August 15, 2004

Our last day in Brisbane was a relaxed one. We had an early start leaving the hotel at 9:00 am to go to Surfer's Paradise which was about an hour away. We were told that it was suppose to be warmer there and a great time to go swimming. However, when we got off the bus it felt just as cold as the drill field in Blacksburg in the dead of winter. I know that everyone that has been to Blacksburg in the winter and has made their way across the drill field knows that it is one of the coldest places ever. No matter the weather, we were determined to enjoy our the time that we had at the beach. There were shops all over the beach area, where Carrie Mason and I decided to spend most of our time because the weather was just not warm enough for us to go jumping into the Pacific Ocean. However, we do have dare devils on our team that did go and rough the cold water temperatures. Some of the coaches even went and bought some boards to ride the waves. They all said that the only way to get in was just to run and dive because if you inched your way in, you would never make it. We all had a great time, whether it was shopping or training to be the next polar bear club member by roughing the cold temperatures of Surfer's Paradise.

Once we returned from the beach, we made our way to our pregame meal at JO JO's. The food was some of the best since we have been here. Our game was a little earlier today, which allows us to enjoy our last night out in the nice city of Brisbane. The hospitality of the locals was just wonderful, and we all have been treated with such respect here. Today's game started off a little better than yesterday's. Everyone contributed to our win, and we ended up scoring over 100 points. Fran and Nare really put in an amazing effort and lead the team to our victory against the Brisbane Capitals. No one could stop Fran's shooting and Nare blocked almost every shot that was put up near her. We are 4-0 now, and are hoping to capture our last victory in the city of Cairnes.

We are leaving tomorrow at 7:45 a.m. to catch our flight to Cairnes where we will be going to a much warmer climate and try to enjoy the final few days that we have left in Australia.