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Women's
b-ball heads to Hawaii Staff Writer Goodbye
sounds too permanent, catch ya later is too corny, so the only
appropriate word would be Aloha. That
is what the women of the Lady Lions Basketball team will be saying as
they whisk away to a tropical paradise. No, nobody won the lottery or
the grand prize on the Price is Right. This is no vacation for the
women. We
are going over there to have fun, but No. 1 is to win ball games,
said Jaime Green, senior physical education major. The
Lady Lions will compete with other teams in the eighth annual Coconut
Coast Classic at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The
team will board an airplane in Oklahoma City on Dec. 14 heading straight
to the main island, Hawaii, and return home on the 20th. The first three
days will be spent in competition against other Division II, III, and
NAIA teams from across the United States.
After all is said and done, the ladies will hop a plane to the
island of Oahu and spend two more days in Honolulu soaking up the sun
and culture. I
think that athletics is an extension of the classroom, said Maryann
Mitts, head coach, and just like any other class on campus, there s
opportunities to travel abroad. Athletes
should deserve the same opportunity. This
trip also has an educational learning experience for the ladies off the
court. The team will visit some of Hawaii s historical landmarks like
the Pearl Harbor Memorial. The money for this trip, almost $30,000 of
it, was raised by the players this summer through a jog-a-thon and
through countless donations from family, friends and fans. Not a single
penny is coming from the College. I
am anxious to play someone outside of the Midwest, Green said.
These aren t going to be some dinky teams we play. It is going to
be an extreme challenge. About
17 die-hard Lions fans will be making the trip across the Pacific to
cheer on the team. Anyone who would like to join the team in Hawaii can
get a special travel package. For
every package purchased, $50 will be given toward the team s travel
expenses. The package includes round-trip airfare from Oklahoma City to
Hilo, Hawaii, six nights in the tournament hotels, transportation to and
from the games on the team bus, a tour of Pearl Harbor, a welcome
buffet, and all taxes and gratuities. The cost ranges from
$1,399-$1,663. Information about the trip is available from Ronda
Hubbard, assistant women s basketball coach. |