Return Trip
July 25, 2007 11:22 AM | General
July 25, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women’s basketball team began practice for its Australian summer tour on Monday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.
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| Chakhia Cole will be making her second trip to Australia later this month.
Steve Smith photo |
The Mountaineers will play five games during their 12-day stay in the “Land Down Under” and will also take in some sightseeing which will feature stops at the famed Opera House in Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns.
While most of the 11 Mountaineers making the trip have never been out of the country, one notable exception is senior forward Chakhia Cole, who spent parts of her youth growing up in Germany. She is well traveled, having been to France, Fiji and Australia previously.
Cole welcomes the chance to go back to Australia, noting that the country was vastly different than she expected it to be when she traveled there for the first time.
“When I went, I expected Australia to be like the outback, completely desolate and with kangaroos hopping around but it wasn’t like that at all,” Cole said. “It’s beautiful. Honestly, I love accents, that’s my thing so I would just ask random questions just to hear people talk.”
As far as the basketball is concerned, Cole believes this trip will help the team settle into their roles and gauge their strengths before the season begins.
“I think this trip will let everybody know where they stand instead of everybody trying to figure that out when the school year comes,” Cole said. “I think it will help everybody understand where they belong in the system and people won’t be trying to figure that out in the first, second and third game.”
Cole hopes that this trip will give her team positive momentum heading into the season. Recent WVU teams have struggled early in the season before rallying for a strong finish. The Marlboro, N.J., native thinks this trip could change that.
“Lately, since I’ve been here, we always kick in the end. We have our best runs in the end (of seasons) so hopefully we can get that started a little earlier this year,” Cole said.
With this trip coming in the middle of an extended off-season period, Cole has used her summer months to make sure her body stays in playing shape.
“I had some good workouts. I did some nice running and stuff on the beach and I tried to get back in shape or at least not get out of shape and I did some light lifting,” Cole said.
Cole is also looking forward to having senior Meg Bulger -- and the positive influence she brings to the team -- on the trip. Bulger, who has been cleared to play by doctors after recovering from two knee injuries, will travel on the trip but will not play until preseason practice begins in October.
“I think it’s really going to help us out because it’s going to help the team but it’s also going to help Meg out with her confidence,” Cole said. “It will let her know that she’s still a part of this team and that she was missed when she was gone.”
Cole understands that the main focus of a summer trip is team-building. With a 22-hour flight and a 12-day stay, that shouldn’t be a problem.
“We won’t have cell phones. I hope someone brings board games,” Cole said. “Everybody is going to be hanging out together and I think we’re going to get to know each other on a different basis that's not just strictly basketball.”
