For the first time since Taylor Claggett began her journey on the team in the fall of 2015, the UFV women’s basketball team went on an off-continent trip. On Aug. 26 the team packed their bags and headed to India for two weeks.
The team’s head coach, Al Tuchscherer, took the group on the trip so they could have an experience that was different than class and practice, which is the usual life of a team member at UFV.
A usual day in India began with a 6 a.m. wake-up, followed by a workout in the nearby Rose Garden, usually yoga, weights, or a run, followed by breakfast back at the hotel. The team would then head to a local gym for more practice.
“[There was] no air conditioning ?— we were practicing in 35 degree heat,” Claggett said about the local gym.
Each day also included a tourist excursion, like a visit to local temples, museums, malls, and even the UFV Chandigarh campus.
“We visited other schools and played there too. [The students] would watch us practice and we would have more people watch us practice there than at a regular home game in Abbotsford, so it was pretty crazy. There was one time where there were 300-400 students watching us play.”
The team also had time to play against the local students. They played against a few teams of girls aged 16-19 and enjoyed connecting with the girls.
“After the games we talked to them about how much we practice and what we do to get stronger,” Claggett said.
Since basketball isn’t as huge as it is in North America, especially for women’s teams, Claggett appreciated the opportunity to inspire girls around the world to play basketball through the connections at local schools.
“A bunch of them even said to us, ‘I want to play basketball now.’ It was cool to bring basketball to the other side of the world in this way,” Clagget said.
Reflecting back on the trip, Claggett feels that being in a foreign country for two whole weeks was too long. The team had every part of their day scheduled and planned out for them from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“Ten days was good but by the last few days you could tell that people were feeling ready to get home. There was a lot of heat exhaustion, plus homesickness. It was all just so different.”
“Travelling is exhausting but travelling on such a tight schedule is even more exhausting,” Claggett said.
But every day the team had scheduled time to be alone and to reflect and enjoy some solitude, which was appreciated by the group.
For Claggett, the highlight of the trip was visiting the Taj Mahal, which she called a “masterpiece.” She and the team enjoyed learning from their tour guide about the history behind it and why it was built.
By the end of the trip the group bonded more there by being in such close quarters than they could ever do over a year of just a few hours a day together. Claggett said that since they’re so close, they will play well, because a team that’s good off the court is good on the court too.
Image: Tour Guide Vinny
