Puerto Rican Rain Forest

Hey everyone,

Sorry I wasn't able to blog yesterday. We had quite the day and didn't get in till way passed my bed time.

We started off the day with a solid win against Sacred Heart. It was a scrappy game, but we were able to pull it together in the second half despite playing without some of our injured teammates. It felt good to get a win to end the year heading into Christmas.

After the game we went back to the hotel to take quick showers then headed to the rain forest! The entire team piled on to a mini school bus and we made the hour drive up to the mountains to see the beautiful El Yunque rain forest. In the rain forest we stopped at a water fall and a lookout tower that allowed us to see all the way out to the ocean!

Once we finished exploring the rain forest we hopped back on the bus for a twenty minute ride back to the ocean shore to go kayaking. When we got there we had to wait around an hour so until it got dark. Once it was dark enough we split up into groups of two and loaded into the kayaks. We first crossed the choppy ocean water then began paddling up a small stream covered in hanging mangrove trees and green plant life. After about twenty minutes of paddling we finally entered the Laguna Grande. The lagoon was spectacular because with every stroke of the paddle the water lit up! Tiny bioluminescent organisms fill the water at around one million species per gallon. It was amazing to watch glowing fish jump out of the water or simply put your hand in the flowing water and watch it light up. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I think the team really enjoyed it. Here are some pictures!

Jana and her wonderful Puerto Rican Kayaker!

Gabby and Gabbie stuck in the trees hahaha

After the trip. We all made it!

For our final day in Puerto Rico the sun finally came out and we were able enjoy the sandy beach. Swimming in the ocean waves was a great way to end the trip before we hopped on the plane to go back to our families.

Merry Christmas! See you in 2012!

Playing in the Puerto Rican air (literally)

Hey everyone,

Today we finally got to play some basketball! When we arrived at La Universidad de Sagarado Corozon we were surprised to be greeted in the gym by birds and open air. One side of the court was completely open! It was weird at first, but by the time we started playing it felt just like any other game.

We came out with a lot of energy in today's game. We played hard and as team. Down the stretch the game was neck and neck. It really came down to the last minute where Elizabethtown was able to capitalize on some of our own mistakes. It was a tough game to lose because we played with such toughness. Tomorrow we will look to go out strong and get win in Puerto Rico.

After the game we headed back to the hotel. Unfortunately, it was raining so we didn't head out to the beach. Most of us took the down time to relax and get a little rest in. The highlight of the night was at our team meeting. Every year the freshmen have to do a skit in front of the team. The team was generous and allowed me and Abbie to do it away from the public eye. After our skit we got to know our teammates a little better by playing the roommate game. Lauren and Kris stole the show with their canny knowledge of how the other one thinks.

I wasn't able to upload any pictures today, but the website has some great videos from today's game.

Tomorrow we are playing Sacred Heart then we will be heading out to the rain forest for some hiking and kayaking!!!

Adios!

PUERTO RICO!

Here are some photos from our trip to Puerto Rico. I will post more as soon as I can!

Hola from Puerto Rico

Hola, this is Coach Hodgdon. I am Kenzie's guest blogger.

We arrived safely into the tropical paradise of San Juan Sunday afternoon. After a much needed night rest, we got up bright and early Monday and hit Isla Verde beach for a much needed team workout. Please see attached picture! The team worked very hard as they took in the sounds of the Carribean Ocean and the beautiful swaying palm trees.The losers of the last drill had to sprint to the water and jump in it (for the record I won the sprint!).

We then took our school bus to Old San Juan where we got dropped off at San Cristobal Castle. We walked along the ocean to the San Felipe El Morro Castle  where an informational tour guide taught us of its significance.He told us it took 250 years for a mixture of prisoners, slaves, carpenters and masons to build it. If you look carefully it is shaped like a "bull".We have many pictures of that trip as well!

The highlight of the day was Kenzie wheeling Laura Pierce around in her wheeclhair. Steep hills and cobble stone roads paved the challenging course, but the Puerto Rican street music and Christmas lights made up for the arduous path. We then had a long awaited team meal, the team devoured Puerto Rican classics such as pork, rice and beans, fried plantains, mofongo,etc.

The team was wiped out, but I was fired up in the anticipation of our big game vs Elizabethtown. We had a team meeting to go over the scout and to get the team mentally prepared for victory. Kenzie will give you all an update in the post game and after our beach excursion.

Coach

First Semester Reflections

It’s amazing how fast the first semester went by. I feel like it was only a few short weeks ago that my parents dropped me off and said their good byes. Looking back on the semester I think of all of the new experiences and challenges that I faced. Academically speaking, the transition from high school to college was a big step. College classes are more challenging and require the skill of time management (more so, the ability to not procrastinate).  Finals week was a true test of my ability to hold myself accountable for the work that I needed to get done. With four essays down and only one final to go, I think I did a pretty good job of it. Not to mention, I didn’t require any overnight stays at the library. Though I did hear they serve pretty good snacks between the hours of 3 a.m to 5 a.m so I might have to take advantage of that Spring semester.

As for the other half of my student-athlete life, I think there is a lot to reflect on for the first part of the basketball season. Entering the season we set a team goal, among many others, of reaching the post season. Even though we have been plagued with some unfortunate injuries, I still believe this goal is within our reach. The pre-season and first few NEWMAC games have taught us a lot. In these games the team has shown spurts of hard play and great communication. Coming back after break it will be our job to turn these spurts into 40 minute games of basketball. This is something I think we are more than capable of doing and will have to do in order to compete with the rest of the NEWMAC. 

However, before we get back to conference play we will be making a short detour to sunny Puerto Rico! The team is very excited to have this amazing opportunity to not only experience a different culture and landscape, but to be able to play some more basketball as well. Capturing two wins (and possibly a nice tan...) before returning home to see our families for Holiday Break would be the perfect gift.

Puerto Rico will be packed with so many fun events that  I will be blogging daily about the wonderful food, activities, and basketball!    

Happy Holidays!

Wheaton is lit up for the winter season! A great sight to look at heading into the last two weeks of work.

WPI and Babson are coming up this week. Another conference win before break would be a great confidence booster.