Happy Holidays!

We wish everyone a happy & healthy holiday season!

A Turkey Day Story

Our team put on a turkey day skit at the UMaine tournament. It was a hit, to say the least! The story teller, Abby Dowd, filled everyone in on the traditions of Thanksgiving in America and at UB while her teammates showed off their acting skills. At UB, we "spare" the perfect bull, not turkey!

Can't Come to the Game...Watch Us Play Anyway!

The following list of home games will be streamed on the web (http://www.buffalobulls.com/)...


12/5 vs. Canisius
12/13 vs. Youngstown State
1/3 vs. Bucknell
1/16 vs. Ohio
1/27 vs. Toledo
2/6 vs. Central Michigan
2/24 vs. Bowling Green
3/2 vs. Kent State

GO BULLS!!!

A Warm Welcome to Two New Bulls

Rachel Bantelman signs her National Letter of Intent with father, Joe, superintendent of Olean schools, Dr. Colleen Taggerty, high school coach, Don Scholla, mother, Jean, AAU coach, Armando Toppi, and principal, Barb Lias.

Kristen signs her National Letter of Intent with her father, Patrick, and mother, Patricia. (above)

Kristen with her high school coach, Kathy Synder.

Both Rachel and Kristen became official UB Bulls when they signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday November 11th, 2009. They will join our team during the '10-'11 season.

Rachel, a versatile player, who can play the 3 and 4, is from Olean, NY. She is this coaching staff's first New York signee. Rachel will assist in bringing in more NY recruits, as she already bleeds blue. When not on the court, Rachel is competing in the pool. We know that she will help our team on the court and during those pre-season pool work-outs!

Kristen, a physical post player, who can face and play with her back to the basket, is from Manahawkin, NJ. She has a knack for scoring and rebounding the basketball. Kristen can be found catching the waves on the Jersey Shore when she is not on the hardwood. The coaching staff will be first in line for surfing lessons!

Welcome, ladies...We are excited that you have chosen to be UB Bulls!

To read Rachel and Kristen's press release, click on the link below:

http://www.ubathletics.buffalo.edu/womensbasketball/news/wbb11-12-2009-NLI.shtml

Mark Your Calendars!

University at Buffalo vs. Canisius College
Saturday December 5th at 4:00PM

See this cross town rivalry LIVE...

Time Warner will be televising our game. Locally, tune in to Channel 13 and if you're not local, the game will be streamed on http://www.buffalobulls.com/.

The Bulls Reach Out

The Bulls Take Part in WNY Girls in Sports Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium...

The Bulls Head to Local Schools...

On the 22nd of October the team spent the day volunteering at various schools around the Buffalo area. I was designated to Coach Hill’s group, along with Kourtney, Amy, Abby, Chrissy and Dayna. We spent a few hours at Heim Elementary. Most of the kids were in Kindergarten and first grade so it was pretty amusing.

The most entertaining thing was to watch Coach Hill interact with the children. Before we began, Coach Hill ran (in slow motion) to the balls and yelled, in a child-friendly bubbly tone, “How is everyone today!” I was so shocked lol. I had to refrain from laughing because although she is friendly, I never imagined I would ever hear her speak in such a tone. This continued throughout the whole event. After each relay she would yell “Everyone! TEN CLAPS FOR THE WINNERS!!!”, then we all had clap together ten times (I hope we can start doing this in practice!). Again, I found this to be hilarious, only because I have never seen her act this way. I wish I could have gotten it on tape!

Abby was also pretty funny. When she introduced herself she spoke like a kindergarten teacher and emphasized the important points, “Hi, My name is ABBY and I am from OHIO.I am a GUARD and a FRESHMAN in school and I am EIGHTEEN…I mean NINETEEN!” I don’t know why, but I love to observe how people act when they are around children. That’s probably my favorite part about working at camps with young children, especially when the coaches are there.

The kids were also a lot of fun. Although they were young and lacked basketball skills, their willingness to participate and determination to succeed made the camp a lot of fun. We did relays, passing and defensive drills. The kids learned very fast. Some were barely able to dribble the ball, but once we made it competitive they found a way (although many have not grasped the concept of traveling yet). The kids were all very friendly and cheered each other on. Some of them were pretty funny. Coach Hill warned us to be prepared to see and hear anything and the kids did and said some pretty random things.

In all, the camp was more than just basketball skills training; it was an opportunity for the kids to be introduced to something positive that they can do on their own or in a group. Children are very observant therefore positive role models are important to shape who they will become in the future. Hopefully our interactions with these children, and others in the future, will push them towards not only sports but positive thinking as well.

~Teresa Semalulu #22

Canadian Thanksgiving and Much More...

Upon coming to Buffalo we did not realize how many significant differences there are between Canada and the Untied States. Among those differences are the date and tradition behind the Thanksgiving holiday. Here we have learned that it is a celebration of the Pilgrims and “The New World”. However, in Canada it originated as a bountiful harvest in preparation for the winter. Both holidays have evolved over time to symbolize many things. Most importantly it has become a day for families to join together to reflect on what they are grateful for.

On the second Monday of October it is a disappointment that we are not at home with our families. This is a reminder that not only are we away from home, but we are in a country with different customs and traditions.

The great thing about our team is that, although us Canadian’s are the minority, our culture is embraced. We celebrate the Canadian Thanksgiving and our team always wishes us a Happy Canada Day! Since we have been here it has been the second time our team has embraced this Canadian holiday (and the second time we ate first J ). We joined in the very “Canadianly” decorated conference room (Thanks to Paja). We ate amazing turkey and “fixins” (As Coach Mac would say), and as we do with our families, enjoyed spending time with each other.

One thing we have come to realize is that not only do our differences distinguish us, but they also bring us together. Since, as a team, we celebrate Canadian and American holidays it is very hard to feel homesick here, at our second home with our second family, at the University at Buffalo. Go Bulls!

This Thanksgiving we are thankful for the food that was made to unite us together as a family here at UB.

If you are Canadian and looking to come to UB, here are a few things to take a look at:
You will…
Become instant friends with any Canadians on Campus (bonus if they’re teachers!)
Smile every time you spot a Canadian flag or license plate
Be ridiculed every time you use the word “eh” (I know right)
Go home and realize how much Canadians do say “eh” (and when you come back you’ll realize how much Americans say “y’all”)
Need to create an Aim account because they don’t use MSN here (even though it’s better lol)

You will also experience the following deprivations:

CFL, OHL and love for Steve Nash
Canadian Programming (Degrassi, Art Attack, Reboot, YTV, CBC and CTV)
And the following delicacies; Mars Bars, Ketchup and All dressed chips, non-caffeinated Mountain Dew, Shawarmas, Rockets not Smarties (Smarties are chocolate not candy! Google it), Bagged Milk (It’s cheaper and more economic!)

Some things you’ll never get:

Miles vs. Kilometers (using the “officer I didn’t know the difference” trick only works once)
Temperature in Fahrenheit rather than Degrees (45 doesn’t mean it’s time to go to the beach!)
The Canadian vs. the American Dollar (Denny’s never gives you a fair exchange rate)
If you miss your off ramp on the highway, you will be driving for miles (kilometers?)
Peoples accents (In the south they speak a whole other language)
And Coach Mac’s watch must measure in American time (because I know it takes longer than 30 seconds to sing either of our anthems, which is about the time it takes for us to do the 30 second “L and I” drill.)

Last but not least, this is an example of American humor (courtesy of freshie Abby):
Why is a turkey such a good band member?
Because they always have their drumsticks on them! (haha…not!)
Well, time to sign off eh?

Your two favorite Canadians,
Brittany Hedderson #23 and Teresa Semalulu #22

P.S. Canadian Birthdays are huge and involve lots of gifts and cake…keep that in mind Coach ;)

Triple Gym is Open!

Here at UB, we know about the old adage, "It will be worth the wait"! This summer no one had access to the triple gym because it was undergoing renovations. Our players were forced to find alternate facilities in which to do their off-season workouts and play pick-up. At times that was frustrating - especially when the main gym was also not available because of camps and special events. It seemed like the weeks were dragging by once classes resumed and we still had to find an alternate space in which to do our pre-season conditioning and skills sessions.

In mid-September, the renovations were completed and the doors were opened. We walked into a brand new look to our official practice space. Thank you to Warde Manuel for his vision of creating a practice facility with the feel of the Alumni Arena! The center court is identical to the one on which we play our games. The three separate courts all have their own scoreboard and clock and new backboards and baskets. The lighting and fresh paint, the new sound system and visual center have added to this incredible state of the art facility. It was DEFINITELY worth the wait!

~Linda Hill-MacDonald, Head Coach

The Bulls Mix It Up!

Pre-season workout on the MAC Champion football field

The Bulls sweat it out during a pre-season pool workout

It's that time of year again! With the start of school came the start of preseason workouts. While most students were excited to wear their new back-to-school outfits, our team eagerly put on our new practice gear and shoes. It's a great feeling to finally have started after we have been working so hard all summer long. Tuesday was the first time where the whole team and the coaches were allowed to be on the court at the same time. We all seemed to be focused and ready and really made the most of our time on the court.

In the few weeks before we were allowed to practice as a whole team, we worked in smaller groups to perfect our skills and learn team concepts. Although I worked mostly as a post, I even got to show off some of my guard skills! In each workout, I feel as if I learned something new.

Our workouts have not been exclusively on the court, however, as both the coaches and our strength coach, Ed, have found new and interesting ways to prepare us for the season. For the first time since I have been at UB, we went to the swimming pool and did a workout when we were unable to get in the gym. We had a blast while still feeling like we got something accomplished. In the weight room, we've had several "fun" days (as Ed likes to call them), which certainly make walking up stairs a challenging task the following day. All of the sweat, swimming, and soreness will certainly be worth it when we come to official practice better prepared than ever and as we gear up for the new season!

~Jessica Fortman #34

Community Service

Beth smiles for the camera

Chrissy & Nytor sport their globe necklaces

Bridgette & Jessica show off their craft skills

Nicki & Abby are up to no good... :)

Summer in Buffalo gave our team a chance to work on our skills, lift some weights, and take summer classes, but we also found the time to volunteer. This summer we visited basketball camps, ran drills at the YMCA, gave campus tours, and helped out at the zoo among other events. Working the local basketball camps at places like the nearby YMCA and in Eden, NY allowed us to show off our new and improved skills while sending a message to the kids about determination, perseverance, and hard work.

Going to the zoo was one of the highlights of my summer. As part of the Party for the Planet, we got to do arts and crafts with the kids and enjoy a beautiful summer day in the process. It was definitely a perfect summer day.

Filling up our days with community service made this summer so much more fun because we were able to give back to the community. Meeting all of the rambunctious tikes made us that much more excited for the upcoming season and hopefully added some fans to the stands.

~Beth Christensen #42