Epic Edge

2010 USFS Sectionals - Our Trip Log

Feb 1st, 2010. This page is no longer being updated. Thanks for your participation.

Also check out our album of activities with pictures taken by members
Click to see a home video of the Open Juv team and Intermediate in competition

27 JAN - 06:18 PST
Coach Brittney talks to the group before we board the airplane

27 JAN - 08:55 PST
En route to Chicago

27 JAN - 10:53 PST (12:53 CST)
Southwest 1640 lands at Midway Chicago

27 JAN - 11:03 PST (13:03 CST)
Disembarking at Midway Airport

27 JAN - 11:41 PST (13:41 CST)
On the bus and very hungry

27 JAN - 12:10 PST (14:10 CST)
Lunch! Coach Brittney says "Healthy Food" only.

27 JAN - 13:21 PST (15:21 CST)
Writing our names down at Gino

27 JAN - 16:15 PST (18:15 CST)
On the bus ride to Cedar Rapids. Playing DS and watching a movie. Are we there yet?

27 JAN - 16:15 PST (18:15 CST)
Featured presentation: "Up!" We are now near Dixon, only two or three more hours to go!

27 JAN - 16:34 PST (18:34 CST)
Here we are as of 4:34 pm Pacific standard time

27 JAN - 17:55 PST (19:55 CST)
Almost there, girls are now getting their hair done. Gotta do what must be done to look pretty.

27 JAN - 18:31 PST (20:31 CST)
Arrived at the hotel. It was too dark to take a picture with the cell phone camera. Here's a picture of the hotel from the website for your reference. Needless to say that the girls (and also Michael of course) are tired. It was about 7:00 pm PST (9:00 pm CST) by the time we were done with check in and went to our rooms.

28 JAN - 05:12 PST (07:12 CST)
Arriving at the Olympic Rink for the "official practice" of our Preliminary team

28 JAN - 05:13 PST (07:13 CST)
Checking out the skating order for the Preliminary Team. Our team is the only one from the Pacific Coast, therefore we will be competing against all the Midwest teams.

28 JAN - 05:15 PST (07:15 CST)
Check out the skating order for our Open Juvenile team. They will be number 4 to skate, competing against 8 other teams from the Pacific Coast Section.

28 JAN - 05:16 PST (07:16 CST)
Finally, let's check the skating order for our Intermediate Team. They will be the second team to skate, competing against 4 other teams from the Pacific Coast Section.

Basically today is the day scheduled for official practices on the ice. The following are the assigned "official practice" time slots for our teams.
Epic Edge Preliminary Team Official Practice at 8:15am (Olympic rink)
Epic Edge Open Juv Team Official Practice at 6:35pm (Olympic rink)
Epic Edge Intermediate Team Official Practice at 12:25pm (NHL rink)

28 JAN - 06:18 PST (08:18 CST)
Epic Edge Preliminary Team on the ice at the Olympic rink for their official practice.

28 JAN - 08:01 PST (10:01 CST)
After the Preliminary team had their official practice on ice, we went back to the hotel to decorate our rooms. Here's a picture of the art work done by the kids on one of the doors.

28 JAN - 08:02 PST (10:02 CST)
Time to sign our names. Where can I put down my John Hancock?

28 JAN - 09:19 PST (11:19 CST)
While the Preliminary Team and the Open Juvenile Team worked on their room decorations, the Intermediate Team was busy with their workout. Exercise and healthy food make us feel good. (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

28 JAN - 09:31 PST (11:31 CST)
Meanwhile back in the hotel, Prelim and Open Juv finished the production of our team banner. Great work! (Photo courtesy of Ping Lee)

28 JAN - 09:32 PST (11:32 CST)
Smile! Members of the Intermediate Team after their workout. (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

28 JAN - 10:27 PST (12:27 CST)
Preliminary Team playing in the snow. (Photo courtesy of Ping Lee)

28 JAN - 10:25 PST (12:25 CST)
Searching the internet I came across "gazetteonline", apparently they video taped our Intermediate Team's official practice and put it on Youtube.

28 JAN - 10:30 PST (12:30 CST)
Juliette, a member of the Preliminary team, had an accident. The door snapped shut with her left hand on the doorframe. Juliette suffered from a deep cut and was rushed to the hospital. Let's all pray for her wellbeing and recovery.

28 JAN - 10:37 PST (12:37 CST)
Getting the GEL out! (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

28 JAN - 12:15 PST (14:15 CST)
Lunch time. Preliminary Team. (Photo courtesy of Ping Lee)

28 JAN - 12:44 PST (14:44 CST)
We went to pick up Juliette from the hospital. Thankfully there were no broken bones from the x-ray. Juliette received a few stitches (follow the red arrow) and she is on her way to recovery. Look at that pretty face and great smile. What a brave girl!

28 JAN - 13:03 PST (15:03 CST)
Intermediate Team in front of the fire at the hotel.

28 JAN - 13:26 PST (15:26 CST)
Everybody is on the bus going to Coralville for the Preliminary Team's "unofficial practice".

28 JAN - 14:15 PST (16:15 CST)
The Intermediate Team got to kill time at the mall today..... Here's Michelle, Keara, Amy, Leah, and Heather having some fun with HATS. (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

28 JAN - 14:17 PST (16:17 CST)
OMG!!! Heather's a nut!!! (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

28 JAN - 14:26 PST (16:26 CST)
Our beginning pose!! (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

28 JAN - 14:27 PST (16:27 CST)
Coach Brittney, I'm telling! Those two new members are not doing it right! (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

28 JAN - 14:33 PST (16:33 CST)
Hangin' at the mall. (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

28 JAN - 14:44 PST (16:44 CST)
Away from the mall, the Preliminary Team skate their program during the "unofficial practice" at Coralville. (Photo courtesy of Ping Lee)

28 JAN - 16:21 PST (18:21 CST)
Intermediate Team having dinner at Panera Bread (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

28 JAN - 16:35 PST (18:35 CST)
Open Juvenile Team skating during their "official practice" at the Olympic rink. (Photo courtesy of Susan Eskridge)

28 JAN - 17:45 PST (19:45 CST)
Lights out for the Preliminary Team. Sweet dreams...z...z... zzz
The Preliminary Team must get up bright and early tomorrow for the competition, they will be skating at 7:00 am local time or 5:00 am PST for us Californians! Good luck team Epic Edge!

29 JAN - 04:42 PST (06:42 CST)
Bright and early (actually it's still quite dark outside), the Preliminary Team warms up for the competion.

29 JAN - 05:02 PST (07:02 CST)
This is the rink where all of our teams will be competing at. (Photo courtesy of Ping Lee)

29 JAN - 05:15 PST (07:15 CST)
Preliminary Team's entry, on the ice and ready to skate.

29 JAN - 05:16 PST (07:16 CST)
After the warm up block, the Preliminary Team skated with their hearts and performed flawlessly in this fierce competition against the Midwestern division (remember we are the only team from the Pacific Coast division, so we had to compete with the icy states). The team skated so well, they made us all proud; they skated so well, that coach Brittney was in tears when the team came off the ice.

29 JAN - 06:15 PST (08:15 CST)
The official standing was posted a few minutes ago. We've earned fifth place out of the ten competing teams. The team is pleased with the results, they know they gave their best and skated really well to beat half of the competition. They have shown to the icy states that girls from sunny California can skate just as good, even when we don't have ice on our own backyard.   :-)

29 JAN - 08:45 PST (10:45 CST)
Everybody is taking a break playing in the snow. Open Juvenile Team and Intermediate Team will be competing tomorrow, so they will be back to work and prepare for the event in a few moments. (Photo courtesy of Gina Radermacher)

29 JAN - 09:16 PST (11:16 CST)
The Open Juvenile Team having some fun at Planet X.

Photo courtesy of Susan Eskridge

29 JAN - 10:05 PST (12:05 CST)
Driving the Zamboni, sorry I meant the bumper cars.

Photo courtesy of Susan Eskridge

29 JAN - 10:45 PST (12:45 CST)
The Open Juvenile Team can't have enough fun at Planet X!

29 JAN - 11:30 PST (13:30 CST)
Open Juvenile Team having lunch together, you can also find the unedited version of these pictures in the Album. (Photo courtesy of Susan Eskridge)

29 JAN - 14:00 PST (16:00 CST)
Apparently we are experiencing some technical issues with receiving the pictures and activities info from Mariea who had been giving us coverage of the Intermediate team yesterday. We hope we will hear from her or other members in Iowa soon so that we can start posting the Intermediate Team status again.

As for the Preliminary team, all is well. Kids are really happy with the results and they felt really good about their skating this morning. We are all very proud of them. Most chaperones for this team are exhausted at this point in time, we thank them for their efforts and I am sure we will soon hear more from them.

Lastly, the Open Juvenile Team is in high spirits and doing very well. I am sorry for the lack of coverage on this team yesterday. We are still searching for someone in this group with a cell phone camera to register their activities. If you are reading this message and are able to do so, please shot pictures with your cell phone and send it to webmaster@epic-edge.org with an one line description of the activity. I will get it posted ASAP for all the families and friends of the Open Juv team.

29 JAN - 14:15 PST (16:15 CST)
Team gift exchange in progress!

29 JAN - 14:21 PST (16:21 CST)
Preliminary Team group picture after the gift exchange. (Photo courtesy of Ping Lee)

(Photo courtesy of Daniel Csaszar) Unedited version can be found in the album.

29 JAN - 14:30 PST (16:30 CST)
The Intermediate Team is currently taking their beauty sleep (shut eye time). zzz... zzz...

29 JAN - 15:48 PST (17:48 CST)
EXTRA! First glimpse of the Preliminary Team's competition footage on home video. Courtesy of Gerry!

30 JAN - 07:15 PST (09:15 CST)
Close up of Juliette's (Preliminary Team) injured finger from the accident two days ago.

30 JAN - 07:20 PST (09:20 CST)
After breakfast, waiting for the bus to come pick us up.

30 JAN - 07:42 PST (09:42 CST)
Breaking News - Our beloved Gina Wiliams suffered what appears to be a seizure of cause unknown. She was rushed to the hospital and is currently under treatment. Reportedly she is conscious and talking to the doctors. Needless to say that we are all very, very worried. Please include Gina in your prayers and we all wish her a speedy recovery.

30 JAN - 09:48 PST (11:48 CST)
Intermediate Team skated very well and earned third place with a Bronze medal!
This result qualifies the team for the National competition. Go Epic Edge!!!
Gianna of Preliminary received a warm kiss in celebration of the Intermediate Team's Bronze Medal.

30 JAN - 13:12 PST (15:12 CST)
3d place!! On our way to NATIONALS!! (Photo courtesy of Mariea Place)

30 JAN - 13:20 PST (15:20 CST)
Update - We just learnt that Gina suffered a heart attack earlier this morning. She is currently in ICU being monitored. Please include her in your prayes for her fast recovery.

30 JAN - 13:37 PST (15:37 CST)
Official results posted. Intermediate Team final score.

30 JAN - 13:38 PST (15:38 CST)
Final results for Open Juvenile. Apologies for the quality of the picture, can't get it to focus.

30 JAN - 16:07 PST (18:07 CST)
Girls just want to have some fun.

30 JAN - 16:59 PST (18:59 CST)
Lisa stepped on a pin!

30 JAN - 17:25 PST (19:25 CST)
Update - Just learned some good news. Doc thinks Gina didn't suffer seizure or heart attack, it could be related to stress and fatigue. Gina had been working on overdrive for the last few days, she really deserves some way overdue relaxation and rest.

The team will be boarding the bus around 5:00 am local time tomorrow morning. They will swing over to the hospital and pick up Gina, who will be returning with the team, and then depart Cedar Rapids for Chicago. The team will be arriving San Diego in the afternoon.

30 JAN - Sidenote
The moms of the Preliminary team came up with a special award for our youngest athletes. Coach Brittney was proud and happy to present it to each one of the team members.
Gianna and Coach Brittney

Sarah and Coach Brittney

Emma and Coach Brittney

31 JAN - 04:56 PST (06:56 CST)
Picked up Gina from the hospital, on the bus ride leaving Iowa.

31 JAN - 05:09 PST (07:09 CST)
Could it be the Mississippi river?

31 JAN - 05:21 PST (07:21 CST)
Sunrise!

31 JAN - 05:28 PST (07:28 CST)
Driving thru Canoe Creek, IL.

31 JAN - 07:46 PST (09:46 CST)
Arriving at Midway Airport in Chicago.

31 JAN - 08:50 PST (10:50 CST)
Happy to report that our beloved Gina is in pretty good shape this morning.   :-)

After following the news of the team for the last 5 days, sharing not only their achievements and dissapointments, but also their laughters and tears; happiness and pain. I thought it is appropriate to share the following quote from Michael Jordan (I know he is only a baseball player who also plays basketball, but it's the thought that counts)  :-)

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've fouled over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." ~ Michael Jordan

31 JAN - 9:39 PST (11:39 CST)
The team is coming back on Southwest flight 2712. As of 11:39 AM Central time, the flight is delayed from the original departure time of 12:35 PM Central to 01:00 PM Central. The estimated arrival time in San Diego is still 3:15 PM Pacific. Please check with the airline for possible schedule changes before you go to the airport.

31 JAN - 10:29 PST (12:29 CST)
The team is ready to board flight 2712 with new departure time of 1:00 PM local central time.

31 JAN - 11:18 PST (13:18 CST)
SWA2712 just pushed back from the gate. The flight plan calls for a total flight time of 3 hours and 58 minutes.

This is the first time we've attempted to provide everybody with some coverage of the team status during their travel. We know it is far from being perfect, but we hope that we've at least given you a general idea of what our kids and friends were doing as close to real time as possible. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the project, especially the chaperones that provided us with picture, video, and status update despite of their very busy schedule taking care of the kids and athletes.

It's now time for this webmaster to logoff. Thank you for your participation and support to Epic Edge!

"Somewhere behind the athlete you've become, the hours of practice, the coaches who push you, and the fans who cheer for you, is the little girl who fell in love with the sport and never looked back. Skate for her." ~ Unknown

Welcome home EPIC EDGE !!!

---