Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Larry Clapper
Falcons Continue Preparations for Cuba Trip
August 05, 2016 | Women's Basketball
BGSU meets with the media as foreign tour draws closer
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team is just days away from embarking upon an historic trip. Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons will travel to Cuba on Tuesday (Aug. 9).
LINKS
INTERVIEWS |Â PHOTO GALLERY
The Falcons will become just the second-ever NCAA women's basketball program to visit and play in Cuba (Louisville will arrive in Cuba three days before BGSU). The BG travel party will head to the airport on Tuesday and fly to South Florida, before continuing on to Havana the following morning.
Earlier this week, the Falcons met with members of the local media in preparation for the trip.
"We will see cars from the 1950s and '60s," said Roos. "Our cellphones won't work, and internet is spotty at best. So, our team will be going back in time a little bit, but it will be a great opportunity to immerse ourselves and learn a new culture."
Upon arrival on Wednesday, the team will check into the Parque Central Hotel before taking a walking tour of Havana and the Four Squares in Old Havana, the historic heart of Cuba's capital city. The next day (Thursday, August 11), the team will tour a cigar store and learn how cigars are made, then return to the hotel for a few hours of rest before playing the first of three games in three days. The Falcons will play a game beginning at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (NOTE: The schedule is subject to change).
Friday morning will see the team and coaches take part in salsa dancing lessons, and on Saturday morning, the coaching staff will host a clinic for the Cuban National Team while the student-athletes return to the Old Havana area for shopping and sightseeing.
BGSU will check out of the Parque Central Hotel on Sunday morning, and the travel party will head to Varadero, while the Falcons will spend the next few days at an all-inclusive resort. The players and staff will also conduct two clinics for local chidren during this time.
The team departs Havana on a plane bound for the United States on Wednesday, August 17, and the Falcons are scheduled to return to Bowling Green in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, August 18.
Roos is looking forward to the historic aspects of this groundbreaking trip as well as the three games her team will play.
"It will be Fidel Castro's 90th birthday while we are down there, on August 13," said the head coach. "It will be fascinating to see what the country does to celebrate his birthday, how the locals and the community responds to that, and how our team responds to that as well."
In addition to enjoying the cultural and educational experiences from this once-in-a-lifetime trip, the Falcons will benefit from additional time on the court. Coach Roos and her squad are permitted to hold a total of 10 on-campus practices in preparation for the trip, and those practices will help the program prepare for not only the games in Cuba, but the 2016-17 season.
"My favorite part about going to Cuba is that we get a head start on our team chemistry," said senior Abby Siefker. "We get to spend a lot of time together, doing fun things and getting to know each other. That's what I'm most looking forward to."
The BGSU active roster includes three seniors in Siefker, Rachel Konieczki and Ashley Tunstall, along with a pair of juniors in Rachel Myers and Haley Puk. Three players – Maddie Cole, Sydney Lambert and Carly Santoro – will be sophomores on the 2016-17 squad, and the team's four incoming freshmen are permitted to make the trip as well. That quartet includes Andrea Cecil, Clare Glowniak, Rion Thompson and Jane Uecker. Senior Leah Bolton, who applied for a medical retirement in January of 2015, rounds out the 13-player roster.
For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUwbb), Instagram (@BGFalcons) and Snapchat (BGSU Falcons) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
Â
LINKS
INTERVIEWS |Â PHOTO GALLERY
The Falcons will become just the second-ever NCAA women's basketball program to visit and play in Cuba (Louisville will arrive in Cuba three days before BGSU). The BG travel party will head to the airport on Tuesday and fly to South Florida, before continuing on to Havana the following morning.
Earlier this week, the Falcons met with members of the local media in preparation for the trip.
"We will see cars from the 1950s and '60s," said Roos. "Our cellphones won't work, and internet is spotty at best. So, our team will be going back in time a little bit, but it will be a great opportunity to immerse ourselves and learn a new culture."
Upon arrival on Wednesday, the team will check into the Parque Central Hotel before taking a walking tour of Havana and the Four Squares in Old Havana, the historic heart of Cuba's capital city. The next day (Thursday, August 11), the team will tour a cigar store and learn how cigars are made, then return to the hotel for a few hours of rest before playing the first of three games in three days. The Falcons will play a game beginning at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (NOTE: The schedule is subject to change).
Friday morning will see the team and coaches take part in salsa dancing lessons, and on Saturday morning, the coaching staff will host a clinic for the Cuban National Team while the student-athletes return to the Old Havana area for shopping and sightseeing.
BGSU will check out of the Parque Central Hotel on Sunday morning, and the travel party will head to Varadero, while the Falcons will spend the next few days at an all-inclusive resort. The players and staff will also conduct two clinics for local chidren during this time.
The team departs Havana on a plane bound for the United States on Wednesday, August 17, and the Falcons are scheduled to return to Bowling Green in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, August 18.
Roos is looking forward to the historic aspects of this groundbreaking trip as well as the three games her team will play.
"It will be Fidel Castro's 90th birthday while we are down there, on August 13," said the head coach. "It will be fascinating to see what the country does to celebrate his birthday, how the locals and the community responds to that, and how our team responds to that as well."
In addition to enjoying the cultural and educational experiences from this once-in-a-lifetime trip, the Falcons will benefit from additional time on the court. Coach Roos and her squad are permitted to hold a total of 10 on-campus practices in preparation for the trip, and those practices will help the program prepare for not only the games in Cuba, but the 2016-17 season.
"My favorite part about going to Cuba is that we get a head start on our team chemistry," said senior Abby Siefker. "We get to spend a lot of time together, doing fun things and getting to know each other. That's what I'm most looking forward to."
The BGSU active roster includes three seniors in Siefker, Rachel Konieczki and Ashley Tunstall, along with a pair of juniors in Rachel Myers and Haley Puk. Three players – Maddie Cole, Sydney Lambert and Carly Santoro – will be sophomores on the 2016-17 squad, and the team's four incoming freshmen are permitted to make the trip as well. That quartet includes Andrea Cecil, Clare Glowniak, Rion Thompson and Jane Uecker. Senior Leah Bolton, who applied for a medical retirement in January of 2015, rounds out the 13-player roster.
For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUwbb), Instagram (@BGFalcons) and Snapchat (BGSU Falcons) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
Â
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballAmy Velasco, Lexi Fleming, & Coach Chmiel Postgame Interview (Mar. 5, 2025)
Thursday, March 06
Paige Kohler, Coach Chmiel, & Amy Velasco Postgame Interview (Feb. 26, 2025)
Thursday, February 27
In the Paint: Lexxus Graham-Blincoe
Wednesday, February 26
Erika Porter, Amy Velasco, & Coach Chmiel Postgame Interview (Feb. 22, 2025)
Sunday, February 23