Our Day Off

ALOHA!

Today was our fifth day in Hawaii, and it was considered our “off” day. Most of us got up bright and early and headed to the beach down the street from the hotel. The weather was the best it had been all trip, and we took advantage of this by working on our Christmastime tans and taking some surfing lessons.

After spending a good amount of our day at the beach, and getting enough sun to make all of our friends and families at home in the snow storm jealous, we spent the remainder of the afternoon doing various other activities. Some people went off to the aquarium, some went shopping, and others continued the day of relaxation either poolside or napping in the hotel room.

Tonight we look forward to making the most of our last night in Hawaii before the long trek home tomorrow.

- Heather

Game Day # 2

Dear Diary,

We met for breakfast at wonderful Smorgy's at ten o'clock sharp for our pregame meal. Once we ate our delicious breakfast we headed back to our rooms to get psyched for our game against University of Rio Grande. We were going into this game with nothing to lose, so we all got our jerseys on and headed to the gym for game time.

Today's game went a little better than yesterday's game. I think that we were a little bit more confident with our shot selection and breaking the press. The teams in this tournament are very good NAIA Division II teams, so this is a great learning experience for our team. There were many ups and downs throughout the game, but unfortunately we did not come up with the W.

After the game we headed back to the hotel to shower up and get ready for a team dinner at Smorgy's once again. The rest of the trip will consist of more free time to head to the beach, surf, shop, and did whatever else there is to do in Hawaii. Until next time...

Mahalo!!

- Casey

Game Day!

Today we got up bright and early for team breakfast. Afterwards we had a little free time before hopping on the shuttle and heading to our first game in Hawaii.

Our game was in a Middle School gym and I’ve never seen a middle school gym this big. We played against Doane College (from somewhere in the Midwest…Nebraska, maybe?). Even though we ended up losing the game, it was a good learning experience. Not to mention, our pregame and halftime talks (which are usually in a cramped locker room), were outside in the beautiful weather.

After the game, our team decided the best plan of action was to lay outside. Half went to the beach, half to our hotel’s outdoor pool. Tonight we will be having a team dinner at Chili’s, after which we have the night to ourselves.

- Jen

Pearl Harbor

Today was our first full day in Hawaii. Although the weather in the morning seemed to forecast a cloudy day, it soon cleared up on our team trip to Pearl Harbor. Although we arrived late, we were able to take a tour aof the memorial site with friends and family.

The experience was quite fulfilling as we got to go through the museum and see the remains of the USS Arizona as it lay just beneath the water. Some of the ruins peek just above the water while oil still emerges to the top from leaks that remain in the boat.

After we returned from the Pearl Harbor visit, we ran as a team along the water. Next, we all took the time to travel to the "Old Spaghetti Factory" to have a team dinner. the time was spent well as we all shared good laughs and good food.

Finally, the team was able to have a little free time before curfew, where most of us walked throughout the streets of Honolulu , finding stores to shop at, whether it was for ourselves or for Christmas gifts.

Our first game is tomorrow, wish us luck!

- Carly

We're In Hawaii!

Although exhausted, we finally arrived at our destination, Honolulu, Hawaii. The long wait was well worth it when we stepped out into the eighty degree weather. Honolulu is a very festive, loud city, and we are anticipating great times to come within the next few days. The flights were the hardest obstacle to overcome together as a team; many players have a tremendous fear of flying.

Thankfully, we managed to help each other through it all. Our living set up is very accommodating; our rooms are sequential on the ninth floor. So far, the only part of the hotel we have had time to explore is the pool area. Although the pool is not too big, the surrounding area was great for dinner and watching the celebration street below. We anxiously anticipate plenty of fun and challenging events to come within the next few days here in Honolulu. We look forward to tomorrow's excursion to Pearl Harbor!

- Paige