The Parade was AMAZING. We arrived on-site at about 5:00 am to some pretty chilly weather. We froze to the bone until the sun came up. The float was already parked on the street and awaiting our arrival. The students milled around a bit to keep each other warm. Not soon after the sun came up a tournament official greeted us and told us that we had won the Craftsman Trophy for Outstanding showmanship and dramatic impact over 55 feet in length. The students went nuts...and rightfully so...they put an a great show during the judging.
At about 8:00 am we started moving. I can't even begin to describe the feeling I felt as our float entered the first stretch of road and we saw the grandstands and media cameras. Unbelievable.
The students did a wonderful job of building enthusiasm and maintained it for the duration of the parade. The National Officers were jamming on the float to the point where it was bouncing. It was so cool to see it in action. As one of my colleagues said "I've definitely had worse Friday mornings". Although I will say, 5+ miles in dress shoes was rough. The gel insoles did nothing and I really respect the girls who bravely (albeit foolishly and unnecessarily) decided to walk in heels. I'll work on finding video of the parade and will post it.
After the parade ended, we headed to the football game. I've never seen so many people packed into a sports arena in my life. While the game was a cool experience, I think most of us would have been just as happy at the hotel in our beds. We were beat!
After the game we headed back to the hotel. We all looked like zombies during dinner. It was a late night for me as I had to pack up all of our stuff. I rolled out the next morning to LAX with seven students for San Francisco. We arrived in SFO about noon. I spent a few hours in my room until Cindy and Brian got into town. We grabbed a late lunch and then headed to downtown San Francisco to take in the sights. We went shopping on Powell Street and rode a cable car to the Pier.
Those cable car drivers have nerves of steel. That would be a job that I could NEVER do. Firstly those cars pick up some speed on the hills of San Francisco and the drivers have to use every muscle in their body to stop an eight-ton cable car that is gaining speed and momentum as it travels down hill. Secondly, these cars travel on the same streets as regular cars, so they have to deal with obnoxious motorists darting in and out of their path. Props to them! Still riding the car was pretty cool. It was neat to look down the hills and see the whole city, the bay bridge and Alcatraz Island.
We walked around the Pier for bit in search of the famous sea lions who came to the Pier in 1989 after the earthquake. Nearly 1,500 sea lions have been at the pier for the last twenty years but recently they suddenly disappeared. We later learned that they migrated up to the coast of Oregon as their food source moved. It was a little disappointing but we could see a few out on one of the docks.
We spent some time walking around and seeing some street performers before heading back to the hotel. Today was mostly sleeping in and working on orientation. The students are all here and are ready to get things kicked off. As for me, I'm still tired and sore. My feet are still killing me...to the point where shoes hurt. I'm mentally drained. I need to find a reserve of energy though because I don't want to ruin this experience.
Well, I really need to finish a few things before bed. We kick off at 8:00am so there's plenty to be done.
