Northwestern University Athletics
Diary From Down Under - Alex Chatt
12/30/2017 10:11:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Northwestern's women's tennis team is in the midst of a foreign tour of Australia. Despite some initial travel issues, the Wildcats are having a blast writes senior Alex Chatt.
Tuesday, December 26/Wednesday, December 27
Maddie, Erin, Pozo, Lee, the coaches, Associate Athletic Director Aaron Hosmon and I all arrived at the airport ready to embark on the long journey to Australia. The flight was standard to Los Angeles, but little did we know that the flight to Australia would take twice as long as the predicted 14-hour flight. Two hours into the flight, the pilot announced that the main and backup weather radar broke during the flight, forcing the pilot to turn the plane around. After calling the air engineers, we were notified that the fix would take a couple of hours and we would have to evacuate the flight and come back later that day. Hours later we were sent to a hotel and told to come back 13 hours later to try again. After another hour delay, we finally made it to Brisbane, greeted by Dané and her parents.
Friday, December 29
After a couple of hours of rest, we met Rheeya, Inci and Andrea, but not Julie who was stuck in Abu Dhabi because she missed her connecting flight, and headed to the tennis courts for the first practice. With 90 percent humidity and 88 degree weather, the Wildcats survived Coach Claire's first practice of the trip. We then tried to take showers at the facility, when we were greeted by Australia's finest insects and arachnids. Next, the crew made it out to lunch at Nando's and then headed out to the Koala conservatory. There we were able to see dozens of koalas, birds, dingos, a platypus, iguanas, wombats, a Tasmanian devil, and kangaroos. We were able to enter a massive fenced-in land of kangaroos and emus where we were able to pet, feed, and sit next to these animals. After a nice break, the team headed back to the courts for their next practice, and luckily the heat was not as severe. Finally, we were able to go back to our apartment-style hotels to shower, meet Julie, and head to sushi for dinner.
Saturday, December 30
It's Lee's birthday! What better way to treat her then with a dual match against some Australians at 8:30 a.m...more on the day later.
So far, Australia can be best described as a tropical jungle with strong heat and humidity. The locals are super friendly and the wildlife even more exotic.
When I asked Dané if people swam in the river running through the city, she replied, no, there are too many sharks!
That's all from Down Under!
Tuesday, December 26/Wednesday, December 27
Maddie, Erin, Pozo, Lee, the coaches, Associate Athletic Director Aaron Hosmon and I all arrived at the airport ready to embark on the long journey to Australia. The flight was standard to Los Angeles, but little did we know that the flight to Australia would take twice as long as the predicted 14-hour flight. Two hours into the flight, the pilot announced that the main and backup weather radar broke during the flight, forcing the pilot to turn the plane around. After calling the air engineers, we were notified that the fix would take a couple of hours and we would have to evacuate the flight and come back later that day. Hours later we were sent to a hotel and told to come back 13 hours later to try again. After another hour delay, we finally made it to Brisbane, greeted by Dané and her parents.
Friday, December 29
After a couple of hours of rest, we met Rheeya, Inci and Andrea, but not Julie who was stuck in Abu Dhabi because she missed her connecting flight, and headed to the tennis courts for the first practice. With 90 percent humidity and 88 degree weather, the Wildcats survived Coach Claire's first practice of the trip. We then tried to take showers at the facility, when we were greeted by Australia's finest insects and arachnids. Next, the crew made it out to lunch at Nando's and then headed out to the Koala conservatory. There we were able to see dozens of koalas, birds, dingos, a platypus, iguanas, wombats, a Tasmanian devil, and kangaroos. We were able to enter a massive fenced-in land of kangaroos and emus where we were able to pet, feed, and sit next to these animals. After a nice break, the team headed back to the courts for their next practice, and luckily the heat was not as severe. Finally, we were able to go back to our apartment-style hotels to shower, meet Julie, and head to sushi for dinner.
Saturday, December 30
It's Lee's birthday! What better way to treat her then with a dual match against some Australians at 8:30 a.m...more on the day later.
So far, Australia can be best described as a tropical jungle with strong heat and humidity. The locals are super friendly and the wildlife even more exotic.
When I asked Dané if people swam in the river running through the city, she replied, no, there are too many sharks!
That's all from Down Under!
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