March 2, 2007
BARCA BLOG – LIFE ON THE ROAD – DAY TWO
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEC TOURNAMENT
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Well, day two on Thursday started much differently in comparison to the first day of the trip. I awoke to heavy thunderstorms. Here’s a photo from just outside our hotel. As you can tell, it is in fact raining. I have been told that Nashville was hit by the same inclement weather. The wet day did make me think about the impact this kind of weather has had on the music industry. Think about it. How many songs have been written about rain? I checked one of my favorite sites, allmusic.com, and found over 1,000 titles with the word “rain” in it. My favorite rain song.. that’s a tough one… always liked these ones: Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head (someone needs to help me with who sung the original – the song has been covered a bunch.. is it B.J. Thomas??) … November Rain (Guns N’ Roses) …. Rain King (Counting Crows) and Kentucky Rain (the King himself, Elvis Presley).
We boarded the team bus around 10:30 a.m. ET and traveled to practice at the Suwannee Sports Academy. I can feel the intensity starting to pick up .. even though it’s a bye day, there is still business at hand.
Practice started with fundamental drills after some stretching. They are off and running in this picture. By the way, the floors must have recently been redone… there are heavy fumes in the air.
Check out these nice Nike kicks (plug! plug!) that the team has on today. I once had a pair of Jordan’s… Begged for them for years… until I finally purchased a pair in high school and ended up realizing the $180 bucks could have been better spent at the time.
Just give me the rock!
You’ll notice on Lauren Lueders’ jersey that the word “sacrifice” is printed on the back. On the reverse side (as shown in a previous picture), it says “trust.”
Ashlee Bridge is shown here catching a breather following practice. Well deserved indeed. Practice was intense and focused. After a long, grueling workout, the Commodores are ready to head back to the bus.
One of the best parts of traveling with the team is the bond between teammates. You can really catch a glimpse of this going back and forth from place to place on the bus. Sing-a-longs are a big hit, even though I wasn’t familiar with a majority of the ones sung today (obviously, no Barry Manilow hits). What started as one of the coaches announcing the agenda for the rest of the day on the intercom, quickly turned into a version of American Idol. Tina Wirth and Jennifer Risper belted out a few tunes for the adoring crowd, and then led the team in a movie quote quiz game. Fun indeed.
When we arrived back at the hotel, it was time for lunch. Upon arriving in the lobby, I noticed that Arkansas was having a spirited pep rally led by their band and cheer squads. I had to stop for a few minutes to take it in. No, I am not a Razorback fan. I just love the enthusiasm of collegiate sports – it’s not matched anywhere else. And of course, how can you not get excited when the team mascot is involved in the festivities. Let it be known that I love mascots – especially the goofy ones.
After lunch, I ventured back to my room and noticed that a sign was put in the hallway with notes from our fan base. Nice touch.
Well, I had two options after lunch. (1) Catch up on work and also take a nap or (2) go to the movies. I decided work and a nap was my best choice to re-fuel for events later in the night. One thing I am figuring out about road trips — it is tough to maintain a normal work schedule. I have to do the bulk of my internet duties either really early in the morning, or sometime past midnight. By the way, the majority of the team went to see the movie Daddy’s Little Girls. I was not familiar with this movie, so I looked it up. Here’s the premise: A successful attorney falls in love with a janitor who has three daughters. This must be based on a true story.
Last night we had a great meal at Pappadeaux’s (still a fun word to say). Tonight we ate at Shogun, a restaurant that consisted of family-fun filled Japanese dining through the Habachi Grill. They cook the food right in front of you and throw in some cooking tricks for entertainment. My big problem is that I am not really skilled when it comes to using chop sticks. Coach Stephanie Norman willingly helped me learn the process…. but in the end, I was a lost cause. This first picture was just before the cook set the grill on fire.
Fire.
More fire.
I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that Court TV was on our bus tv when we first boarded in Atlanta. Low and behold – we sit down in Shogun – and guess what’s on the tube? You got it – Court TV. Not sure if this is the only cable channel in Georgia, or if something else is going on. Anyway, the team changed the channel and came across an episode of ratings king American Idol. This led to a discussion on who was the best Idol through all the seasons. I did overhear some player renditions of Clay Aiken’s “Invisible” … I’ll admit, that was a guilty pleasure at one point. But not my favorite all-time idol. That spot is reserved for …
The incredible William Hung. This guy’s fifteen minutes of fame may have ended, but that doesn’t mean we have to forget about it. I really enjoy his classic rendition of Elton John’s Rocket Man. If you haven’t heard it, check it out. A true inspiration.
After dinner, we headed to the Gwinnett Center for the first time to catch some late game action from the opening round. We made it just after Ole Miss defeated Alabama in game three. Here’s a shot of Ole Miss Head Coach Carol Ross during her post-game press conference.
After the presser, it was time to hit the floor and press row for the final game of the night between Mississippi State and Florida. We are scheduled to play the winner of this game Friday night at 8:30 p.m. CT on FSN South. I ran into MSU’s mascot on my way to the floor. Did I mention I love mascots?
Carrot Top …. Carrot Top, everybody. All joking aside, I can feel a jolt of energy surge through my body after I hit press row. Why? Because there’s nothing better than tournament time. You’ve got the battle of the bands, the die-hard fans joining them in singing the fight song, plus the crazy ones just crazy enough to die their hair orange. Mom would be proud!
Look, another mascot! If I were basing the winner of this game on mascots, I give the slight edge to Florida. Nothing cracks me up more than that ESPN Sportscenter commercial where the Gator exits the elevator and tackles the late Steve Irwin (the Crocodile Hunter).
Another great thing about tournament time is seeing the faces in the crowd. In this picture, we have three former Commodores that had a big impact on the program … (left to right) Ashley McElhiney (now with Alabama), Abi Ramsey and Ashley Earley (also with the Tide).
Well, it’s the end of the night. 11 seed Florida upset 6 seed Mississippi State in the closing game of the opening round, meaning we will play the Gators Friday night. We took one last picture in the concourse, and then got caught in a downpour as we sprinted to the bus. I love a rainy night.
Brandon Barca is the online director for VUcommodores.com. If you’d like to see something specific on the site during this tournament trip, he can be reached by email at brandon.barca@vanderbilt.edu.