|
|
Utah head coach Elaine Elliott takes her team to Spain and Portugal, beginning Friday.
|
May 5, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY -- The University of Utah women's basketball team is leaving for Spain Friday morning. The Utes will arrive in Madrid on Saturday morning for the first of nine days in Spain and Portugal.
During the Utes' time overseas, team members will do plenty of sightseeing and learning, as well as playing four games. Utah head coach Elaine Elliott said there are numerous benefits to the overseas experience.
"A trip like this is so beneficial as an expanded classroom," Elliott said. "Most of these kids will never have another chance to travel like this. The cultural experience alone is worth it, but doing it with your teammates makes it a lifelong memory."
Utah will see action on Monday and Tuesday in Madrid, Spain. The Utes' first two games will be against CB Majadahonda and Addecco Estudiantes, two of Madrid's top junior teams.
While staying in Madrid, the Utah women will tour the Royal Palace and also take a sight-seeing tour to Toledo, which is often described as the "soul of Spain."
Wednesday, the Utes will board a bus bound for Porto, Portugal. While in Porto, the team will tour Graham's Port Winery, the first national museum of Portugal and other local attractions. On Friday (May 13), the team will board a bus to Lisbon, Portugal. On the way, they'll make sightseeing stops in Aveiro, the Venice of Portugal, and Coimbra, which is known as the intellectual and spritiual center of the country.
While in Lisbon, the Utes will play a pair of contests against Portugal's National Team. Those games are on Saturday (May 14) and Sunday (May 15). They will also tour the Royal Palace of Sintra, spend time in the beach city of Cascais and visit the ancient walled city of Obidos.
The team will depart from Lisbon Airport on the morning of May 16 and arrive back in Salt Lake City late that night.
The NCAA allows teams to take a summer-time, overseas trip such as this once every four years. The Utah women made a European Tour in 2001, playing games in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. In 1997, the Utes traveled to France and Switzerland.
-UU-
|
|
 |
