DANCIN' DUKIES
Michele Matyasovsky
Jan. 2, 2003 -- Hey everyone! Well, we are back at school after a having a great tournament down in South Padre, Texas. The games went really well and we were all surprised and grateful for the fan support that all of the teams had while there. We had a great time off the court doing a lot of random things. I think one of my favorite parts of the trip was no matter where we were, we found a way to have dance party. Let me explain ...
It all started in warm-ups of our first game against Detroit-Mercy. We found out that the gym we were playing in had a sound system and I just happened to have our awesome warm-up mix in my bag. So we all got hyped up and throughout the warm-up a few of us displayed our dance moves without the coaches seeing. After the game, our bus made a stop at Dairy Queen, which soon became a South Padre after-game tradition. Alana was so excited that she started running to the door and tripped and fell on the ground in the middle of the parking lot. No one really stopped to help her because then they would have lost their place in line!
After our second game, we stopped again at Dairy Queen and then proceeded to have a dance party on the bus. It is a long-standing tradition that all freshman and newcomers to the team must dance on the first bus trip. Even though this wasn't our first bus trip, it was a long ride home and we were all excited. Lindsey and Coach Wagner were the first to start, and the rest of the frosh eventually joined in after some persuasion. Vicki, Alana, Wynter and I decided that we would dance most of the way home. Even some of the doctors and Lindy, our sports information director, showed us some old-school moves!
When we got back to the hotel, we found out that the lounge/bar downstairs was having karaoke night. This was definitely the highlight of the trip, as our whole team took over and by the end of the night the lead singer of the band was sitting at the bar, while our team sang and played the drums!!! It was hilarious, and Iciss proved that she needs to be an entertainer on Saturday Night Live! Alana and I decided we would end the night with a duet. After a few lines of "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch," we started making up our own lines about basketball. The old couple sitting in the front row had no idea what were talking about, but they just sat their with big smiles on their faces and nodded their heads to the beat of the song.
The next day our flight was delayed into Houston because of really bad weather. When we got into Houston, we realized that we missed our connecting flight and had to stay until the next day. While we were waiting to find out what was going on, our team took advantage of the free time and once again started a dance party. Lindsey took out her portable DVD player and I put the infamous warm-up mix in. We all got in a big circle, oblivious to everyone else in the airport, and proceeded dancing -- we had the best time!
Another random thing that was funny was that after practice one day, someone referred to something as being "ghetto." Jess (from Australia) looked confused and said that she still did not understand what ghetto meant or how the word was used in so many contexts. So our team decided to give her an explanation. Mistie definitely gave the best examples and definitions and I decided I should share them with all of you.
Definition 1: "Ghetto is when you tape your cell phone battery to your phone like Michele does."
Definition 2: "Ghetto is when you light a candle by taking a piece of paper and lighting it on the stove first, instead of using a match."
Definition 3: "Ghetto is when you use a regular rubber band in your hair instead of using a hair tie."
Definition 4: "Ghetto is when you wear your slippers to the mall."
Definition 5: "Ghetto is when you get your hair braided for 31 hours and still have a section in the middle of your head that is not finished -- and you wear it like that in public." (I won't mention any names ... Alana Beard!)
I think Jess understands how the term "ghetto" is used on our team now!
Anyways, I hope everyone had a great holiday, and I wish everyone a very Happy New Year!
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ON MENDED KNEE
Caitlin Howe
Jan. 3, 2003 -- I have a slight aversion to computers right now ... partially genetic, partially due to the fact that Duke just finished finals. However, in the spirit of the holiday season, I have decided to share a story. This is not all my idea. Others (Karen T.) who are regular readers of the journals on ESPN.com have inquired about me. Many of my journal entries have talked about my team and the success of the Duke team in general, but I have neglected to comment on my own condition and performance. Yes, I'm still at Duke even though I'm not in the box score after the game (Joe S.).
So, let me tell you a story. Growing up, all I wanted to do was play basketball. Just about everything else in my life was a distraction or minor detail in relation to basketball. So I played and played and played. Eventually my body decided that it had had enough of me abusing myself and it decided to play a little joke on me, to slow me down for a little while ... I had two stress fractures in my foot and I had to be on crutches for 10 (yes, that's right, 10) weeks.
Oh well, I just saw it as an opportunity to strengthen my arms. This was after my 10th grade high school season. After 10 weeks, my foot finally healed. I got back into shape and was playing in my first AAU game in Tom's River, N.J. I got blindsided by a player from the other team. As she hit my knee, I looked down and saw my knee move in ways that no knee should ever move. I thought I was going to be sick. A torn MCL (a ligament on the medial part, or inside, of your knee) was the diagnosis. This injury thankfully required no surgery but I was out for three months and so began the rehab on my right knee.
I was back and ready for my junior season in high school. Fairport (my high school) reached the state semifinals. To add some excitement to the already hyped atmosphere, I needed to score seven points to reach the 2,000-point mark in my high school career. Averaging about 25 to 30 points a game in past seasons, it was assumed that I would hit the milestone in this game. My mom bought a huge cake to celebrate the occasion and put it in the locker room. During the second quarter, I caught the ball on the right wing and drove to the basket and attempted to jump stop and take it up strong. "POP!" I tore my ACL in my right knee. I was carried into the locker room and there on the table was that cake. I turned to my mom and asked if I had gotten enough points. Her response was "1,999." Oh well, I have another year right?
I had surgery, subsequently rehabbed for six months and finally got back playing (thanks, Wes S). First game of my senior year; the gym was packed. Cameras, my family, and "my" medical staff were all there in anticipation of me scoring my 2,000th point (I better get it, I only had to score one basket!). In the first couple minutes of the game, I hit a jumper, and the game was stopped -- pretty emotional (as you can imagine). The game resumed and not even a full minute later, I caught the ball on the right wing and drove to the basket. "POP!" Yep, that's right, I retore the ACL in my right knee. When I went down, I didn't even cry (I tried not to swear). I just screamed, "NO!" because I knew exactly what had happened.
Since becoming a Dukie, I had minor surgery on the same knee to remove some of my meniscus (cartilage in the knee). I missed all of preseason because of this injury but I was back for day one of practice. In Duke's first exhibition game, I played and then my knee started feeling unstable. Since then I have had to return to physical therapy. I would love to end this story (especially because it is the holiday season) with a "perfect" Hollywood ending, but I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Happy New Year to all. |
