Aug. 15, 2009
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Editor’ Note: Coach Frederick’s Day Eight Blog follows the team to the Townsville Billabong Sanctuary, where the guys had a ball with the kangaroos, crocodiles, and koala bears. The team enjoyed the day off before their last game on Sunday afternoon against Townsville.
By Brad Frederick
Cheers. We have landed in Townsville, a relatively small city on the northeastern coast of Queensland, with a population of about 150k. Although our local bus driver constantly refers to this place as a “big city,” it certainly does not feel that way coming from Melbourne and Sydney. The town has more of a throwback look and feel to it. Our hotel is straight out of the ’70s with its decor, small rooms, 5-foot shower heads and old school keys.
Despite the change in scenery, we still had an incredible day thanks in large part to some friendly kangaroos. With a late game last night and a desire to keep the Sydney experience going just a little bit longer, sleep was at a minimum for most and the 6 AM wake-up call came much too soon this morning. We did our usual damage at breakfast and headed for the Sydney airport. Fortunately, we did not fly Oceanic 815 instead opting for Virgin Blue 1519. Some of us were pleasantly surprised to be watching the PGA Championship live on board. Of course, they cut that off about 10 minutes into flight, asking for $10 to continue. Tiger looked in control so everyone opted for sleep on the 2.5 hour flight, except for Coach Stallings who is attempting to set the record for most books read while traveling. I think he’s closing on his fifth book at this point.
Upon our arrival into Townsville just after noon, we walked outside the airport to 80 degrees and sunny. As we have moved north, the weather has gotten warmer at each spot. We checked into our hotel and grabbed a quick lunch. Then we jumped back on the bus and headed for Billabong Sanctuary, considered the top wildlife sanctuary in Australia. Although it does not look too impressive as you pull up, it quickly became one of our favorite parts of the trip. Billabong offers a chance to see Australian wildlife, including kangaroos, crocodiles, koalas, snakes, and emus. The reason this place is so special is your ability to interact with the animals.
Walking through the 11-acre park we suddenly noticed kangaroos freely roaming around us. A little bird seed is all it takes for the kangaroos to be eating directly out of your hand. Everyone on the team took turns feeding the kangaroos while posing for a million pictures. Coach King Rice nearly had a heart attack when a kangaroo crept up right behind him looking to be fed. They were amazingly friendly animals, however. We also posed with koalas, a python snake, and a baby croc. You should be able to tell from the pictures I sent back how excited everyone was.
The other highlight from Billabong was the crocodile feedings. The handler on staff there could make 8-foot crocs rise out of the water to be fed or snap their jaws by teasing them with a dead bird corpse. Though he seemed a bit crazy, the handler’s skills were impressive. Coach Stallings enjoyed scaring guys, like Elliott Cole, by sneaking up from behind and grabbing their legs during the feeding show. We can easily entertain each other, if you hadn’t noticed.
After returning from the sanctuary, we headed out for dinner. Townsville appears to be a totally different city at night, with far more people and energy on the streets. The players went to Cactus Jacks for dinner while the staff found a local Italian spot. People in town also seem to be excited about tomorrow’s game. The Townsville Crocs, another NBL team, rarely get people to play them at home. We have been told there will be another big-time crowd for the Sunday afternoon game. We were also told that the Crocs were a better team than the Wollongong Hawks. That is just what we are looking for!
To close this edition of the blog, I interviewed Jermaine Beal about the trip and his international experience since being a Commodore. Below is the Q & A, and as you will see, he’s been all around the world!
Until then, goodnight from Townsville. I will be back with my final blog tomorrow.
Coach Frederick’s Q&A with Jermaine Beal
What is the highlight of the trip so far?
Probably cruising around the harbor in Sydney and seeing all of the sights and nice scenery. Today we went to the sanctuary and saw crocodiles, kangaroos, and koalas, and we were feeding them. That was cool.
Tell us about your international experience since you’ve been at Vanderbilt.
All of the coaches are calling me “International” Beal. I’ve been to Australia, China, Argentina, Mexico and Puerto Rico. It’s fun and it’s been a blessing. I’m pretty sure that there are not too many college players that get to go to four different countries in their four years of basketball. I’m just happy and I’m taking it all in. I’m having a good time.
How’s the basketball experience been so far?
On the court it’s been good…the style of play is a little different. The teams are a little more physical, and the refs are emphasizing hand checking (laughing). Our team is learning and we’re learning as individuals too. Hopefully this trip will help us out in the long run.
Can you believe it’s your senior year already?
Time went by real fast. I remember like it was a couple of days ago that I just came in to play a little defense now and then. But, I’m a senior now, and the time has gone by fast. I’m just trying to finish strong and go out with a bang.
What meal do you want your mom and dad to have ready for you when you arrive home?
My favorite meal…pork chops smothered in gravy, mashed potatoes and corn. I love it. Throw in some sweet tea, and I’ll be good for a couple of days. So, Momma, go ahead and start fixing it so it will be ready when I get home (laughing). I love you and I’ll see you soon.
