March 4, 2008

Hello Tiger fans! We just got back late last night from another road trip. This trip, we took a bus down to Fullerton to play in a big tournament which was fun. Bus trips are always long, but we can sleep and move around on the bus much easier than a plane.

We loaded up our stuff Thursday afternoon and hit the road for our trip. We stopped at Claim Jumper restaurant near Valencia to get some dinner. The team absolutely loves Claim Jumper! We kind of go a bit crazy with the steak, and Boss usually has to give us a cap on money so we don't over do it! After dinner, we piled back onto the bus and continued our trip down to Fullerton. On the bus, we watch movies, which help pass the time and this trip we watched episodes of Rob and Big nonstop.

We got to the hotel only to face yet another checking in problem. The hotel had us registered to check in Friday night, so they weren't prepared for us to show up Thursday! We waited in the lobby for about 30 minutes before the coaches gave us our rooms. Because they weren't expecting us, we were scattered everywhere in the hotel. The coaches got penthouse suites, which were awesome! Lauren Sandelin and Lauren Weyman also got to be in a suite! We all went to bed early that night tired from our long bus trip.

The next day we played Florida and Louisville. We lost to Florida, which was a tough loss because we couldn't quite find our groove in the game. We didn't play very well, and that is a tough thing to swallow. We quickly turned around our mental focus and beat Louisville finishing the day 1-1. It was a great win over Louisville, and anytime a team can overcome a loss by following it with a victory is a great feeling.

Saturday we played Notre Dame and Purdue. We had a bad game against Notre Dame, followed by a great win against Purdue! Once again, we came back and beat a great team after a really bad loss, and being able to let go and flush the previous game and start fresh for a new one is really important. Because we play so many games, it's really important that we stay positive and mentally focused on the positives.

On Sunday we played Loyola Chicago, and we had a great game. That was one of the best games we have played all year offensively, defensively and in the circle at the same time. This game really has three different parts, and being able to stay consistent in all of those parts in one game is very important. This game we were as close to perfect in all of those parts as we have been all year, and that was a great feeling to have ending the tournament. We ended the tournament 3-2, and were excited to end the tournament on the winning side.

After our game we showered in the locker rooms at Fullerton and climbed back on the bus. We stopped to eat before getting on the freeway and head back home. The bus rides always feel very long on the way home, mostly because we are so tired and just want our own beds!

We had Monday off and then it's back on the field and in the weight room for more training and practice. The life of an athlete never stops! We play Boston College Wednesday at home and then it's back on the road Thursday when we head to Arizona for another tournament. If you can't make it to the game this Wednesday, you can still catch us in action by getting on to the pacific softball page and listening to the game or following it on Game Tracker.

I think that wraps up this weekend, catch you later!