Fresno State Athletics
January 10- 'Dogs in the Big Apple
New York. New York.
Shopping, musicals, sports and historical sights. They were all included on the Fresno State women's basketball trip to the Big Apple. Many of the players and staff were experiencing New York for the first time but we all made the most of our trip in one way or another.
Our hotel was located a couple blocks down from the site of the World Trade Center. We took a walk around Ground Zero and were shocked at the size and magnitude of the surrounding area. It was quite a moving experience to see everything in person and also a constant reminder of the devastating tragedy.
However, New York also had a much brighter side. The lights literally lit up the sky as we did some shopping on 5th Avenue, 42nd Street and around Times Square. As we explored Times Square we enjoyed eating at ESPN Zone restaurant and taking pictures of the amazing surroundings that included Madison Square Garden.
In addition to shopping in New York's fabulous stores, we switched tasks and took to some sightseeing. We caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty at sunset. We rode over the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoyed some Christmas spirit at the Rockefeller Center.
Since New York is the place of Broadway it was only fitting for us to experience a musical. We were privileged to watch the Christmas Play at Radio City. We were impressed by everything, especially the incredible Rockette Dancers!!! After the play we took a walk through picturesque Central Park and had a look at the ice skating rink.
While we were exploring New York's finest places, we chose to experience life as most New Yorkers do - by riding the Subway. Some of our girls (Cophie, Ren, T, Kendra and Paige) took in the New York culture quickly and joined in the underground activities by doing the Electric Slide to a lady singing a Michael Jackson song. It created quite an act for the New Yorkers to see.
Even with all the fun, we did come to New York for a purpose - to play some basketball. We took care of business against Manhattan with T-Baby making her long-awaited college debut. She played in style, leading our team in scoring during our nine-point victory. We then wrapped up the trip with another win against Long Island. Both of our victories featured individual dancing by each Bulldog (players and coaches) and although dancing is a common activity of this team, some unexpected people made some unexpected moves!!!
Our trip to New York was a great success and it was made even better with many friends and family joining us on the trip, including our Hoop Club President and Secretary Richard and Nanette Bruce. We had a memorable experience on the East Coast and we are all very thankful for the opportunity to have such an amazng experience.
- TellaÂ