Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Begin On-Court Preparations for Foreign Tour
August 02, 2009 | Women's Basketball
BGSU will travel to Costa Rica from Aug. 12-20
The calendar has turned to August, which of course marks the start of preseason practices for ... women's basketball?
Yes, for the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, practice begins Sunday (Aug. 2), as the Falcons of head coach Curt Miller prepare for a nine-day foreign tour later in the month. The team will travel to Costa Rica from August 12-20.
The NCAA allows one foreign tour every four years for a program. This year's trip marks the first foreign tour the BGSU women's basketball program has ever taken. The NCAA also allows 10 days of practices prior to such a trip.
“We are looking forward to getting going with our practices,” said Miller. “We have talked about this opportunity for a long time, and are excited to begin our on-court preparations.
“We are excited about the trip, of course. We're looking forward to implementing some things that we need to be able to use on the foreign tour. But, we are also excited about being able to jump-start our 2009-10 season in this way. It is a unique opportunity to be able to work with our team on the floor in the month of August, and it is a huge benefit for our program.
“We will practice with a lot of intensity, but at the same time, we will have a lot of fun in preparation for our trip to Costa Rica.”
The trip will include four games against local teams, including a game against the Costa Rican National Team, and also will include clinics for local schoolchildren. While in Costa Rica, the Falcons will also participate in several team bonding experiences, including a whitewater rafting trip, a canopy (zipline) excursion and a hiking trip to a volcano and hot springs.
No University money will be used for the trip. The trip is being funded largely through a lead gift to the program from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, with the remaining money the result of fundraising efforts by the women's basketball program over the last few years.
The Falcons will spend the first portion of the trip in San Jose, the nation's capital, before heading to San Ramon for the remainder of the trip. The team, as mentioned, will return home on Thursday, Aug. 20, and fall semester classes will begin the following Monday (Aug. 24).
“This will be a great start to the season,” said Miller. “Hopefully, it will give us a leg up, especially in a year when we not only will have high expectations placed upon us, but will also face as tough of a non-conference schedule as we have had during my time here."
The Falcon roster includes 10 returning letterwinners from the 2008-09 season, plus two transfers who sat out the '08-09 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Players joining the program for the 2009-10 season are not eligible to participate in a foreign tour.
The list of returnees includes seniors Tara Breske, Laura Bugher and Sarah Clapper; juniors Chelsea Albert, Tracy Pontius, Lauren Prochaska, Jen Uhl and Kelly Zuercher; and sophomores Maribeth Giese and Jessica Slagle. Transfers Maggie Hennegan (Saint Louis Univ.) and Tamika Nurse (Univ. of Oregon) also will be eligible to go on the foreign tour as well as suit up for the Falcons in the 2009-10 season.
The Falcons' schedule for the 2009-10 season will be announced at a later date.
The Falcon roster includes 10 returning letterwinners from the 2008-09 season, plus two transfers who sat out the '08-09 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Players joining the program for the 2009-10 season are not eligible to participate in a foreign tour.
The list of returnees includes seniors Tara Breske, Laura Bugher and Sarah Clapper; juniors Chelsea Albert, Tracy Pontius, Lauren Prochaska, Jen Uhl and Kelly Zuercher; and sophomores Maribeth Giese and Jessica Slagle. Transfers Maggie Hennegan (Saint Louis Univ.) and Tamika Nurse (Univ. of Oregon) also will be eligible to go on the foreign tour as well as suit up for the Falcons in the 2009-10 season.
The Falcons' schedule for the 2009-10 season will be announced at a later date.
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