VANAGON ADVENTURES: Road-Trip Travels, Trails & Tales (Seattle to Tijuana, Mexico)
I love roadtrips, especially when they’re in my 1989 VW Vanagon, the Blue Bomber. A vanagon roadtrip is always an adventure. Last month, on Instagram, I posted about my first road trip in the Blue Bomber twenty-three years ago. We had just bought the van and I drove it down the west coast and then back north. I was pregnant and traveling with my 2-½ year old daughter and our boxer dog. I had no cell phone and we broke down three times, but always found our way. My most recent journey was from Seattle to Tijuana, Mexico. I gathered my Instagram post into one giant blog so that you can read about my adventure if you missed it on Social Media.
The drive to Mexico was prompted by the need for bodywork and a new paint job on the Blue Bomber. It is old and rusting, so the metal is getting damaged. A few years back I crunched the front too (which I just hate), and all the seals are leaking, so when I drive, rainwater now drops on my head from the sunroof. I have put all sorts of money on keeping the engine running smoothly, it was time to take care of the outside.
Good bodywork on a vanagon is extremely expensive. Last summer when I was talking to the owner of Peace Vans (the one in charge of keeping my Blue Bomber bombing down the road), he suggested I check out Live The Van Life. There was one caveat; I would need to leave my van in Mexico for several months. I swallowed, I wasn’t sure that I could do that. I glanced at my van, I hated the rust and dirt and mess that it had become.
I checked out the Live The Van Life website and then […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Should I Play AAU Basketball?
There is no perfect answer to this question. It really depends on the athlete and the AAU programs available. I played AAU, my kids played AAU and as a coach I have observed many athletes go through AAU programs, so if you, or someone you know, is interested in playing AAU basketball, here are some pros and cons to consider.
PROS
Time On The Court
When you play on an AAU team you might get more time on the court. There is no guarantee. It depends on the team and your ability, but if you are a player who starts, or gets into the games a lot, the extra time on the court can be worth it.
Better Competition
Often AAU teams play against better competition. Most AAU teams travel to tournaments and find high-level events to help improve their game and increase player exposure to college recruiters.
Visibility
Times have shifted over the years, college coaches still recruit great athletes from high schools, but they often hit the road to view players at larger AAU tournaments or showcases where they can see a lot of players from all around the country, at one time. Playing for an AAU team may get you a better chance to be seen, depending on what events your team goes to and if you get time on the court.
Fun
As with all sports, if you play on a competitive AAU team with players who you enjoy playing with, then you will have a lot of fun. And life doesn’t get much better than that, so it might be worth it.
CONS
Little or No Practice
Even if you’re having fun playing AAU, being a part of the program might not be worth it if you’re not playing much and you’re not practicing. many programs don’t have practices, or if they do they often just scrimmage […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: How to Make the Fast Break Second Nature
A run-the-ball mentality doesn’t happen overnight. But when you use drills that focus on the fast break and add consistent encouragement, your team can learn to move with ease into transition offense. Learn more about how to do this in Make the Fast Break Second Nature.
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: The Magic of Ball Fakes
A good ball fake can get a player an easy basket or an open pass. It can shift the opponent’s defense and make gaps for the offense. The ball fake is key to making things happen on the basketball court. Whether it’s a shot fake, a pass fake or drive fake, this simple skill works like magic against opponents and can make a huge difference in a player’s game and the success of a team.
What is a ball fake?
A ball fake is when the offensive player moves the ball in one direction, without letting go of the ball, to fake out or distract their opponent and gain an advantage. A player can use a shot, pass or drive fake to create space or make the defender move, so they can score or continue with an offensive move with the ball, such as a pass or a drive.
Catch the ball in triple-threat position
A player should catch the ball in triple-threat position. This means that when they receive the ball they are ready to shoot, pass or dribble the basketball, or be in the position to fake any of these moves. A player in triple-threat position should have their knees bent, their center of gravity low and one foot slightly ahead of the other. The player should catch the ball in front of their body, not far from their hip, and be ready to move.
Look at the Hoop
The first thing a player should do after they catch the ball in triple-threat is to look at the basket. If they are open for a good shot, they should take it. This doesn’t mean they should shoot every time they catch the ball, only that when they are running the offense, they should look toward the basket and be ready to shoot. And when […]
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
Blog
PeaceLoveBasketball: Jasmine Gayles on Basketball, Life and Giving Back
Photo credit: Chris M. Leung
When I asked Jasmine Gayles about joining the 40-Point Club, with the likes of Caitlin Clark and Mikaylah Williams, she brushed it off. (The 40-Point Club is for players who score more than 40 points in a game during one season). She didn’t brush the question aside in a bad way, but in a way that I understood she had more important things to talk about. And she did. Through our conversation I was inspired by her kindness, her insight into the game, and her desire to give back.
Jasmine is a guard for the University of San Francisco, who was named West Coast Conference player of the week twice this season. Jasmine, a graduate student, is currently the leading scorer for the team, averaging 16.8 points a game. In her 40-point game against Pacific, she added 4 assists, shot 60 percent from the field […]
VANAGON ADVENTURES: Baja and Beyond!
The Blue Bomber is Beautiful again!
She’s back to her original Blue Star splendor.
BLUE BOMBER BAJA ADVENTURE
I haven’t posted about my recent adventures. So here I go. It all started back in March. Jason and I had plans to go to La Paz, Mexico to pick up our Vanagon, the Blue Bomber (See previous post for my solo trip to Mexico). We would spend a week moseying up the Baja Peninsula toward home, or so we thought. Plans changed.
Our drive time was reduced to four days instead of seven. No complaining, however, because the drive time was cut short for good reasons. We had an unexpected trip to Nevis beforehand, and we had plans to watch Cass run at Indoor Nationals in New Mexico, at the end of the trip. Like I said, nothing to complain about, it just rushed our Baja adventure a bit. Still, between time […]
VANAGON ADVENTURES: Road-Trip Travels, Trails & Tales (Seattle to Tijuana, Mexico)
I love roadtrips, especially when they’re in my 1989 VW Vanagon, the Blue Bomber. A vanagon roadtrip is always an adventure. Last month, on Instagram, I posted about my first road trip in the Blue Bomber twenty-three years ago. We had just bought the van and I drove it down the west coast and then back north. I was pregnant and traveling with my 2-½ year old daughter and our boxer dog. I had no cell phone and we broke down three times, but always found our way. My most recent journey was from Seattle to Tijuana, Mexico. I gathered my Instagram post into one giant blog so that you can read about my adventure if you missed it on Social Media.
The drive to Mexico was prompted by the need for bodywork and a new paint job on the Blue Bomber. It is old and rusting, so the metal is […]
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