Missouri Roadtrip

by Mike Davies
edited by Casey Williams

Five students traveled over 1,400 miles to Missouri, to cheer on the Franklin Pierce University women’s basketball team in the 2010 NCAA Division II Final Four, turning a disappointing loss into an experience of a lifetime.

Juniors Rob Harpin, Andrew Berger, Brandon Burton, and sophomore Kevin Baca drove 23 hours from Rindge, New Hampshire to St. Joseph, Missouri in order to support the Ravens. Junior Justin Weiner flew out to Missouri and met the others there. Weiner created the plans in order to support his girlfriend, Cynthia Gaudet, who is on the women’s basketball team. Even though the purpose of the trip was to watch a basketball game, the students got more than they expected.

The students left campus after the Ravens’ quarterfinal victory over Arkansas Tech and traveled quickly. Harpin used his dad’s Toyota Sequoia and took shifts driving before arriving four hours before tip-off. This gave them plenty of time to dress for the game.

In order to stand out and show support, they dressed up as basketball players from the 1970s. “We decided to make our dress code a 1970s basketball theme. We all got afro wigs with bandanas, wore high shorts, high sox, aviators, and player practice jerseys,” said Harpin. It was difficult to miss them from their baseline seats during the game. They were shown on three separate occasions during ESPNU’s coverage of the game.

Even with the support of Harpin, Berger, Burton, Weiner, and Baca, the Ravens lost to Fort Lewis, and the group was forced to go back to their hotel at Kansas City Airport. The students were still happy with the performance of the players. “The game didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to but it was still a thrill to be there,” said Harpin.

The students expected to stay in Missouri for another two days for the finals, but were able to make the best of the situation, traveling to the University of Kansas where they met locals and bought hats to commemorate their visit.

On the last day of their trip, Baca and Berger got tattoos to remember the trip by. They then went bowling and relaxed in an outdoor common in Kansas City. That night, the group decided to go back to Civic Arena and watch the championship game between Fort Lewis and Emporia State. The eventual winner of the National Champion was Emporia State.

“It was a sobering experience. We were all having such a good time and then we realized we could have won this.  It wasn’t much fun until the end of the game when we decided to cheer for the opposite team of the fans around us,” said Harpin.

All five students drove back early Saturday and were able to stop by Niagara Falls for the sunrise on Sunday morning. The students finally returned to Franklin Pierce University campus at 5pm.

The roadtrip marked the second-straight year that Harpin, Weiner, and Baca traveled to see Women’s basketball in the NCAA Tournament.  Last year, the three were joined by another roommate on a trip to San Antonio, Texas for the 2009 National Championship game.

The only problem that occurred on this year’s trip was when the group almost ran out of gas in Vermont, but made it to a gas station in time. The group also tried to go to the Arch in St. Louis, but were not able to get tickets. “The trip was almost perfect, except for the loss – and the fact that all the Krispy Kreme Donuts locations in Buffalo have gone out of business,” said Harpin.

After driving a total of 48 hours and traveling through seven states, the group could not help but feel a sense of accomplishment. They feel that the women’s basketball team will bounce back from this loss and will be making a similar trip next year. “We are going back next year,” said Weiner.