Traveling in December
I survived another trip to Casper for the Wyoming Shootout.
Driving to Casper in December is not always easy. You've got a choice -- up through the Shirley Basin (fewer miles) or on 1-25 (generally better conditions). The trip to Casper wasn't a problem, as the weekend storm hadn't hit yet (other than high winds ... but what else is new?). The arctic blast from Canada, however, did come later on Saturday and it did a nice little number.
Although I was warned by UW associate athletics director Tim Harkins that the roads were bad and the Cowboys were staying the night in Casper, I attempted to come back to Laramie after the men's game (of course, after filing for my AP work). I got to Evansville and decided that enough was enough. As it turned out, 1-25 was later closed and 1-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne was closed later that night.
The main concern, other than crashing, was if I could get back by noon on Sunday to work the board for the Broncos game on KOWB. Luckily, I found a fill-in to begin the shift and made it back for kickoff.
Of course, that was after getting up in the morning to minus 18 degree weather. The battery in my Explorer didn't want to cooperate. Thanks to some Haliburton workers staying at the SleepInn as well, a quick jump got me back on the road. As it turned out, other than snow-packed roads from Sybille Canyon to Laramie, it was a pretty easy trip back home.
It's not like this trip was out of the ordinary ... traveling in the Rocky Mountains at this time of the year is hit and miss. What it does is make me think that living in Laramie and covering UW athletes is a big advantage. For the most part the rest of basketball season, it's just traveling across town and I think I can handle that. For those sports journalists in Casper and Cheyenne covering UW, I feel your pain.
As for the tournament, it turned out well for both UW teams. The Cowgirls got off to a big start (25-8), but then had to hold off North Dakota State and former assistant coach Carolyn DeHoff. The final 17-point deficit wasn't indicative of the second half, as North Dakota State cut the Wyoming lead to five with a little over three minutes left.
Lovell native Kristen Scheffler came up big when she scored seven points in exactly one minute to give the Cowboys the momentum back. It was a "growing up" moment for the Cowgirl freshman, according to head coach Joe Legerski.
In the men's game, it was a battle as expected. For much of the game, the Cowboys had no answer for big Northern Iowa center Jordan Egsleder, who led all scorers with 31 points. But as Brandon Ewing is found of saying, the last six minutes of the game is "winning time" for the Cowboys. Egsleder scored just two points in the final seven minutes and the Cowboys were perfect from the free throw line down the stretch for a nine-point victory.
All-in-all, it was two good wins for the Cowgirls and Cowboys and a trip well worth the drive ... even if it took me a little longer to get back home.
Driving to Casper in December is not always easy. You've got a choice -- up through the Shirley Basin (fewer miles) or on 1-25 (generally better conditions). The trip to Casper wasn't a problem, as the weekend storm hadn't hit yet (other than high winds ... but what else is new?). The arctic blast from Canada, however, did come later on Saturday and it did a nice little number.
Although I was warned by UW associate athletics director Tim Harkins that the roads were bad and the Cowboys were staying the night in Casper, I attempted to come back to Laramie after the men's game (of course, after filing for my AP work). I got to Evansville and decided that enough was enough. As it turned out, 1-25 was later closed and 1-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne was closed later that night.
The main concern, other than crashing, was if I could get back by noon on Sunday to work the board for the Broncos game on KOWB. Luckily, I found a fill-in to begin the shift and made it back for kickoff.
Of course, that was after getting up in the morning to minus 18 degree weather. The battery in my Explorer didn't want to cooperate. Thanks to some Haliburton workers staying at the SleepInn as well, a quick jump got me back on the road. As it turned out, other than snow-packed roads from Sybille Canyon to Laramie, it was a pretty easy trip back home.
It's not like this trip was out of the ordinary ... traveling in the Rocky Mountains at this time of the year is hit and miss. What it does is make me think that living in Laramie and covering UW athletes is a big advantage. For the most part the rest of basketball season, it's just traveling across town and I think I can handle that. For those sports journalists in Casper and Cheyenne covering UW, I feel your pain.
As for the tournament, it turned out well for both UW teams. The Cowgirls got off to a big start (25-8), but then had to hold off North Dakota State and former assistant coach Carolyn DeHoff. The final 17-point deficit wasn't indicative of the second half, as North Dakota State cut the Wyoming lead to five with a little over three minutes left.
Lovell native Kristen Scheffler came up big when she scored seven points in exactly one minute to give the Cowboys the momentum back. It was a "growing up" moment for the Cowgirl freshman, according to head coach Joe Legerski.
In the men's game, it was a battle as expected. For much of the game, the Cowboys had no answer for big Northern Iowa center Jordan Egsleder, who led all scorers with 31 points. But as Brandon Ewing is found of saying, the last six minutes of the game is "winning time" for the Cowboys. Egsleder scored just two points in the final seven minutes and the Cowboys were perfect from the free throw line down the stretch for a nine-point victory.
All-in-all, it was two good wins for the Cowgirls and Cowboys and a trip well worth the drive ... even if it took me a little longer to get back home.
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