By Staff
LOADING UP FOR A BIG RIDE The Meridian Community College Eagles spent Tuesday morning packing up for a 27-hour bus trip to the National Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. Photo by Tony Krausz/The Meridian Star
By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
May 22, 2003
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. There is really nothing good about being trapped in a bus for 27 hours.
The seats are not very soft, the legroom is all but none existent and the temperature is either freezing or sauna heat.
In other words, the conditions on a bus for a full day and change are not a pleasant experience.
Unless of course you are traveling for a chance to play for the ultimate prize in your sport, which is exactly what the Meridian Community College Eagles baseball team did starting Tuesday morning and ending early Wednesday evening.
The Eagles (39-17) crossed the 1,613 miles separating the Queen City and Grand Junction, Colo., to take part in the 2003 Alpine Bank Junior College World Series. MCC's final destination made this trek a bit easier than the teams previous longest drive to Florida at the start of the season.
The excitement of vying for the national title in baseball in the 10-team field may make the trip a little more exciting, but the Eagles still had to find away to pass the hours on the bus.
Number one on the list to whittle away the travel time is coming properly prepared for the trip.
The list of essential items may not seem long, but without them a bus ride can be much harder to swallow.
Along with the supplies, players find sleep is the best way to make the trip go faster.
A ticket to dream land is not the easiest thing to find on the bus, especially when you are negotiating a tight seat.
There is an additional secret of catching a nap on the bus.
For those who cannot find that magic comfort spot on the ride, there are other distractions on the bus. Movies are played throughout the trip.
Plus, there is always the scenery.
There are spots on a trip that takes you across Mississippi through Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma , Kansas to Colorado that will not make a lasting impression.
The trips also help build the team's chemistry.
Bonding, seeing the country and catching up on movie watching and reading are all great things about the bus.
The inability to eat whenever you want, navigating a small, hot bathroom and fighting off cabin fever can be rough.
In the end, it is all worth it when you final destination is the Junior College World Series.
The Eagles begin their quest of Junior College Division I national baseball title against Walters State Community College of Tennessee at 8:30 p.m. Sunday.