The challenges of playing on the road are many for athletes. Not only are players competing in unfamiliar venues but they are facing hostile crowds, which can be intimidating not only to the players but to the officials calling the games.
Then there are situations like those described by Lady Card Candyce Bingham in her University of Louisville blog about the recent trip to play Georgetown in Washington, D.C.:
“When we arrived at our hotel and went to our rooms there was only one bed and a pull out couch along with a kitchen. I lucked out and had my own room while many had to flip a coin about who was going to sleep on the bed the first night and who would end up on the couch.
“We then went to practice and were supposed to go to Outback Steakhouse to eat dinner. Our bus driver wasn’t even from around area and had no idea where he was going. We literally drove around for an hour because he couldn’t find the Outback and ended up at Don Pablo’s, which was just down the street from our hotel.
“After the game on our way to the hotel we seemed to get into a fender bender. Our bus driver was going to make a right turn at a light but I guess the person to the right of us grew impatient and decided that they wanted to keep creeping up. Which meant the bus was hitting the side of the car and for a while he didn’t know that. We had no idea until Brandie Radde said the bus had just hit this car next to us.â€
Life on the road. One has to wonder whether some bus drivers are aware of GPS technology.
I’ll work on that.
Charlie,
A suggestion. Maybe put a few words under Mom’s basketball on the home page. Like Click the ball for Sonja’s reports? Had a computer challenged friend access the site and then called me to tell me she couldn’t find the recaps. GO LADY CARDS!
Wonder if Coach P was wearing tighty whities that night!! Did I just say that?
Thanks for posting, Charlie. Never miss her entries, and Angel is doing a blog, too…for AP. Another good read there.
You take your chances with bus drivers, that is for sure. On the many trips we’ve taken over the year to go see Cardinal sporting events as part of bus package trips…I could write a book…
One of the funniest was several years ago on a relatively short day trip to Cincy to watch the Cards in football. Our driver looked old enough to be the original bus driver in history. He got us to the city OK, but got horribly lost trying to find the University and Nippert Stadium. Eventually, several of the riders are shouting out directions to him on where to turn, what lane to get in and offering to drive. There is no real designated area around Nippert for buses to park, so we pulled behind one of the dormitories on campus and parked in the fire zone near the dumpsters. Bus unloaded, tailgating underway when the UC Police come over and tell us we have to move. One of our trip participants walks over to the officers, pulls out a badge of his own and they talk for several minutes. Permission granted, with the stipulation that someone remains behind during the game to move it in the case of emergency. Bus driver refuses, because he wants to see the game. A quick survey and solution is formulated. We give a couple of UC students a few bucks to “watch” the bus and call us on the cell phone if a situation arises. We also feed them and make sure they have “beverages”.
Cards win a close one on a cold, blustery day and when we return to the bus, it is decorated in shaving cream, toliet paper and UC pom poms. A call to the cell phone gets a recorded message that informs us the hours of the Cincinnati Zoo. Yes, we were punked. But, anything for a Cardinal win, right?