Women's Basketball | 6/16/2009 5:08:46 PM

[Photo gallery]

Throughout the Western Oregon University women's basketball Friendship tour to Argentina, All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference performer Katie Torland will be writing a blog about the experience.

Follow along with the journey as the Wolves represent Western Oregon University on the international stage.

Entry 8 (July 3)
Hi everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to write this final blog. Our plane ride from Buenos Aires to Atlanta was a little over 10 hours but we did have good movies that played the whole time for those of us who couldn't sleep very well on the plane.

Once we landed in Atlanta we had about an hour and a half to get our bags, go through customs (again), and get back to our gate for boarding. We were very rushed for time and just our luck, they switched our boarding gate at the last minute so our team was literally "running" through the airport. Missing our flight was not an option. With the time changes we landed at LAX at 9:30am, with none other then Ne-Yo (famous rap/pop singer) aboard our plane. When we got down to baggage claim, Ne-Yo was nice enough to pose for a photo with our whole team.

After getting our luggage and shuttling to our van we finally hit the road for our final segment of the trip. D-BO flew home so we did have a little more room since there was one less person and bag to cram in. Everyone wanted to get home as soon as possible so we only stopped for gas, food, or switching drivers. We drove all day and half of the night, until we finally arrived back home in Monmouth at 1:00am (Friday morning).

On behalf of the team I would like to thank everyone who helped make this trip possible. It was an experience of a lifetime and something we will never forget. Hope everyone has a fun, relaxing, and safe summer. 

GO WOLVES

Entry 7 (June 23)
Well as much fun as this trip has been, I think we are all ready to get back home to our way of life and see all of our family and friends.

Monday started with a boat ride on the Tigre River which lasted a little over an hour. It was interesting to see and hear about the culture and way of life in that area of Argentina. For dinner, Coach Bruce treated our whole team to a meal at the Buenos Aires Hard Rock Café. It was very generous of him and we all appreciated it mucho. It was splendid to order a meal that we could read from the menu and be certain we would be receiving exactly what we ordered. Most of us got a cheeseburger and french fries, oh what predictable Americans we are.

Today (Tuesday) we were able to sleep in and hang out for most of the day. We left for our game at 5:00pm and drove for two solid hours before arriving due to heavy traffic. The club we played in was an ice box so to warm up, we were lucky to play the “somewhat cocky” U.S. team, composed of Division 1 players and the supposedly “#1 freshman in the country,” as a prelude to our scheduled game. We played with no refs for about twenty minutes and although there was no official scorebook, according to Albus (our statistician for the trip due to injury) we beat them by three points.

Both of our teams had numerous turnovers in the fast paced twenty minutes but we played great defense, stopped their transition game, and knocked down the shots that counted. It was a pretty good feeling because they do have some talented athletes and like I said, they display the attitude they know they are good. Then, when our actual scheduled game started, we were sloppy and slow. But the second half we really picked it up and played some good basketball. Players from both the U.S. and Argentina teams traded uniforms after the game and one person even bought AJ's shoes from her because they don't have Jordan basketball shoes available to purchase down here.

It has been a great experience, regardless of the competition level. From what I've observed here, basketball just isn't as important as it is for us in the United States and at Western Oregon. We all feel fortunate to have had this opportunity to see and do things that most people never get the chance to do in a lifetime. I will write one more blog about our long journey back home so stay tuned.

Entry 6 (June 21)
Buckle up cowboy, today we spent all morning and afternoon at a ranch, about an hour and fifteen minutes out of Buenos Aires. For a few of us, Colby (Joseph, Ore.), AJ (Ontario, Ore.), and myself (Burns, Ore.), we expected this to be the same type of environment we had grown up around but this place was much more then what we expected.

When we arrived we had a couple hours of free time to do whatever we wanted, go on a horseback ride around a field, go on a carriage ride or tour the gift shop. For several of the people, including a men's basketball player from New York and a couple volleyball girls from Ohio, it was their first time ever riding a horse. Along with our group of 50 people from the U.S., the ranch also attracted crowds from parts of South America, Mexico, and France for the day.

Around 1:00pm a large bell rang indicating lunch was ready. In Argentina people for the most part eat a smaller breakfast around 7:00am, then from1:00-2:00pm they eat their biggest meal of the day. They drink tea or coffee around 6:00ish and then enjoy a smaller dinner around 10:00 or 11:00pm. For this lunch at the ranch, they went all out! For starters we got bread and salad that came with an assortment of vegetables and potato's. Next came the endless amounts of different meats including, sausage, "rocky mountain oysters", (don't know the proper name for them), prime rib, ribs, and chicken. I am sure you are probably wondering how the rocky mountain oysters tasted huh? Well I have had the displeasure of being forced to try them a few times in the past so I opted to pass this time around. But quite a few of the other girls were curious enough to try them. I don't think even Erika, who loves everything, really truly enjoyed them. I am not sure if it's the flavor that is lacking or just the thought of what you are actually chewing on that makes the taste less appealing.

When we were finally done with the last course, we were all on a meat overload so we let it settle in our stomachs while we watched a tango performance and a gaucho (Argentinean cowboy) sing some Argentina music.

Our final event on the ranch before we headed back to the hotel was out by the horse pastures. Everyone watched as the gauchos rounded up the horses according to color and led them around the pasture. It was amazing how the horses would stay together in their groups, even when the herds crossed, they would ultimately end up with the right herd and color again. Next was a competition, I am not sure what it was called but the object was for the gauchos to get a ring thru a pencil that hung from a strap on a post while riding their horses at a full lope. It was very impressive to see the amount of concentration and hand-eye coordination needed to perform this trick.

On the way back to the hotel in our bus, Meeka, an Argentina girl about the same age as us who is helping with the tours for our trip, entertained us with her vocal skills on the microphone. She is a hoot and loves our Western Oregon (plus Kristin Hein, NNU) team. As soon as we got back we had to race to our rooms and change for our game.

The gym we played at this time was by far the best facility. Although the competition was not great, we played really well in most aspects of the game. I am seeing big improvements in our team and that's just what we need.

Once again Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there, I hope it was a good one.

Entry 5 (June 20)
Today was probably the best day of the trip so far, only downfall was not having a game. The entire afternoon was ours to do with what we wanted. Coach and the rest of us decided to go to the cemetery that we had heard so much about and then check out the Saturday market for some souvenir shopping.

The cemetery was creepy but awesome at the same time. Instead of tombstones, there were mini-stone houses that held the coffins, most likely belonging to rich and/or famous people. It was the kind of cemetery you would see in a scary movie or something, definitely worth seeing though.

Next was the market, we were all excited to see what there was and hopefully get some good deals on trinkets for family and friends. Stand after stand, locals were selling their homemade jewelry, paintings, clothes, and Argentina tea pots. Our team split up in the mass hunt for gifts and hadn't arranged an official meeting time. So, after three hours of walking through the market about half of us met up with each other and decided to head back to the hotel which was about a half hour walk.

Lindsey and I felt the need to wash some clothes, including our smelly uniforms, so we asked where we could find a laundromat and headed out. But after two tries (the first place was a dry cleaners and the second place was about to close and told us to come back tomorrow) so, no luck. We resorted to washing our clothes in the tub.

At 10:00pm all the teams were heading to the Museum (a huge 4-story club) for what we thought would be pizza and dancing. But it turned out to be way better! We were served a fancy meal which consisted of bread, caeser salad, ravioli or chicken and a sweet chocolate cake/ice cream dessert. After that we were entertained with a cross-dressing comedian who caught everyone off guard but was surprisingly funny. Next was a fashion show modeling everything from coats to swimsuits. Lindsey and Erika each got a free dress and Colby was given five free workout sessions at a place here in the city, too bad we live halfway around the world and can't really put those to use.

The final event before the Museum turned into a dance floor was a magic show which didn't get over until just before 1:00 am. A late night for most of us would be 2:00 or 3:00am but according to people here, that's just when the fun starts. We were happy to learn most of the songs were in English and we all knew them. It was a blast but by the time we got back to the hotel at 3:30am, our feet were tired and our twin beds couldn't have been more welcoming.

Entry 4 (June 19)
Everyone had late nights so naturally we would all sleep in the next morning, just didn't think it would be for half of the day. But I think it was much needed and gave everyone a little extra boost.

Everyone went to lunch at “Torre Paris” again, this time choosing from halibut, pasta, or chicken. Nothing was officially planned for the afternoon so our team decided we would venture around and shop. I think my sense of direction is finally starting to slowly come back to me, at least for the area of the city we are staying at. A man who drew cartooned pictures of people caught our eye and we thought it would be a memorable souvenir for coach to have of the trip. So Erika took charge explaining what we wanted and he drew each of our faces loaded in a car, with the city of Argentina in the background and a basketball, of course.

As we walked along the crowded sidewalks people would just stop and stare at “the Americans.” I think they find it very odd that we wear flip-flops and shorts since it is their fall going into winter. But still the temperatures in the low 60s and people bundle up with snow jackets and scarves. There was one boy, about 12 years old, who came up to us and just starred at Albus like she was God. We tried asking him questions in both English and Spanish to create conversation but all we could squeeze out of him was his name, Lucas. We all laughed and laughed but his eyes never left her face.

After almost three hours of exploring the shops we headed back to the hotel to get ready for game two. It took us about forty five minutes to get there and when we arrived it was definitely a sight we will not forget. There was cement floors, bleachers that were very straight up and down, and kids everywhere running around like they just ate a pound of sugar but it was absolutely a neat experience. All the fans that watch our games think we are famous or something, swarming us players and coach after the game with questions and asking for autographs. The club house we played at made us pizza directly following the game and then we headed out, not arriving back at our hotel till midnight.

Entry 3
Hola WOU fans. Today we woke up about 7:00am and started our day off with an Argentinean style breakfast at the hotel. There were no eggs and bacon, no pancakes or hash browns. Instead there was a variety of little pastries, cereal that looked like nothing we had ever seen before, fruits, and a bunch of toppings for toast. After that we all got ready for the day and loaded onto the bus for a tour of Buenos Aires.

Everyone had a great time sight seeing, taking pictures, and learning about their way of life. The Metropolitan Cathedral was one of the places that stood out in my mind. It was absolutely beautiful inside. La Boca, a part of Buenos Aires, is where Tango originated from. We got to walk around this area, look at all the different shops, and see the large professional futbol arena. The tour took us to all areas of the city, including run-down poverty stricken districts. Seeing those places definitely makes you realize how good we have it and appreciate things even more so. We toured the city for over three hours and still didn't even come close to seeing it all. I can't even begin to describe how many tall buildings of apartments there are.

Once the tour wrapped up, we went to lunch at “Club Lounge.” Before coming here we all assumed the main dishes in Argentina would be Mexican food but actually we have not had any of that so far. Instead, they are big meat eaters here. Coach, Lindsey, and I ordered hamburgers for lunch expecting to see good ol' American style burgers. But we were given plates with fries and two large patties of meat, no bun, no garnishes, or condiments, once again, very different but tasty. On the walk back to the hotel some of our girls got a little lost. They finally made it back, after walking 10+ blocks in the wrong direction and encountering a large group of vocal protesters.

At 6:00pm we loaded onto the bus and headed to our game, about forty-five minutes away. Everyone was keyed up to play and a little nervous as well. I thought the style of the game was a lot different then what we were used to in the GNAC, everyone played as a guard, with very little posting up. When the game was over no one shook hands and said good game, in its place, the Argentina players hugged and kissed our cheeks as their way of displaying good sportsmanship. Three younger girls, who were watching the game, approached AJ after and asked to get a picture with “the tall American.”

When we finally got back to our hotel our stomachs were rumbling so we grabbed some late night food at Torre Paris again. It was our first time really ordering off a menu on our own so Erika, who has a pretty good Spanish vocabulary, was our main line of communication between us and the waiter. That's all for now folks, hope you're enjoying the blogs. Adios.

Entry 2 (June 18)
We have finally made it! The flight from LA to Atlanta took us a little over four hours. The whole time in LA we were all keeping our eyes open for a celebrity but didn't see any. Much to our surprise, we shared the plane with the guy from the TV show Growing Pains, Kirk Cameron. Erika was the brave one and asked him about it but his response was “Hmm let me think?” A little rude and unexpected but I guess after getting asked stuff like that your whole life it would get annoying.

We had about a two hour lay-over in Atlanta before we headed out on the ten hour flight to Buenos Aires. All of the teams going on this trip from the U.S. met in Atlanta. Altogether there are three women's basketball teams, one men's basketball team, and one volleyball team comprised of players from all over the United States. We entertained ourselves on the plane with movies, books, and taking pictures of people while they were sleeping. They fed us dinner and a breakfast on the plane because it was an all night flight. Everyone tried to sleep off and on but I am pretty sure none of us got our beauty sleep.

After 5,150 miles in the air we finally touched down in the enormous city of Buenos Aires. Before unloading from the plane we each were given a face mask and were told we had to wear them while in the airport due to the H1N1 Virus. I don't know if they were just picking on us because of the two reported cases at Western Oregon or what? ? We had to go through customs before we could get our luggage and finally loaded our tour bus. Since it was still early at that time (about 9:30am) we couldn't go to our Dazzler Hotel and check in. Instead our bus took everyone to a shopping mall where we hung out and ate some food until it was time to check in, just what 40 tired people wanted to do right? It wasn't too bad and the time went by fast. None of us could believe how spotless and organized the entire mall was, including Walmart.

The Dazzler Hotel has a nice fancy lobby, but surprisingly small rooms. It is much different than what we are accustomed to in the U.S., with twin beds, no wash cloths, and a bidet. We were lucky enough to be roomed with people from our own team; AJ, Albus, and D-BO together, Erika and Sara, Colby and Kristen, and Lindsey and myself. We had the rest of the day off until 8:30 then we were meeting for dinner. We took advantage of that free time and caught up on some much needed R & R. Dinner was at a place called, "Torre Paris", about two blocks from our hotel. It was great, all kinds of breads for starters, a fried meat type dish with ham and cheese melted on top and potato fries plus dessert. Our first experience with Argentina cuisine was a success.

The rest of the night was ours to do what we wanted. Most of the girls wanted to give the night life a try and went dancing with some players from other teams and a few of our tour guides. Colby, Kristen, and I were not quite in the dancing mood so we went walking around downtown and explored the area as tourists do. Our team definitely stands out down here and has had to use the phrases “sorry we are not from here” or “no hablo espanol” more than once. Tomorrow will most likely be our first game and I am looking forward to playing and seeing the level of International play. Everyone wants me to say hello to their families and friends for them. We are having a great time and being safe, so no need to worry.

Entry 1 (June 16)
Argentina, here we come! Our team, including AJ Hawk, Sara Zahler, Daniello Bellando, Danielle Albus, Lindsey Shearer, Erika Wilson, Colby Patton, and myself (minus Kristen Hein of NNU) Coach Bruce, and our nine suitcases managed to survive for almost fifteen hours of sitting in a van. Thank goodness for IPODS, Twilight- the book, pillows, food, and laughter.

Our first stop was just outside of Roseburg at the Seven Feathers Casino, where D-BO's father, was generous enough to provide all of us with a free meal. Surprisingly, nothing really eventful happened on the trip down, no heat flashes or bad smells. Lyla Bruce made delicious brownies and I baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookies to cover our sweets cravings. We stopped again about 5:30pm in Stockton, CA for some tasty Wendy's and/or Taco Bell for dinner. Once we got on the road again we started seeing signs for Los Angeles, 350 miles to go, YES! Coach was a trooper, now having done this drive twice in the same school year.

The lights of LA couldn't have looked more appealing as we finally rolled up to our Embassy Suits hotel (that was graciously provided to us by relatives of Coach Bruce) about 11pm Monday night. Sara, D-BO, and Erika went for a little swim to stretch out the muscles and get some activity while Lindsey and I took advantage of the nice weight room and also got some exercise in before hittin' the hay.

Today we got up about 6:00am, had a good breakfast at the hotel, and caught the shuttle to the LA airport at 7:15. We expected the airport to be a busy place but check-in and security went smoothly so we are here waiting for our departure at 10:00am to Atlanta, GA.