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| The Volcanics logo. |
Note: You can click on any photo in this article to enlarge it.
The Montserrat Volcanics have just concluded an historic tour of southern and central Ohio as well as West Virginia. The Volcanics, a team from the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, participated in an open gym at Piketon High School and played games against Ohio Christian University, the University of Rio Grande, and Ohio University-Chillicothe. The team also attended Division I basketball practices at both Ohio State University and the West Virginia University. One of the highlights of the trip included a private visit with Coach Jim Tressel of the Ohio State Buckeyes, a top ranked USA college football team. Here is a rundown of the week's events:
Wednesday, October 20th
The amazing week began with the Montserrat contingent landing in Columbus, Ohio at 5:00 PM. Although it was in the high 50's many in the group thought the weather was cold. After an hour drive to Chillicothe and a meal of pizza and submarine sandwiches, everyone settled down to rest for the upcoming week.
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| Volcanics at Ohio U-Chillicothe |
Thursday, October 21st
The Volcanics began their week by taking part in a 3-hour practice in
Myrl Shoemaker Center on the campus of Ohio University-Chillicothe. Following practice the team had lunch at the home of Ralph & Kathryn Shoemaker. The delicious meal was prepared by Kathryn and her daughter Sara Darbyshire, and the team enjoyed the food immensely. The guys also had a lot of fun playing with the rowboat in the lake in front of the house. Luckily, no one drowned.
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| Volcanics at Piketon High School |
At 6:00 PM that evening, the Volcanics traveled 20-miles south to attend an Open Gym hosted by Piketon High School and it's basketball team, the Redstreaks. The open gym was well attended and the Volcanics got in some valuable floor time against some very good current and former Redstreak players. Afterwards the team was treated to dinner at Buffalo Bill's, a Piketon eatery. The meal was hosted and generously provided by
Coach Jeff Lisath and the Piketon basketball team. In addition the Volcanics were presented with Piketon t-shirts, shorts and socks. After a lot of conversation and fellowship, the Volcanics headed back to Chillicothe to rest up for the next day.
Friday, October 22nd
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| Jumaul Wade gives his autograph! |
After breakfast at the hotel, the Volcanics took part in a 9:30 AM assembly at Paint Valley School. The team went through various drills for the students before presenting a Power Point presentation of Montserrat and the
Soufriere Hills Volcano. The team then took questions from the students, which was followed by an autograph session as the players signed the Montserrat Volcanic t-shirts many students were wearing.
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| The Volcanics and Ohio Christian U |
Later that afternoon the team traveled 23-miles north to
Ohio Christian University. At 4:00 PM the Volcanics were treated to a meal of Prime Rib and/or Parmesan Crusted Chicken along with various side-dishes. At 7:00 PM the Volcanics played a game against the OCU Trailblazers. The Trailblazers featured several outstanding players, including student-athlete transfers from Clemson and Ole Miss. Though the Volcanics lost the game the experience gained by competing against such excellent athletes was immeasurable. Preceding the game the Volcanics were presented with OCU t-shirts to honor the event.
The amazing hospitality shown by President Mark A. Smith, Head Coach Chris Christopher, the Trailblazer team, and the people of OCU during this visit will not he forgotten.
Saturday, October 23rd
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| Dunca Bobb relaxing at the Armstrong's. |
On Saturday the Volcanics traveled to Bainbridge, Ohio to have lunch at the home of Karen & Army Armstrong. Once again the team was treated to a great meal and great friendship. Most of the guys watched a bit of the Ohio State vs. Purdue football game, getting an idea of who they were about to meet on Monday.
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| The Volcanics and Rio Grande. |
Saturday evening the group took the 50-mile trip south to the
University of Rio Grande, home of the legendary Bevo Francis who once scored 113 points in a college basketball game. The Red Storm proved to be a formidable opponent, but once again invaluable experience was gained by the Volcanics during the game. The Red Storm players presented every player a Rio Grande t-shirt following the game.
Sunday, Octobern 24th
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| Interacting at Coach Shoe's. |
At 2:00 PM the Volcanics competed against the Ohio University-Chillicothe Hilltoppers. The Volcanics had their most impressive showing to date, leading the Hilltoppers 30-21 before eventually running out of gas in the second half (4 games in 4 days!). Hilltopper coach Jason Smiith was impressed with the play of the Volcanics, stating that he was amazed at the progress of the team. The Toppers gave each player a t-shirt to commemorate the occasion.
At 6:00 PM on Sunday evening the Volcanics attended a Hog Roast at the home of Coach Shoemaker and Marianne. The team enjoyed the delicious pork sandwiches along with numerous side dishes created by Marianne. This event was attended by around 70 sponsors who had generously donated to help make the Montserrat visit happen. All in all, a fantastic time was had by all who were there.
Monday, October 25th
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| Coach Tressel speaks to the team. |
On Monday morning the team drove 50-miles north to Columbus, Ohio. At 10:00 AM the group arrived at Tuttle Crossing Mall for a couple hours of shopping followed by lunch. Afterwards they took a short drive over to the famous
Woody Hayes Center, practice facilty of the Ohio State University football team. They were then treated to an hour-long personal tour of the facility courtesy of Larry Romanoff, a 36-year veteran of the OSU football program. Towards the end of the tour the Volcanics received a treat not enjoyed by many - a private meeting with
Coach Jim Tressel, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Coach Tressel, a legend in Ohio as well as the rest of the football world, spoke with the team for nearly half an hour. He took questions from the team as well as asking several questions about the island of Montserrat. It was an amazing moment to see the interaction between this legendary coach and the Montserrat Volcanics.
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| Terrelle Pryor & the Volcanics! |
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| O-H! I-O! |
After meeting Coach Tressel, the team continued on with their tour. Before it was over they were in for one more major surprise though - a meeting with Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor was the most highly recruited player coming out of high school and is widely regarded as one of the best pure athletes in the nation. He graciously posed for pictures with the team and spoke with them for several minutes before continuing with his post-practice routine. Finally, this amazing tour ended with a visit to legendary Ohio Stadium, home of the Buckeyes. This structure, called "The Shoe" because of it's horseshoe shape, has a capacity of 102,329 but has held more than 106,000 Buckeye fans. Incredibly the Volcanics were led to midfield where they could get a panoramic view of this spectacular stadium. Of course, the team did the famous O-H! I-O! chant they'd learned earlier in the week.
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| Cabey on television! |
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| Coach Matta & Coach Shoe |
However, the day was not done, not by a long shot. The Volcanics then took the very short drive over to the
Jerome Schottenstein Center, or "The Schott" as it is widely known. The Schott is the home of the Ohio State basketball team. The group was to watch a practice by the Ohio State basketball team, but before that they had another surprise awaiting - interviews with televison stations, newspapers and websites from in and around Columbus. After several interviews the team watched a spirited practice session by the Buckeyes, giving them an indication of what it takes to be a big-time college basketball player.
After the drive back to Chillicothe the team was treated to a lasagna dinner prepared by Lori Anderson, followed by a short trip back to the hotel.
Tuesday, October 26th
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| Volcanics in West Virginia Coliseum |
On Tuesday the Montserratians made the long, 3 1/2 hour, 206-mile drive to Morgantown, West Virginia. Morgantown is the home of the West Virginia Mountaineers, the basketball team coached by
Bob Huggins and Billy Hahn. West Virginia made it all the way to the NCAA Final Four last season before losing to Coach K's Duke Blue Devils. Upon arrival the team did some sight-seeing and shopping before walking over to
West Virginia Coliseum to attend basketball practice (practices are generally closed to the public).Once again the Volcanics got a first-hand look at what major college basketball practice is like, complete with hard work, discipline, sacrifice, and teamwork. Everybody arrived back in Chillicothe around 10:30 PM.
Wednesday, October 27th
After a very short night, the team left their hotel in Chillicothe at 3:30 AM for the drive to the Columbus Airport. At 7:15 AM the group took off for their long trip back home.
A big thanks must go out to all the sponsors who are listed on another section of this site. The trip would not have been possible without them!
