Jan. 10, 2007
Columbia, S.C. (For Now) – Don’t miss the Gamecocks’ United States tour, coming to a city near you! At least that’s what it felt like the last week traveling with this team through 7 different cities.
It all started with a trip to Lexington last Wednesday for the SEC opener. Carolina dropped a close one to Kentucky 59-55 at Memorial Coliseum. But the real adventure didn’t begin until after the game. The charter flight home could not land in Columbia because of fog. So it was redirected to Charlotte, where it touched down at 12:30 A.M., right around the time the team was scheduled to be “home sweet home.” While coaches deliberated over the next move, the players camped out in an empty terminal, entertaining themselves by any means necessary: sleeping, reading, talking on the phone, or playing cards.
With Columbia Metropolitan Airport now closed, the only option was to drive the 100 miles back home. So the team split up and crammed into two minivans, one going to the USC campus, the other stopping at the airport so people could retrieve their cars. The whole night felt like the real life version of the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. When it was all said and done, players arrived home around 4:45 A.M.
Then there was Assistant Coach Ken Griffin, who brought his wife and two young sons on their first team road trip. Upon arriving at the airport, they still needed to hop into separate cars and drive back to their home outside Augusta, Ga. Fortunately, Max and Nygel slept through most of the trip, but Ken and his wife Stephanie didn’t get to bed until 6 A.M.
“I’m used to that kind of travel in July (recruiting),” said Griffin. “But this time of year it is unusual. It was a new experience for me, and something I never want to experience again.”
Even with the circuitous route home and the early morning wake-up call thanks to a fire alarm in the dorms, one player would be satisfied if she never set foot on another plane: freshman Kellindra Zackery.
“I don’t like to fly too much,” said Zackery. “It’s a fear that I’m going to have to get over. It should get better as the years go on. But I would rather drive everywhere in the country.”
Well, that wasn’t possible for the next destination: Palo Alto, Calif., for a date with Stanford. Less than 36 hours after returning to Columbia, the Gamecocks were back at the airport. But, no weather delays this time as the team landed in San Francisco on Saturday night after switching planes in Atlanta.
On Sunday, the Gamecocks spent the afternoon sightseeing at Fisherman’s Wharf. Everyone toured Alcatraz before breaking off into smaller groups for shopping, dining in Chinatown, or in my case, riding the cable car. Despite warnings from our bus driver to watch out for the “Bushman” (a man disguised as shrubbery to scare visitors), he still managed to startle sophomore Brionna Dickerson, much to the enjoyment of her teammates.
“Normally, these are just business trips for us,” said Head Coach Susan Walvius. “It was nice for our team to spend some time together. Sometimes that bonding time is important.”
Starting Sunday night the Gamecocks turned their attention to 10th ranked Stanford. The Cardinal showed why Maples Pavilion is such a tough place to play, holding off Carolina 69-54 on Monday.
The original itinerary involved taking an overnight flight back to the east coast right after the game, but due to an airline cancellation, the team’s departure was moved to 7:00 the next morning, with a stop in Cincinnati. The USC bus pulled up to the Practice Facility at 5 p.m., giving the players just an hour to relax before, you guessed it, practice. There was no time to dwell on the jet lag or the loss to Stanford, because SEC play resumes on Thursday.
But those suitcases can’t be stored away for long, because after home games with Vanderbilt and then Alabama on Sunday, it’s back on the road. The Gamecocks’ U.S. tour resumes next week with stops in Oxford and Starkville, Miss. Don’t miss it!
