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