Hoosier Road Trip with Hanna Eimstad
2/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 16, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. -
Throughout the 2010 Indiana water polo season, various members of the team will be keeping a journal of their travels for IUHoosiers.com. Sophomore Hanna Eimstad checked in from Lewisburg, Pa. as the Hoosiers competed in the Bison Invitational at Bucknell University.
Friday, February 12, 2010
The bus left the soccer stadium for the airport at 7 a.m. Friday morning. The second I got on the shuttle I found two empty seats, put in my headphones, and continued my previous night's sleep.
The next thing I knew, Jakie Köhli was shaking me awake because we'd arrived at the Indy airport. We crossed through security and boarded our short flight to Washington D.C. Those of us in the front of the plane were stoked that the plane had XM satellite radio; we listened to everything from "Mambo Number 5" to "Peaches and Cream."
We arrived in Washington D.C. and caught our flight to Harrisburg, Pa. Only a 20-minute flight later, we landed in Pennsylvania around 1 p.m., and all of us were more than ready for a meal. After we got the rental cars we headed for Bucknell University (Located in Lewisburg, Pa.). On the way we stopped at Wegman's, an indescribable grocery store chain only found in the northeast.
We got to the hotel in Lewisburg and were there just long enough to throw our stuff down. Then we headed to the pool to watch one of Bucknell's games and get in the right mindset to play the next morning.
After the game we went back to the hotel for dinner and a team meeting. Some of us caught a little of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics before heading to bed after a long day of traveling.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
We woke up Saturday all pumped and ready to play Marist. After breakfast we piled in the vans and headed to the pool. The game went well and added a "W" to our record, a great way to start the weekend.
We walked across the street to Bucknell's dining hall for lunch. To our very pleasant surprise the dining hall was all-you-can-eat! We all filled up our trays and our stomachs, many of us heading to the ice cream bar for a well-earned dessert.
That afternoon we played and beat Villanova, continuing the weekend in the right direction. Then we headed to the hotel for a little rest before heading back to the pool to watch a game. Those of us without parents at the tournament headed back to the dining hall with Barry (King) and Kandace (Waldthaler) for all-you-can-eat round 2.
That evening I was more than exhausted and ready for bed, but couldn't resist staying up for the speed skating finals in the Olympics. My roommate, Katie Black, fell asleep prior to the final heat but I succeeded in keeping my eyes open to watch the USA get a silver and bronze.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Valentine's Day was a success for us, racking up wins against both Siena and Bucknell. We rushed out of town after our last game because little Lewisburg was filling up with people for the 2 p.m. women's basketball game. We hit up Sheetz on the way out of town for a snack (the coolest gas station with touch-screen ordering). Just before the airport, we stopped again at Wegman's for a final hearty meal before the flight.
Our first flight was from Harrisburg to Chicago, with a long layover in Chicago. Luckily, there was a Jamba Juice (my favorite!) in the Chicago airport, which made the layover worth it. We landed in Indianapolis a little after midnight, more than ready to be at home in our warm beds.
While waiting for our bags the Indiana water polo team had yet another celebrity run-in. This time we saw Kendra Wilkinson ("The Girls Next Door" television star) and her pro-football hubby Hank Baskett (wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts). Kendra even opened her limo door to have a brief conversation with some of the team. Although I was clueless to these celebrities, many girls on the team were giddy over the sighting (especially Kara Butler).
The bus arrived in Bloomington just before 2 a.m. and we all headed home to get a few hours of sleep before another week was to begin.
