SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University Field Hockey team embarked on a once-of-a-lifetime excursion last August to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  While the objective of the trip was to hone their individual and team skills by playing stiff competition with differing styles of hockey, the players also came back with insight about the South American culture and about their own players, specifically the incoming freshmen.

"The trip brought us closer together because we were all together all the time," said senior midfielder Deanne Viveiros. "And the language barrier forced us to learn more about our own team, especially the freshman because if we couldn't communicate with our own team, how were we going to interact with the Argentinean teams who speak Spanish as a first language.  So we learned a lot more about our own team on the trip."

The Bulldogs' trip featured an intense schedule with much more than just hockey.  Not only did they practice and challenge an Argentinean club virtually every day, they also toured Argentina's largest city and took advantage of the exchange rate (one dollar equals three pesos).

"We went to tango shows at La Boca and saw Gaucho Ranch (a Spanish play), and did lots of shopping at the marketplace," said senior defenseman Kristin Tighe.

"After games, we had pizza parties with the other teams," said Viveiros. "They gave us great hospitality."

Bryant coach Coni Fichera believed the nine-day trip was exactly what her players needed in preparation for the 2006 season.

"The trip gave us the total experience from getting a cultural opportunity for the players, to learning more about the world, to interacting with the players in Argentina, to seeing some amazing hockey," said Bryant's coach of eight years.

The Bulldogs did struggle on the field against the superior-talented Argentinean squads, but winning was not the goal on this trip; improvement was.

And that goal was certainly accomplished.

"They've all been playing together since they were four or five years old, whereas we have a different team every year, so they're a lot more comfortable with each other," said Tighe. "But it was a really great experience. It really helped us. It's the best competition we've ever seen."

Fichera's squad went up against teams with players that ranged from ages 15 to 30 that had played together for many years.  Some of the clubs they faced compete as high as the "B Division", or the second-best level of talent in Argentina

Quite a challenge for a Division II university.

"They're some of the best players in the world, and we're only going to improve from the trip," said Tighe.  "Our skill level got that much better from playing there."

Bryant kept up and even out-hustled its counterparts, proving they were the better conditioned team.  But as they learned really quickly, Argentinean clubs place an emphasis on different facets of the game.

"The biggest difference between hockey there and in the United States is that they emphasize skills and speed more than running and conditioning," said junior goaltender Kasey Kortz.  "We were able to run around them and outlast them, but they could just pass right through us. That was a big difference."

While they'll undoubtedly bring back some hockey tips from the trip, many of the players enjoyed just seeing a different part of the world for the first time.

"The best part was meeting and interacting with a different lifestyle and seeing the internal perspective of a country," said Tighe. "It was interesting to hear what they did for fun and on weekends."

"It's a fast-paced style of life in Buenos Aires," said Kortz.  "It actually reminded me of New York; the way they move so quickly. But their meals are really slow, and everything starts later. We wouldn't eat until 8 p.m. because that's when restaurants open, and we had to get up early for practice everyday. But that's how they are there: they eat late and get up early."

Fichera was very grateful that her players were able to take advantage of this amazing opportunity on and off the hockey field.

"It allowed the players to see the game in a much bigger picture and gave the younger players an opportunity to play the game we talk about at practice. It's hard to simulate a game at practice, so this was very beneficial for them. And their speed and skill level was a great teaching tool."

"And I can't say enough about the opportunity to play hockey the way it should be played and the hospitality of the Argentinean club teams," she said.  "I know Argentina isn't a place most people visit, but it was a wonderful opportunity for us to become a better hockey team, and at the same time, see a beautiful country."

The Bulldogs hope they can combine the Argentinean's skills with their own high-level of fitness to produce an outstanding product on the field in 2006.