Women’s basketball freshman Carly Morrow will be providing a blog from Hawaii as the Cats participate in the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu over Thanksgiving weekend. Newest entries appear at the top.
November 25
Aloha Wildcat Fans!
What a week it?s been! We are all sitting in the airport right now waiting to board our flight back to the mainland after an early morning visit to Pearl Harbor. The past couple of days have been very busy with all the games, but I wouldn?t have wanted to be with any other group. We ate at some pretty cool restaurants too, like Planet Hollywood and the Cheesecake Factory. Most people at my table got strawberry cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory but I got the chocolate peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough.
After two disappointing losses cheesecake sounded really good. Sunday, though, was a very important win, and key to keeping a positive outlook on our trip to Hawaii. After the game Sunday, we had the day to ourselves so Sarah Elliott and I decided to go surfing! It was tons of fun, riding what waves we could catch with the help of our instructor. Sarah was hilarious to watch surf because every time she wiped out she never forgot to hold her nose.
This morning at Pearl Harbor was my highlight of the trip. I think Coach Palmer described it best as a very moving experience. To think that you are standing on top of a sunken ship still holding the bodies of about 900 American sailors just touched us all in one way or another. On the memorial itself, in the middle of the harbor, you can even see the oil that is still leaking out from the U.S.S. Arizona and even air bubbles every once and a while. See that is something I will never forget.
It has truly been a great experience in Hawaii this past week! We can?t wait to get back to cold and rainy Lexington and start back with classes and finals?..not! J Thank you guys for all of your support through the week and the rest of the season.
Mahalo and Aloha!
Carly M.
November 22
Aloha and Happy Thanksgiving Wildcat Fans!
Jenn’e, Carly O., and I just got back from roaming the streets and shops of downtown Honolulu after the tournament banquet. What a way to end a beautiful day on the island by walking down the sidewalks with a beautiful sunset in front of us! It has been such a fun day just getting to hang out with the team on the beach and lounging in the hotel.
We had most of day to ourselves after an early morning practice. Some of the girls went shopping but most headed to the beach. By the time I got there most of the team was playing beach volleyball. Probably one of the funniest things I have ever watched. Between Amber telling people where to go and how to play, and Chante? getting tripped up in the net, the volleyball match was a sight to see and it drew a crowd of tourists too! For lunch, I dragged Victoria Dunlap into a Japanese restaurant to have some sushi. ?Vic? refused to even try it but that just left more for me. After all of the fun we had study hall before the banquet to catch up on school work and rest up for the banquet.
The banquet was nice because we finally got to have a Thanksgiving dinner. We had some mashed potatoes, ham, turkey and dressing with gravy?felt like I was right at home. But the best part was the desserts. Our table cleaned them out. We ate everything from strawberry and blueberry cheese cake, vanilla and chocolate cake, and of course pumpkin and key lime pie. It was cool to get to see all of the teams before tomorrow and hear their coaches say a quick word in front of the crowd. After the banquet is when Jenn’e, Carly O., and I hit up the shops. Now Vic, Ali, Sarah, and I are getting ready to watch ?Pirates of the Caribbean: At World?s End? so I gotta go!
Hope everybody had an awesome Thanksgiving!!!
Aloha!
Carly M.
November 21
Aloha Wildcat Fans!
What a first day we had in Honolulu on Wednesday! An incredible breakfast, practice at the University of Hawaii, and a Luau. After a great night?s sleep, we ate breakfast at the hotel. This breakfast may have been the furthest thing from continental. Not only did it entail fruit, bagels, waffles, pancakes, French toast, and made-to-order omelets, but also a Japanese cuisine. An assortment of raw fish and food that I don?t even know what they?re called or how to eat, We all stayed clear of that all and filled up on waffles, hash browns, and bacon – all food that I am quite familiar with.
After breakfast it was time to get focused for Minnesota. We had film and the scouting report and then headed out for practice at the University of Hawaii. The gym we practice in was a sauna! Between the heat outside and the solo fan in the gym, we were drenched in sweat. Even though there was a fan, Coach Mitchell had us on the court where the fan wasn?t blowing. We had a good first day of preparation for the Gophers, and left excited about the Luau!
The Luau was a little cheesy but I liked all the dances they were doing. They also pulled a pig out of the ground that had been cooking since 5 a.m. that morning. The food was really good and we all had a great time. The funniest thing I may have ever seen was Amber Smith dancing on stage. She was mixing the Soulja Boy dance with hula dancing. Along with Amber, Catina Bett, Victoria Dunlap, Sarah Elliott and Ali Lomax all were brave enough to go up on stage and learn to hula. I wasn?t about to get on stage and cramp Amber?s style. Ha.
We just got back to the hotel and I can barely keep my eyes open. I?m very sleepy and we have practice at 7 a.m. I?ll write more tomorrow on Thanksgiving Day!
Go Cats,
Carly M.
November 20
Aloha Wildcat Fans!
It?s Carly M. and I?m going to be writing to you as often as I can, updating you on our Thanksgiving trip to Hawaii. Hope you enjoy it!
So, I feel like its 2 a.m. in the morning. The team just dragged into the hotel at 9 p.m. Hawaii time after an eventful dinner at a local restaurant. After a long day of traveling everybody is ready to sleep-in tomorrow morning. It?s been a long day because we rolled out of Lexington this morning at 5:30 a.m. EST to drive to Cincinnati, Ohio to catch a flight to Salt Lake City, Utah.
The flight to Hawaii, or as Coach Mitchell likes to call it ?Hi-Wah-Ya,? was forever long, but there were a couple of movies to ease the ride. Instead of the movies though, I chose to watch the latest ?Hannah Montana? episode on my I-pod. A couple of Sudoku puzzles and a very long nap later and we finally arrived in Honolulu. This city is one of the most unique places I have ever seen. The mountains surround the city on all sides except for the beaches, and the beaches look just like something out the movies. People were lying around in the sand and surfers were chilling out in the water, waiting for the next set of waves.
Coach Mitchell added to the bus ride to the hotel by telling us facts about Hawaii he had researched. He was explaining where we were on the island and when Hawaii became part of the United States. He was using his sense of humor, like only Coach Mitchell can, to pretend he knew all about the island. It was pretty funny. I think he can be a tour guide if coaching doesn?t work out for him.
The hotel is unreal. Jenn?e Jackson and I room together and our room, like all the others, has a balcony that overlooks the beach and the pool down below. I could sit there for hours and just stare across the Pacific Ocean. After taking in our new home for the next week, we headed to eat a good shrimp dinner. There were so many different types but most of us settled with the fried or Cajun shrimp. Of course we all saved room for dessert too with strawberry shortcake and a giant cookie sundae. We just got back to the hotel and hopefully we?ll get a good night?s rest now that we are nice and full. We need to get plenty of rest because practice is tomorrow! I guess that?s it for now?more from Hawaii tomorrow. Go Cats!
Aloha!
Carly M.
