Curly's college decision: getting there is half the fun

My frozen GF pizza that
I made before we left
 - thinking I could eat it
between flights. Um,
 no. I had to eat it
on the flight, but
 I first apologized to
the man next to me.
 My attempt to keep it
warm meant layers
of newspaper and tin foil. It
 was bigger than a football. 

Making connections in South Carolina:  Curly and I flew to Aiken, SC March 19th to visit Univ South Carolina Aiken (USCA). Our flight to Charlotte left an hour late. Our connection to Columbia was gonna depart 50 min after we landed. 

USCA booked Curly's flight, so we weren't sitting together. Curly:  last row. Me:  middle of plane. After Coach's recent flying ordeal, I asked the flight attendant if they'd make an announcement, requesting people without a connection remain seated while the rest deplaned. He said sure, but then forgot. 

We waited for a gate in Charlotte. I was panicked. I texted Curly:  I'm gonna make my own announcement. Translation:  brace for the embarrassment.  

I'm thoughtful that way. 

I hollered my request. Based on the people dawdling after deplaning, not many felt compelled to help those of us in a time crunch.

Wasn't really warm,
 but yummy.

My text to Curly:  I'M GONNA RUN TO GATE E21. FIND YOUR WAY THERE. HURRY!

Thanks to signage, I knew the walk from B4 to E21 was 18 min. I stuck my roller bag in front of me and ran. I imagine security personnel replaying the  footage of me running through the airport. 

I arrived ay my gate doubled over, gasping. "My daughter's coming. She's a b-ball player. She's fast. Please wait for her." 

The airline staff person:  Well, if she's so fast - how did you beat her? 

Me:  We weren't sitting together. 

I called Curly. 

Curly, panting:  Almost there. 

She rounded the corner at top speed, carrying her roller bag in front of her (she packed light, but still). 

I needed a restroom. The woman scanning our boarding passes gave me 4 min to run to the bathroom, because the airplane's was out of service. Curly was irritated that I'd not gone while I waited for her. 

Hey, I'm a mom - I risked my personal needs to hold the flight.  

The USCA coach picked us up at the airport, which was nice. I dry coughed the short flight and the hour drive to the hotel. I rarely need an inhaler, and was relieved to find one in my roller bag when we got to our room. Phew. 

Curly's fav building with a
courtyard in the middle of it,
and tables for studying. 

Smooth sailing:  The rest of the visit went great. We liked campus. The head of the nursing school toured us through the dept. Very impressive. B-ball payers live in the best apartment-style dorm. The young female coach, who started there in April '25 and has coached elsewhere, suggested that Curly eat lunch with the team, while I eat with the coaching staff. 

Me:  YES!

It was ideal for Curly to hang with the team. She asked the girls about the players who'd jumped in the portal (transferred) - a few had bad attitudes, and one was hoping to go D1. That clarity helped. 

Bonus:  We learned that a girl from the Chicago 'burbs has committed to USCA for volleyball. She and Curly have a mutual friend, Kat, from Curly's high school volleyball team. Kat is excited for them to meet, believing they'll hit it off. Curly likes the idea of having a college friend near home, which'll be rare if her school is so far. Plus, it'll be fun to meet someone in advance who plays a different sport. 

The coach sat us down in a conference room, showed us a power point, and said:  I want you on our team, Curly. I think you'd be a great fit. I'm offering you a full ride. 

I maintained my composure, but back in our room, where the coach dropped us before dinner - I was squeezing my kid FULL RIDE? WOW! 

Where all the fun happens.

Curly:  I think I still pay room and board. 

Me:  Huh? Ya think?

When we got picked up for dinner, Curly texted me from the front seat:  Ask her.

Me:  So, can you clarify, does the offer include room and board? What will we be responsible for?

USCA coach:  Everything's included. You pay for your books. 

Curly and I were both like, Wow, that's great. We enjoyed dinner with the coaches. One asked about life in a big family. I'd listened to defense and offense talk all day, now we were speaking my language. 

I described Lad's exotic red frog that hopped out from under the fridge a few years ago - the one I mistook as a dropped raspberry, till it hopped. Curly shared a few tales about playing sports with older brothers who played legit defense on her - no advantages for the cute little sister. Favorite sport movies was another fun discussion. 

USCA coach:  The other players really like you. They're hoping you accept the offer. Think about it and let me know after spring break, please.

She requested that Curly not share the offer on social media until she accepted it. When athletes post their offers, other coaches catch wind and reach out. It's an interesting system. Curly didn't post it, and I respect the coach's angle and how she handled it.  

Ah, sweet home, Chicago. 

St. Leo, the school near Tampa that gave Curly an offer in January, was no longer in the running. Curly notified that coach. I later learned that the St. Leo player that Curly connected with the most had decided to transfer. She and Curly had followed one another, so Curly knew. 

* can we pause for a moment and recognize that in a time that preceded this one, FOLLOWING SOMEONE meant we walked behind them.  

Being close to home was the only box USCA didn't check. But I pointed out that her 4 older working sibs can fly down for a game. The town of Aiken is really cute. It's known for horse racing. Derby horses winter there, so it'll be a great place to visit. And, WARM WEATHER. Plus, the distance will suck more for us than for her. She won't be coming home that often. We need to plan flights in advance (not my strong suit), hoping she can fly direct from O'Hare to Augusta, GA and avoid the connection nightmare. 

BOTTOM LINE:  On Good Friday she called USCA coach and accepted the offer. This has been a long, exhausting process (lots I never blogged about). I think she's gonna be happy there. I'm off on Fridays, so I'll be ready to escape the Midwest weather to fly down and watch a game. 

After we landed in Chicago, I saw a text from my brother, "Can I call you?" Uh oh. I knew that wasn't gonna be good news. More later . . . 

*****

When was the last time you ran thru an airport to catch a flight? Have you been here long enough to remember the tiny frog hopping out from under the fridge incident? Have you ever heard of Aiken? Been there?