#FalconsInCuba: Day Seven

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team's final day in Cuba was a(nother) day to remember. Tuesday (Aug. 16) saw the Falcons leave their resort in Varadero and hop on the bus for a snorkeling excursion.

The players and staff spent about 45 minutes swimming with the fishes, and the team then took another short bus trip, exited the bus and headed down several hundred winding wooden stairs. Down and down the team went, as it got darker and darker, until the players and coaches reached the end of the stairs and jumped into a small fresh-water pond inside of a cave. The pond was 22-25 meters deep in most spots, and the Falcons enjoyed swimming around the cave and jumping off the rocks into the water.

Following the snorkeling and cave adventures, it was back to the Laguna Azul Hotel for lunch and an afternoon of swimming and/or lounging near a pool and/or the beach. The team got back together for dinner at an Italian restaurant at the resort, while the boosters and fans on the trip dined together at another restaurant.

The travel party will leave the resort bright and early Wednesday (Aug. 17) to begin a day-long travel odyssey. The team's final flight of the day is scheduled to land in Cleveland late Wednesday night, with the bus slated to arrive back in BG early Thursday morning. The team's four freshmen are scheduled to move into their dorm rooms later on Thursday.

Several players and coaches took time to visit with BGSUFalcons.com and talk about the trip to date.

Sophomore Sydney Lambert
"Today we went snorkeling, and it was my first time snorkeling. It was a lot of fun. We saw a lot of fish that actually came up and swam right around us. We fed them some bread, we saw jellyfish and coral, and we each got a mouthful of salt water multiple times.

"We also went cave diving, which also was an awesome experience. The guide told us that the water would be warm like the ocean, but really it was freezing, so that was a shock. But, everybody had a great time, and I got to bring my GoPro and get lots of cool pictures and videos. We're excited to get back and show everyone our pictures and videos from Cuba."

Freshman Rion Thompson
"It's been a fun experience to learn about the culture of the people here in Cuba. We've gotten a chance to mingle with the people, put on a clinic to give back to the children, and take salsa dancing lessons. It's been a great all-around trip.

"I think the salsa dancing lesson was one of my favorite things during this trip. I found that very interesting. Also, the clinic was a great experience. We helped the kids out, but they helped us out as well. It was great to work with them, and I will never forget that experience."

Assistant Coach Jacey Brooks
"The trip to Cuba has been absolutely incredible. Everything from the cultural experience to the service projects to the extracurricular activities that we've done has been fantastic. My favorite thing we've done has been the snorkeling, with salsa a close second, but I've enjoyed everything we've done so far.

"Being able to do a foreign tour allows you to start on team bonding that much earlier. Our team has been together for the last six weeks, but to get to spend eight days on a trip like this. You learn more about your team on the court and off the court, you see them bonding and you see their relationships getting tighter and tighter. I believe an experience like this will translate well to the court as we get closer to the season, and positive things will come from it."

Director of Operations Monique Rosati
"Cuba has been fantastic. I have always wanted to come here, and it's been a great time. I love dancing, and it was great to have some formal instruction and have fun for those two sweaty hours with our team. It's just been great to make history and go to a country that I've always been interested in learning more about.

"This trip has been great from an on-the-court perspective as well. It was good for the young kids to see how much work needs to be done, face a different opponent and see the importance of learning the plays and playing hard no matter what the situation. It's a really good group of kids. They get along very well, they like each other, they hang out together and they stick together, so I think it's going to be an exciting season.

"For the staff, I think it's been good to get away from campus and get to know each other as well. We've all had a lot of time together, we've enjoyed each other's company, and we all know what we need to do to be the best we can be as a team."

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Sydney Lambert

Caterrion Thompson

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