By Alena Koshansky (at right)
Delaware '07
Co-captain of 2006-07 Blue Hen Women's Basketball Team

Day Two Anatolia Tour 2007 (June 13)
Trip Preview / Day One Blog / Day Two Blog / Day Three Blog / Day Four Blog / Day Five Blog / Day Six Blog / Day Seven Blog / Day Eight Blog - Wrapup
Photos Gallery from Turkey

Merhaba!! (Hello) Today was day two of our trip in Turkey. We had a fabulous breakfast consisting of a variety of fruits, pastries, vegetables (traditionally in Turkey vegetables are served for breakfast), cheeses, and eggs. Most of us chose to eat the fruit, omelets, and pastries. Emir (Dr. Emir Turam, Director of International Relations Turkish Basketball Federation) suggested that I try a real honey comb. It was a little chewy, but very tasty!

After breakfast we checked out of our hotel in Ankara, Turkey and headed on a four hour bus trip to our next destination in Kayseri. Traveling to Kayseri was interesting because we were able to see the countryside of Turkey, at times we would not see any villages for miles, only the mountains.  Halfway through our adventure we had to make a 30 minute stop at a market/rest area because rules in Turkey state that drivers must take rest breaks every so often. At this stop we used our Turkish money (the lira) for the first time and bought candy and ice cream with it!

Around 3 p.m. we arrived in Kayseri and ate a quick lunch before heading to the school for our practice and question/answer panel session.  At our practice Coach (Tina) Martin, Coach (Jeanine) Radice, and the players demonstrated dribbling drills, individual offense skills, defensive break-down drills, and our match-up zone. 

The girls were eager to learn and practice these new skills. The language barrier has really had no effect on us in getting our skills and techniques across. It is an amazing experience to be able to work with these girls and share the same love for the game of basketball. It shows us that basketball and sport in general can unite two cultures. The end of the session concluded with autographs, pictures with the girls, and our attempts to learn new Turkish words!

Immediately after the practice we were led to a classroom set up in the form of a typical press conference one would see in the United States.  Dr. (Matt) 0Robinson, Dr. (Dave) Barlow, Coach Martin, Coach Radice, Courtney (Irving), Kyle (DeHaven), and I were at tables and chairs in the front of the classroom as we interacted with the audience. 

First Coach Martin and Coach Radice talked about the match-up zone answering a variety of questions from the audience about how it works. Also, Coach Martin explained her role as a coach, noting that not only does she teach the game of basketball but her responsibilities include being a representative of the University of Delaware and helping to shape her players into young adults. 

Next, Courtney, Kyle, and I spoke about our experiences of being a student-athlete. We took the audience through a normal day including classes, lifting, treatment, practice, team dinners, and study hall sessions.  Everyone laughed when we said we had only a small amount of time for a social life! 

Next, Dr. Robinson presented a power point presentation as he spoke about different strategies for managers of basketball clubs. He explained that the success of a club depends on how well managers can be leaders, learn to delegate tasks, be political, and use different strategies to the fullest benefit of the club.  He challenged them to not only have a vision for what their basketball club will be in 2010 and 2017, but to also have a plan in place in order to make their dreams and visions a reality. 

Dr. Robinson is so knowledgeable, and I know that the audience wishes that he could have talked to them for hours if there had been no time limit. Dr. Barlow was the last person to speak, and he provided the audience with information regarding proper techniques in order for athletes to perform at their highest level. He stressed that proper hydration, nutrition, and exercise techniques were vital in maintaining high athletic performance. He answered questions from the audience about why cold water is better to drink during competition and what the optimal ages are for athletes to begin weightlifting and speed work.

Tugba (Karagulla - Turkish Basketball Federation and former UD assistant coach) continues to be an excellent translator both on and off the court for us. Cullen (Robinson) has been excellent in helping to inflate the balls for us and passing them out to the girls at our practices, as well as retrieving the balls when they go flying across the gym!

Kyle, Courtney, and I continue to try new Turkish dishes at each meal, it is fun for us but we usually end up eating chicken as our main meal.  Coach Martin still has not mastered saying “Thank You” in Turkish, as her new pronunciation sounds more like “Two Sugars and a Cream.” It should be read and pronounced as “teseceshekkurler” (Tay-Shay-Ku-Larsh)

As night time falls here in Turkey and we are traveling to our next destination, I know that thousands of miles separate us from the United States.  In my short time here, I have realized that although miles may separate two cultures, our love for the game of basketball, the respect we carry for each other’s culture, and the mutual connection we share about the importance of providing opportunities and life changing experiences to individuals is so very much the same. 

I look forward to our next adventure because the skills that we are teaching these girls does not even begin to amount to what they teach us, and in the end the smiles on their faces are reflected in our faces and they tell the whole story about the impact we are having on each other’s lives.