Thursday, January 21, 2010

Long Way From Charlotte: Trip to Big Apple

Ok, right from the get-go, get the images out of your head. The bright lights, naked cowboys, ‘Broadway’, MTV, Jay Z, everything bagels and posh Manhattan lofts. I tell everyone I traveled to New York City and this is what they think.

We played in Rose Hill Gym, not Madison Square Garden. We stayed at the Marriott in White Plains, not Center City.

I’m not complaining. My second trip to Fordham was much like the first. A lot of time spent on a bus admiring the scenery from a distance while resting my head in White Plains, NY about 20 minutes north of the Bronx.

We drove by Citi Field, Arthur Ashe Stadium, Yonkers Raceway (A personal highlight for me because of my passion for horse racing. Even though it is harness racing and some of the horses only have three legs), the Manhattan Skyline, Bronx Zoo and flying out of LaGuardia at night can take your breathe away.

While driving through parts of the seven boroughs, hearing whispers between the girls from the back rows of the bus really puts things in perspective.

Many of the girls on our team are from small towns within North Carolina. Tabor City, Marshville and Whiteville certainly don’t sound like booming metropolises because they aren’t. One look out the bus window at any given moment will result in seeing more people than those two ville’s and one city combined.

But the true gem of the trip was Rose Hill Gym. The oldest gym in America. While other schools race to upgrade video boards, sound systems, locker rooms, LED pro tables, elaborate intro videos and flashy signage, the Rams seemingly want no part of it. They will live and die with that gym. The Victorian doors, stone walled interior and endless journey to find a restroom make Rose Hill Gym a treat to enjoy once or twice.

To think Alumnus Vince Lombardi had PE in that gym (I’m making that up, but he could have, the gym was there). It really is kinda neat. In other news, Fordham has a squash team. Really? Squash? I needed to youtube highlights of squash just to figure out what it is? Looks real intense...



Most importantly we picked up a win. A convincing win at that, now we can move on for a three game road swoon. The trip to Saint Louis isn’t too far off. 28 days away. It’s not our next road trip, but the one I look forward to the most every year.

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