Boston College Athletics
Journal 10 - Auckland Flight Home
January 31, 2005 | Lacrosse
January 12, 2005
Well it's officially our last morning waking up in a Quest halfway around the world. Everyone is in high spirits and ready to go home after 15 days traveling among the Aussies and Kiwis. We're sure going to miss a lot of things about our trip, like yogurt and granola for breakfast every morning, dividing our meal money by five, Big Mike our cheerful tour guide, and of course the warm weather and striking beauty of the Land Down Under.
After a refreshing swim in the glass pool above the courtyard in the Quest, we were summoned for our last meal together. For the last time Big Mike hollered "Boston Group" and kicked off the awards banquet where he awarded everyone an individual award based on our actions throughout the trip. Brittany Barry won the Silent But Deadly award after our final night of festivities in New Zealand. Shauna Culhane and her mom garnered the Princess and Queen of Bungee awards after their mighty efforts for jumping off of the Harbor Bridge in Auckland, just to name a few. Then, Big Mike announced the winners of the Down Under Challenge that had been going on throughout most of the trip. The first place team, receiving the Golden Thong Award, was Livestrong, who go by the Boxing Roos in Aussie speak. They couldn't have done it without Darlene, who sacrificed a lot of time to complete the grueling packet. The Roos were closely followed by the Koalas, aka Legally Blonde, who came up big in the Iron Man Competition in Glenleg, but it wasn't enough. To round it out, the Emus took the bronze, and the Tassie Devils took 4th place.
A final speech by Coach Krasnoo and Chris presented Big Mike with a beautiful framed picture to show our appreciation for his hard work and dedication. Tearfully, there were some farewell pictures with Big Mike as we enjoyed our last organized lunch together. With some last minute free time before we took off for the airport, some soaked up as much sun as possible in the last couple of hours, while others opted to stroll around Auckland looking for classy souvenirs.
With the excitement building to go home, no one could anticipate the adventure that awaited us. The 12 hour flight from Auckland to LA was more turbulent than Big Mike's Great Ocean Road drive in Melbourne, causing some anxiety among the girls. When the plane finally landed though, it was all smiles. Thinking we're finally in the US and have put the much dreaded flight behind us, we settled in for an unexpected 8 hour delay, and a 12th dinner at Chili's Too, a popular airport restaurant.
We finally arrived in Boston at 3:00 a.m. and said goodbye to some of the girls who had to catch an 8:00 a.m. flight to their homes. Everyone else bused it back to BC to get some sleep and head out the next morning. In front of Conte, we thought our journey had finally ended, but while most rolled luggage to their dorms, others tried tiredly to jump start Coach Krasnoo and her mom's stubborn cars. Needless to say, an hour drive ensued by Carley and Susie to safely deliver the Krasnoos to their home. By 6:00 a.m., after 33 hours of travel time, the trip had ended. Despite some unpleasant travel experience, everyone agrees that our journey to the Land Down Under was a huge success. Most importantly, we look to bring a new team onto the field this spring, one that has grown much closer and stronger. The incredible experience of this trip, and the rare opportunity we had to take it, will remain in our hearts and memories forever.
-- Carley St. Lucia (`05) & Susie Breaznell (`05)
