ELKMONT—While most seniors at Elkmont High School were gearing up for their memorable last year of high school a little over two weeks ago, Sarah Solomon was preparing for the trip of a lifetime.

Instead of gathering in the halls and chatting with friends on the first day back, Sarah was boarding a flight in Huntsville bound for Germany where she spent nine days playing softball and taking in sights in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

“It was fun,” Sarah said. “I really learned a lot of stuff. I was a little nervous at first about flying, but I’m happy I went.”

Sarah was a part of America’s Team International, a program that for 20 years has planned exhibition games in softball, baseball, basketball and other sports between American athletes and their European counterparts. The idea is to bring together young people from around the world in a friendly competition that can lead to a better understanding of others.

Sarah found out in October of last year that she had been nominated to go by Coach Tracy Grimrod—an assistant softball coach at Wallace State Community College. After looking over the information that was sent out by the trips coordinator and doing a little research, she decided she was interested in going. And that didn’t bother her parents.

“We weren’t real worried about her going over there,” Sarah’s mother Connie said. “We had talked with some of the other parents and players that had gone in years past as well as the coach who had been a few times before, so we really weren’t nervous about her going. We knew it would be a good opportunity for her.”

The team was put together in the fall of 2007 to give all the girls time to get passports and other necessary things done for international travel. Incidentally, Grimrod is also the coach for Team International.

The majority of the girls on the team were from Alabama, with the exception of two girls whom Sarah said they didn’t meet until they arrived in Germany.

While the teams were there for the purpose of sports and friendship, several days of sightseeing were built into the schedule. Sarah said several of the places they visited included Munich, Salzburg and Vienna. She added that they also saw the second largest Beer Garden and the place where the Nazi Party was founded.

As for the food, she really wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

“I figured we would have Bratwursts,” Sarah said. “They fed us one meal a day, but we ate mostly pizza and ice cream. They only drinks they had there were Coke, Sprite and Orange Fanta and they didn’t use ice.”

To keep in touch with their daughter, Connie bought phone cards. But when Sarah got there and tried to use them they didn’t work. Luckily, some of the parents had International phones they let her use, but because it was so expensive she made only two very short calls.

Although Sarah said it was a little weird not being able to start school on the “real” first day, she said she didn’t mind.

“This trip was a great experience,” Sarah said. “I really learned a lot, especially learning how to exchange money. I’m happy I had the opportunity to go.”