Sophomore Madi Radtke helps tie a little girl’s roller skate in gym class. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
Junior Olivia Skibba reads to third graders at West Salem Elementary School. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
Brynne Rolland helps a little boy roller skate in gym class. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
Brynne Rolland plays a game with her small group at West Salem Elementary School. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
Madi Radtke gets into a game with a third grade student. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
Women’s basketball players gather for a picture with third graders from West Salem Elementary School. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
Senior captain Lucia Reinkoff drives past Julia Bjurman in a drill. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
Sophomore guard Macy Hatlestad looks to pass the ball with Gabby Cadle guarding her. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
SALEM, Virginia — The No. 2 St. Thomas women’s basketball team trip to Virginia is not all about basketball.
The team, which faces Bowdoin (Maine) on Friday, dedicated an hour of a busy Final Four experience to visit, read and play games with third graders at West Salem Elementary School on Thursday. Players said they hoped to make an impression on the kids and have fun at the same time.
“Normally we are with kids in the basketball setting, so it’s fun just to do something that’s not within basketball,” senior captain Lucia Renikoff said. “We always like to do something with our team whether that be reading to kids or going to do a team activity that’s just us.”
From the moment the team stepped off the bus the kids were in awe of the players’ height and many of the kids were able to relate to the Tommies through a common love of sports.
All-American center Hannah Spaulding made a new friend.
“I had a girl in my group that was named Hannah and she played basketball,” Spaulding said. “She was like, ‘Do you have a brother, because I have brother. I think we are going to be the same person.’”
The third graders at West Salem Elementary added humor, too.
In a different classroom a teacher asked the women a variety of questions about themselves and when freshman Shayla Wallin started her response with “um” the kids shouted back, “Um is not an answer!”
The entire room erupted in laughter.
The Tommies will have some little fans from West Salem Elementary School rooting for them against Bowdoin.
After arriving on two commercial flights — one through Detroit and the second through Atlanta — Wednesday, the team practiced at Roanoke College in Salem.
“Considering the circumstances, we did a great job,” coach Ruth Sinn said. “We had a great practice and we’re excited about this opportunity. I really like how focused this group is.”
The Tommies and the third-ranked Polar Bears match up with identical 30-1 records going into Friday’s 4 p.m. game.
This is the Tommies’ third Final Four appearance in eight seasons. The Polar Bears lost in last year’s NCAA Championship; this is their third Final Four berth.
Bowdoin owns the nation’s third-best scoring offense, averaging 84.4 points per game and it has the second-best scoring margin (+28.8) against the nation’s third-ranked strength of schedule.
However, the Tommies have been preparing intensely on the defensive end.
“We keep talking about defense, defense, defense and that’s one of the things they are really locking into,” Sinn said.
The game plan is simple.
“We have to slow them down, because they are a great offensive team,” Sinn said. “Offensively we have to attack and be us. So it should be a fun game.”
If the Tommies defeat Bowdoin, they advance to the NCAA Division III National Championship Saturday to play the winner of No. 1 Thomas More and No. 9 ranked Scranton at 6:30 p.m.. St. Thomas won the national title in 1991.
Carly Noble can be reached at nobl1781@stthomas.edu.