Canisius College Women’s Basketball Italian Tour 2009- Day Two
Today was another early day, but I felt well rested when I woke up. The wake-up call was for 6:45 a.m. and breakfast began at 7:15. Breakfast was delicious as there was a wide variety of foods to choose from, including fruit, croissants, bread, cereal, eggs, bacon, sausage and a coffee/latte/cappuccino maker. We then loaded the bus and left for whitewater rafting at precisely 8 a.m. Our destination to Aosta was about 4 hours, and we stopped for a bathroom break along the way at a very busy service station. The scenery along the way was magnificent and the mountains and houses located in and around the mountains were unbelievable. Once we arrived, we were given a short lesson on how to properly maneuver and ride on the raft and then hiked up a trail to where we would begin our trip downstream.
We were split into two groups of 12, mainly all girls on the team in one group and coach Zeh and the families in the other. The first group consisted of coach Zeh and his father-in-law Jerry, coach Gwin and her mom Kim, Lozar, Mrs. Lee, the Radke family and my parents, the remaining 12 had an hour to bathe in the sun and relax on some rocks. I think we all almost peed our pants watching Mrs. Lee and coach Gwin emerge themselves in the freezing-cold water before suiting up to have a quick practice run on dry land in the raft. Mr. Radke and my father were getting a little too close on the raft when practicing steering tactics if you ask me. Anyways, after they headed downstream the remaining 12 relaxed, caught some rays and chatted while waiting an hour or so for the rafts and two guides to arrive back. The raft I was on consisted of Britt, Bree, Steph, Tasia, Monica and myself, and of course we were given the one guide who could NOT speak a word of English. Thank goodness he spoke French so Steph and him chatted, and she relayed the instructions to us. The funny part about it all is that all the other groups had a 5-10 minute introduction as to how to maneuver the raft and the proper technique of rowing, but I guess our guide decided we looked like a talented bunch of ladies and our instruction session lasted about 30 seconds. We had to know 3 words, GO, STOP and DOWN!
I think the other five can agree with me that today was one of the most fun-filled days of our entire lives. There was not a dull moment on our raft. From Britt and I, just doing our own thing and not paying attention or hearing the directions, to Bree and Tasia enjoying the scenery a bit too much and sometimes forgetting to paddle, to Steph blurting out commands and yelling at us and Monica falling into the water and forgetting to grab the rope on the side of the raft. We each took turns falling into the water and having our partners grab us by the shoulders of our life jacket to pull us back onto the boat. It was hilarious, and each time after a different person fell in we had a good laugh for at least five minutes (especially after seeing the random topless lady sunbathing on a rock 3 feet away from us). Britt, Monica and Bree almost lost their heads as we got close to the side and a HUGE rock was sticking out, but Britt was able to duck and Bree and Mon moved over just in time. It was definitely a day for the books and something I will never forget in my life. We were all sad when the ride ended but were definitely tired from laughing and paddling for 45 minutes downstream. On Sunday, we are off to Milan for the day, and we are all anxious and ready for tomorrow’s game at 8:30 p.m!
Ciao!
Mic
News and Notes from assistant director of athletic communications Matt Lozar
- The river for whitewater rafting was the Dora Baltea river. The water was so cold that the group had to wear wet suits.
- Saturday was the celebration of the Assumption. With Italy being a very Catholic country, the city of Aosta was closed (and by closed, I mean every store). So there was no time to stop and explore Aosta (or eat gelato!)
- I think I overheard this from the bus driver (who doesn't speak English) and our tour guide Alessia, if it's a two-lane highway, the speed limit is 110 km/h, three lanes go up to 130 km/h and four lanes go up to 150 km/h.
- Alessia was the tour guide for the group in 2005 and lives in Como, where she has lived her entire life. Her husband is currently training for the New York Marathon.
