by MARY KATE DeCOURSEY
GoPSUsports.com
t was July 14, just four days before the plane took off for Europe, when her phone rang. The sophomore Lady Lion picked up her cell to an unfamiliar number.
??Do you have a passport??? asked the voice on the other end.
That??s how the journey began for Rashida Mark as she found out she would be traveling with the 2006 Big Ten Foreign Tour Team for a 10-day tour of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. This athletic post player provided depth to the Lady Lions during the 2005-06 season, and was pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the Big Ten on a different level.
Mark joined her Lady Lion teammate Brianne O??Rourke, who led the conference in assists as a freshman in 2005-06. O??Rourke received her invitation to the team in the beginning of the month and was thrilled when it was announced just a few days prior to departure that one of her fellow Lady Lions would be joining her. Penn State was only one of two teams that had two players traveling.
??I was kind of nervous going overseas, not knowing anyone. Having Rashida with us made me feel more comfortable,?? said O??Rourke. ??It was great opportunity to play more with her over the summer.??
Mark and O??Rourke were joined by 10 other teammates from across the Big Ten, including former Big Ten Freshman of the Year honorees sophomore Megan Skouby of Iowa (2006) and senior Katie Gearlds of Purdue (2004). Indiana??s Leah Enterline, Michigan State??s Rene Haynes, Northwestern??s A.J. Glasauer, Michigan??s Stephany Skrba, Wisconsin??s Danielle Ward, Minnesota??s Leslie Knight, Ohio State??s Tamarah Riley and Illinois?? Lori Bjork and Erin McCarthy filled out the roster.
Both Mark and O??Rourke expressed nervousness about playing with girls that were typically their opponents.
??At first, I was a little unsure,?? said O??Rourke. ??But playing with them was great. We all bonded well and I think we really liked working with each other. (Illinois?? head coach) Theresa (Grentz) really helped in that process.??
Theresa Grentz, 11-year head coach at Illinois and former teammate of Lady Lion head coach Rene Portland at Immaculata, led the 2006 Big Ten Foreign Tour Team.
??(Theresa) has a great personality. She??s very sarcastic and positive with us,?? said Mark. ??Sometimes during the games, we would struggle, but she would talk us through it. I liked her attitude.??
O??Rourke agreed. ??Many of my favorite memories from the trip go back to Theresa Grentz. She??s hilarious. A great coach overall, on and off the court.??
Grentz reiterated the sentiments towards both Mark and O??Rourke.
??What fun it was to spend two weeks touring Scandinavia with Brianne and Rashida and the rest of the Big Ten team. Both women were very different, very respectful and are terrific competitors,?? said Grentz. ??Bri is definitely the ??little general?? and plays full throttle all the time. And Rashida, I am certain, will help Penn State on the inside this season. I enjoyed getting to know both of these young women, learning about them and competing with them on the Big Ten Tour.??
During the 10 day tour of northern Europe, the 12 players and their coach played four games against the Danish U-18??s, Horsholm, the Copenhagen All Stars and Oslo/Akershus BBC.
??There were a good amount of people at all of the games,?? said Mark. ??The girls that were from the home country had a lot of support from their families and friends.??
Along with competing throughout the 10 day trip, the team also enjoyed traveling the countries. In Copenhagen, Denmark, the girls visited the Round Tower overlooking the city and visited Tivoli, one of the world??s oldest amusement parks. The Tour team walked along the Nyhavn in Horsholm, Denmark, a 300-yard picturesque canal surrounded bye sidewalk cafes.
In Oslo, Norway, the team took in sights such as the King??s House, Domkirke Cathedral, Akershus Fortress and Holmenkollen Ski Jump. The Tour boarded the Crown of Scandinavia cruise ship for their final night before departing for home.
When asked if she was looking forward to playing her Big Ten Foreign Tour teammates during the 2006-2007 season, O??Rourke laughed.
??During the trip, each players did journal entries. Tamarah Riley of Ohio State was asked this same question, and she talked about how we are all friends now. I??ll say hi to them and give them a hug, see how they??ve been before we play them. But once we??re on the court, we??re enemies. They??re wearing the opposite jersey, so we??re still going to give our all against them.??