HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The
Pioneers arrived in Arkansas yesterday afternoon. Getting here is
easier than most people seem to think. The team flies nonstop from
Denver to Little Rock, and then the bus ride to Hot Springs is about an
hour.
The team went straight from the airport to Fountain Lake High School in the neighboring town with a population of 504, according to the sign at the border of Fountain Lake.
When you've got 12 men's teams and 12 women's teams in a fairly small town, you have to get a little creative to make sure everyone gets a court to practice, and fortunately Fountain Lake has a nice facility, as does Lakeside High School, where the Pioneers are currently holding shootaround.
Usually, the teams would hold shootaround at the venue of that night's game, but the women's teams are using the courts at the Convention Center for this afternoon's games, meaning the men are delegated to the alternate courts.
The team is staying in a hotel that was built in 1923 after a fire destroyed the original, and it retains a lot of the charm from the roaring '20s. Denver has stayed in this same hotels every year since the tournament moved to Hot Springs.
Like most hotels, this place has doors connecting adjoining rooms. Unlike most other places, this hotel has them on both sides in some rooms, meaning most of the team has opened both doors, and is therefore staying in what amounts to one gigantic suite.
In fact, when "The Voice" Mitch Hyder and his roommate were "mistakenly" given one of the rooms that connected to that suite, seniorKyle Lewis was called upon as team captain to broker a deal that moved two more players into the Pioneer Suite.
The hotel is filled with Pioneer supporters, as was the plane yesterday. It's nice wandering through the lobby and seeing cheerleaders, pep band members and DU fans, not to mention both Denver men's and women's teams, all having a nice time talking and enjoying each other's company.
The game tonight against Florida International is set for 7:45 p.m. MT. The Sun Belt is broadcasting the games on www.SunBeltSports.org, or you can listen on Mile High Sports Radio at AM 1510 and FM 93.7, as well as Pioneer Vision. We also will offer a live blog during tonight's game right here on www.DenverPioneers.com.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 19
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 15,381
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 25,359
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 1,559
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,934
Total Number of Hotels - 13
Total Number of Different Airports - 11
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 2
As always, please feel free to send any questions or comments tomichael.kennedy@du.edu.
The team went straight from the airport to Fountain Lake High School in the neighboring town with a population of 504, according to the sign at the border of Fountain Lake.
When you've got 12 men's teams and 12 women's teams in a fairly small town, you have to get a little creative to make sure everyone gets a court to practice, and fortunately Fountain Lake has a nice facility, as does Lakeside High School, where the Pioneers are currently holding shootaround.
Usually, the teams would hold shootaround at the venue of that night's game, but the women's teams are using the courts at the Convention Center for this afternoon's games, meaning the men are delegated to the alternate courts.
The team is staying in a hotel that was built in 1923 after a fire destroyed the original, and it retains a lot of the charm from the roaring '20s. Denver has stayed in this same hotels every year since the tournament moved to Hot Springs.
Like most hotels, this place has doors connecting adjoining rooms. Unlike most other places, this hotel has them on both sides in some rooms, meaning most of the team has opened both doors, and is therefore staying in what amounts to one gigantic suite.
In fact, when "The Voice" Mitch Hyder and his roommate were "mistakenly" given one of the rooms that connected to that suite, seniorKyle Lewis was called upon as team captain to broker a deal that moved two more players into the Pioneer Suite.
The hotel is filled with Pioneer supporters, as was the plane yesterday. It's nice wandering through the lobby and seeing cheerleaders, pep band members and DU fans, not to mention both Denver men's and women's teams, all having a nice time talking and enjoying each other's company.
The game tonight against Florida International is set for 7:45 p.m. MT. The Sun Belt is broadcasting the games on www.SunBeltSports.org, or you can listen on Mile High Sports Radio at AM 1510 and FM 93.7, as well as Pioneer Vision. We also will offer a live blog during tonight's game right here on www.DenverPioneers.com.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 19
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 15,381
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 25,359
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 1,559
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,934
Total Number of Hotels - 13
Total Number of Different Airports - 11
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 2
As always, please feel free to send any questions or comments tomichael.kennedy@du.edu.
