Regionals: Check-in and practice

Regionals weekend began early, as West Raleigh players and families made the looooong journey (just kidding, 9U families who had to go to Alabama last year) to Richmond on Wednesday afternoon. The check-in process was fairly simple: players had to stand outside the window where check-in was occurring, hop on one foot, and wave at the regional administrators. You probably think I'm kidding, but here's a photo:

Everyone (mostly) managed to stay upright. After about 30 seconds of hopping, Coach Sean revealed that he had made the whole thing up.

Following check-in, 8U commandeered a local field for a quick 90-minute practice. Regionals really is the big time. There haven't been any other tournaments where even the practice sessions have included special guests. Gilligan himself made an appearance:

Of course, Gilligan will also be easy to spot on Thursday--he'll be the only one who isn't scorched with a sunburn.

The end of practice meant the start of the best part of the day: pool time. Realizing that Weather Coach Giovanna was out of town, the hotel had generously provided a complimentary home-cooked Italian feast to make Coach Joe feel more at home. All your finest Italian chefs use watermelon as their primary side dish.

After dinner, the players of course wanted to rest up so they would be in prime condition for Thursday's games:

The heated game, as you can see, included lots of over-the-head shots, which are a key part of basketball skills. Another game highlight came when an unnamed player got the ball stuck between the rim and the backboard. Although Coach Adam generously offered to jump up and knock it free, the players instead decided to hurl their slides at the ball until it was dislodged. Jake was the winner of what really should be an Olympic event in 2016...Slide Basketball Smacking.

Suitably tired, the players retired to their rooms, which had been decorated with a cool sign:

Or, at least, it seemed like a cool sign in theory. But Coach Sean was last seen outside his room, shouting, "Top hand, drive through!!!" at his door.

West Raleigh plays Thursday at noon against Longwood (Florida) and at 6 p.m. against Southwest (Georgia).