The Manhattan women's basketball team is currently on a six-day tour of Canada. The Jaspers will visit the cities of Montreal and Ottawa while playing four games against local universities. Each day, a different member of the squad will write about her experiences on the trip.
Day 7 (August 23)-Coach Sonia Burke
After a nice reception with the parents following last night's win, we started the day off with a 6:50 AM wake-up call from the hotel. Team breakfast was at our usual spot in the hotel. After eating there for five straight days, Tony knew my order and simply asked, "Are you having the usual?", which was egg whites, French toast (the best I have tasted so far) and some colorful fruit. When the players were finished eating, George, the Master of All Hats--host, tour guide, coach and friend--gave the team a very inspiring and motivating departing speech. He told them they were a great group of young ladies and he has watched them grown as a team throughout the week in Montreal, getting better each game. He encouraged them to continue working hard and good things will happen. We said goodbye, or as George would say "Au Revoir," and got on the bus heading for Manhattan College. It was surprising to see all the players up and alert at 8:15 AM ready to watch a movie. The movie of choice was "Something Borrowed," which turned out to be very entertaining and had everyone's attention, except for Ezron, who took a few nods here and there. The reactions to the movie were great, but Maeve and Jacqui's reactions to several scenes were priceless-Yes, omg, awww and big smiles. Can you tell that is was Maeve's first time seeing the movie? We stopped for lunch then, a hour later, it was nap time for the players. A few hours later, we arrived in Riverdale. Good trip to Canada. 3-1. Go Jaspers!!
Coach Burke
Day 6 (August 22)-Shayna Ericksen
My road roomie Ny and I were woken up early by the bright sunshine once again since we had forgotten to close the blinds. Once we got ready, we went to breakfast to fuel up for the day. We had the usual delicious selection of eggs, pancakes, french toast, fruit and meat. Of course Maeve and I, the two vegetarians on the team, passed on the meat choices. Around 10 AM, we left for our shoot around. To prepare ourselves for tonight's game, we sharpened up on our plays and defensive rotations. Throughout practice, partners in crime Joe and Ezron really helped get the energy going with some nice clapping and cheers from the sidelines. Afterwards, we had some down time to rest and relax before pregame meal. Pregame meal was at Planet Deli or Deli Planet, the team prefers to switch the name everyday (we are not sure what the real name is). The meat eaters had a club sandwhich with rice and vegetables, while Maeve and I had the delicious rice and vegetables. We usually ask for extra bread but after four days of eating there, our team passed on it. It was clear though that our team loves carbs. At 7 PM, the game started. We began with a slow start, but throughout the game we picked it up and kept pushing through. Our defense was the key to our comeback forcing 39 turnovers! It was nice to see everyone step up and play the way we know we can. We finished with a win, 69-55. A great way to end our trip. Canada has been good to us the past week, bringing us closer as a team. While in Canada, I realized that my six years of taking French did not help me with speaking to the locals, so I stuck to the basics, "bonjour" and "merci." We got to experience old and new French Canadian culture and see breathtaking sights we will never forget. Canada was a good learning experience. This trip has shown us strengths of our team but also things we need to work on for our upcoming season. Au revoir Canada. It's been fun!
Manhattan vs. UQAM Recap
Day 5 (August 21)-Nicole Anderson
We started off of our day at our favorite place, Le Muffin Plus, and had our favorite French toast. After breakfast we went to St. Joseph's Oratory and saw the view of the city from the top of the dome. They wanted to preserve the heart of St.Andre, the priest who built the church, to keep his spirit alive in hope of blessing people in generations to come. We then hiked up a trail to see another beautiful view of the city. After that we came back to the hotel to rest up before our game. We had our pregame meal at Planet Deli where we had our favorite garlic bread and grilled chicken. We then headed to McGill University to prepare for battle. We had a tough start and fought back, but couldn't hold on. But we've got another game tomorrow, and we're preparing for our next game so we can leave Canada on a high note. Go Jaspers!!
Manhattan vs. McGill Recap
Day 4 (August 20)-Alex Cohen
Today started just like any other with the usual breakfast feast at 9:30 A,. Afterwardsm we began a walking tour of Old Montreal, which included a stop at the historic Notre Dame Cathedral. The Cathedral was absolutely gorgeous! It showed, as we were all in awe with its beautiful architecture and detail. We found out that it took five years to build the structure, while on the other hand the details took over 40 years to finish! It is not used for masses anymore as it is more of a tourist attraction. However, a fun fact we learned was that Celine Dion actually got married there. Near the end of our time in the Notre Dame Cathedral, we had admired its beauty and learned some historic facts that even included how it was almost burned to the ground in the 1980s. We then continued our tour of the city, which included Town Hall where the mayor resides, as well as cobblestone streets and a taste of the past with architecture dating back at least 200 years! Throughout the stroll we passed some Canadian cuisines, such as poutine and what George informed us was called Beaver Tail. When he first asked if we wanted Beaver Tail, we actually thought he was speaking of an actual beaver! Later though we found it was fried dough with any toppings you could think of on top. Grimme was the brave one as she jumped right in to try it! The tour of Old Montreal was finished and to our excitement we were headed to Six Flags! We spent the remainder of the afternoon at the amusement park walking around and waiting in long lines to ride the roller coasters that sent you upside down and all around! By the time we were done at the park it was easy to say most of us were tired, so we headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit before dinner later that night. Dinner was held not far from the hotel and I guess you could say we all were in the mood for chicken fingers. The honey mustard we asked for wasn't quite honey mustard so we experimented by mixing honey and mustard. Through a couple taste trials we finally found a mixture that tasted the closest to honey mustard. We topped dinner off with some dessert before we went back to the hotel. Once we got back to hotel we hung out as a team before curfew as we need to get some rest before another big game tomorrow night versus McGill! Let's Go Jaspers!!!
Day 3 (August 19)-Maeve Parahus
We started out our day with the usual and delicious French toast, pancakes and eggs. After that we headed out to Ottawa. It was a beautiful day to see this unique city. The team's favorite sight was a fountain called the eternal fire. The reasoning of the name is because in the center of the water was a continuous fire. It was so cool! Next, our tour guide George showed us Chateau Laurier, the most famous hotel in Canada. This is where all the visiting prime ministers, presidents, and government officials will stay. The architect was never able to see his finished project because he was a passenger on the Titanic and unfortunately did not survive. After that, we got to walk around and see the area. The city has a bunch of markets where they sell all these amazing fresh vegetables and fruits. It was the first time we've ever seen a purple pepper! The lunch was an all-you-can-eat buffet, which we all loved of course! After we filled our stomachs we headed over to our game against Carleton. We played a great game and got a 20-point win. The coaches surprised us with a trip to Six Flags tomorrow on our day off. We can't wait!!!
Manhattan vs. Carleton Recap
Day 2 (August 18)-Blake Underhill
We started off our day at 8:00 AM with a delicious breakfast at the hotel. We had a variety of options from eggs and bacon to sausage and home fries. However, the French toast seemed to be a team favorite. From there we headed over to Champlain College for our shoot around to prepare for our game versus the University of Ottawa. We had to adjust to the wider lane and the 24-second shot clock. Overall the shoot around was productive. As Coach O would say, "Proper preparation prevents poor performance!" After that, we headed back to the hotel, where we had some down time to rest before the game. Around 3:00 PM, we walked over to Deli Planet where enjoyed a delectable pregame meal which included salad, chicken, pasta and some delicious garlic bread. After fueling for the game we got on the bus and headed back to Champlain College for our first exhibition game. We started off aggressive on defense, building an early lead and eventually forcing 22 steals. However, they slowly began to chip away at our lead and with 2:00 left in the game, we were only up by four. Ultimately we were able to close the game out with a 65-58 victory! We headed back to the hotel happy but not satisfied. We have another big game tomorrow! Go Jaspers!!!!
Manhattan vs. Ottawa Recap
Day 1 (August 17)-Jacqui Thompson
After a quick trip to Lockes for breakfast around 7:30 AM, we excitedly boarded the bus outside Draddy to begin our Canadian adventure. Not long after boarding on this rainy morning, however, a majority of the girls were fast asleep (not surprising!). Several hours later our eyes opened to new scenery and growling stomachs. As we began whispering to each other about when we thought we would make a rest stop, we looked out the window and realized there was nowhere to stop! We couldn't see any kind of civilization for miles. Just trees. Upstate New York was much different then what we're used to in the City! Thankfully, we found a rest stop to stretch our legs and refuel right before getting to the border. After a smooth transition at the border, we soon arrived at the hotel in Montreal, where we had some free time before dinner. This is where we met George, who is from Montreal and will be accompanying us on our trip. On our way to dinner, George explained to us how Montreal's unique beauty can be attributed to its mix between brand new skyscrapers and hundred-year-old architecture. Next, we went to Madisons for dinner, where we were greeted by a very friendly staff. They gave us several different meals to choose from and they even included dishes for our two vegetarians! This delicious meal ended with Grimme showing off her French skills to the waiter and earning herself free ice cream! The night ends with relaxation in preparation for the big day tomorrow...our first game!!
