Hoopin' it up in the Bahamas, The Final Entry
5/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Reflecting on our trip I feel blessed to have had this opportunity. The team represented MSU better than any coach could ask. Here is the final journal entry of MSU’s eight-day and seven-night tour of Nassau, Bahamas.
Day VIII began at 8 a.m. packing all of our belongings. My three-year-old son Justin is very fond of his Thomas the Tank Engine pajamas, and today I decided not to negotiate a deal and just let him wear them.
Along with my husband Todd, Justin and I headed down to breakfast for the last time. I thought how nice it was going to be tomorrow eating a bowl of cereal in our home. One morning I performed a taste test before giving milk to Justin. The milk didn’t get much farther than my throat before I regurgitated it right back into the glass. The table next to me broke out in laughter admitting they did the same thing the day before. You see, I learned the hard way that here in the Bahamas they do not refrigerate the milk. And I am the one stressing proper manners to our players.
I am very fond of Bahamian food in general. The delicacy of choice is Conch (pronounced conk), a shell fish which many of us tried throughout the week-- raw, seasoned and fried. The most entertaining fish display, however; was the red snapper as it came out with the head still intac.. Ms. Richardson, our bus driver as well as native of Nassau, was the only veteran at the meal and showed us how to eat it properly. She simply removed the head with her knife and fork so it couldn’t stare and make you fill guilty for leaving out the “release” part of the catch.
My favorite side dish was the peas & rice which Coach Saneholtz ordered on the first day. I think her question to the waitress began as such…
Amy: “What are the steamed vegetables?”
Waitress: “Broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.”
Amy: “And the peas & rice,” pause, “that’s just peas & rice?”
Waitress with a bemused smirk: “Yes.”
At 10:50 a.m. Ms. Richardson picked us up in her bus now wearing her MSU pin proudly. We closed our eyes one last time as we drove the streets in great prayer. Arriving at the airport safely, I gave a quick thanks above, hugged and thanked Ms. Richardson for being so warm and friendly with our team.
I am looking forward to getting back to American time rather than Bahamian. If you haven’t already heard what Bahamian time is, it’s a bit more relaxed.
12 p.m. We finally get through customs. Sitting down near our gate I look at Krislyn Wallace getting WAY to comfortable with Justin Scanson’s three-month-old baby Camryn. I looked her in the eye and said, “Don’t even think about it.” She laughed saying she wasn’t ready to be done with her life yet. That in itself was pretty funny.
As I am sitting on the plane, between Justin watching the Doodlebops and Todd whining that I got more tan than him, I am anxious to return back home to Bozeman. I felt like our mission had been accomplished.
We came to Nassau to get international basketball experience, have an educational experience, and build team cohesion. All week long, I saw different groups hanging out with each other, mixing and doing different things. My favorite aspect of this team is the variety of personalities and backgrounds from four different countries and five different states who all bring out the best in each other. Not only did we become a closer team, but we now have special memories we can always look back on.
4 p.m. We’re in Atlanta, back on American time and with American prices. At the food court, Katie Falco was overjoyed that she only had to pay $4 for her milk and snacks. She is also our travel coordinator so being frugal is a strength.
6 p.m. We get on our flight to Salt Lake. For the first time in eight days I open my new book. Many would think that I would have read four books on the beach or by the pool in that span of time, but when you have a three-year-old that’s not the case. Instead, I enjoyed running from the waves, building sandcastles, going down the slide, and tossing the beach ball back and forth.
9:45 p.m. Sitting in front of our gate in Salt Lake waiting for our plane to come from the hanger everyone is sinking lower in their seats, everyone except for Justin of course. He is now running around (he’s a huge American Idol fan) singing “We’re coming back to Bozeman, we’re coming back to Bozeman.” Some of the players are trying to grab him to add some new lines but he refuses their suggestions. Instead he continues until our plane is finally ready to board.
12 a.m. We arrive back in Bozeman a closer group. Falling into bed, I have only one voice ringing in my ear. “We’re coming back to Bozeman.” And I couldn’t be happier.
Thank you to our sponsors, thank you to all of the MSU staff that made this opportunity a success, and thank you to Basketball Travelers in organizing this adventure.
Day VIII began at 8 a.m. packing all of our belongings. My three-year-old son Justin is very fond of his Thomas the Tank Engine pajamas, and today I decided not to negotiate a deal and just let him wear them.
Along with my husband Todd, Justin and I headed down to breakfast for the last time. I thought how nice it was going to be tomorrow eating a bowl of cereal in our home. One morning I performed a taste test before giving milk to Justin. The milk didn’t get much farther than my throat before I regurgitated it right back into the glass. The table next to me broke out in laughter admitting they did the same thing the day before. You see, I learned the hard way that here in the Bahamas they do not refrigerate the milk. And I am the one stressing proper manners to our players.
I am very fond of Bahamian food in general. The delicacy of choice is Conch (pronounced conk), a shell fish which many of us tried throughout the week-- raw, seasoned and fried. The most entertaining fish display, however; was the red snapper as it came out with the head still intac.. Ms. Richardson, our bus driver as well as native of Nassau, was the only veteran at the meal and showed us how to eat it properly. She simply removed the head with her knife and fork so it couldn’t stare and make you fill guilty for leaving out the “release” part of the catch.
My favorite side dish was the peas & rice which Coach Saneholtz ordered on the first day. I think her question to the waitress began as such…
Amy: “What are the steamed vegetables?”
Waitress: “Broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.”
Amy: “And the peas & rice,” pause, “that’s just peas & rice?”
Waitress with a bemused smirk: “Yes.”
At 10:50 a.m. Ms. Richardson picked us up in her bus now wearing her MSU pin proudly. We closed our eyes one last time as we drove the streets in great prayer. Arriving at the airport safely, I gave a quick thanks above, hugged and thanked Ms. Richardson for being so warm and friendly with our team.
I am looking forward to getting back to American time rather than Bahamian. If you haven’t already heard what Bahamian time is, it’s a bit more relaxed.
12 p.m. We finally get through customs. Sitting down near our gate I look at Krislyn Wallace getting WAY to comfortable with Justin Scanson’s three-month-old baby Camryn. I looked her in the eye and said, “Don’t even think about it.” She laughed saying she wasn’t ready to be done with her life yet. That in itself was pretty funny.
As I am sitting on the plane, between Justin watching the Doodlebops and Todd whining that I got more tan than him, I am anxious to return back home to Bozeman. I felt like our mission had been accomplished.
We came to Nassau to get international basketball experience, have an educational experience, and build team cohesion. All week long, I saw different groups hanging out with each other, mixing and doing different things. My favorite aspect of this team is the variety of personalities and backgrounds from four different countries and five different states who all bring out the best in each other. Not only did we become a closer team, but we now have special memories we can always look back on.
4 p.m. We’re in Atlanta, back on American time and with American prices. At the food court, Katie Falco was overjoyed that she only had to pay $4 for her milk and snacks. She is also our travel coordinator so being frugal is a strength.
6 p.m. We get on our flight to Salt Lake. For the first time in eight days I open my new book. Many would think that I would have read four books on the beach or by the pool in that span of time, but when you have a three-year-old that’s not the case. Instead, I enjoyed running from the waves, building sandcastles, going down the slide, and tossing the beach ball back and forth.
9:45 p.m. Sitting in front of our gate in Salt Lake waiting for our plane to come from the hanger everyone is sinking lower in their seats, everyone except for Justin of course. He is now running around (he’s a huge American Idol fan) singing “We’re coming back to Bozeman, we’re coming back to Bozeman.” Some of the players are trying to grab him to add some new lines but he refuses their suggestions. Instead he continues until our plane is finally ready to board.
12 a.m. We arrive back in Bozeman a closer group. Falling into bed, I have only one voice ringing in my ear. “We’re coming back to Bozeman.” And I couldn’t be happier.
Thank you to our sponsors, thank you to all of the MSU staff that made this opportunity a success, and thank you to Basketball Travelers in organizing this adventure.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
