Members of the Cornell track and field teams are currently in the United Kingdom, part of the quadrennial two-week tour of Great Britain that culminates with the decades-old rivalry with Oxford and Cambridge. Throughout the trip, women's distance coach Artie Smith will send updates from selected student-athletes as they chronicle their experiences for CornellBigRed.com.

Here's another great journal entry from our trip to the United Kingdom, this time from Jessica Weyman '10.  She recounts the final few days of the trip at Oxford.

Jessica Weyman '10
Sunday, June 27:
Although we were sad to leave Cambridge, we were excited to explore Oxford after the great things we heard from people who previously traveled here. After checking into our rooms at St. Hilda's College, some of us went with the Oxford athletes into town just to learn our way around. Although Oxford is very different from Cambridge, the buildings and town are equally amazing! At 4:00 p.m., we had a quick practice at the Iffley Road Track, where the four minute mile was first broken in 1954 by Oxford's Roger Bannister. After practice, we had a great dinner and then met with the Oxford athletes once again. They took us to an exclusive Varsity Athletic Club. When we arrived, we could see instantly why we were required to dress up a little in order to go in. The club consisted of several rooms and was very classy with its leather couches and photos of its members dating back to the 1860s when the club was founded. I could understand why the members who were voted into the club were so proud of it.

Monday, June 28:
Today was a pre-meet day, so we went to the track in the morning for a light practice and spent the rest of the day out on the town. Before lunch, most of us went to the shops and market to buy last-minute souvenirs and Oxford gear for our friends and families back home. At 2:00 p.m., I went punting with the Oxford athletes. As a whole, we were much better at punting the second time around. No one fell off (although there were some close calls). While we winded through town on the river, we saw the boat houses (for crew), Magdalen College and many bridges. At one of them, there is a challenge to try to climb up on the bridge as the punt goes under and try to climb over and back down in time. Only one person tried it but was unsuccessful and just dangled from the bridge. After punting, while others played croquet and checked out the colleges and town, the punters went on a private tour of Magdalen College. It was absolutely beautiful! The buildings were gorgeous and the grass was immaculate... this is a place where you really cannot walk on the grass. They even have their own deer park.

After the tour, we went back into town for some amazing ice cream and shopping. Later, more people went punting while others relaxed and took in the scenery. We called it quits early in order to rest up for the big meet versus Oxford and Cambridge.

Tuesday, June 29:
For our last day in Oxford, we had the opportunity to compete in a very historic and fun meet. Both teams had great performances, including four new meet records from the Cornell-Penn women. The Cornell-Penn men and women won the meet, but we took back much more than just the trophy. We formed friendships, traded "kit" (gear) and formed lasting memories about this experience of a lifetime.  We all learned to appreciate the history behind the Series, which Cornell has participated in since 1921 and with Penn since 1951.

After the meet, we put on our best dresses and suits and had a delicious meal. We all enjoyed the banquet, but the fun continued well after. With the help of two teammates, I announced the trip superlatives to the 52 men and women on our trip, including "Best Dancer" and "Best Punter." Overall, this trip was fantastic and surpassed all of my expectations. I was so honored to be a part of "Cornell and Penn, England 2010" and will never forget all the wonderful places we've seen, the new friends we've made and the fun times we had.