University of Richmond Athletics
Behind The Web - Women's Basketball Europe Trip
09/01/2015 | Women's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond women's basketball program took a trip to Europe in early August, during which it visited four countries and several cities within each while also playing three games against Belgian Club teams.
“We're very lucky to be a part of a University that allows to go and play on a foreign trip,” head coach Michael Shafer said. “The experiences we had over there were phenomenal.”
The opportunity allowed the Spiders to spend multiple days in Paris where they were given the chance to visit historical sites such as the Palace of Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sacre Coeur Basilica and the Champs Elysees.
The trip then took the program to the Netherlands where the team spent the remainder of its nights in Valkenburg. Each day the team ventured to various cities around Valkenburg such as Aachen, Germany where it visited the Lindt Chocolate Factory and took a cruise on the Rhine River.
In Valkenburg everyone was able to take a trip on a zip-line from the top of a historic church then play laser tag in the cold caves beneath the Valkenburg hills. The city also featured old world dining and a variety of shops to enjoy.
A guided tour of Bruge, Belgium allowed the players and staff to take in a city that is nearly untouched by modern architecture. The city is the home of lace, a French Fries museum and the concept for the modern stock market.
In three games opposite Belgian Clubs the team posted a 2-1 record with wins over Basketball Lummen and Tulikivi Deerlijk before falling to BC Houthalen on the final day of the trip. The latter two opponents compete in the top Belgian league and are consistently competing for the European Cup.
“The trip presented our team with challenges, experiences and journeys of a lifetime,” junior guard Olivia Healy added. “We grew close and strong on and off the court like Coach Shafer said when we reached campus, we really did build something special already coming into this school year that we want to keep going.”
