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SHERATON HAWAII BOWL
These tourists are on a mission
By
Liane Yim
Honolulu Advertiser Staff Writer
©2007 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
 Honolulu
Advertiser staff writer Liane Yim authored this
article and will also file a
report for Bonesville after East Carolina's game with Boise
State in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Sunday. |
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HONOLULU — The East Carolina Pirates have traded
‘Ahoy’ for ‘Aloha’ this week as they prepare for the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on
Sunday.
Getting to this tropical place filled with
sunshine and rainbows all started with a two-hour delay in Greenville,
slight problems with the aircraft and a grueling 12-hour flight. After a few
snags along the way, the Pirates feel Oahu is still the trip of a lifetime.
Wide receiver Alex Taylor has been the teams
go-to expert for cultural questions, food analysis and places to see thanks
to his young upbringing here on the island and having attended Gus Webling
Elementary School in Aiea. Taylor’s aunts, uncles and grandparents are still
residents and have the opportunity to see him in action Sunday.
“A lot of my friends wanted to go to the North
Shore to jump off Waimea Rock. They’ve asked me a lot of heritage
questions,” Taylor said.
There were a plethora of events to keep the
Pirates on their toes starting with Tuesday as players attended the Outback
Steakhouse Barefoot Pep Rally and Sunset on the Beach on the beautiful
Waikiki Beach. Just ask team dance-off representatives linebacker Durwin
Lamb and defensive back J.J. Milbrook as they battled several Boise State
players in some friendly competition.
“We have a lot of team functions with structure
in the day, but we have more free time at night. Enjoying the sun, the
waves, just relaxing; we’ve been shopping, to the bar Senor Frogs and that
was pretty cool,” quarterback Patrick Pinkney said.
After Wednesday's practice, the team was off to
Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial tour for a history lesson of the
fateful twist of events of December 7, 1941, that propelled the United
States into World War II.
“It was very, very emotional after watching the
clips. Its something we all learned about in elementary school. To actually
come to it and experience it is a once in a lifetime thing,” tight end Davon
Drew said.
Coach Skip Holtz praises the team’s
responsibility, focus and balance of fun and practice.
“They understand the challenge ahead of us and I
don’t think it takes long when we go in the afternoon and have our meetings,
and you put on that film of Boise State and you see just how good they are
and explosive on offense. I think it got everyone’s attention,” Holtz said.
Holtz sends the equipment manager praises as he
learned that leis and white clothing do not fix well together.
“Last night at the luau (Sheraton Royal Hawaiian
Luau) they had given us leis and I had so many on, I took them, hung them on
the back of my chair and I was wearing white shorts and happen to have sat
on purple flowers. My wife said, ‘You need to give these to the equipment
people, they have some work to do,' ” Holtz recounted.
Linebacker Pierre Bell learned the traditional
Maori dance also known as the Haka and sampled octopus for the first time.
“It’s different, but its pretty good,” Bell said.
While players get adjusted to the time
difference and heat, Christmas came a tad bit early as all are soaking in
their rewards for a hard fought season with a pair of sunglasses, a beach
towel, watch, bag and more as bowl gifts.
Last year the nation saw the good ol’ Statue of
Liberty play, a win in overtime and even a marriage proposal. Stay tuned as
the Pirates may have a few tricks up their sleeve as well.
“We’re a family, we have each others' backs and
that’s what it's about and it's worked for us all year,” Pinkney said.
If it can work one more
time, this close-knit band of Pirates hopes to sail away from Aloha Stadium
on Sunday night with a championship trophy to add to its collection of bowl
week treasures.
Send Message to Liane Yim
12/22/2007 05:31:21 AM |
