Wrapping it Up....Continued

So I am back in the States and I wish I could say in my cozy bed too, but I made a pit stop in Chicago for track nationals. Let me tell you...winning gold was an AMAZING experience, especially with it being such a close game. I didn't get to play at all, but it was an honor to sit on the bench, watch my teammates play, and wear a USA jersey. Winning this gold medal just makes me more eager to win another in London if I'm honored enough to represent the United States of America again. Most of us didn't go to bed before our early morning bus ride to the airport. Everyone except Mary Allison, DK, and I took a bus to the London airport. However, we were lucky enough to fly out of Birmingham. We flew into Newark and boarded our connecting flights back home. My flight was delayed, so I was stuck in Newark without a working phone for a while, but with my medal around my neck I was quite alright. I made it into Chicago with an hour to spare before opening ceremonies. Afterwards, I got some good ol' KFC and passed out in bed. Another week in a hotel and then I'll be home sweet home and the first chapter of a hopefully long international career will end. Thanks so much for keeping up with my blog and I hope you enjoyed it. Over and out from a very happy 17 year old. :)

Wrapping it Up

so um we won gold.....thats all i gota say :) :) :) write more when I get home

Calm Before the Storm

Today we got the day off, while teams battled for the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th spots in the rankings. Netherlands beat Great Britain in the 5th/6th place game, Japan beat China in the 7th/8th place game, and Mexico beat Brazil in the 9th/10th place game. We only had a 330 practice today, but the rest of the day went by extremely slow. Tomorrow our men will fight for the bronze medal right before we battle for the gold!!!!! I'm pretty sure the game is at 200 pm, 900 am EST. So watch it live on www.2010wwbc.co.uk!!!!!!!!!!! GO USA!!!!!!

Going for the Gold!!!!!!!

WE WON!!!!!!!!!!! We beat Canada today by 10!!!!!! Props to Carlee Hoffman who was the spark during the game scoring 21 points!!!!!! We play Germany in the championships on Saturday. The men's team lost a hard fought game to Australia putting them in the bronze medal game!!!! It's an amazing experience to go to the gold medal game at the age of 17 and I'm so proud of all the girls on the team!!!!!!! Nothing's planned for tomorrow, so we're just relaxing until the game Saturday!!!! GO USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

World's Game Day #4

Today was the first round of elimination and we knocked Great Britain out of the competition. Tomorrow we play Canada and whoever wins goes to the finals!!!!! A few of us stuck around at the gym and watched the men play. There were huge upsets going on. Italy knocked Canada out (Canada got first last time) and France beat Great Britain (Great Britain had just beat the USA men and taken first in their pool). We hung out at the gym so long that we missed dinner, so Becca, Darlene, A, and I went to go get pizza. That's about it for today. We have practice at 1 tomorrow and then we play Canada at 6pm, 1pm EST. Go USA!!!!!!

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Well...it rained today...and I don't like rain. Everyone had the day off to prepare for finals. Originally, the team's plan was to skip practice and have a mandatory boat ride in its place. I woke up and went for an early lunch at a restaurant with Darlene and A, which wasted the time we had before the 230 boat ride. But...like I said...it rained. We all happily strolled out to go, saw the rain, and stopped dead in our tracks! However, because the team was all together, the team manager took this time to let us know practice was back on. Film at 545, practice at 7, and dinner at 830. All went smoothly. A couple girls sat out and rested their injuries for the big game tomorrow. We play Great Britain tomorrow at 2...9 am EST. Go USA!!!

World's Game Day #4

We beat Germany today!!!!!! Germany was our biggest competition of pool play and we beat them 65-53. We played a great game, so coaches gave us the day off. The guys played Great Britain after us and lost a hard fought game. We ended the night with a Robert Cray concert. Details, our team manager, hooked us up with some free tickets. It wasn't as bad as I thought an "old" band would be. I left a little early and hung out with some of the men's team for the night and now its bed time! Tomorrow we have the day off and then the elimination round starts on Wednesday. Go USA!!!!

aaannnddd BREAK

Today was our first day off. I started off going to breakfast with my dad, Darlene, Sarah, and Mrs. Castle. I ordered the sausage sandwich thinking it would be a biscuit with a good amount of sausage on it, but it was just some white bread with a couple pieces of sausage. It was good though, as well as the hot chocolate. Afterwards I just spent the whole day at the gym. Germany, who is our biggest competition in our pool, almost lost to Japan, who we beat by 20. That boosted our spirts going into our big game against Germany tomorrow. At 715 we had practice and basically ran through a few of Germany's plays and how to stop them. Instead of waiting until 900 to eat, I went out with Becca and Darlene and had some shrimp. It was soooo good. Then we came back and here I am, writing about my day. We play tomorrow at 930 or 430 am EST. Go USA!!!!!!

World's Game Day #3

Today we played China, and while they were thought to be more competition than Brazil, we won 80-41. I got to play a lot and started racking up my assists. As a team, we played great, getting better and better everytime we play. My dad came in last night so today we got to go to lunch at a pizza place and then went to dinner with a couple others. It's nice to see a familiar face around here. Tomorrow we have the day off for the most part..just practice. Monday we play Germany. Go USA!!!!

World's Game Day #2

So today we played Brazil and beat them 66-24. Considering we had such a lead, the bench, including me, got a lot of playing time...and we did awesome!!!! I had so much fun getting some hard fought minutes in. After we supported our men who beat Poland. Practice and film started at 515. Now we're waiting for our 900 dinner time to come around. Some are out with family and some are just hanging out on the computer. We play China tomorrow at 1130 EST. Go USA!!!!

World's Game Day #1

Today was our first official game of the World Championships. The day started with an optional shootaround at 8 am, which i attended just to loosen up before the game. We beat Japan by 21 even though it was an ugly game. Afterwards we ate and went to support our men who beat South Korea by 25. It was a great game and it's amazing to watch them play. Tonight's an early night considering I'm at the hotel with nothing to do at 8 pm, but tomorrow will be an early morning. Keep watching us on www.2010wwbc.co.uk. Go USA!!!!!

Let the Games Begin!!!!

So today was the first official day of the World Championships!!!!! Opening ceremonies went smoothly. The entertainment was a combination of gymnasts, dancers, and skaters. Then some important people spoke a little bit and the games were declared open. It wasn't long at all so that was good. Afterwards both the Great Britain men and women played and we got to watch the games until practice. We didn't eat dinner until 9 which was absolutely terrible. 8 hours between meals at a tournament is not good at all. Tomorrow we play Japan at 215. www.2010wwbc.co.uk will have all the info about our game, but until then........GO USA!!!!!

Blast to the Past

Today we had a free day for the most part. Practice wasn't going to be until 830 pm. Some of the team decided to go see Warwick Castle. It took a couple of hours to get there by train, but it was totally worth it. The castle was beautiful and still in pretty good shape. We had to climb up some stairs to get inside the actual castle. The rooms were so elegant and extravogent. The dungeons were turned into a haunted house. Let's just say I am soo glad I wasn't charged with a crime back then. Only the last 3 rooms were accessible though. We were taken to a court room where a mock trial took place. That only lasted for about 3 minutes considering everyone was considered guilty. We were then led through a room with mirrors and dim lighting. I couldn't see where I was going at all. This room led to the "executioner's block" where someones head was chopped off. Right when it happened the lights went off, you could feel water splashing on you as if it were blood, and the benches dropped a few inches. I was really happy to see light again after it ended. For lunch we had burgers and it was probably the first time I felt totally full since I've been here. We headed back on the train and took a cab from the train station back to the hotel. Now we're waiting for our designated dinner time. Now that all the teams are here everyone eats at specific times. After dinner we go straight to classification practice where I will get my official international classification. I'll post some pictures of the castle on when I have time.

Full House

Soooo I had some time...and the tourament people decided to add free wireless in the lobby..so I decided to blog some. More and more teams are starting to arrive and the hotel is getting CRAZY!!!!! 22 teams both men and women are staying at this one hotel. Considering the hotel provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all the teams, it's going to get chaotic. The food here is decent. I'm eating a lot of pasta though...to stay on the safe side, but it's pretty good. Tomorrow we dont have practice until 830 at night so the day is pretty much free. A couple of us might go to the aquarium to see if British fish look the same. 2 days left until World's!!!!!

Game Day #3...Happy 4th of July!!!!

Today was the last day of the pre-tournament...we beat Japan 60-49 and Great Britain 66-34. The game against Great Britain was AMAZING and was a great way to end Independence Day. The next 3 days we're just practicing, getting ready for World's. Our first game is against Japan on July 8th so that's when I'll write again. Happy 4th of July!!!!!!

Game Day #2

We played Great Britain today and beat them 45-63 or something close to that. I definately think we're playing more as a team than yesterday. Just getting better every day. Coaches took it easy on us during practice. We just had a 30 minute shoot around. We play both Japan and Great Britain tomorrow. I found a place with free internet so hopefully I'll keep up with the day by day updates.

Game Day #1

Sooo today was the first of our pre-tournament games. We allowed Japan to hang with us, so they gave us a run for our money. However, we ended up winning 59-51!!! Although World's hasn't started yet, it was great experience to see competition on this level. After we left the gym, which is a 5 min push from the hotel, we ate lunch and had a few minutes to relax before going to review game film and ultimately practice. We only had the gym for an hour, but worked on a lot of little aspects of the game that we could perfect. Tomorrow we pretty much have the same schedule. We play Great Britain in the morning and then practice in the afternoon.

We're Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!!!!!!

So first day in Birmingham and we're all completely exhausted!!! After our 5 hour flight from Newark, DK, M.A., and I were the first to arrive this morning. The hotel is huge, but I doubt it will look the same with all the teams from around the world here. Once the rest of team got to the hotel, we settled in and just hung out. Some of us explored our surroundings just to stay awake. Small shops and tons of pubs lined the streets as double decker buses passed us by. We were informed today that we will play Japan in the morning so that will be our first pre-tournament game. Wish us luck and hopefully we'll start with a bang. GO USA!!!!!