Imagine, if you can, watching the New Year come in from a spot directly in front of the castle in the heart of the Magic Kingdom.
That’s exactly how 14 members of the Central Bucks East girls’ basketball team spent their New Year’s Eve this year.
It was the culmination of a seven-day trip to compete in the KSA Holiday Tournament at Disney World, and while most of the 100-plus teams that participated in the tournament headed home New Year’s Eve morning, the East contingent extended their trip for one more day.
It made all the difference in the world.
“The trip as a whole was a real pleasant experience,” senior Jaime Donovan said. “Day in and day out, we had countless fun and enjoyable events, but my favorite was seeing those fireworks on New Year’s Eve from the Magic Kingdom.”
The players staked their position in front of the castle three hours before the actual fireworks, but no one minded the wait.
“We played a plethora of hand games and Concentration,” Donovan said. “It definitely felt like it was one of those things everyone wishes they could do but not everyone has a chance to experience.”
Coach Tom Lonergan gave both his players and the trip very high marks.
“The girls were absolutely phenomenal – not one single problem,” he said. “I’d like each of my players to experience it during their term at the high school level.
“It was certainly a great time and something I would recommend to everybody.”
The trip included plenty of basketball. The Patriots won two of three games at the Wide World of Sports Complex, and even the disappointment of an overtime loss to Redmond (Wash.) in a game they led for three quarters was tempered by a trip to the Magic Kingdom later that night.
“That was a bad game for us, but we got up from it and went to the castle and had fun,” senior Cait Vasey said.
“Except for that game, I think we played really well as a team down there,” senior Sarah Pullar said.
“We had a comfortable lead going into the fourth quarter, and we didn’t bury them,” Donovan said. “I definitely feel as though it was a little bit different because we did not have practice, and I know for coach, having practice and shoot-arounds are key elements and key for our preparation.
“There we had to learn to get ourselves mentally ready.”
The games were almost secondary to the experience of spending seven days together.
“Our main goal going down was to really just enjoy our time as a team,” Lonergan said. “There’s absolutely no question we accomplished that goal. We had such a phenomenal time down there.”
The players returned with countless memories. Several stood out.
“Just having coach go on the rides with us because he’s not really that big of a ride person,” Pullar said. “We dragged him on most of the rides like Tower of Terror.
“There was an Indiana Jones show at MGM. We made him volunteer to be one of the extras in the act, and he was chosen, so that was a lot of fun.”
The group benefitted from the efforts of Lonergan’s son, T.J., who obtained fast passes, which meant they didn’t have to wait in lines for the major rides
By choice, the team spent every minute of every day together for the entire week.
“We stayed together, which is something we weren’t sure we wanted to do,” Lonergan said. “But before we left, the team came to me and said they really wanted to try and stay together.”
The end result was a positive one.
“There was a lot of team bonding,” Pullar said. “Whether it was being roommates or eating every meal together – everyone was together all the time, and it was really good. It will help us get through the next several weeks.”
“Our team was pretty close-knit before the trip,” Vasey added. “We all got to know each other a little bit more because we were with each other every minute of the day and night. We didn’t get a break, but we loved it.
“You always have friends on the team, and you can say, ‘We’re really close,’ but you never really hang out with them outside of practices and games. I really gained some close friends, and it was really neat.”
While the trip included highlights galore, there’s no mistaking that the main highlight was New Year’s Eve in Disney World. The group left for the park at 7 a.m. and didn’t return until 2 a.m., but it’s a 19-hour day they will never forget.
“We had a chance to go on all the rides, and at nine o’clock, we sat down in front of the castle to see the fireworks at midnight,” Vasey said. “They were incredible, and it was amazing to be there with the team and experience that with them. For some of us, that was the first time we had ever been to Disney World, and it was just cool to experience it with them.”
“We did everything we possibly could,” senior Jordan Seiz said of the trip. “We went to all the Disney parks, and overall, it was a really good experience for us because I think we all got closer and we got to know each other a lot better because it was a week non-stop with each other.”
And the Patriots can only benefit from that experience as the season progresses.
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