Titans USA Tour 2023

“A day without shopping is like…..just kidding I have no idea.” Unknown

By jingoes we slept well last night – I guess that’s what limited sleep will do.

After a restful night and a good breakfast we felt ready for a big day – a big day of shopping (oh and some basketball).

With everyone feeling a little tired from the busy schedule, there’s nothing better than a bit of retail therapy to clear the mind. Being the prepared campers that we are we even did some adrecon and became VIP members of the Seattle Premium Outlets so we could have ready access to discounts - you can never be too prepared I say. After three hours at the outlet stores, there were a lot of refreshed minds (and slightly lighter bank balances). With the words of “pace yourself and “only buy it if you love it” ringing in their ears, they bolted out of the gates. Three hours later they returned, bedraggled, tired, but delirious with their bags of purchases. Early front runners for shoppers-anon are Mackye and Heidi but there is full expectation for Lillie to come from behind to secure the win (I think today was just reconnaissance for our avid little shopper).

After our shopping warm up, we were ready to head to Glacier Peak in Snohomish County to do what we’re here for – more shopping – whoops, sorry, play basketball!

Glacier Peak High School is home to the Grizzlies - and about 1750 students (freshman through to seniors). Located in Snohomish, Washington, today was our first experience of all the hoopla that goes with the game over here in the states – and it was all we had imagined. The band, the cheerleaders, the announcing, they certainly know how to build the game atmosphere. After the games, our Titans had a great time mixing with the Grizzlies players and spectators and really took advantage to cheer and chat. What a great experience, they really embraced it and we were very proud of them all.

Special mention must go to Ellie and Siobhan who hit the big time with an interview by the STSPN commentators – might be time for media classes 😊

Snohomish….you don’t say!

• The name Snohomish comes from the name of the dominant local Native American tribe "sdoh-doh-hohbsh", whose meaning is widely disputed.
•  In 1981, Richard Pryor came to town to film parts of the movie Bustin' Loose. 
• 1893 saw the construction of a roller skating rink and 1894 the first graduations from Snohomish High School
• By 1899 the city of Snohomish was a prosperous town with a population of 2,000, 25 businesses and 80 homes.

Junior Varsity Boys: 35-83

The Junior Varsity Boys came up against a very big and well drilled Glacier Peak opponent who from the start played a high level of basketball that put the boys under enormous pressure. Jace Minge was up to the challenge though scoring eight first quarter points and he continued his strong play in the second quarter but it was Glacier Peak who continued to execute more efficiently for longer periods. Trailing 40 to 17 at the half the JV boys were asked to lift their intensity with Sam Domaschenz and Cayde Watson rising to the challenge. Glacier Peak would prove to be too strong and run our eventual winners 83 to 35. Jace Minge 17 points, Cayde Watson 8 points, Sam Domaschenz 6 points.

Junior Varsity Girls: 44-38

The nerves were racing as our Titans hit the court for the first time. The game was fast paced from the start with both teams working hard to score. By half time, Glacier Peak had pulled away by 11 points thanks to some accurate shooting.

The second half saw the Titans lift the tempo defensively and start to hit some shots. A great third quarter come back saw us down by one at the last break. The girls continued their defensive pressure and smart ball use to grab the lead and never look back. A fantastic game, led by Macey Griffiths and Lillie Paul.

Varsity Girls: 53-52

After a solid warmup the girls were welcomed to basketball in the US with a switched on home side who worked their way to an early lead. The play of Ava Collins and Ellie Bouchier as well as the defensive effort of Siobhan Adams on one of their key players kept our side in the game through the first half.

The team kept their composure as the home side worked out to a double figure lead. Steady play from Lillie Paul and Poppy Venn getting hot from the field got our side right back in the contest.

The girls took the challenge to play full court defence and worked their way into a position to win the game. Ellie Bouchier sinking a free throw with under three seconds left secured a fantastic victory. Ellie was awarded player of the game by the STSPN broadcast team.

Varsity Boys: 36-78

The home side were extremely focused l, well drilled and played with a lot of effort catching our boys off guard who lost focus on some of the basic areas of the game. Mackye Baron took the game on and a couple of threes from Taj Brumby helped ease some of the tension amongst the group.

Addi Noble found some success by working hard and keeping it simple while Zach Nulty found some rhythm in the second half. A great learning lesson for the team and reminder to stay focused on some of the basics and not skip steps.

The Flag!

Today’s recipient will come as no surprise, it’s been building for some time, so with that in mind, welcome to the flag hall of fame, Mackye Baron.

Mackye doesn’t like to do things slowly, it’s one pace for this little pocket rocket, fast. He walks, talks and plays basketball with pace in mind.  So you can imagine his frustration when he has to walk down the street with 39 other students. The pace can be somewhat relaxed, in amongst the chatting, photo opportunities and perusing of the goings on along the street, speed is not really our strong point. Yesterday Mackye was stuck behind some of the girls, when he decided enough was enough, he was putting some pressure on those in front of him. One of the girls was trying her best to increase the pace thanks to some ongoing encouragement(?) from Mackye. The pressure was on her, she was feeling it, Mackye was giving some “cmon, cmon, cmon” words of wisdom. In the end, our female poppet, could increase the pace no more, so she did a quick side step to let eager beaver Baron through. Unbeknownst to Mackye though, as she stepped to the right she was actually avoiding a pole in her path. With his zest to pass her he sped up, and of course walked straight into the pole. That might have put a dampner on his need for speed……