University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners in Spain: Student-Athlete Diaries

August 17, 2016 | Women's Basketball

By: Athletics Communications

Each day during OU women's' basketball's trip to Spain, the Sooners and head coach will share tidbits from each day's adventure.

The Sooners will visit Madrid from Aug. 11-13, Valencia from Aug. 14-16 and Barcelona from Aug. 17-19. Each OU player will share their thoughts on the journey, describing their activities for a day during the nine-day trip.

AUGUST 20

GILEYSA PENZO: EPILOGUE

On Wednesday, we left the Lloyd Noble Center for our foreign trip not knowing what to expect. Our first stop was Madrid, where we toured around the city and visit some really cool spots. On the third day, we visited the city of Toledo.

The day was sunny and perfect, and we walked around the city which felt like traveling back in time. The architecture in Toledo was so ancient and well kept. After gaining our first win of the trip, we packed our bags and headed to Valencia.

There we spent two days in one of the most beautiful hotel I have seen. The views were incredible and the beach been walking distance made it all better.

One of my favorite things from Valencia was a corn "food truck". These vendors grilled the corn straight on the coal and then covered it with a choice of olive oil, salt, paprika, lemon and chili.

If we talk about numbers our team may or may not have consumed about 40-45 corn on the cobs. Leaving Valencia with win number two we road the bus for four hours to our final stop: Barcelona.

In Barcelona, we walked around the area close to our hotel. And learned about one of the most famous architects of Spain called Antoni Gaudí. Some buildings that he built had a unique look. He used a lot of curves and abstract figures. The other ones had different pictures and statues in them that were very detailed.

The next tour day we drove up the mountains and took a peek at the overview of Barcelona. We also were fortunate to see and stand inside the stadium that held the Barcelona Olympic Games of 1992.

Peyton and I had the opportunity to go down on the field and play a soccer simulation game. Lastly, we went to the historic Sagrada Familia cathedral. The sight was amazing and breathtaking. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of all the details that the structures had.

Overall, it was a great time spent with my closest friends. I feel like we grew closer together as a team and a family. I am eager to see what the future holds. I hope to see all of you Sooner Fans being loud and proud during our games. Thank you to our Fast Break Club, Sooner Stilettos and generous donors for their support.

- Gileysa Penzo #12

AUGUST 18

DERICA WYATT: EXPERIENCE OF A LIFTIME

What's up Sooner Fans! First let me start by saying thank you to the Fast Break Club and Sooner Stiletto members for allowing our team the opportunity to travel overseas to see the beautiful country of Spain. What an experience this has been!

As you know, we started off our adventure in Madrid, continued on to Valencia, and to finish off the week we have been in Barcelona! 

Upon arriving to Barcelona I was having trouble imagining how it could be any better than the two places we had already been, but let me just tell you, Barcelona is the most beautiful city I have ever seen.

From the old, gothic style buildings to the Olympic Stadium and so much more, it is truly a magical city that exudes its unique culture and incredible hospitality. Although I wish I could go on and on about the entire trip, I am only going to share with you my favorite thing about Barcelona. 

While touring the Olympic Stadium from 1992 games and the La Sagrada de Famila plus stopping at breathtaking sites to catch a panoramic view of the entire city was an experience I will never forget but I have to admit, that hasn't been my favorite thing about Barcelona. I'm a believer in going deep into the cities and kind of venturing around with no true destination in mind and this is exactly what a group of us did the first night in Barcelona. 

On our first night in Barcelona many of us even contemplated exploring the city at night because of how exhausted we were from the long day of travel from Valencia, but we pushed through that sleepiness, got our second wind, and set out to explore.

After stopping at a small pizza joint for a bite to eat, we headed towards the Las Ramblas which is one of Barcelona's most famous spots for tourists to shop. Once we got there, we were in awe of the festivities that were going on. There were stages with folk dancing, street performers, large mascots walking around, and many more intriguing events happening all around us.

Going from one thing to the next we ended up taking a seat on a large set of stairs in front of an old cathedral. About 30 minutes later we all screamed and jumped backwards as huge fireworks started going off 50 feet from us. You could hear drums from across the street and a huge crow of Spaniards ran in the streets dancing while twirling fire; it was truly the most incredible thing I have ever witnessed.

The show continued in the streets with huge dragon mascots running in circles with fire coming from their mouths. Talk about a once in a lifetime experience.

All of group the videotaped the whole show and the ending was indescribable experience. It was a night I will never forget.

I cannot say enough times how perfect this trip has been. Our team has been able to grow on the basketball court as well as off the court. We have been able to learn and experience a whole new culture. It's been an incredible nine days but I would be lying if I said the Sooners were not ready to come home!

Norman, here we come! 

- Derica Wyatt #3

AUGUST 17

SHAYA KELLOGG: OLYMPIC TOUR

Wednesday, one of the stops we made on our tour of the city was the Olympic Stadium used for the 1992 Olympic Games. The orignal structure was built in 1929 and refurbished for 1992 games.

The Olympic Games allowed the city to build things that Barcelona needed. For example, the stadium and the surrounding Olympic village has been used for soccer matches and concerts. Each one of Barcelona's Olympic venues are still in use.

Our tour guide, who was a translator for the 1992 Olympic Games, shared a little fun fact about the lighting of the torch that year. In every Olympic Games, one person selected by the host nation llights the torch duuring the opening ceremony.

In these particular games, an Olympic archer shot a flaming arrow in the direction of the cauldron. However, because they couldn't afford for the shot to miss, a button was pressed to light the torch and the shooting of the flaming arrow was just for theatrics.

Our tour guide shared that he was actually almost hit by the arrow that was shot during the ceremony. It's still remember as one of the most famous opening ceremonies. The views of the stadium and other facilities overlook the entire city, providing a breathtaking view.

To me, the most interesting part of the tour was related to the Olympic Games, but wasn't actually part of the arena. As we drove to the Olympic Stadium, we passed the diving pool from the 1992 Olympics.

The location of the pool was complemented by an amazing overview of the city of all . Our tour guide shared with us that during the olympics, the pool was below the screen which made it look like the Olympic athletes were diving into the city.

Thursday marks our final full day in Spain. In the morning, we'll tour La Sagrada de Familia as a team. It's one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe.

Thanks for reading!

- Shaya Kellogg #22

AUGUST 16

MCKENNA TREECE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BARCELONA

After starting the day in Valencia, the trip to Barcelona was a four-hour drive and as soon as we got here we took part in a walking tour of the city. As we walked down the streets of Barcelona, we notiched that Las Ramblas is the main shopping square in the city and has plenty of shopping areas. As we walked around with our tour guide, the streets buzzed like we were in New York City.

There are so many places to visit and it's packed with different vendors. Throughout the main plazas, people are exploring the beautiful scenary. I also really like the diversity of stores and types of people you see in Barcelona.

Tonight, many of us went to Pomarada Pizzeria for dinner this first night in Barcelona. It was beautiful. Our servers took us up into an old-caged elevator to lead us to the rooftop. The quiet rooftop was filled with plants and overlooked most of Barcelona. Plus, the pizza was delicious!

On Wednesday, we get to visit some of Barcelona's biggest landmarks. We are going to tour the Olympic Stadium, Mont Juic Hill and Sagrada Familia. We also wrap up our tour with our final game tomorrow night.

Wish us luck!

- McKenna Treece #30

AUGUST 15

NANCY MULKEY: BASKETBALL AND BEACH TIME

Our trip to Cabanyal Beach was just out of this world and the water was a gorgeous blue, it twinkled as the sun struck the water. As I walked the beach, the water runs up to the shore and soaks my feet.

The temperature was absolutely perfect; not too hot nor not too cold in Valencia during our time here. The sand was a darker brown, a little darker than the sand that you would see at a Florida beach. With that being said, the sand was a tad bit warm. I wasn't very fond of that...my feet aren't used to a surface that hot!

As I'm laying out, I'm observing how beautiful everything is from a distance. There were boats sailing, people on jet skis, and of course, everybody catching waves on surf boards in Mediterranean Sea!

I've always wanted to learn how to surf, but I'd rather not attempt to learn because we're on a trip for basketball and I have to be good for the game.

Maybe the most unique thing that caught my eye were the sand castles that were built along the board outside our hotel. They weren't ordinary sand castles. These castles were astonishing with how much detailed they had. I honestly could look at them all day.

There were different things built, for example, there was one built with SpongeBob and a huge castle attached to him. The details were just unbelievable. I didn't know that things could be so well detailed out of sand!

As for basketball, Monday's game was so much better than Friday's game Madrid. Our energy was through the roof and we played Oklahoma basketball.

For me to finally be playing college basketball, it's unreal but I'm still adjusting to the pace and how everyone plays. Not only am I adjusting to that, but also the expectations of the coaches. I feel like we've improved from game one to game two and we'll need to do that on Wednesday night.

I guess this was unofficially my “second” college basketball game. Tonight, I had more feel on the floor and I thought I made some improvements. There's still work to be done, but I can't wait to see the progress we make as a team as we close out the trip.

On to Barcelona in the morning. Thanks for keeping up with us!

BOOMER!

- Nancy Mulkey #32

AUGUST 14

GABBI ORTIZ: FROM THE CITY TO THE BEACH

It's late Sunday here in Spain, which means we are already four days into our foreign tour. There have been plenty of new experiences and sightseeing throughout our time in Spain.

Day one the team got a taste of what Madrid, Spain is all about. Our beautiful hotel was located right in the middle of the popular shopping strip on Gran Via. The large buildings and constant busy streets reminded us of an atmosphere similar to New York.  

Thursday night we were very fortunate and had the opportunity to eat dinner at the oldest restaurant in the world, Botin. It was opened in 1723 and the food served was much different than back home, but that's what made the experience so special.

Each course came out in intervals. First bread and cheese then we moved on to clams and iberico. Our dinner as a team gave us a feel for what an authentic Spanish meal looks and tastes like. Our dinner last over two hours, but it was worth the experience.

Day two in Madrid was gameday for the Sooners. With a late game time, we had time to do more exploring during the morning and afternoon throughout the city. My teammates and I walked through plenty of local shops and ventured into new streets of the city. 

But at 4:30 p.m. it was time to get ready for basketball. After our pregame meal, we loaded our bus and drove just outside downtown to take on Olimpico 64. We had to knock off some rust early in the game, but we prevailed with a 10-point win over a team that loved to shoot 3-pointers.

Saturday, we woke up early and loaded the bus to head Toledo, which sits about an hour away from Madrid. I fell in love with this beautiful city the moment we unloaded the bus to get a mountain top view of its whole entirety.

After we all captured photos of the spectacular view, the group got a full tour of Toledo and its stone-paved streets. During the tour we had the opportunity to go inside St. Mary's Cathedral. The architecture was spectacular and ornate. It was like stepping back into the past. We even toured a sword factory that dates back to the 16th Century.

On Sunday, we had to depart it was time to say goodbye to Madrid and head to Valencia. After a four-hour bus ride we arrived in another beautiful section of Spain. As soon as we got to our hotel, our entire team dashed to Cabaynal Beach. Spain is celebrating a three-day weekend and it was packed with locals.

The beach was my favorite spot we have visited thus far, while the city of Toledo came in close second. Our hotel is located right on the beach front and has an incredible view.  We capped off the day with a full plate of Paella for dinner at local restaurant which overlooked the Mediterranean Sea.

So far, this trip has been an adventure of a lifetime. We'll spend a little time at the pool Monday morning and then its back to the basketball court for our second game.

- Gabbi Ortiz #21

AUGUST 13

MORGAN RICH: BEAUTIFUL HIDDEN CITY

It was 10 a.m. when the Sooners loaded the bus and headed to Toledo Spain.  I was extremely tired because I was still adjusting to time change and didn't get much sleep the night before we left to sightsee. 

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The bus slowly started rolling away and the tour guide began to speak.  She spoke about a many historical facts in the area of Madrid we have been staying in, then laid the mic down and let us capture the beauty of this beautiful country for ourselves.

Once we reached the astonishing city of Toledo, I think everyone has had a jaw-dropping moment in their lives, but this jaw-dropping moment for me was something I had never experienced before. As we creeped over bridges, you could look over your left shoulder and see river water flowing and castle-like figures scattered over the hills. From the whole trip leading up to this point, I knew this was going to be my favorite part so far.  

The bus came to a stop and we all got off like kids do on their first day of school.  As everyone grabbed their phones to start snapping pictures, I stood on the ledge (trying to not be scared of heights), and just looked at how different our culture is to theirs.  I'm usually the first person to snap a picture, all my teammates know that, but it was different when I saw the city.

During our walk that stretched for miles, everyone was constantly smiling and laughing and it felt like endless joy.  As we started to get back on the bus to go into Madrid, you could sense everyone's excitement and curiosity of what it was going to be like.

Going into the trip, I wasn't very excited to walk five miles around a city I knew nothing about.  When I say walk five miles, I don't mean on flat ground. We were walking up steep hills made of stone, stairs to reach the worldwide know cathedral, on rocks, and unleveled ground.  But, it was all very well worth it.  After walking for what felt like forever, we reached the Cathedral of St. Mary.

As the doors opened and I got my first look inside, chill bumps were all over my body.  I stood in amazement as I looked at the beautiful paintings and architecture of angels and Jesus Christ.  We walked in a room that had a pure gold and silver piece standing in the middle of it and it was gleaming. 

The foundation of the piece was angels as it built up to Jesus Christ at the top.  As a Christian, I know they say Jesus is always with you but at that moment standing in front of the art, I had never felt closer to Jesus before.  

The entire time I was in Toledo, I felt like I was on top of the world.  What made this experience even better was having all the amazing girls that I call my teammates, by my side.  I am so blessed to have had this opportunity and can't thank the University of Oklahoma enough.

AUGUST 13

GIOYA CARTER: DAY TRIP TO TOLEDO

The Cathedral of St. Mary in Toledo is one of the three 13th-century High Gothic cathedrals in Spain and is considered, in the opinion of some authorities, to be the magnum opus of the Gothic style in Spain.

It was begun in 1226 under the rule of Ferdinand III and the last Gothic contributions were made in the 15th century when, in 1493, the vaults of the central nave were finished during the time of the Catholic Monarchs.

Visiting the cathedral was an amazing experience. As soon as you walk in you see beautiful handmade art and giant stained glass windows all over the cathedral. The colors of the artwork and stained glass windows are indescribable.

My favorite part was the giant tomb of dead kings in the center of the cathedral. The tomb was decorated with beautiful paintings and carvings of angels all over it.

I'm really enjoying this amazing trip with my teammates. We've really bonded over these past couple of days. Getting to learn about Madrid and play basketball with my teammates is so fun!

We leave for Valencia Sunday morning and are ready for some time at the beach before our next game Monday night.

- Gioya Carter #25

AUGUST 13

SHERRI COALE: DAY 1 AND 2 RECAP

10 practices, two uneventful flights, and one air conditioned hotel …. Sooners in Spain 2016 has officially begun!

We flew out right on the heels of Delta's worldwide computer meltdown, so we were braced for the worst. Instead, we got two on time flights and the most sparsely populated international flight I have ever been on. Every bag made it, and the best I could tell, everyone's good attitude did as well. We hit the ground running!

The toughest part of any international trip is arrival day. The objective is to push and push and push so that you can get acclimated to sleep when you need to sleep and rise when you need to rise.  Unfortunately, by the third "get off the bus and look at the statue” stop (designed singularly to keep us awake and moving), we'd lost the battle. 

When the bus only half emptied for the Don Quixote memorial in the middle of a beautiful Sycamore tree forest, I knew it was time to cut our losses and head to the hotel for rest.

Our first night's dinner was at the oldest restaurant in the world, the Botin, established in 1723.

It was vintage wonderful.  Each chopped up room was packed with tables and chairs and patrons, and a carpe diem attitude that flooded the space. The food came in waves—bread, cheese, ham, calamari, more ham, and of course, more ham.  For our entrée we had our choice of pig or lamb…and I'll just say their presentation was the talk of the night!

Madrid wakes early and lives late. The streets of the city don't bustle until 8 a.m. and most restaurants don't even open for dinner until 8 p.m.  Midnight is like rush hour. My Granny would say it has its days and nights mixed up.

This city is beautiful and seems to reflect the basic elements of most European cities. The plazas remind me of Toulouse, the towering treed parks of London, and the narrow, crooked streets of Florence.  It is evidence of a time when artisans cared deeply about their creations. 

I wonder if the people here ever grow numb to the extraordinary detail of their architecture, the way people from Colorado can grow numb to their mountains or Oklahoman's to our sunsets. I hope not. It truly is a reflection of an excellence quest we should all aspire to.

- SC

AUGUST 12

CHELSEA DUNGEE: FIRST GAME WITH THE SOONERS

As the game approached tonight, my nerves got worse and worse. I did not know what to think, many thoughts ran through my head like 'what do I do when I get in the game?

As if I've never played a game before, I sat on the bench and observed what was going on, I realized it's getting closer to the end of the first quarter. Coach Coale walks by taps me and says Chelsea go in.

At that moment, I don't think I've ever been more nervous in my life. But, besides all the nervousness, I felt like we did play well as a team Friday night and I was excited to be a part of it. This team has talent and I'm looking forward to the future with it.

The game tonight went well and at times we had great intensity and defense against our Spanish competition. Gilly Penzo, for example, had two fantastic back-to-back defensive plays to force turnovers. She intercepted one of passes, raced to the out-of-bounds line and before it went out she tossed it back to one of her Gabbi Ortiz to help us get into transition.

Also, I can't forget about TT's play and Derica's stroke from behind the arc. They sparked us on offense in this game.

There were a few adjustments to make with the rules before hitting the court. One of the many differences between NCAA rules and FIBA rules is the shot clock. Back home we get a 30-second shot clock and international play its only 24 seconds. A big adjustment, which causes us to move at just a faster pace and have more awareness of the clock.

Of course, the basketball is different. There's not a lot of grip or texture to it so it takes time to find a feel for it.

Overall, my first experience with this team couldn't have been much better. From day one, they have made me feel right at home and what I liked the most was that they cheered for me just like I've been a part of this team for many years.

As I type this, its early Saturday morning in Madrid. Tomorrow, it's another day of touring, but this time in Toledo!

Talk to you later Sooner fans!

- Chelsea Dungee #20

AUGUST 12

PEYTON LITTLE: TOURING MADRID

Exploring the highly populated streets of Madrid was much similar to exploring the streets of New York City on Friday. I had a fabulous time wandering around to the abundance of trendy stores with my teammates.

We took the 'shop till you drop' phrase to a new level. Gran Vía, also known as the Spanish Broadway, is the place in which we spent most of our day shopping and eating delicious gelato. So far, I am almost positive that I've eaten at least 2 ice creams a day -- no shame.

Gran Vía is one of the city's most important shopping areas, so important that they have recently begun to replace movie theaters with shopping centers.

This is only our second day in the beautiful country of Spain and I am loving every minute of it. 

Tonight, we also had our first game in Madrid against a very good team in Olimpico 64. We walked into the gym and my first thoughts were, "how do these girls play in this sauna?".

I think my teammates and I would agree that we are extremely thankful to compete in an air-conditioned gym.

Aside from that, the first game went well. Every single player contributed to the game in some form or another. We just might have to steal the Warriors' "Strength in Numbers," phrase.

We were able to come away with a win tonight against a great shooting team. They were shooting it from deep and all over the gym, but it was a good opportunity for us to get bettter. With it being only August, there were plenty of takeaways from the game both good and bad.

We'll continue to add to the good and work on improving. Look for more wins in a few days!

BOOM SOON!

- Peyton Little #10

AUGUST 11

IJEOMA ODIMGBE: TRAVELING TO MADRID

Sleep was impossible the night before our travels due to the excitement that filled my body. The only thought that was running through my head was the fact that in the next few hours, I would be in Spain!

The thought, the feeling, and the knowing was still so unrealistic to me as I did my last minute packing. I guess you could say that I am a bit of a procrastinator who does things a whole lot better under pressure. The clock struck midnight on Wednesday morning and I found myself asking, “What kind of shoes do I wear?”

Upon arriving at the gym the next morning, I couldn't help but smile as I got out my car and watched everyone roll their luggage and haul their bags onto the bus. We pulled into the Oklahoma City airport and everyone shuffled their way off the bus, ready to get inside. I wanted nothing more than to be on that flight to Spain.

Butterflies rushed through my stomach as a rush of excitement came over my body as we boarded our flight to Spain after a two-hour layover in Atlanta. I stepped onto the plane and my eyes widened in awe. It was huge!

I've been on big planes several times before, but every time I act as if it's my very first time. Every seat was christened with a pillow and blanket for the eight-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean. I decided to pass the time with a move to start the flight, but I immediately fell asleep after takeoff. Then an attractive smell brushed across my nose and I knew dinner was about to roll down the aisles.

After devouring barbecue chicken, I was full, content and satisfied. I drifted to sleep after that, ready to land in Spain.

Finally, The pilot came over the intercom and announced that there was twenty minutes until landing. I immediately got anxious and excited yet again. When we landed, I ran off of the plane. Stepping into the Madrid airport there was not much to see, but the feeling of actually being in Spain made up for the lack of scenery.

I was just ready to step outside where almost everything would be pleasing to the eyes. Once I did that, my eyes met with great big tall building accompanied by shops and beautiful people. The air was crisp and slightly cool, but the light breeze felt good on my skin. The sun was peeking over the horizon and had not yet shown its entire face. The weather was just perfect.

We immediately began our tour where we were shown all kinds of museums, monuments and statues. It was a great chance to snap pictures with my teammates.

By the end of the tour, our entire travel party was exhausted. This time change was not very easy to adjust to. A part of me wished I would have stayed up and did a little exploring on Thursday, but we will have plenty of time for that tomorrow.

We capped off the day with a team dinner at Botin, a restaurant that has been in operation since 1723. We dined on an entire pig or what the Spanish call “Lechion” to go along with copious amounts of clams, shrimp, bread, cheese and dessert.

Thanks for an amazing first impression, Spain. I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for me!

It's time to play basketball tomorrow!

- Ijeoma Odimgbe #24

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Players Mentioned

Gioya Carter

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Shaya Kellogg

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Peyton Little

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Ijeoma Odimgbe

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Gabbi Ortiz

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Gileysa Penzo

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McKenna Treece

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Derica Wyatt

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