Final Days in Hawaii

Hello Avid Tennis Blog Readers,

As our amazing trip in Hawaii comes to a close, our team could not have spent the last day any better. After already partaking in such activities as snorkeling, hiking, and paddle boarding, we had yet to encounter such an adventurous unnerving experience that was going to take place early this morning. We started off bright and early with a wake up call at 5 a.m., reason being that sharks come out early in the morning, and at night. We piled into our cars and drove 40 minutes to the North Shore as the sun was rising, mentally preparing ourselves to soon be surrounded by sharks in a metal cage 3 miles off the Hawaiian shore. Everyone's hesitation died down as we all, well most of us, climbed into the water together and realized how remarkable the experience really was. Even if some of the 7-9 ft sharks came incredibly close, we are now proud to claim we've swam with sharks.

After a bumpy boat ride back to sweet land, we visited the North Shore pipeline where surfers catch some of Hawaii's largest waves. Unfortunately, the waves were not significantly large today, but after our shark experience I doubt anyone would have been up for another rigorous water experience. On our way back to the hotel we stopped by the Dole Fruit Factory. Here, our coaches challenged us to a race in what is said to be 'the largest maze in the world.' Their underestimating got the better of them as they came huffing and puffing out of the maze when half our team was already out ten minutes beforehand. After treating ourselves to some pineapple frozen yogurt, we took a scenic route back to our hotel. Even though we were tired, napping wasn't worth missing the mountains, fruit fields, and shores of Hawaii.

For dinner, coincidentally, we went to Duke's restaurant located right on the beach. Marianne's birthday is tomorrow, sadly during our red eye back to school, so we surprised her by sneaking a suggestion to the small ukulele band playing around the restaurant to sing her happy birthday. I was fortunate enough to experience my birthday in Hawaii and I'm happy she got to celebrate a little before heading back to school.

As our trip comes to an end, we could easily say that this was one of the best (if not the best) trips we have experienced as a team. Although it doesn't seem possible, we leave Hawaii closer than when we arrived. The few matches we squeezed into our trip definitely provided good practice for our upcoming season, and we head back to Duke confident and excited to compete. The idea of leaving paradise and returning to piles of books and assignments is highly discouraging, but soon enough we'll get back into the swing of things, on and off the court. Nostalgic, we leave Hawaii with stories and memories that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

- Moni & DWT