USA Basketball: The Women's Dream Team?

After a rainy couple of days at the British Open, we moved into The Palace, a hotel built in the 1800s in Manchester. A lot like Hogwarts, as my teacher aptly compared it to, our hotel room looks over the city and the rail station. But back to the sports: USA Women's Olympic Basketball

From our hotel, we walked on down to the Manchester Arena to see the game vs. Britain. With 8,000 expected viewers, the city was alive with USA spirit. As you can see below, the stadium walkway is already decked out with London 2012 flags. 

As we entered the foyer of the stadium, banners all around us promoted this game. Supposedly the two games were, especially the men's game, some of the biggest basketball games ever played in the country.

This stretched across all ticketing offices

The arena's name which the games were held at. 

In addition to seeing the game, our group organized us to welcome the USA team onto the court! So, to be able to pass through security we needed to get our accreditations to the floor.

My forehead obviously wasn't important enough...

After receiving our passes, we walked into the stadium to see these signs all over the electronic boards. It's interesting to compare and contrast the American viewpoint on these games in relation to a british citizen who rarely sees the likes of LeBron James in their lives.

Right before the team came out, we headed to the court to welcome them with high fives. I'm sure that my support was what propelled them to the obliteration of the British team.

If that's not excitement, I'm not sure what is

Diana Taurasi warming up

Leroy the Lion: Britain's mascot?

After greeting the women's team the game started, and so did our cheering. But nothing compared to the roar that the stadium had when out walked the 2012 USA Men's basketball team to sit court-side. You may be able to see some of the players here in the pictures below.

Kobe in the purple jacket

Carmelo Anthony in the white.

Tyson Chandler walking back into the locker rooms

James Harden from OKC

Overall, there wasn't much to talk about in relation to the game. Our USA team woman-handled (?) the British team. With athleticsm and a higher knowledge of the game, the British team held a lead for only around 7-8 minutes, and then fell apart. It felt as though our team just let them compete for the first 10 minutes, and then after that it was simply a blowout. Either way, the atmosphere for our group was much different than an NBA game; more intimate I would say. (I think our group may have been more excited to yell at the Men's team rather than actually watch the women play.) Looking forward to the rest of our stay in Manchester

The British Open

This past Tuesday and Wednesday we were treated to attending the British Open. Located close to our hotel in Blackpool, England we traveled from Coventry for the week. Due to scheduling conflicts, we were only able to attend the practice rounds of the event, as the real competition started on Thursday for all golfers. So, while we were there, the golfers were walking the course at their own pace if they wanted, in addition to practicing their swings on the putting breen and british bunkers. 

We arrived around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, walking through the historic St. Annes club area walking by signs like the one below. 

As we walked into the grounds, I was amazed by the time The Open must have put into the production of this event. I had never been to any golf tournament before, so I was constantly analyzing the minute details of the event management for The Open. Small aspects like sponsorships, booth layout, security, and flow of traffic all became highlights to my stay in addition to the high performance athletes.

Even though I never saw Tiger Woods in person, when we walked in he was talking for his press conference after a practice 18 holes earlier in the morning. Upon finishing his conference he proceeded to walk to his private helicopter and fly 40 minutes away to a private residence......

After browsing The Open gift store for quite some time, I made my way over to the actual course. Here below you can see the historic clubhouse for the St. Annes golf course that backs up the 18th hole. Right as I decided to make my way to the course the weather thought it would be a good idea to start pouring. So, without an umbrella I marched strongly to and from each hold.

Moving farther away from the 18th hole, you can now see the extent of how rainy and also how lush the course is. With weather being as erratic as it has been, I was not surprised to find out that play had been suspended later in the competition because of rain. But during the practice rounds, it was up to the players to see if they wanted to continue, and believe it or not, they did.

I decided to stay for a while watching the groups of golfers tee off at the 18th hole. Here is a golfer by the last name, Morrison, who was about to swing. Even though it was a practice round, the attendance was still quite high and getting this close to a player was relatively rare.

The 18th hole again!

 As I started walking down the course again, walking through a forest of weeds and high grass sopping wet from the torrential rain, I took a picture of the classic bunker of the British open. As you can see, unlike American bunkers, the sod is much different and wall-like.

Walking by the 17th hole, I looked across to the 18th and saw some of the most ridiculous pants I had ever seen. Without even 2nd guessing myself I ran over and took a picture of the infamous John Daly. Afterwards, I tried to get his autograph, but he rudely walked by not only myself but little British kids....

The 16th hole!

 For the most part of the first day at the British open I spent walking the course. However, on the 2nd day I decided to camp out at the driving range with Dan Wickman, where I was able to watch many of the players get ready the day before the event. However, many of the prominent players never showed up, partly because they practiced at another more private location. If you can see below, Scott Van Pelt, a sportscenter anchor was hanging out at the driving range as well!

The driving range provided me with a beautiful look at the players and their ability on the course. In addition the sponsors of each player and their club were there tracking the flight of the golf balls in order to instruct the golfer on his swing. The smallest details were analyzed here at the range and tweaked to create the largest chance for a win on the course during the actual competition.

Overall, my time at the british open was a success. For a first time golf tournament to attend, I look forward to the first time I can see them actually compete. In the end of the tournament, Ernie Els won in a unprecedented comeback!

Catching Up

Wow it has been quite a week since I lasted posted on here. Since that moment we have attended the British Open, Women's USA Basketball, Men's USA Basketball, traveled to Paris, saw part of the Tour de France, moved into the center of London, and toured the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) training center. So, instead of making one long post, I will separate these events so you can read the ones you think may be most interesting, or read them all! Either way, its been a crazy week with no down time until today when we only have class for a couple hours in the afternoon!

We will be in the London City center from today till August 8th, mostly taking classes because the security is so high we most likely won't be able to work any of the games. If you have been to London before and have any suggestions for things to do, places to see, places to eat send me an email at loganbilby24@gmail.com and let me know! I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this trip and ready to start my last two years in college. Thanks for reading this blog so far and like I said, check out all the posts from the past week that should be coming in within the next day.

It's Magically Delicious: My Ireland Weekend Trip

Ireland, known for its beautiful lush fields and its sheep, not for its immense sporting history. However, this past weekend we went over to Dublin and visited two sports stadiums and then immersed myself within the Irish culture. Leaving our hotel in Coventry we flew out of the Birmingham airport to Dublin. Right away any observant individual could realize we weren't in the U.K. anymore. Not only the accent changed, but almost all signs had now both English and Gaelic, an old language used by the Irish. 

After arriving in the airport we traveled straight to Aviva Stadium. Aviva Stadium hosts both the Irish rugby and football (soccer) teams. Unlike many of the stadiums we have toured, driving up to this stadium, it seemed like the structure simply was part of the stadium, instead of looming over the outskirts of the city. And as we walked through the stadium it was apparent that this was a focal point in the building. As you can see here, the stadium winds around with steel structured bars creating a wave-like roof top. 

Take a look at the steel at the top

We were led throughout the stadium, hitting many of the focal points including where the players of the national football team sits during the game.

The padded seats where the substitutes and coaches sit

Next, we were taken into the locker rooms that had huge tubs that held both hot water in one, and cold in the other. The idea is to hop back and forth to create muscle tension and relaxation for easier recovery after games.

Our next stop involved the suite level, where we were able to see the whole stadium. As you can see, the pitch (field) is covered with a white tarp. This is because Madonna will be performing there in a couple of days, so they are preparing for the building of the stage she will be singing on! Also, the rain had started to come down again, so the tarp served as an outlet to the rain collecting system below the field which reuses the water for the pitch. Considering over 500,000 gallons of water is used every week for the upkeep of the field....sustainability at its finest.

Once again, take a look in both the picture above and below of the roof top. With one side being higher than the other the architecture behind Aviva constantly made me stop in awe.

Brent Seebohm and Dan Wickman with me. They are both my brothers in Pi Kappa Alpha and heads of this summer program!

Our next stop brought us into the press box, or television station area where we could see where they actually film the games. Here the roof and the walls were protected in a sound proofing material so the crowd is silenced significantly during production.

The TV Area

Press and Official Game Management Box

And that was it! With the night free, I decided to find the oldest pub in Ireland: The Brazen Head. Built in 1198, it used to be both a pub and place to stay. Now it serves as both a restaurant and a pub/bar. Staying here for over 4 hours, I was able to truly experience a night out with the Dubliners.

Sorry about the Picture being sideways!

After a lovely night on the town of Dublin we went to Croke Park, another sports stadium that features Gaelic Football (a mix of soccer, basketball, and rugby) and Hurling (a mix of lacrosse, football, and violence). We were able to walk on top of the stadium on a tour of both the facilities and a city sightseeing adventure. I won't go into too many details about the Park but check out the pictures and see for yourself the gorgeous beauty that lies in the northeast end of Dublin.

Croke Park

Eric Stein and I : friends since elementary school

The walkway on top of the stadium

A view of Dublin from the roof!

A view of the stadium from the roof girders

We had to be hooked in to the girders for saftey!

On the pitch of Croke Park!

GAA : The Gaelic Athletic Association!

Look forward to my British Open post coming in the next few days! Thanks!

Cricket?

Cricket. A sport I have heard about, but never actually seen.  This past Thursday we went to my first ever Cricket Match. I couldn't tell you a lot about the actual game, but as I learned the rules I gradually started to enjoy the match more. If you can see from the pictures, the stadium holds thousands, however I think our group of 40 represented almost a tenth of all spectators that day. 

The match runs very slow. Between bowls (or pitches in America's case) players stand next to each other and talk, some wearing sun hats, casually engaging in the match. Compared to American sport, even baseball, the concentration appears to be much less here. In addition to the play being slow, we were attending a match that was day 1 of 4. That's right, four days for one game. Now, because of today's culture, many Cricket games are shifting towards the new 3 hour match, however matches like the one I attended still exist...and are attended on a thursday afternoon by retired old folks, and a sports management class. Most of our students proclaimed that they would never attend another match, but I would accept the invitation. This is because the match we went to, not only was it slow, but no one was there. I think Cricket would be much more interesting with a huge crowd, which the England National Team receives, and a shorter match.

Another small note, because the match is 4 days long, you are allowed to bring in your own food and drinks. So, during our attendance of the match, we left the stadium, went and got fish and chips, and came back to our seats. There weren't even any concession stands open in the stadium... Quite the contrast to our monopoly on fans for food in American sport. 

Anyway, enjoy the pics as we leave for Ireland the next day!

The entrance to the Cricket Stadium
The England National Team plays here