Editor's Note: Concord University women's basketball senior guard
Gracie Robinson wrote the following piece on the team's trip to Hawaii December 14-19.
Our trip to Hawaii was an experience that many people dream of but very few get the opportunity to experience. First and foremost, many athletes and college teams dream of the ability to play outside the continental United States and Concord Women's Basketball got the opportunity to do just that. Winning games in a completely different time zone with major jet lag was the best feeling, despite the exhaustion and swollen ankles. We beat Hawaii Pacific 60-47 on December 16. Words alone cannot describe how amazing this experience was for us as a team and for the families that got to tag along as well. As a team, we bonded traveling around the city together and seeing all of the beautiful scenery on the island of Oahu.
There were many firsts for me and for many others on this trip. For me, it was my first time flying on an airplane, traveling to Hawaii, surfing, seeing Pearl Harbor, and going to a luau. Not only did we get to play the sport that we love, we also learned a lot about the history of Hawaii and experienced a completely different culture than we have all grown up in. It was a very eye-opening experience not only on the court, but in the educational and historical aspect as well.
The scenery of the island itself and the city of Honolulu was breathtaking. When we weren't playing basketball, we were exploring the island; my teammates and I found boutiques, stores and different coffee shops everywhere we went. A few of the highlights that stood out to me were the clear blue water and seeing a rainbow each day. The clear blue water is something that I enjoy seeing at home, but being able to swim and surf in crystal clear water in the middle of December was a completely different feeling. Learning to surf with my teammates was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We were all learning a new skill which made it very comical to watch. This trip was once in a lifetime and memories we will share with each other forever.
