Saddle Up: A Trip To Flagstaff With Kent State Women's Basketball - Grand Canyon Climbing Entry
11/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Kent State women's basketball sports information director Mike Ashcraft live blogs from the road as the Golden Flashes visit Flagstaff, Ariz., to take part in Northern Arizona's Hilton Garden Inn Thanksgiving Classic. Kent State battles Utah Valley Friday (Nov. 25) at 4:30 p.m. (ET) before squaring off with the host Lumberjacks the following day at 4:05 p.m. (ET). Be sure to tune in to ESPN Radio 990 AM and KentStateSports.com for live play-by-play of the games.
America, I'm back at it.
Some of you Kent State fans may remember my blogging shenanigans back in June when I made the journey to Austin, Texas, as the baseball team made its unforgettable NCAA postseason run. This time, I'm with the women's basketball team in Flagstaff, Ariz., as the Golden Flashes take part in Northern Arizona's Hilton Garden Inn Thanksgiving Classic. Our journey began on Wednesday with a flight to Las Vegas, so let's start at the beginning.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23
Our adventure got started Wednesday at the Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Before I continue, those of you who followed my baseball blog may recall I had a fear of flying back in the day. No more. I'm now a seasoned flying veteran. I flew to New York City with the volleyball team back in September and made it to and from unscathed. I just pulled a muscle patting myself on the back for that achievement.
Anyway, we got to the airport. Our radio play-by-play man and my road trip roomie, Dave Wilson, and I went on a journey to find some food before we took off. After a harrowing 20-minute walk through the airport, we came across a pizza stand and enjoyed a few slices.
Before we boarded the plane, Dave thought he'd be smooth and get himself a seat upgrade because he doesn't like to sit near the back of the plane. The result? Dave found himself sitting next to a crying baby for four and a half hours. #WINNING. DISCLAIMER: Dave stands by his decision to "upgrade" to this day.
As for me, I couldn't have drawn a better seat. I got to sit between assistant coach Kerrie James and freshman guard Lerren Ducharme. My favorite part of the job is getting to know the amazing student-athletes at Kent State, and I spent the flight chatting with Lerren about her time in Northeast Ohio so far and sharing traveling stories. Lerren is from Windsor, Ontario, and averaged 28 points per game last year in prep ball. She was also a reserve on St. Thomas of Villanova's boys' basketball team. Stay tuned to KentStateSports.com throughout the season, as I'll write some features on Lerren and the rest of our team. I also have to give a shout-out to freshman guard Josie Hull, who was making her first flight. She was a champ and was quite honestly a lot braver about the whole flying thing than I ever was.
Most of the flight was not very scenic until we reached the Rocky Mountains. It was amazing to look out the window and see the snow-capped range below.
After a long flight, we finally landed at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Everyone grabbed their luggage and we headed for the bus, which promplty took us to Rio for a dinner buffet. I had the opportunity to chat with 23rd-year head coach Bob Lindsay about basketball and life in general, which made the meal much more enjoyable and amusing. Coach Lindsay is all business on game day, but he's a really funny and smart guy. I've determined he knows everything about everything.
We got back on the bus after dinner and took a nice tour of the The Strip in Vegas. It was unbelieveable. It's a really vibrant and fun city. We had the opportunity to watch the Bellagio Fountains, which is a really cool thing to see in person. I captured some amateur footage of it and some other Vegas sights.
After checking out Vegas for a bit, we got on the bus and made the four and a half hour drive to Flagstaff. Once we finally made it to the hotel, everyone was fairly exhausted and we headed for bed.
THURSDAY NOV. 24
Thanksgiving morning dawned and we got ready to head to the Grand Canyon. I hope all of our fans had a great Thanksgiving and got to spend some time quality time with family and friends.
This was unlike any Thanksgiving I've ever experienced. I was totally pumped about going to see the Grand Canyon, and it was well worth the hour and a half bus ride. Arizona is probably the most beautiful state I've ever been to. The Grand Canyon was breathtaking, and I think our whole team really enjoyed the experience. Our athletic trainer, Colleen Wittkopp spotted a pair of bighorn sheep (or, "Los Angeles Rams," as Coach Lindsay likes to call them) down below on one of the lower levels of the canyon. Anyone who loves the outdoors or the history of our country MUST visit the Grand Canyon at some point in their lives. I'm planning on coming back someday to hike the Canyon. I'll stop rambling and let you watch the video and see for yourself what our trip was like and enjoy a hilarious interview with junior center Leslie Schaefer from ontop of the world.
After our Grand Canyon visit, we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner as a team at a restaurant called Granny's Closet in Flagstaff. The place had all the trimmings and the meal was great.
FRIDAY, NOV. 25
The businees part of our trip has arrived, and the team is looking to make it two wins in a row today. We're heading over to the Northern Arizona campus in about an hour, and the feeling among the team is that the only thing that can make this great trip better would be a pair of victories to take home with us.
Be sure to listen Dave Wilson's call of the games on your radio or on the Internet and check back with KentStateSports.com for recaps of the contests. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter @KSUathletics, @flash_hoops, @KSUCoachBob and @KentStateWBKSID as well as on Facebook (search: Kent State Women's Basketball). Thanks for following along, and GO FLASHES!
Saddle up,
Mash
