North Carolina State University Athletics
Traveling with the Wolfpack
1/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 7, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State women's tennis team recently traveled to New York City to participate in the USTA National Invitational. During the trip, sophomore Lauren Barry kept a diary to share with fans of Wolfpack women's tennis upon returning to Raleigh. The Raleigh, N.C., native offers a first-hand recap of how the Pack traveled, practiced, prepared and competed during their stay in the Big Apple.
Our Trip to New York - by Lauren Barry
Thursday
The day began with a morning flight from Raleigh to LaGuardia airport in N.Y. As we exited the plane and stood outside on the curb waiting for our ride to appear, we noticed the hustle and bustle of the fast-paced city life. We were all very excited to be in New York City! As we looked past the rushing cars and further past the parking lot, we could see the Crown Plaza Hotel where we would be staying for the next five days.
At the hotel, we noticed several other teams arriving also. We went in, got our room keys and headed to our rooms, where we roomed with our doubles partner for the tournament. After putting our bags in the room, we headed for the city.
Once we got parked, we began our adventure. We passed millions of stores and people. We were all filled with energy and we were very eager to explore. We went sight-seeing and bargain shopping for several hours before we made our trip back to the hotel.
Friday
It was an early morning on Friday. Before we went back into the city, we had morning practice at Flushing Meadows, which was the site of the tournament. On our way to the site we picked up some breakfast.
After eating, we drove back to the courts to practice and get a feel for the courts. When we were finished, we went back to the city, this time into Greenwich Village. Once we arrived, we split up into two groups. One group stayed in the village while the other caught the subway to Chinatown to take a ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty. Both groups were still in search of bargains and we found them!
Saturday
We woke up today with a different mentality. It was a very focused morning and our first day of competition. We headed out for our pre-game meal before arriving at the courts.
At the courts we began to see the teams that we would be playing against. In total, there were 21 teams from all over the U.S. There were five singles draws and three doubles draws that players were selected into. Today each player would have three or four matches to play. There was constant tennis from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. The format was different than I have usually seen it. The 8:30 matches were given a court and a court time, but the players who were after those matches were only given a court. They had to keep watch on the court they were about to go onto because once the early match finished it was their turn to jump right on.
I know for many of us it was a great feeling playing in a location where the best players have played before. To stand in the same spot they have stood, and to look up with hopes of one day making it to center court like they did.
Sunday
After a good nights sleep, we woke up ready for battle again. We went out for breakfast and then we were off to the courts. There was a slight breeze outside and in the morning there was a light rain shower which postponed the first matches by thirty minutes. Today some friends and family came to watch. It was great to have support so far from home. Almost the whole team was victorious in their first matches and the winning continued throughout the day.
Today was the last day of the tournament for us. We watched and played in some great matches during this memorable trip.
Monday
Today we had a small morning practice before we caught our flight back home. We took a lot of pictures before we left to capture the memories of our amazing trip.
