Paradise Jam Daily Blog: Day Two in Paradise
11/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2011
• Courtney Boylan and Carmen Reynolds 
U-M will take its 4-0 record to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, to take part in the Paradise Jam (Thu-Sat., Nov. 24-26). Director of operations Raina Harmon will provide a daily blog to give fans the inside scoop, as the Wolverines play in paradise.
Day two here in St. Thomas was awesome. We started off our morning with a pool-ocean side breakfast. Shortly after, we set sail on our catamaran excursion and snorkel tour. As we pulled away from the dock, we grabbed some island punch, listened to some Caribbean tunes and made our way to the deck to enjoy the sunshine. With the music and the view, it seemed like something out of a movie until we were rudely interrupted by a crashing wave. Everyone sitting in the front of the boat got completely soaked, which I admit was pretty hilarious.
Jamillya (Hardley) had her mind set that she was not getting in the water but with a push from her teammates (not literally), she jumped in and looked like a pro. Okay, actually it was not pro like at all as she walked down the stairs of the boat into the ocean, BUT she conquered her fear so GREAT JOB Jammy!
All of those who were "expert" snorkelers jumped off the back of the boat, while the "rookies" got a quick lesson and joined the rest of the group. After the tutorial, we all grabbed a buddy as instructed and swam out to view the sea creatures. Our first sighting was of sea turtles. Carmen (Reynolds), Rachel (Sheffer), Jenny (Ryan) and Sam (Arnold) attempted to dive to the bottom of the ocean to get a closer look, to no avail (they blamed it on the swim fins, but I think it was sheer inability). Don't tell them I said that!
Our next stop was near the reef where we spotted (and held) a sea urchin, a hermit crab, some cool colored fish and Nemo. After about an hour, we boarded the boat and headed back to shore. This team is not afraid to take on any nationally ranked teams but let an iguana run across their path, and that's a different story! The island is filled with those things and many of the girls still manage to scream and hide every time they see one.
After our adventure, we had lunch and some downtime (which most of us took full advantage of with a nap) before practice. We had a great practice and the night's agenda included a sky ride to the top of the island (Paradise Point) and a welcome dinner. After that, we headed to the hotel to get some rest as the games get under way tomorrow (Thursday, Nov 24).
Big day tomorrow and I have to go, so bye for now. I'll be updating again tomorrow after our game against Prairie View A&M. Hope all you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
P.S. Shout out to Captain Peter, who allowed me steer the catamaran halfway back to shore today. He gave me compliments as I navigated around a cargo ship, so for the rest of the season I will only be answering to "Captain Raina!"
Tomorrow's Schedule
Breakfast
Shoot Around
Pre-Game Meal
Michigan vs. Prairie View A&M
Go Blue!
Raina ("Captain Raina" that is)
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