Brisbane Day 1 Wed. - 11/10/23
As a Development Player for the Perth Lynx, my week was looking to be a bit different from normal with the core group heading off to Brisbane without me; little did I know, I’d actually end up coming with. Ash sprained her ankle in training just yesterday. They deemed her unfit to travel and asked me to come as a replacement. You’d think it’d feel a bit more hectic than this, but there is so much good I could say about this Lynx program. I didn’t even know I was going to be in Brisbane 24 hours ago and here I am feeling a smidge of a whirlwind, but really not. I feel so relaxed and in place. This is going to be fun.
Brisbane Day 2 Thurs. - 12/10/23
I woke up so much more tired than I expected, but I suppose 8:15 is 5:15 in Perth, so – makes sense! Our accommodation is so luxurious – truly! From the view to the bed to all the nice food options around; and praise the Lord we have a washer and dryer in the apartment too! Definitely a necessity when I only have one training uniform – yes, I sweat a lot even in shoot around.
Any who, this tournament is so fun for me in the fact that it has Townsville (Marcus Wong), Adelaide (Matt Clarke), and Sydney Flames (Neseya Parker-Williams) who we played tonight! Highlight of the day was definitely the 1-point win, but a close second was the moment Neseya almost high-fived me when I subbed during a free-throw! 😀 Ahahaha!
Brisbane Day 3 Fri. - 13/10/23
We had the day off today, aside from the Players Association zoom meeting. That was also a bit embarrassing because I somehow got unmuted and did not realize with little baby Eli crying in the background!!
Hanging out with Eli, Alex and Theresa was a special time – my, how the basketball world is small! I played with Theresa in Adelaide for my very first season overseas 5 years ago and she is best friends with Alex; here to help out with Eli all weekend.
I’m also feeling so very blessed that basketball has once again allowed for me to travel and see family – Aunty Laine and Uncle Gordon came and treated me to Nando’s (of course!) and I’m so grateful they made the effort on such short notice! Uncle Gordon has never really gotten into basketball so he was asking me all the questions on how things work before they come watch the game on Sunday!
After a fat nap around 3pm, I was feeling much more prepared to go cheer on some kids in their domestic games for the Brisbane Capitals!
Gnocchi dinner with a few of the teammies to top off the night and I’d say we’re officially fuelled and refreshed for this double header weekend coming our way!
Brisbane Day 4 Sat. - 14/10/23
Last night’s sleep was so important – idk why I felt so exhausted yesterday, but whoo! Today was a good day in terms of energy which is always a plus on game day! So, we had our normal breakfast (Eggs by Sam), walk and stretch in the park straight into a film session. First film session with the Lynx for me and I cannot help but say I freakin love how straight forward Ryan is with how he communicates expectations – very easy to understand; now to just execute!
After shoot around I was able to go to lunch with my second cousin, Mike Southey down at Southbank again. How great! We both had chicken fried rice and spoke about everything under the sun! Still can’t get over how blessed I am to get to travel the world and see family because of basketball…
No time for a fat nap today, but a quick 20 minuter did it for me especially paired with the Starbucks run with Emily and Chloe – y’all, it was Chloe’s first Starbucks experience – what a monumental day!
And another win under our belt vs the Townsville Flames today – it was a pretty great comeback for us; super proud of our fight. Hopefully we can come out just as hard tomorrow with our 1pm game… After team recovery in the pool at our apartments it’s already after midnight, so I am due for some shut eye right about now.
Brisbane Day 5 Sun. - 15/10/23
From breakfast to Starbucks to film to now our 3-0 weekend topped off with my aunt and uncle (who’s now a huge fan of women’s basketball) in the stands; I’d say it was a pretty great last day in Bris. And to think, I wasn’t even meant to be here… As I sit 10,000 feet in the air, I do think it would’ve been nice to make a few more shots, but how could I be anything other than grateful.
If anything, I am hungrier – definitely not for these airplane noodles (that was a mistake) …but hungry to keep working and make professional trips like these the norm!
This trip was actually a big deal for WNBL and women’s basketball in general. I believe there is a shift in the air for women’s sport and it’s so exciting to be a part of!
