3, the first time we can recall Canada leading the USA at a Senior World Cup half time since the 1980's, then you know we enjoyed watching a great game that had lots to discuss post match. The umpiring crew on the game were treated to some great skill, some tough defence and two teams that really wanted to win this game. They did a great job.

You can see highlights and more in depth reviews for all the games at the excellent world cup website www.lacrosseworldcup2009.com.

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