alexandriacardinals

June 22, 2008.  Our state room, on the Sapphire Princess, with a nifty bottle of vino from our agent, the HQ.  Sapphire, incidentally, is my birthstone – and that meant absolutely nothing to the best of my recollection.

[The HQ, of recent vintage, with a grandaughter.]

There is a momentary lull in the Alexandria sports scene (the girls have a home hockey game tomorrow night), so back, by popular demand, is our 2008 Alaska cruise adventure, fabled in song and story!  But first, I have to ask you people – what is going on today?  For the first time ever, the blog has gone over 200 hits in a day – in fact, to 225, and the day is young (and I wish I was)?  Is it the Lauren Trumm Fan Club?  Whatever – thanks!  🙂

[This is where the magic happened.  No, seriously, every day a guy came in performed magic – turning an unsightly state room into this!]

[The view from our balcony.  You pay extra for this but then how many times are you going to make this trip.  Plus, when the natives paddle out to you in their canoes . . . wait, that’s a different venue.]

[There’s our train.]

[Well, there are balconies . . . and there are BALCONIES.  This was Beryl and Don’s – on the bow (naval talk for front) of the ship – a gathering place for the group.  If you’re traveling with a group, I would recommend that someone get one of these!]

[The view off the stern (naval for the back of the boat – we learned all this stuff with the Moby Obie).]

[Don, Howie, Crazy, Donna, and a hint of Beryl.  These folks look entirely too comfortable in this atmosphere – like it’s normal, or worse, expected!  Ha!]

[Having long left port (naval talk for port), we’re heading out into the Gulf of Alaska.]

[Again (and the following 2), views from our balcony.]

[Spectacular!  From here to Vancouver, the only place on the planet where you have 1,500 miles of continuous coastline with snow-capped mountains.]

[A party room at the stern.  Did I mention that the boat was pretty darn big?]

[It was a floating Mall of America.]

There was a game in Little Falls Thursday night, the game before LT went over 1,000 points against Brainerd on Saturday.  There was significant concern she might break that milestone on the road.  But she timed it beautifully – Saturday was the only home game in a stretch of 11 games!

From all reports, our Cards played just well enough to beat the Flyers.  Several opportunities to put the game away went awry in a series of errant shots.  But good teams find a way to win on not so good nights.

[Whitney greets a Flyer.  A reminder, as a road game, these photos are all courtesy of the staff photographer.  Super Fans generally do not venture outside the city limits in winter for reasons of bad night vision and a desire to remain close to familiar restroom facilities.]

[Kalli played her first game without a protective facemask since . . . well, a while ago.]

[Amanda C was giving away 5″ to the Flyer center, who is very good, and, I believe was reported, an all-state swimmer.]

[Cara.  These away game photos are also presented as a public service.  School District 206 would welcome any suggestions you may have regarding the gymnasium in the new high school – so, if you see anything you like, or dislike, about other gyms, let them know.]

[Amanda C drives the lane (though I’m not sure she’s old enough for her driver’s license?).]

[You may have read in previous post that we made 12 of 36 free throws in this game – or was it 37?  Anyway, it appears all the free throw photos Greg took, went in!  I think it is incumbent upon him, therefore, to take a photo of every free throw attempt!]

[Has to feel great without the mask.]

[LT & Jess in full defensive attack mode.]

[Amanda C]

[That’s two of the 12 good ones!]

[“Did you hear Kim Kardashian still does not want to come to Minnesota?”]

[“So, I guess all those sighting rumors were false.”]

[That’s 3-for-3!]

[“We have a news bulletin that Kim Kardashian has been seen in the Little Falls exurbs.”]

[Kendra, the keeper of the flame.]

[“If the free throws aren’t dropping, make the ones that cost a buck and quarter.”]

[Dire straits?]

[“All for one, and one for all!”  (I’ll refrain from any further nail polish commentary.)]

[Nice composition, Mr. Photographer.]

[Their center was a lefty.  I don’t think that’s fair either!]

[“We just have to keep turning them over.”]

[Check points are good . . .]

[ . . . they should go in!]

[“We’re good, coach!”]

[Amanda C was player-of-the-game.]

[She’s an imp!]

Two home girls’ hockey games this week – and a request to get on with the Alaska cruise!

[The Brainerd game is about to begin.  The Super Fans are standing just to prove they can do so.]

This is a continuation of Part I, as Part II’s often are.  As previously noted, all the photos in this posting will be from the staff photographer, Greg Trumm, who is internationally-known as the father of Lauren.

[Amanda C greets a Warrior.]

[Cara doubles her basketball play with her science project on static electricity.]

[The boys’ team is there for support – and to pick up pointers.]

[“Aaaaayyyy!”]

[Kalli scored early inside.]

[Amanda C sinks a “free.”]

[Dad got it – THE SHOT THAT BROKE 1,000!]

[Ho-hum, another two.]

[“Hey, LT, you just went over a 1,000 points!”]

[A little something for the trophy case.]

[“Go ahead, it’s yours!  Congratulations!”]

[One of the rare exceptions where hugging is permitted on a basketball court.]

[“Did you guys know about this?”]

[“Thanks, coach!”]

[Whit goes for 3 – Mr. Mulder is semi-impressed.]

[Please don’t ask me to describe the nail polish.  The supervisor can tell you I’m totally incompetent on such things.]

[For the first time in a while, we employed a full-court press for most of the game.  6’1″ Whitney played the point a’la Alli Haar from last year.  The pressure created about a gazillion turnovers.]

[Kalli]

[Kalli again.  Even with her sprained wrist she made her first 4 free throws.  On her next visit I happened to mention she was, at the moment, our best free throw shooter.  She missed both.  The supervisor jumped on me with both feet and a waffle iron.  Her first rule of fandom is to never say anything nice about anyone for whom you are cheering because you will jinx them.  Properly chastised, I spent the rest of the game “booing” under my breath.]

[We weren’t great from the line – but certainly much better than in the Little Falls game.]

[Amanda C and Cara on the forever double-team.]

[Synchronized fanning.]

[Who said high school boys have two left feet?  Actually, I think that would be my folks.  Cara won’t look at ’em.]

[Jess practicing for LT’s role next year.]

[Dani converts a steal into a breakaway lay-up.]

[Karly does the same . . .]

[ . . . and one.]

[Emily]

[Emily & Karly]

[Alyssa]

[Player-of-the-game!]

[“I was going to go into the family business.  But I’m getting pretty comfortable now at this media thing!”]

[“Really?  That’s all you guys get paid?  Pharmacology is looking good again.”]

[With Eric Morken, Echo Press columnist.]

[“My oldest sister, Justine, who is a 1st-year Med School student @ UMD.”]

[Great photos, dad!  You and Val have a lot to be proud of.  🙂 ]

And a report from Basketball Dan:  Just got back to the motel from the site of one of your historic conquests…the Pit in Albuquerque.  Unfortunately couldn’t get far enough west to visit the evil Burger King that devours teeth.

For all you Hoosier fans out there (the Supervisor!), B’ball Dan forwarded the above with his missive.  Steve Alford has been the basketball coach at the University of New Mexico since 2007.  Dan and I were present for the Final Four at The Pit in 1983, the year Jim Valvano’s North Carolina State Wolfpack upset Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma for the national championship.  I also enjoyed a $600 burger (the cost of a crown) at a Burger King there when I cracked a tooth on a piece of gristle.  For those keeping keeping score at home, I have three crowns – all as a result of cracking a tooth on a fastfood burger!

[Photo by her proud dad, the staff photographer.]

We interrupt our Alaska cruise (as you may recall, we were about to enter the Big Boat, so we were about a third of the way through our adventure) to bring you Cardinal girls’ basketball.  The ladies have been on an extended four-game road trip – and after last night’s win over Brainerd, go on a six-game road trip!

We had a full contingent of Super Fans – I think everyone was aware that Lauren was approaching 1,000 points in her career.  Everyone, that is, except Lauren.  She needed 3 points coming into the game (all were glad she didn’t get those at Little Falls on Thursday), so I was in a quandary as to how I wanted to cover it.  I usually video the first 5 minutes of the game – if she scored during that time, I would have no still photos.  But first . . .

The team wore warm-up tee shirts in memory of Todd Schroeder, father of team manager, Missy.

[Kalli played her 2nd game without the mask.]

[Cara’s posture raises the anatomical question – why do women place their hands on their hips with thumbs forward?]

[The Little Falls game produced some shooting issues for the team.  So I thought I’d check out player mechanics during warm-ups.  Whitney displays proper follow through in consideration of windage and elevation.]

[Whitney’s fine when she doesn’t rush her shot.  She had time to set up a 3 late in the half and hit nothing but nylon.]

[LT is more of a mid-range shooter.  Her strength is a quick release without being rushed.]

Game opening video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHjqc0q9KM0

[Lauren assumes her game-long position, much to the chagrin of the opposition.]

[Missed it!  And I had the perfect angle.  LT just scored on a left-handed lay-up to bring her career total to 1,001 points.  Fortunately, her dad got it (further down the post).]

[Lauren had no idea what was going on when they stopped the game!]

[Who better than Luella Vendell would know?  Luella has been coming to Cardinal games for 60 years and proudly held up her “1,000” placard!  Oh, and LT’s teammates mobbed her on the floor.]

[The whole crowd knows!]

[As a guard at the back of the 1-3-1, Cara is regularly one of our leading rebounders now.]

[Boom, Dynamite – the supervisor’s favorite cheer! 🙂 ]

[LT played maybe another minute and finished with 28 points – everyone got to play and the starters love it when the young’uns come in and play well.]

[LT’s last stand.]

We have to admit we hoped the game would be decided by the end of the half so we could go see Lisa Lynn as SAWA.  But despite creating 22 turnovers, we were only ahead 25 – 15.  Somehow, they still score this game by the ball completing passage through the basket.  So, we stayed for the 2nd half, and Brainerd scored the first 4 points.  The rest of the game was the Cards, 39-7!  It’s really fun to watch them when we get on a roll like that.  We made it to SAWA in time for Lisa’s last 45 minutes – and then out of a sense of guilt, helped her load her equipment in her van when she was done.  It was snowing again by then.  When I awoke at the designated hour of 3:00 am (or somewhere in that vicinity), I noticed the staff photographer had already posted his photos from the Brainerd game, as well as those from the Little Falls game.  I wonder how late he worked last night?  The rest of the photos in this post are his.

[I have been able to determine the sound that comes out of a happy, smiling face is generally, “Aaaaaaaayyyyy!”]

[LT – “Aaaayyyy!”]

[Whitney – “Aaaayyy!”]

[Amanda C – “Aaaayyy!”]

[Amanda C – dunno, looks like a giggle?]

[Emily]

[Sarah]

[Jess]

[Cara]

[Kendra]

[“Hydrate, ladies!”]

[The job requires three, maybe four, hands.]

[“Coaches, too.  Drink up!”]

[Jack, dumpster diving?]

[As the game is about to begin, we’re moving on to a second posting, i.e., Part II.]