Tara's teammate

Arizona...

What a lovely trip to get out of the way! I wanted nothing more than to get to Arizona, win two games, and get out!

The team really pulled it together this weekend and showed a lot of fight in the second game. Jeannette making those two free throws to seal the deal vs. ASU really showed how our team expects contributions from the whole team to win a game. It took effort from everyone to pull together and get the wins that we needed. Of course, there were many other highlights of this road trip besides the two wins.

The seniors of last year told me stories about Tara that they said they would never forget. This weekend, Tara made a memory in my mind that I cannot imagine ever slipping away.

As we got to Arizona for our practice the day after our win most of the girls were still putting on their ankle braces when Cissy and I began to watch Kate and Tara play one on one. We decided to make it more interesting and join in on the game.

Now, I have never really seen the coaches truly play basketball, so this was a new sight for me. And what a sight it was. Tara and I were on one team versus Cissy and Kate. A little one-sided on the speed factor, if you ask me. We had been going full court and Tara got a couple of lay-ups but mostly was lobbing the ball inside. The final time down the court when Tara and I were down by a couple of baskets she said, "Next basket wins," as she lobbed it in the air. I made a lay-up and the game was over. Kate and Cissy still claim that they won the game. I guess it really is true that the head coach has the final say.

Being a teammate of Tara's is something that I will never forget. The best part about the game is that Bobbie video taped the whole thing. Expect it on you-tube soon.

I would say that this trip really defined our team as one that fights when we get down. We have lots to work on this week with the big game coming up on Saturday. Can't get my hopes up that Tara will be playing with us this week again as it will be back to business so we can get done what needs to be done.

Jayne #2

Ready to play!

Hey all!

When I decided to come to Stanford, I knew I was making a big sacrifice because I would barely be able to see my family for nine months out of the year. With my family living 3,000 miles away from campus, it isn’t very realistic for them to fly out every weekend for games, especially since I have been hurt. So I was extremely excited to get the opportunity to back home to Yarmouth, Maine for Christmas.

After our huge win against Tennessee, I rushed to the airport to catch my flight home and thirteen long hours later, I was back in Maine, just barely making it back before an impending snowstorm hit New England. While the constant sunshine and temperatures above sixty degrees are two things that I love about attending Stanford, it doesn’t feel completely like Christmas without snow. So while I was home, I spent as much time as I could enjoying the twenty degree temperatures and three feet of snow that covered my entire yard.

Once I got back from a short Christmas break, it was back to practice to get ready for Pac-10 play. And after a long month of rehab and working myself back into shape after back surgery, I was finally cleared to participate in practice. After five long months of not being able to play, it felt awesome to be back on the court with my teammates instead of being stuck on the sidelines. It is a great feeling knowing that I can make it through a whole practice without any pain!

I want to thank everyone who comes out and supports our team! Come out and watch us make our way through out Pac-10 schedule. It means a lot to all of us!

GO CARD!!

Ashley Cimino

Welding, drilling and tapping

I am currently writing this blog sitting in the hotel in New Mexico. We have just finished playing against UNM, and can I just say-wow. What a great place to play! It was an amazing environment to experience! Even if a majority of the fans were yelling against us, it was a fun and exciting place to play.

The trip itself was glorious in that it finally allowed me to catch up on some MUCH needed sleep. After two weeks of cramming and practice, I am more than a little sleep deprived.

Although, fortunately I think finals went pretty well. During dead and finals week, I spent a majority of the time trying to catch up on a project I was making for ME203-Engineering Manufacturing and Design. I had to create my own product from scratch, and I chose to make a basketball shooting aide. The basic concept was a guard that was raised about 3” above the rim that made you shoot with higher arc. The manufacturing was an interesting process. I had to bend steel using a torch and pliers into an 18” diameter ring (for those of you that don’t know- that is the size of the rim). It also included milling pieces from aluminum, heat forming poly-carb, welding, and drilling and tapping. If you don’t understand any of what this entails-before this class neither did I.

It’s amazing how much you can learn in 9 weeks! I am extremely glad to be done with that class. Although it was a fun experience, it was extremely stressful. After all, I can make up problem sets, missed lectures and readings on the road, but it is impossible to make up shop time. But I guess that is what I get for undertaking an engineering major.

But I’m hoping it will all pay off in the end. I want to be sure to get the best education I can-after all that’s why we go to Stanford.

Anyway, to conclude I’ll just say COME OUT AND WATCH US BEAT TENNESSEE!! We’ve been working our tails off, and you should definitely come see our efforts at work.