Testimonials - Outbound Tours - Guests and/or Parents

Louise Smith, Parent, NSW, Parent, HSE NW USA Tour 2007

"Dear Chris, I have been meaning to write to you and your team for some time now to thank you all for the wonderful experience that you provided for our daughter, Victoria on the 2007 / 08 NW USA tour. I, too, was on the tour and found it to be very professionally organised and executed. From day one David established the ground rules, all were aware of the consequences and they were adhered to.

There was a good balance of "work and play" The children trained and played their best and the opportunity to watch the NBA and college games was of great value. David was a great tour guide, he was knowledgeable and well respected by both the children and guests on tour.

I know my daughter learnt a great deal from this experience and is bringing what she learnt to her game at home which is noticeable. Julie Anderson was amazing as well. What she didn't know about Basketball is probably not worth knowing. She found the strengths in all the girls and managed to capitalise on them. In those three weeks, the girls really bonded and you could see the confidence grow as the results showed. I could probably go on and on about the benefits of such an experience but just want to thank you all for your hard work and dedication in providing these opportunities."

Annette, Kevin and Jason Goodwin, Parents and Player, NZ, HSE IN/KY Tour 2007

"From one of the kiwi team members!  Jason had a wonderful time with your tour.  Would you be able to pass on his thanks and gratitude to all the staff, as we know that they do work hard for the success and enjoyment when on tour. Once again from Jason and his family we would like to thank you for the opportunity to participate in this tour.  If we have any inquiries from this end of the world we will recommend your company and the tours that you organise."

Linda Skeaf, Parent, WA, TAS/WA ITCP Tour 2007/08

"Mitchell has had a wonderful time on the tour and is now planning how he can get back on the next one in 2 years time.  I shall get him to send you his photos and comments but overall I know he thought it was the best thing he has ever done and hasn't settled yet.  He wishes he was still over there.  Many thanks for all your hard efforts with the organisation and frequent contacts."

Chris Lattimore, Parent and Guest, NSW, HSE NC/SC Tour 2007/08

"The Wombats had a great time and bonded well together.  I thought the 'map book' was excellent (as I helped navigate from Virginia Beach to Raleigh), the hotels were good and clean, organisation great.

The Wombats (most of them) came here last Friday to catch up - overall it was a very positive and fun time had by all.  Best wishes and good luck for your other tours."

Michael Saul, Parent, NSW, Abbotsleigh Tour 2007/08

"Feedback from my daughter Hannah was that the tour was generally fantastic.  Looking forward to seeing the other photos."

Vicki Burke, Parent, NSW, School Sport Australia Tour 2007/08

"Teagan had a wonderful time and has great memories of the trip.  Thanks for your part in that!  Thanks again Chris and Team!"

Sue & Jim Cross, Parents and Team Managers (2nd tour), NSW, HSE NC & SC Tour 2006/07

"Hi Chris.  Thanks to you, Tania, and all the Horizons staff for giving us the opportunity to experience another fantastic NC/SC/VA tour.  We all had an awesome time (and may tour again some time)!

To start the tour with a coach was just the best!  The Virginia landscape was just spectacular!

The homestays, as always, were great - we have been blessed with terrific host families and I hope a little bit of Aussie remains with them for some time to come!

Once again thanks for a truly great time and we will be "talking" again soon!"

Fiona Gipson, Mother, QLD, HSE NC & SC Tour 2006/07

"I just wanted to let you know that on behalf of Jordan and ourselves we would like to thank you and your team for a great experience that he had.  Jordan had a wonderful time and now wants to try and play in the US.

All in all he had a great time.  He is very interested in doing the tour again next year so please keep him in mind for the next trip.  Many thanks again to you and your wonderful team."

Carmelita Mitchell, Mother, NSW, HSE NC & SC Tour 2006/07

"Just a short note to say many thanks for everything that was done for Jodi during the tour.  She has certainly had some personal growth from the experience.  She enjoyed the basketball and undoubtedly did her best.  She was happy to report that the "Possums" achieved well.  :)  Yes, she was all smiles.  It was an eye opener for her to be in a situation where she had to make decisions for herself.  It is good to have her home again."

Sharon Carleton, Mother of Oliver (4 tours), NSW, HSE NC & SC Tour 2006/07

"Many thanks for another great tour.  Oliver was very happy with it and thrilled at getting a trophy along the way too."

Julie Mann, Mother, QLD, HSE NW USA Tour 2006/07

"Just thought you need to know that Nelson has enjoyed the trip and declares it was ALL GOOD!  According to Nelson everyone was great and easy to get along with but the best thing was the fun factor.  Well done!, to Horizon Sporting Events.

As a parent it is quite overwhelming, not to mention impressive, to hear all positive feedback about a trip of that length.  Nelson reckons he would do it all over again.  Thanks for the help and keep up the good work."

Averill Niehus, Mother, NSW, HSE NW USA Tour 2006/07

"Thank you for looking after my son so well on the North West USA tour.  He returned very happy and healthy - I would recommend the tour to anyone contemplating it in the future.  Thanks again."

Bernie Lanigan, Father, QLD, HSE NW USA Tour 2006/07

"Well done, Casey had a great time and has made some lasting friends, already arranging to catch up with them."

Julie Robins, Mother, VIC, HSE NW USA Tour 2006/07

"Thanks for the wonderful experience Brad got whilst on your tour.  He really enjoyed it and got lots of real life experiences."

Helen Hancox, Mother, Wellington NZ, HSE IN & KY Tour 2006

"Eric had a fabulous time on the tour - would probably want to do it all again."

Heather Lloyd, Mother, VIC, Box Hill Senior Secondary Tour 2006

"Thanks for keeping us updated.  Hayley did the Box Hill Tour two years ago (as I did) and you guys are killing it for communication and organisation - well done and keep it up!"

Jane Elliott, Mother, Brisbane Grammar Tour to China 2006

"Thank you for organising such a fantastic trip for us.  The Brisbane Grammar trip was the experience of a life time!!  The hotels were great, the hosts were ever helpful and keen to show off their country.  Every thing ran like clockwork, a great balance of activities, sight seeing and basketball.  I am so pleased that I decided to join the tour as a support person (there was plenty to do).  The experience for my 2 children and myself was very special.

Thank you again."

Terry Hartmann, Father, Canberra Grammar Tour 2004

"You may recall that my son Chris Hartmann went on Horizons tour with Canberra Grammar School, and that you provided us some advice about coaches also.

Just letting you know he has accepted the Presidential Scholarship at Elms College near Springfield, Mass. and will be playing on their basketball team and studying business starting this coming Fall.  Elms won their league last year and have been really enthusiastic and supportive during our decision on college scholarship offerings.

Thanks for your help in getting him there."

Joanne Wallis, Mother, HSE North Carolina Tour 2005/06

"My daughter Jess was on your USA tour last January (which she speaks of as being her best basketball experience by the way) and has decided that she would like to investigate the possibility of attending school over there."

Bill Dowson, Father, Illawarra Basketball Board Member

"Great to hear that Horizons are doing well and expanding their programs.  You know that after allowing Luke to travel with you that my family have the greatest regard for your organisation and the care that you take of young athletes."

Gordon Harloe, Father, Perry Lakes Hawks USA tour 2005/06

"Our group returned from a very successful tour of America on Monday 16th January.

Basketball was the focal point and the boys had a fantastic time, winning four and losing four games. The opposition teams were relatively evenly matched, barring the Patterson basketball scholarship team. Our boys would not have had it any other way, enjoying playing and seeing the range of basketball talent in the USA.

It was great experience for the boys and adults to see and experience the spectrum of basketball talent in the States. Some of the teams were extremely athletic and (fortunately for us) a little lacking in skill and others were fantastically athletic and skilled. Whatever the school, clearly they are very passionate about basketball and certainly North Carolina and Virginia appear to be the centre of basketball. We can now understand why Horizons base their tours around this region. As the boys will tell you, the welcome and positive atmosphere at Washington and Lee High school was exceptional, including 500 fans attending the game!

Aside from copious Fox sports basketball with endless college and NBA games the boys thoroughly enjoyed watching the contrasting Lakers and UCLA college games. What a tremendous experience for them. The Duke University and North Carolina University tours were very interesting, with time for the boys to purchase ‘gear’ from the shops and see the UNC stadium which seats 21 572 spectators!

The home stays were a hit with the boys, enabling them to get to know the American way of life better. In the home stays the boys were made very welcome and all had great host families. The Fayetteville home stay parents were particularly delightful, including coming out with members of their team to support our boys at their last game in Fayetteville.

The boys had contrasting experiences, going from the small American towns such as Montross to New York, Washington DC and Los Angeles. How lucky were they!

Weather wise we were very fortunate with a mild winter and our thick woolen clothes were only used occasionally. As you would have heard, the boys experienced light snow when they stopped at Yankee Stadium in New York and them a little freezing rain as we left New York. We could not have asked for more.

In addition to the Uni shops the boys were let loose in the Nike store, plus other shops/factory outlets. All appeared happy with their purchases and should be kitted out with basketball training gear for some time to come.

The boys had a lot of fun at Disneyland and California Adventure Park, rounding off a very successful tour. "

Angie Fraser, Mother, HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2004/05

“Just wanted to say thank you, Andrew had a wonderful time. He is very interested in repeating the experience later this year, and his brother Matthew is interested too. Many thanks again.”
 

Robyn Keast, Mother, HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2004/05 (and HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2003/04)
“Bryan and I would like to express our appreciation for all the assistance, guidance and friendship provided to Millie during the recent trip. She had a great time and there is no doubt that Millie went better prepared this time but also it is apparent that she had strong support, particularly from yourself. So, thanks. Your efforts are much appreciated.”

Claire Tedeschi, Mother, Canberra Grammar School Tour to Indiana USA 2004
“It sounds like it went very smoothly, a credit to the boys and also to you. Many thanks.”
 

Carol Taylor, Mother, Canberra Grammar School Tour to Indiana USA 2004
“…The boys have certainly enjoyed their tour of USA. Having the opportunity of staying with host families provided a great insight in to the lifestyles in this part of America for the boys. Despite the fact that the teams only won one game each, the reports I’ve had say ‘that didn’t matter because it was awesome playing there!’ So they have truly enjoyed themselves. Once again, very well organised and thought through by yourself and the team at Horizons. Many thanks to you all.”
 

Debbie Rolfe, Mother, Canberra Grammar School Tour to Indiana USA 2004
“…the boys have nothing but great things to say about the people, the schools, the places they visited and the way the trip was organised. It is a credit to you and your organization that the tour has run so smoothly. Thank you very much to you and your team for all your hard work.”
 

Steve Peate, Father, Northern Country NSW USA Tour 2004
“Thanks for your efforts Chris and all the Horizons crew. My son Michael has had the time of his life.”
 

Bill Dowson, Father, HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2003/04
“Thanks again for all that you did for Luke and the athletes travelling throughout North Carolina. Lee and I were apprehensive at first however it turned out to be one of our better decisions, allowing him to go.”

Katrine Winter, Mother, HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2003/04
“Thank you so very much for the trip for Sam.  It will be a life changing experience for her and us."
 

Sharon Carleton, Mother, HSE Indiana USA Tour 2003/04 (and HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2002/03, HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2004/05)
“Oliver had a fantastic time once again. Thank you.”
 

Phyllis, adult guest, HSE New Zealand Tour 2003

 “Thanks again for the wonderful trip to New Zealand…Keep in touch and once again thanks for a wonderful trip and keep up the excellent work.”

Sue and Michael Deegan, Parents, HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2002/03
“Emily had a wonderful time. She has already been in touch with some friends she made whilst on tour. Photos have been developed and stories have been told, some maybe a bit tall. It took Emily quite some time to settle on Tuesday she was so excited it was about 11.30pm before she even looked like sleeping. Anyway, once again thanks for offering this opportunity to Emily and we hope that your future tours are as successful as this one appears to have been.”
 

Maureen Bates, Mother, HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2002/03
“I would like to thank you for having Adam, he said it was great and that he was well looked after, a very big task indeed. My appreciation to you both and the rest of the crew.”
 

David and Cheryl Bent, Parents, HSE North Carolina USA Tour 2002/03 
“To you and Tania goes our sincere thanks for your concept, plans and organization of a trip that will be a lifetime memory for the boys and gals. By the way, if anyone keeps records on the greatest number of NCAA and NBA game shirts in one bedroom, try 16+ and increasing.”