Taylor on traveling

Finally Cardinal fans, it's my turn to blog! I've been looking forward to this blog for quite some time, which is why it's a little delayed (because I had to make it perfect!) As I've seen, my teammates have written some extremely creative blogs, so I'm going to do my best to COMPETE - Coach Kate should be very proud of me.

The theme I have chosen for this special blog is traveling. Let me just tell you, I've never been a huge fan of flying; motion sickness loves to torture me.

There are two sides to traveling: 1) More quality times with my teammies off the court and 2) Packing up my whole locker, carrying on stinky shoes and ankle braces, and scrunching our legs behind the airplane seats. Everyone complains about their legs cramping, but I've actually always thought the leg room should be reduced; I tend to get too comfortable the way it is right now.

OK, there's something I should probably mention: sarcasm is my first language. It can get me in a little bit of trouble, but I promise I mean well. ☺

On a serious note, traveling with my teammates is the best part of road trips, and it makes up for the not-so-fun parts of travel. When we are on the road, everyone is paired up with a teammate-roommate, which is my favorite part since none of us live together during the school year. I look forward to rooming with a new teammate each trip because it gives me a chance to get to know them even better because, yes, I'm a freshman.

The freshman experience of traveling isn't the biggest hooray moment, though. We receive the honor of lugging around the two "extras", which consist of the components necessary to set up our projector to watch film. It's soooo much fun!!

My next favorite would be sitting next to a coach on the flight, especially if it's at least two hours, so we can watch film together! It gets even better if the flight is at 8am, I'm about ten seconds away from falling into my deep sleep, and Amy would like to watch "the things I could have done better" from the previous game. This would be why I prefer to fly Southwest.

Kidding. We all appreciate the time our coaches, LG (Lauren Greif), and Liz put into scouting and film. When it comes to the game, we may know the other team's plays better than they do.

As you know we just got back from our Utah & Colorado trip, and it was a complete success! We came out against Utah, and they wanted to be physical, but we proved to them that whatever they brought to the table, we had more. Colorado was another story; we came out tough from the beginning, and we were able to keep a nice lead to finish off the Buffs!

It was a long trip since it was the first week back to classes, but who doesn't like falling behind on lecture notes and not having a clue what's going on during the next section? Once again, kidding.

The responsibility and self-discipline our team has is insurmountable, especially when it comes to academics. Even though we are traveling, we all do the required work and more in order to stay caught up in school.

Well, it seems as if it's time for practice. Or is it weights? Film? No, it's that thing called sleep. Yep, that's it.

Thank you so much for the support you show Stanford Women's Basketball! We definitely appreciate it, and hopefully we repay the favor to you all and ourselves with that National Title!

Go Card!

Living the hotel life

Hello All!!

As some of you might know, during the holiday break from school all students are required to move out of their dorms or campus living situations. As all of you should know (because you are at our games!) we clearly do not have this break off from basketball.

Therefore as a team, we move into the Sheraton for the three weeks we have off from academics! Living the hotel life has its pros and cons but for the most part it’s pretty fun. After all, who can complain about big comfy beds, TVs and room service?!

Being in the hotel is also nice because of the time we spend together as a team off the court. Most of the time roommates are paired off so that people who do have cars are with people that do not, so transportation for food and to practice is never an issue. That being said, because we have such a young team, that isn’t the case for every roommate pair.

While we have a couple fun dinners as a whole team, for the most part individuals seem to be enjoying different types of activities. For instance, the freshman tend to move in packs together and can be seen “borrowing” Sara James’ car, affectionately named “Zenon” (don’t ask me why), to drive off to Yogurt Land.

Toni and Mikaela can be spotted walking from the Sheraton to the Starbucks in Palo Alto to simply read.

Jos and I can sometimes be found on California Ave getting our nails done.

And we all seem to frequent Trader Joes (“TJs”) for some healthy snack and lunch options ... well except for Nneka! She still prefers going to the classic Safeway for her dining pleasure!

All in all, as a team we have a great time together doing a number of activities and we need to make sure that our chemistry off the court continues to show on the court!!

As always, Go Card!

Grace

Nicknames

Hey Cardinal Fans!

I hope everyone had a great time celebrating this holiday season, I know I did. I had an amazing time with my family and friends for Christmas. My El Dorado Hills home was busy with kids of all ages baking cookies, opening presents, and everything in between.

Even though my time with my real family was short, I was happy to return to Stanford with my basketball family. Over the past two years I have developed friendships with these girls that I'm sure will last a lifetime.

Even though this team is much different than last year's team, it is perfect in its own way. I have grown so close to each of the other fourteen girls, which is one of the main reasons why I enjoy coming to practice for hours each day.

The main subject of this blog, however, is going to be names. With traveling for weeks at a time, rooming together in countless hotels, and spending each and every day with each other, we (well, mainly me) have created names and nicknames for each of my fourteen sisters.

Lindy: Looooopy (Not sure where this one came from but from Lu to Loo, to Loopy)

Grace: Gem, Gracie (I like to call Grace "Gem" because I think that she secretly wishes people would call her Gem. If you didn't know GEM are her initials and because people call me SEJ, I thought I might spread the trend. Not to mention GEM is also a gem)

Nneka: Gorgeous, Beautiful (Nneka and I call each other Gorgeous and Beautiful because first off, who doesn't like to be called beautiful? Even if they don't really mean it, its nice to be heard sometimes! But besides that I'm not really sure why we call each other that.)

Sarah: Boothie (I call Sarah Boothie because I find it weird to call someone my own name. Also she just seems more like a Boothie to me than a Sarah. We also argue over which Sara(h) is better and I claim that her name should be pronounced sarAH- emphasis on the AH)

Mikaela: Ruef, Ruefie, Michelle, Mik (Ruef has always been Ruef to me, not sure why. A few times I tried to call her Michelle just because it's similar to Mikaela, but she did not like that at all and even threatened me).

Joslyn: Jos, Jossy, shjaughlyn, J Tink, J Stink, Cankle, Tink (Joslyn has a lot of names for me, but I usually call her Shlaughlyn, and she calls be Shlejj. You kind of have to hear us say it to really understand. Again, I'm not really sure where this came from)

Chiney: C, Ch(IE)ney (Devan, our old strength coach started with C, probably because he didn't know how to pronounce her name at first, but it has stuck. C is easier and faster to say on the court, anyway.)

Toni: Tone, Tonitha, Antoinette, Marie, Toni the Tiger, El Tigre (Toni has been Ton, Tonitha, El Tigre, really anything to me. Once I called her Antoinette which then lead to Marie (Marie Antoinette). I'm not sure if she likes that one. But for Toni it's usually Tonitha)

Erica: E, Amber, E Payne, Urrica, Ianna, PG (I like to call her E and Ianna. Most of the team calls her E, but I think I'm the only one that calls her Ianna. Once again I'm not really sure where this came from. I also like to call her PG sometimes, short for point guard, because she is the point guard in my heart.....?.. Amber is in her list of names because for some reason Tara always calls her Amber by accident. Nobody really understands why, or where the connection between Erica and Amber came from.)

Taylor: Tay, Tay the May......or, Purple Valley, Taylor the Sailor (Taylor is Tay to everyone, but I like to call her Tay the May......or(with a pause between May and or) because at one point I was trying to find something that rhymed with her name and that was all I could come up with at the moment. Purple Valley also comes from Green Field, if you can put two and two together.)

Bonnie: Bon, Bonaldhino, Bonitha, BonBon, Dean, Bonathon (Bonnie is Bon to everyone. I call her Bon, Bonaldhino, and BonBon usually. No reason behind any of them.)

Amber: "AMBAAA", Am Bam, Bam (Amber is "AMBAAAAA"– you have to really hear us say it to understand. Not sure why this started)

Jasmine: Jas, Jazzy (I haven't yet created a super creative name for Jas, but I'm sure I will soon.)

Alex: Lex, "alexxxxxx" (Alex is "alexxxx" said with no enthusiasm whatsoever. I use this one because she is actually the most enthusiastic person I have ever met.......?)

Thanks for reading, Cardinal fans!
See you out on the court!

Sara, Sej, Sara James, Sejjie, Sedgwick, Bear......but mostly just Sej. ☺

Why Christmas with snow is the real Christmas

Hey Cardinal fans,

The holiday season is upon us, and the team is extremely excited to go home to celebrate with their families. As you all know, our team is from all over the country: Illinois, California, Texas, and D.C. just to name a few. We constantly debate over which coast or area is the best, but there is no question as to which part of the U.S. really has the Christmas spirit. Therefore, I present you with the…

Top Ten Reasons Why Christmas With Snow Is The Real Christmas:

10) There is a huge difference between wearing Uggs and a fashionable scarf to face the 50 degree Christmas weather versus wearing water proof boots and extremely stylish puffy snow pants to trek through the holiday snow.

9) Decorative reindeer made out of lights don't look like deer without the presence of snow to set the scene.

8) Christmas lights look most appropriate wrapped around bare tree branches and shining through a thin layer of snow, not adorning palm trees.

7) One can only build a legitimate snowman out of actual snow. Building a “snowman” out of sand just does not count.

6) There is nothing like having a snow day to set the mood for the Christmas season. It just gives you more time to enjoy a long nap, drink some delicious coffee, and do some holiday tie-dying by the fire.

5) Nothing says “Welcome Home and Merry Christmas!” better than ridiculously long security lines and three hour flight delays at the airport due to snow.

4) Snow validates all the best Christmas songs. Here are a few of the many examples:

-“Dashing through the snow…” (“Jingle Bells”)

-“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…” (“White Christmas”)

-“In the lane, snow is glistening…walking in a winter wonderland…” (“Winter Wonderland”)

-“Frosty the snowman knew the sun was hot that day, so he said, ‘Let’s run and we’ll have some fun now before I melt away…”’ (“Frosty the Snowman)

3) Nothing brings out your inner child more than the snowy Christmas season. There is no other time where catching snow flakes on your tongue or making snow angels for hours is 150% acceptable regardless of age.

2 )What would all the loving grandmothers and yiayias do if they did not need to knit mittens and hats to keep their little rascals warm?

1) Sibling disputes can only be truly settled with snow ball fights.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Go Card!

Toni

What's up with Alex

What’s up Stanford fans! If you do not already know, I am injured again . During practice I was pushing off my left foot to pass the basketball when I felt something pop. I tried to walk, but when I did not feel any support, I just fell to my knees and rolled to my back. I was just surprised because it felt like someone stepped on my heel! Long story short, I tore my Achilles tendon. Although I was not initially in pain, it started to hurt as Susan Borchardt carried me in her arms to the training room (Haha she is SUPER strong).

Luckily the injury came right before Thanksgiving break so I did not miss any school. Unfortunately, I missed travelling with my team and having Thanksgiving dinner with them. I did, however, get to spend the whole week with my parents, whom I have missed since I have been at Stanford.

Of course I was disappointed at the time because I was just returning from another injury, but I have had time to think about the positive side of this injury. Tara reminds me almost every week about Nneka’s quote of the day “Every disappointment is a blessing.” I constantly think about this quote because it reminds me that I have so much to look forward to and that there is no reason for me to dwell upon my injury.

Now, I am going to physical therapy three times a week and lifting upper body weights during practice. Susan works me hard during practice, but I know that her workouts are exactly what I need if I want to return to the court healthy and strong. She is an inspiration because she suffered from two knee injuries and she made an awesome comeback. Also, she was a great defender- she still is, but I love playing defense and I believe that if there is anyone that can help me come back to the court playing tenacious D, it will be her.

Lastly, I want to express how GREAT my teammates are in supporting me through my injury. They are so much fun to be around and they are HILARIOUS!! The first day I got my golf cart, Chiney asked me for ride-haha I did not even have it for one day, but it is all good because her bike needed to be repaired. Also, my teammates have given me a lot of good advice about keeping a positive attitude and being the best cheerer on the sideline. Boothe talked to me about how it is important to stay mentally strong and to work hard during rehab. I know that I have the best teammates in the world and I am so lucky to be a member of this team.

** I want to give a shout-out to my J-RO corner support!! They helped me out in the dorm and at the dining halls!!

All right, talk to you later!

Alex

#Sisterhood

Hello friends!

I am so excited to write my second blog ever for the lovely fans of SWB! It feels great to be a sophomore! No more freshman bloopers. No more getting lost and calling Nneka. No more pesky pranks pulled by the upperclassmen. Life is good!

This is a really special year! Each day is a challenge and opportunity to become better, on and off the court. Our team is young, passionate, and energetic. One of the beautiful things about this year's squad is that everyday we learn a lot about ourselves. I am so proud of our six freshman! They have undergone one of the most "memorable" summers and have stepped up in all our games this year. Here is my personal take on each of my little sisters... Amber is a very quiet person but don't be confused, she can hit a mean dougie (dance)! Bonnie, also known as Bonaldine, can only be described in one word: quirky. Erica and Nneka share the exact same personality. Jasmine may be small but she carries some big bags diva-liciously. Taylor speaks only one language: sarcasm. And it is impossible to be mad at Alex, no matter how hard you try.

With so many freshmen, our team atmosphere is light and fun. We have let loose (as you can tell through our web series "The Real Ladies of Maples.") We are full of emotions. And we stamp every moment. So to keep you in the loop, I will fill you in on some of our hot catch phrases for the year:

#AYE - This is said anytime our team gets hyped. Anything from an and-one to a good grade on a test.
#Nerds - Said when we want to remind people that we are also STUDENT-athletes with a high dosage of swagger.
#Swag - The latest version of the word cool. (Usually accompanied with the cooking dance, which actually mimics cooking.)
#WeDoIt - We may or may not know what we are going to do, but as a team it will get done!
#Sisterhood - The best thing we have being a part of Stanford basketball.

We are pumped for another great year of Cardinal basketball! Glad you are joining us on the ride!

Until we meet again,
Chiney #13

The Freshmen Inside Scoop!

Hey Cardinal Fans!!! Here I am for my first team blog. Today I’m going to be giving you guys the inside scoop on how my fellow freshmen and myself have experienced the start of the season.

The rest of the “Six Pack,” as apparently we have been dubbed, and I have been extremely excited for games to begin, and we’re so happy to finally get our first exhibition games under our belt. It was an amazing experience for us all, and I think we all had quite a bit of adrenaline running through our veins when we stepped out onto Maples court for the first time in our game uniforms. To tell the truth though, the coaches could not have prepared us any better because I felt completely at ease as we ran through our offenses and played our defense against UC San Diego and Vanguard. All of the practices and hard work over the summer had led us to this moment, and although I know there is a long way to go, I felt a great sense of pride and belonging as I put on my uniform and went to battle with my team. Then, this weekend was extremely exciting as we got 2 more wins against Texas and Gonzaga to really put our season off to a great start!

On another note, our upperclassmen are literally like our watchful and helpful parents. Nneka tends to call us the “babies” of the team, and they have all been so helpful and supportive as we continue to struggle through learning new things every day. I know this is a huge job for them and that they go out of their way to help us because we are quite a big class!! I am extremely grateful and appreciative to find myself on such a close team that is really more like a family.

Each of us freshman brings something special to the team, and it will be exciting to see how each of us grow and mature as the season goes on. I am so happy to get to spend time with my 5 fellow freshmen for the next 4 years.

Amber is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and when she and Alex get together, they can be quite the comedians! Fun fact: she has dimples!!

Now Alex may seem quiet at first, but don’t let her fool you! She is actually extremely outgoing and has a great sense of humor. Fun Fact: Her favorite singer is Alicia Keys.

Taylor also has a great sense of humor and is a big fan of Chris Farley. Fun Fact: She absolutely loves Yogurt Land. Jasmine is a ball of energy and loves listening to her music. Fun Fact: She loves to dance.

Erica is an awesome friend and is very generous to always let us hang out in her room. We call her room the “rendezvous point.” Fun Fact: She is a huge Harry Potter fan.

And lastly, I am constantly singing, even though I may not be able to carry a tune, and I am also a huge Harry Potter fan. Fun Fact: I love to quote random movie lines and SNL skits. Name that skit: “I gotta fever, and the only prescription…is more cowbell!!”

I hope you enjoyed my blog, and I hope you enjoy watching the “Six-Pack” grow and develop throughout the season.

Go Card!!!
Bonnie

Welcome Back!

Hello Cardinal Fans!

The start of the 2011-2012 Stanford Basketball Season is upon us!! I hope everyone is as geared up and ready as we are! Like all years, our team has very high expectations for this season, but unlike past seasons we are going to have a little different style and flavor that I know you all will enjoy!

Our “Six Pack” of freshman are doing great! Each one of them has made huge strides since our first day together and it’s incredible how quickly they have adjusted to some of the major changes from high school to college. The rest of the team has been great leaders for them and everyone is truly doing their part.

It’s hard to believe it’s my senior year! Seems like a couple months ago I was a youngun’ still learning the system. Nneka, Grace, Sarah, and I are putting in extra work and time to make sure this year is one that we will never forget! We each have embraced our leadership roles and we know that it is up to us to set the tone for our team and the season.

Our first two exhibition games were really fun and it was awesome to see everyone get out there and get some experience. But now we are ready for the real deal! Our first weekend of games is not going to be an easy one. It will test the will and grit of our team and I am excited for that. I hope to see everyone at the games all season long cheering and screaming your heads off! We really appreciate your support and it is definitely a lot exciting to play in front of a rowdy crowd! Keep up all the good work you guys are doing and I will make sure that the team is doing the same!

See you in the gym! GO CARD!

Lindy La Rocque #15

Thanks from Kayla

Hey Cardinal Fans!

Hopefully you guys know a little bit about the team and coaches so I’m going to take this opportunity to recognize those in this program that don’t get the attention or recognition that they deserve.

First are our practice players. These guys come to practice everyday just to play defense for the majority of the time and they have to memorize all of our scouting reports. So thanks to Paul, Austin, Brian, Chris, Leo, Ben, Sam, and those that have played in the past. Also, a special shout-out goes to the two guys that I always go against, Greg and Ilan.

Next are our managers. They do all of the dirty work, literally. They record stats, line the court, run the clock, get us water, do the laundry, decorate our lockers, help with marketing, and most importantly they play the role of team mom. So thanks to Jen and the two managers that have been part of the team longer than most of our players have, Kerry and Dorothy.

More thanks go to: Marcella, Dr. Lambert, and Dr. Safran who keep us healthy and ready to go. Lauren and Sha’rae, the two coolest interns who do the video editing, stats, and filming of all of our practices. Sarah Boruta, the most efficient video coordinator and community service organizer I’ve seen. Devan, our strength and conditioning coach, who keeps the team going physically and mentally. This guy is the real deal and he always makes sure that we give it our all no matter what we feel like. Aaron, our media guy that makes sure we are represented well and does any necessary damage control. Bud, our video guy that makes all of the promos and commercials. DeeDee, who plans all of our trips and takes care of basically everything. She’s always been there for the team and we can call her when we need help with anything. Eileen, who does the scheduling and all of the big basketball operation tasks. Ish, Freddie, Kevin, and Jimmy who fill our stomachs with energy after ever practice and before every game. The Stehr family, who are my awesome scholarship donors that have been so supportive of me. And to those that have been part of this program for some time in my four years here, thanks!

And last but not least, I’d like to take this time to recognize YOU! Seriously, without your support and generosity, this team would be nowhere. All of our fans have stayed faithful to our team through all of the ups and downs. You were there when we lost back-to-back against the LA schools my freshman year and you were there cheering us on at the Final Four every year. So thank you. It truly means more than you know and you are appreciated more than ever. I’ll always remember walking off of the bus after losing in the championship game last year, trying to hold back tears not because we had lost, but because you had waited for us at our hotel to cheer us on. At that moment, you made the team feel loved and that our hard work was not put to waste because of the result of one night.

Alright, now that I’m done with all of that mushy stuff, it’s crunch time. March Madness is here and the seniors have one last shot to bring a championship back to the Bay. I guarantee that you have invested your support in a special team.

With love and gratitude,
Kayla


Conspiracy against the Big Man or in this case the Big Woman

Hello everyone. For my blog this year I would like to discuss a serious issue that plagues women’s basketball. It is the issue of fouls.

In the game every team member gets 5 fouls. These are usually personal fouls (rather than technical or flagrant fouls). According to Wikipedia a personal foul is “a player’s contact foul with an opponent, whether the ball is live or dead. A player shall not hold, block, push, charge, trip or impede the progress of an opponent by extending his/her hand, arm, elbow, shoulder, hip, leg, knee or foot, nor by bending his/her body into an 'abnormal' position (outside his cylinder), nor shall he/she indulge in any rough or violent play.”

No ... enough with the information about what are fouls. My concern is who the fouls are being called on. I have developed a conspiracy theory over the years that referees have formed together to target the team's “bigs” or posts and call fouls on them. The “bigs” would usually be the team’s center. Ever since I began playing the beautiful sport of basketball, I have observed how refs usually are quick to call a foul on a “big” rather than a guard. I will admit that I am usually at the receiving end of those calls. And while some of those may be actual fouls, I think that it is all part of this conspiracy theory.

To support this theory I went on some of the other Pac 10 teams websites to see which players receive the most personal fouls. On our team Chiney leads the way with 66, I follow with 57, and Nneka comes next with 46 fouls. Note that we are all “bigs.” On UCLA Dixon, their “big”, leads the team with 72 fouls. On USC, LaPlante leads the team with 77 fouls. On Oregon State Greer has 86 and on Oregon Canepa has 68. I didn’t have time to get the stats on the rest of the teams in the Pac 10, but if I were to, I would guess that their bigs would be the ones leading their team in fouls. These stats offer interesting findings in support of my conspiracy theory that refs target “bigs” with fouls.

I would like to note that this blog is in no way meant to rag our Pac 10 refs — it is merely something that I have observed in my 10 or so years of playing basketball. And this conspiracy theory does not only pertain to women’s college basketball. It is a conspiracy at all levels in both men’s and women’s basketball.

Thank you for reading and for your support! Have a great day!
Sarah Boothe