Reyna’s big adventure
Reese’s Reyna Frost got to experience the trip of a lifetime when she traveled to Australia to play basketball for Down Under Sports. She documented her stay in Australia for Sports Scene magazine. Here is her adventure.
July 15, 2014
Well, the Down Under Sports crew didn’t get to experience July 14. We all left Los Angeles on July 13 and arrived in Brisbane, Australia, on July 15. We were driven around Brisbane and given a tour and then taken to the Golden Coast. There are nine girls on our team and our name is the Hornets. We had a practice today which went well. We got to know each other and I am rooming with four of my teammates. The view from our room is beautiful. We can see the beach, the ocean, and the city. In the first day, I have learned so many things about Australia. For example, phones aren’t called phones, they are called flip flops. You cannot buy a burger at Wendy’s because they only sell ice cream. Australia has seven states, and we are in Queensland. Koalas are just koalas, they are not bears. Their eggs are orange, not white like in America.
July 16, 2014
Today we woke up, ate breakfast, then went right to practice. It started off a little rough and sloppy, but then our coach (Janna Mount) talked to us and we got into things. We have two simple offenses. One against a man defense, which is a motion offense with screens and cutting. Then another against a zone, which is with passing and flashing in the paint. After practice we went to the Wildlife Sanctuary, which was like a zoo. We saw koalas, crocodiles, and I even took a selfie with a kangaroo. Not many people can say that.
July 17, 2014
Today I woke up at 5:30 to fly to one of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef. We flew two hours to Lady Elliot Island and got into a glass bottom boat and traveled through the water and could see the coral, fish, humpback whales, and even saw a lot of manta rays. I learned that greenback turtles are not green, they are brown, but they get their name because of the color of their fat, and the fish named Dorey in Finding Nemo is called a palette surgeonfish and is also known as Blue Tang.
July 18, 2014
Today we had our first games. The first one was a struggle, because we need to get used to playing with each other, but the game ended in a tie against an Australian team. This tournament has no overtime and it’s different because we are playing with FIBA rules. Then our second game we won, and I thought we played pretty well.
July 19, 2014
We had six games today, and we started off doing really well. We won our first three, but the last three we couldn’t get it together and they all ended in losses. We were ranked number one, but now we are fifth. It was still a fun day, though, and hopefully we play like we did in our first three games when we play tomorrow.
July 20, 2014
Since we were seeded fifth, we didn’t get to play for a medal, but we still had two games and won both of them. Watching the other games was exciting, especially the boys’ final game for the gold (USA won). Then we had a farewell banquet and they chose five boys and five girls for the all-tournament team, and one boy and one girl for the MVP. I was honored by making the all-tournament team and also coming home with the MVP trophy. But now I leave tomorrow, but I had lots of fun and made so many new friends. But I want to thank Down Under Sports for giving me this opportunity and my parents for making it happen.