Page 147 - Anthony Travel - Foreign Basketball Tours

For me, I also had the opportunity to get to know this group on a much deeper level

– whether it was learning about their family, their favorite foods or famous people
they would like to meet (thanks Mimi and David), their shopping habits (I've never
seen so much anticipation for Florence, bags, and leather – Lexi, Amina, Moff, Tay
and Mae), how they respond when they are very tired (we averaged about eight

miles of walking a day with some very early mornings), or sharing their favorite
Gelatos. From the little experiences like taking a selfie with LJ at the Eiffel tower;
floating on the Mediterranean Sea with a group of the players in awe of our
surrounding scenery while recapping our favorite moments in Paris; dinner with

George and Kathy in Monaco; the eruption from the crowd and team after MaryKate
Serratelli sang the National Anthem at our game vs. the Cameroon National Team;
the team singing "Sweet Caroline" down the side streets of Rome after our farewell
dinner; maturely sharing a glass of wine with our players at dinner (no worries, the

drinking age in Europe is 18); seeing the amazement in the eyes of our players as
we walked through the Vatican; watching how our team responded for LJ when her
grandfather passed in the middle of the trip; the way Kiernan responded ten days
out from her ACL tear – not once a complaint, not one missed opportunity with the

tour and usually at the head of the pack, while being one of the best teammates on
the bench; understanding how Bryce had to manage on days where she did not feel
well, but never missed a beat, always a smiling face and never a complaint. All of
these experiences allowed me to develop a higher connection to each of them, and

they all will be lifelong memories and experiences that will bond us in a very
different way than a traditional player/coach relationship.

My hope for our group – players, parents, coaches, fans (we loved having our

Serratelli contingent along with us), and my family is that they received as much
value from this experience as I did. I hope they come away with a great
appreciation for the last 11 days together. Appreciation for this opportunity that was
provided to us by Lehigh, our alumnae, Anthony Travel, and our coaching staff (big

thanks to Maggie, Cait, and Junior for all of your help in planning and executing the
trip); appreciation for the cultures, food, and people to whom we were exposed
along the way (especially Sasha and Ally, our tour guides); appreciation for the
history and education that we received over the course of our tour; and an

appreciation for each other and the opportunity to share this experience with 15 of
your best friends and teammates, your coaches and your family.

Sue Troyan, Head Coach, Women’s Basketball, Lehigh University

The Lehigh University Mountain Hawks women’s basketball team travelled to Paris,
South of France, Lake Como, Florence & Rome with Anthony Travel in August 2015.