St. John's University Athletics
St. John??' Volleyball Arrives In Vietnam
5/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
- St. John's Volleyball Travels To Vietnam
- Photo Gallery I: Volleyball Departs New York
- Photo Gallery II: Red Storm Arrives In Ho Chi Minh City
- Photo Gallery III: Team Practice Session
- Postcard: Greetings from Vietnam Part I
Quote of the Day: ???Good Morning Vietnam!???
Three plane rides and 24 hours later, the St. John???s volleyball team arrived in Ho Chi Minh City for its extraordinary excursion throughout Vietnam.
The Red Storm departed New York for the first leg of its trip halfway around the world at 11:45 p.m. EST. Just a few short hours later, the squad and its entourage arrived at Anchorage International airport in Alaska early Wednesday for a brief refueling stop.
The Red Storm once again boarded the China Airlines 747 for its longest leg of the trip, a 13 hour stretch from Alaska to Taipei, Taiwan. Most of the team opted to sleep the plane ride away, while several split their time between sleep, a game or two of Sudoku and the in-flight movies. The team arrived in Taipei early Thursday morning and didn???t have much time to stretch as they had to get quickly across the terminal to board their flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
Four hours later, the Red Storm finally deplaned for good in Vietnam. Throughout its three plane rides and layovers, the team was greeted by many curious fans wondering where the team was going and who they would be playing. After going through customs and getting their passports stamped, the Red Storm received a warm welcome from a group of students Hong Bang University before boarding a bus for the hotel.
While driving to the hotel, the players and coaches marveled at the amount of people using mopeds as a mode of transportation.
???We were really amazed how many mopeds are on the road,??? said Jenna Schweitzer. ???The ride them everywhere and are not afraid to weave around traffic with them.???
At the hotel, the Red Storm checked in to its rooms and then sat down for its first official Vietnamese meal. The team enjoyed a five course lunch at the hotel restaurant and got their first glimpse of the competition as the Kazakhstan National team was seated just a few tables away.
???It was great to try different foods,??? said Patti Hardimon. ???I really enjoyed how the food is served family style. It helps with the team bonding, all sharing from the same plate.???
After lunch, the team took the opportunity to settle into their rooms that they will call home for the next eight days while competing in the 2007 VTV International Women???s Cup. The Red Storm concluded the day with a light practice at the competition facility and dinner at the hotel.
Before calling it a night, freshman Ruisa Scheffel checked in with RedStormSports.com to post the team???s first postcard from Vietnam. To view her postcard, click here.
Tomorrow the team will practice again in the morning and will take a tour of Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon. Competition at the 2007 VTV Cup begins on Saturday, May 12 when St. John???s faces Zhong Cai (China) at 10 a.m.
ch??o bu???i t???i
(good night!)
??? Red Storm ???
