Women's Basketball's Brazil Blog--Aug. 18

Coach Ruth Sinn and her Tommie women's basketball team are in Brazil for a 10-day exhibition trip, from Aug. 11-20.

Here's the sixth blog update, written by seniors Chelsea Wirtz and Anna Swanson:

Ola!

Today we had another beautiful day in Buzios, not one cloud in the sky, but lots of wind! This morning we had free time to relax by the pool and enjoy the tropical weather before heading to the beach for the day.

We took taxis to a public beach where we were greeted by many different vendors. We had the opportunity to drink the juice from a sugar kane -- a Brazilian favorite. Our tour guide, Celeste, insisted that we all have a sip. It was like drinking a tall glass of sugar, too sweet for most of our liking. On the beach, we drank coconut milk straight from a coconut! It was very refreshing on such a warm day. Unfortunately, we weren't able to spend as much time at the beach as we had hoped -- the wind was taking over! We were able to walk up and down the beach to enjoy watching the people laugh, play, surf, and barter with the vendors, which made the trip worthwhile.

After the beach we went to Praia da Tortuga (Turtle Beach) for a delicious lunch with fabulous service, excellent food, and good company. We spent our table time talking about our time in Brazil and some of our favorite moments. Of course we finished our meal with dessert and some scenic pictures before heading to downtown Buzios to finish some souvenir shopping and to watch the sunset behind mountains overlooking the ocean.

We celebrated our last night in Buzios with a poolside party and an intense foosball tournament. In honor of the Olympic games, we presented the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Coconut Trophies to the respective winners. It was competitive but lighthearted, and everyone including the girls, Coach Sinn, Barb, and Celeste were part of the games.

Now it is time to start packing up our things for our long trip home. We have had the experience of a lifetime and have created memories that will last forever.

Boa Noite from Buzios,

Anna and Chelsea

Women's Basketball Brazil Blog -- Aug. 17

Coach Ruth Sinn and her Tommie women's basketball team are in Brazil for a 10-day exhibition trip, from Aug. 11-20.

Here's the fifth blog update, written by Coach Ruth Sinn:

Hello from Buzios --

Buzios is a famous tourist destination on the Atlantic Ocean ... known for spectacular beaches found on the many coves along the coast. Today we got the chance to be on the ocean in a schooner that toured the coastline of Buzios. Our ship was called the Queen Lory. We boarded the ship at the port of Azeda. The water is an aquamarine color, unlike any of the water found along the coasts of the U.S. It is a sight to see!

The ship dropped anchor at the beach of Azedinha.  We dove into the ocean waters.  The water was cool and refreshing.  We had time to swim and enjoy the sunny, but windy day.

At our next stop the schooner anchored closer to the beach of Joao Fernandes.  We were able to swim into the beach and explore the area arround us.  The beaches in Brazil have the softest, finest, whitest sand. The view is incredible ... mountains, rock formations and the turqouise-colored water all make for a postcard scene to send home.

Our last part of our boat excursion took us out farther along the coast to view the scenic landscape.  The winds did not cooperate ... unless you enjoy roller coaster rides with salt water sprayed in your face!  We found ourselves undulating up, down, left, right as the waves would take us.  In other words ... round two ... the ocean won again.  Our goal this year ... to be as powerful as the ocean!

On to land ... yes!!  We discovered a perfect place for dinner overlooking the ocean.  Tartaruguinha Fish House.  The food was amazing, the service outstanding and the atmosphere was unbelievable.  We were pampered and spoiled beyond belief.  The staff made us all feel special and valued ... we were treated like royalty.  It was definitely a meal to remember, and we have plenty of pictures to remind us of our special afternoon.

Back to the Pousado to shower, dress and go out for a little Buzios' night life.  We hit the stone streets of downtown at 9:30 pm.  Here we shopped, people watched and took in the busy atmosphere of this fun city.  At 11:30 we hit the disco for daning.  The patrons of the disco were very excited to have American women in their establishment.  We drew much attention.  The girls had a great time.  It was a nice end to a wonderful day.

Boa Noite from Buzios,

Coach Sinn

Women's Basketball Brazil Blog: Aug. 16

Coach Ruth Sinn and her Tommie women's basketball team are in Brazil for a 10-day exhibition trip, from Aug. 11-20.

Here's the fourth blog update, written by Coach Ruth Sinn:

Bom Dia ... in Portugese means "good morning."  Our morning began with free time for all.  Translated ... let's go to the ocean on the beach of Copacabana.  The waves were strong enough for us to body surf and get completely knocked down.  We all had a great time and in the end had our fill of ingesting salt water.  The ocean won!!

Boa Tarde ... in Portugese means "good afternoon."  We said goodby to Rio and headed to our final game at the Universidade Salgado de Oliveira.  Here we were met by the director of the university who was very excited to have Americans competing at their university.  As players were introduced and exchanged gifts, the sportsmanship and respect was very noticeable.  Groups of school children were allowed out of class to watch our game.  The environment was electric, filled with cheers for both teams. 

The game proved to be physical, hard fought and competitive.  The style of play in Brazil is very aggressive.  They do not call over-the-back or reach-in fouls.  We adjusted to this throughout our play and ended the game with a win in overtime.  It was a very well-played game by both teams.

Boa Noite ... in Portugese means "good evening."  We arrived in Buzios at 7 p.m.  Our hotel is the Pontal da Ferradura. Buzios is a resort village located two hours north of Rio. It is a popular destination for Bazilians to vacation, ever since Bridgette Bardot visited here many years ago. Here our rooms each have a small porch with a hammock to rest in.  We enjoyed dinner of salad, pasta and dessert.  After dinner a competitive foosball tournament took place with Kristen and Chelsea as the team to beat. 

We're happy to begin our stay in Buzios and look forward to tomorrow's excursion on the ocean.  Maybe this time we can beat the ocean!  We'll sure try.

Boa Noite,

Coach Sinn

Women's Basketball Brazil Blog: Aug. 15

Coach Ruth Sinn and her Tommie women's basketball team are in Brazil for a 10-day exhibition trip, from Aug. 11-20.

Here are more photos and the third blog update, written by seniors Jenni Gillard and Jessica Katch:

“OI from RIO!  It was our last full day in Copacabana, and we took advantage of every single minute.  Our day started at 8:30 when the bus arrived to take us to the base of Sugar Loaf.  Everyone was a bit nervous to ride the cable cars up the mountains, especially sharing a car with 60 people.  The first mountain was Marro da Urca where we experienced a beautiful view of Rio de Janeiro.  The second mountain was the famous Sugar Loaf.  The ride was definitely worth it.  On top of Sugar Loaf Mountain the view was breathtaking.  We had an opportunity to venture out into part of the rainforest situated around the mountain.  As we left the mountain, a group of local school children were on their way up.  We had fun trying to communicate with the kids.  They loved taking many pictures ... the "strange" looking people.  Which, as the day progressed, we received much attention from the locals.

On to downtown Rio de Janeiro.  Our first stop was the Cathedral.  The design is very unique.  The massive stained glass windows are what make the Cathedral a popular stop.  We witnessed a mass taking place in the chapel. 

Now our hunt for where to have lunch.  We wandered the streets of downtown Rio looking at the architecture of the amazing buildings.  Rio has preserved the original buildings and streets.  The downtown area is unlike any other city we've experienced.   It is very popular in Rio to eat at the buffets.  So, when in Rio ... find a buffet.  The buffets are set up to pay according to what your plate weighs.  Needless to say, this can be a problem for a hungry basketball team!  

After lunch, we continued our tour of the streets of Rio.  Here is where we were met with many stares, looks and yes, even a standing ovation.  Not bad for our self-esteem.  We eventually found a flea market with much merchandise for purchase. 

Our next stop was the location where the famous Carnival is held each year in Rio.  This a major celebration -- schools let out for 10 days and the city unites, rich and poor.  We visited the actual parade route and toured a shop which houses many of the elaborate costumes worn in previous celebrations.  For only three reals you can try on the extravagent costumes the women wear in the celebration.  Michelle, Andi, Jenni, Chelsea, Jaz and Becky all found a little bit of Carmen Miranda in each of them.  Their dance moves were very Brazilian.

It was time now to go to Mangueira, where we toured the community.  The kids all enjoyed visiting with us as much as the language barrier allowed.  Some of us took time for a pre-game rest while others were involved in a new type of warm up ... soccer with the Brazilian children.  The Mangueiran community was very excited to have "Americanos" visiting.  Even a Brazilian TV station covered the contest with coach and player interviews.  The Mangueiran team has been training for the national Brazilian games, and they were excited and prepared to play our St. Thomas team.  The game was hard fought, high tempo and very physical.  Our team made many improvements throughout the game but in the end the Manguerian team came out ahead on the scoreboard. After the game we exhanged t-shirts and shared stories between players and coaches.   

On to dinner.  A true Brazilian adventure involves dinner at a barbeque.  Here we experienced the buffet style once again, and the servers continued to bring us different types of meat -- lamb, beef, pork, chicken, sausage.  As our tour guide, Celeste, stated "we eat until we say no more."  It was delicious. 

We've had a long, but wonderful day.  We are looking forward to our last day in Rio and then on to Buzios.”

Ciao, Jess and Jenni

Brazil Blog -- Aug. 14

Coach Ruth Sinn and her Tommie women's basketball team are in Brazil for a 10-day exhibition trip, from Aug. 11-20. The Tommies won their first exhibition game on Wednesday night, 54-48, vs. Tijuca Tenis Club.

Here are more photos and the second blog update, written by seniors Anna Swanson and Chelsea Wirtz:

Day Two in Rio de Janeiro...

This morning we traveled to the mountain Corcovado, where one of the Seven Wonders of the World is located, Christ the Redeemer. We took a train up the mountain and along the way were able to look at the world's largest man-made forests. At the top of the mountain, we were humbled by the amazing views and the breathtaking size and architecture of the statue. Standing 125 feet tall, on top of Corcovado, Christ the Redeemer watches over the city of Rio ... it was a great excursion!

We rode down the mountain and took our bus back into the busy city for lunch. We all enjoyed "Brazilian" style hamburgers and french fries, a great pre-game meal! After lunch we got ice cream, did some shopping, and relaxed by the beach. We traveled to Botafogo for our first game against the club's team. We were able to tour the facilities and happy to find out our game was not outside! Despite some more physical play, the game was not far from what we expected. It was a great experience for both teams and we came out ahead (54-48). After the game we met the girls on Botafogo's team and traded T-shirts with them. They were eager to take pictures with us and teach us some Portuguese.

Dinner was an experience! We went to a pizza restaurant called Parme Restaurante Pizzaria. They served every kind of pizza imaginable, as our guide told us "Until you say no more!" We tried shrimp, tuna, hot dog and french fries, cheeseburger, anchovy, pepperoni and mozzarella. Then the dessert pizzas came out...brownie, m&m, chocolate and strawberries, bananas and cinnamon, and chocolate brownie cal-zone. Hands down, the best meal yet!

After dinner we came back to our hotel and visited the night flea market along Copacabana Beach. There were endless vendors selling every souvenir anyone would want to bring home...and more! It was a full day, but there is not enough time to see everything in this beautiful city. Another busy day ahead tomorrow and we can't wait!

Boa Noite from Rio de Janeiro!

Anna and Chelsea

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Brazil Blog -- Aug. 13

Coach Ruth Sinn and her Tommie women's basketball team are in Brazil for a 10-day exhibition trip, from Aug. 11-20. Here is her first blog update and photos sent from Rio deJaneiro:

"WOW! What a country! After the long flight to Rio de Janeiro,  we are on the beach the first afternoon enjoying the scenic view all around us. It is fun to see and visit with the girls about their trip experiences. Some of our players are well traveled and for others, this is the first time out of the country....including myself.

Our flight was fascinating. During our flight, we were able to follow a map of our route on our monitors. We flew over Cuba, Haiti, and of course South America. I was amazed at how large the country is...most of our trip was over land, South America.

Upon arrival, we met our tour guide Celeste. We toured the city of Rio. Like any city it is filled with contrast. The housing in the heart of the city, the shanties were first on the list. We traveled south through the tunnels which cut through the mountains to our destination on the Copacabana beach. The view is unbelievable! We are right on the beach....we can hear the ocean waves from our rooms.

Our afternoon was filled with beach and ocean time. We walked to the beach, took many pictures and enjoyed the view. This was Becky's first time in the ocean. So we did it up right and dove into the waves (swallowing a lot of salt water in the process). The ocean is amazing!

Our evening began with a walk to the Ipanema beach to view the sunset over the rocks. It was beautiful! The beach was filled with activity...weight lifting, surf boarding, beach volleyball and of course a lot of tanning. It's fun to watch the people and experience another culture.

We ended the evening with a buffet dinner at the hotel. The dining was elegant and the food was very tasty.

It has been a great first day to a fantastic trip."

Coach Sinn

Preview story: Aug. 8

The St Thomas women’s basketball team is set for its 10-day August trek to Brazil. The Tommies will fly into Rio de Janeiro on Monday for a trip that will offer training, competition, culture and team building. 

During the 10-day travels, the Tommie women will compete against four top-flight Brazilian club teams which Coach Ruth Sinn said "will provide our players with the opportunity to take their game to the next level.  Additionally, the team will be incorporating its commitment of excellence and community involvement in a service project benefiting underprivileged children.

"The trip will be a wonderful learning opportunity for the team and a chance of a lifetime to experience first hand the culture and life of Brazil," said Sinn.

The Tommies are scheduled to face Tijuca Tenis Club on Aug. 13; Fluminense Futebol Club on Aug. 14; Clube de Regatas Flamengo on Aug. 15; and the State Selection U 20 Team on Aug. 20.

The team has been raising funds to cover expenses for this unique event. If you are interested in donating to help defray expenses, visit http://www.firstgiving.com/wbballust. 

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