Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Potter Recaps Italy
8/18/2017 2:02 PM | Women's Basketball
Well... my life has definitely slowed down the last few days being home. I am kind of confused as to what I am supposed to do with myself without hours of tours and team activities planned for me. But first let me recap the last stop of our tour in Lake Como.
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The mileage per day significantly went down as the trip went on. We were walking about eight miles a day in Rome and Florence, but only about five in Venice and Lake Como. The further we got along our trip there was more free time for relaxation to just looking at the amazing views, and my legs totally appreciated that!
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We arrived in Lake Como on the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 13. Our hotel was right across the street from the water and it just looked perfect. As soon as we landed we headed straight for the water and about half of us jumped in. We swam out pretty far and just took in the view of the mountains and all the little houses and how cute the city was. We swam back and then got ready to go on a hike! About half the team went to go shopping and check out the city while the other half of us took the funicular up the side of the mountain to hike to this little lighthouse.Â
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The funicular is a tram that locals use for transportation because the roads are very sharp and take a long time to get down to the city from up in the mountains. It goes up a very steep incline up the mountain, but only takes a few minutes to get to the top. The view there was great but we were still a couple of miles from the lighthouse at that point.
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The hike was through actual streets, so it was nice to not have to hike on a rough trail but it was still a tough incline. To think that people live up there and have to walk these streets everyday makes my legs (specifically the calves) hurt just thinking about it. Once we made it to the top (about an hour trip total including the funicular), it was well worth it. We reached the top steps to see this cute lighthouse with three crosses in front of it and then a view that took our breath away, way more than the hike did. I could see for miles around, including all the little towns around Lake Como. It was amazing.Â
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But we didn't stop there. We climbed the 134 steps of the lighthouse that was built in 1929 for the ultimate view. Freshman Elli Koskinen and our athletic trainer Claire were definitely feeling the height of the lighthouse at the top and I felt pretty shaky myself. In that moment, it was really surreal to actually be where I was. I personally used to be terrified of heights, but while looking at those mountains and the lake, I felt like I had it completely conquered and I was so glad, because it gave me the ability to fully experience that view. I was shaking by the time I finished climbing down the steps of the lighthouse just from the adrenaline of it. After our hike, we made the trek down and went out for dinner before getting some sleep before our last game.
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Monday was our last day in Lake Como, but definitely not lacking adventure. We started the day off early with a boat tour of Lake Como, where our local guide told us that locals never swim in the lake where we swam and that it is not a very good idea to do so, WELL TOO LATE. We all survived, and I quite enjoyed that swim even if the locals think it's gross!
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We saw amazing villas along the lake as we boarded about an hour down the lake to Bellagio, including the villas where John Legend got married, George Clooney's and many more. There are hotels and villas that cost ten to twenty thousand dollars a night. That was mind blowing, and if I am paying that much they better be massaging me 24/7 and hand feeding me! There were villas owned by princes and ones that have been passed down the family for generations. Seems like quite the place to vacation.
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We arrived in Bellagio and had a little time to shop in the cute little town before we headed back for a nap and pregame meal. We then headed to our last game against a team from the Netherlands! We finished with another win to end the trip 3-0! Man it was so fun getting on the court and just playing. The games didn't count, but they were very valuable to our team moving forward and gave us plenty to work on for this preseason. What other way could we celebrate the end of the game than with more pizza! We bused back to Lake Como to enjoy our last night in Italy!
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We walked the Main Street to find more food and a gelato stop before we came across a karaoke place! Locals were singing, but as they started to leave, we began to take over. It turned from karaoke to a full on dance party when Wendy Anae was given DJ duties with the aux cord, which was passed down to Erika Bean. They both did exceptional jobs. Our team loves to dance, whether or not all of us are good - is not important. This time when we left, we timed it to get back and in our rooms before curfew to catch a few hours of sleep and try to pack all of our bags before we left the hotel early in the morning.
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23 hours of travel later, I was back in my bed, but all that time on the plane and in the airport, gave me time to reflect on the last ten days. It's surreal to look back on everything that we have done in the last week and a half and I can barely believe we saw everything that we did.
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We saw history from centuries ago in Rome. Notable spots like the Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps and the Pantheon are works of art in the middle of a city and were beautiful. The Colosseum was like stepping in a time machine to 1500 years before where hundreds of thousands of people stepped on the same stone before us. And then there was the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, which truly took my breath away. I think if you left me there for the full 10 days I could keep myself busy just exploring Vatican City!
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Next in Florence, we saw the most beautiful outside of a church I have ever seen, the Duomo, another giant piece of artwork right in the middle of a city. We saw one of the most famous statues EVER, The David by Michelangelo, which was finished hundreds of years ago but so beautifully depicted the human body.
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In Venice, we got beautiful views of the water and the city of Venice from out hotel. We experienced the ultimate Italian experience on our gondola ride through the city, and it was nothing short of a fairy tale. We walked through streets and saw canals in a city built on the water. It's hard to wrap your head around people living in a place with no roads or cars! I finished my time in Venice with an awesome sunrise that stretched across the water with the city in the distance, and I use the word "awesome" because it literally left me in awe.
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Lastly, in Lake Como we jumped right into the lake the locals never swim in, yet we left alive and refreshed. We hiked up to the most beautiful view I think I may have ever seen in my life. We toured the Lake on the boat and saw spectacular villas and hotels that some of the world's most elite call their vacation homes. We also won all three games we played in Italy and grew so much as a team.
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The highlight of this trip for me, was Vatican City and the hike at Lake Como. Both were fantastic and I would go back to both in a heartbeat! Seeing the birthplace of my religion and the world's biggest church was so humbling and beautiful. It made me proud to be Catholic, and was a great history lesson. Vatican City was near the beginning of our trip and it was Lake Como that wrapped up our trip and that hike with the amazing view! There are some great hikes all over the state of Utah, but this view of the super blue water and lush green mountains for as far as you could see, with little towns tucked into the valleys was more than I could ever ask for in a view. My heart still kind of skips a beat when I think of how great and scary it was.
Â
It's almost impossible to put into words the places I have seen and the opportunities we had in those ten jam packed days. Everyone on the team fully embraced the experience, and explored and walked for miles every day to see as much as we possibly could. I think anytime you get the opportunity to travel and experience a different culture, it helps you grow as a person and appreciate how other people live around the world.
Â
I could go on for pages and pages about how much I enjoyed this trip, but mostly I just want to thank everyone that made it possible! Shout out to our coaching staff and everyone involved in our program! Thank you to the athletics administration, and every donor and person who has invested into Utah Women's Basketball. We want to make you all so proud on the court this upcoming year, and I know this trip has helped us and will springboard us into this season. The ten extra practices gave us a leg up to implement our offensive and defensive systems and to start to gel as a unit.
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I can honestly say that this trip to Italy has been the best experience of my life thus far, and I am so glad that I got to do it while representing the University of Utah. This team is my family, and my teammates are now all my sisters. We will be remembering this trip for the rest of our lives, and we hope that this 2017-18 season will be one to remember as well.
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This is Emily Potter signing off, can't wait to see all the Ute fans at our games this season!
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Ciao!
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The mileage per day significantly went down as the trip went on. We were walking about eight miles a day in Rome and Florence, but only about five in Venice and Lake Como. The further we got along our trip there was more free time for relaxation to just looking at the amazing views, and my legs totally appreciated that!
Â
We arrived in Lake Como on the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 13. Our hotel was right across the street from the water and it just looked perfect. As soon as we landed we headed straight for the water and about half of us jumped in. We swam out pretty far and just took in the view of the mountains and all the little houses and how cute the city was. We swam back and then got ready to go on a hike! About half the team went to go shopping and check out the city while the other half of us took the funicular up the side of the mountain to hike to this little lighthouse.Â
Â
The funicular is a tram that locals use for transportation because the roads are very sharp and take a long time to get down to the city from up in the mountains. It goes up a very steep incline up the mountain, but only takes a few minutes to get to the top. The view there was great but we were still a couple of miles from the lighthouse at that point.
Â
The hike was through actual streets, so it was nice to not have to hike on a rough trail but it was still a tough incline. To think that people live up there and have to walk these streets everyday makes my legs (specifically the calves) hurt just thinking about it. Once we made it to the top (about an hour trip total including the funicular), it was well worth it. We reached the top steps to see this cute lighthouse with three crosses in front of it and then a view that took our breath away, way more than the hike did. I could see for miles around, including all the little towns around Lake Como. It was amazing.Â
Â
But we didn't stop there. We climbed the 134 steps of the lighthouse that was built in 1929 for the ultimate view. Freshman Elli Koskinen and our athletic trainer Claire were definitely feeling the height of the lighthouse at the top and I felt pretty shaky myself. In that moment, it was really surreal to actually be where I was. I personally used to be terrified of heights, but while looking at those mountains and the lake, I felt like I had it completely conquered and I was so glad, because it gave me the ability to fully experience that view. I was shaking by the time I finished climbing down the steps of the lighthouse just from the adrenaline of it. After our hike, we made the trek down and went out for dinner before getting some sleep before our last game.
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Days 8??9???? were spent in the magical Lake Como ?????? We didn't have time to hang with George Clooney though ??????#UtesTakeItaly pic.twitter.com/KWHtNFjfhF
— Utah WBasketball (@UTAHWBB) August 16, 2017
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Monday was our last day in Lake Como, but definitely not lacking adventure. We started the day off early with a boat tour of Lake Como, where our local guide told us that locals never swim in the lake where we swam and that it is not a very good idea to do so, WELL TOO LATE. We all survived, and I quite enjoyed that swim even if the locals think it's gross!
Â
We saw amazing villas along the lake as we boarded about an hour down the lake to Bellagio, including the villas where John Legend got married, George Clooney's and many more. There are hotels and villas that cost ten to twenty thousand dollars a night. That was mind blowing, and if I am paying that much they better be massaging me 24/7 and hand feeding me! There were villas owned by princes and ones that have been passed down the family for generations. Seems like quite the place to vacation.
Â
We arrived in Bellagio and had a little time to shop in the cute little town before we headed back for a nap and pregame meal. We then headed to our last game against a team from the Netherlands! We finished with another win to end the trip 3-0! Man it was so fun getting on the court and just playing. The games didn't count, but they were very valuable to our team moving forward and gave us plenty to work on for this preseason. What other way could we celebrate the end of the game than with more pizza! We bused back to Lake Como to enjoy our last night in Italy!
Â
For Game #3 we took on FSG Holland and came out with 73-39 win to round out the tour. #UtesTookItaly #GoUtes #Elevate ?????? pic.twitter.com/IhhM64WYni
— Utah WBasketball (@UTAHWBB) August 17, 2017
Â
We walked the Main Street to find more food and a gelato stop before we came across a karaoke place! Locals were singing, but as they started to leave, we began to take over. It turned from karaoke to a full on dance party when Wendy Anae was given DJ duties with the aux cord, which was passed down to Erika Bean. They both did exceptional jobs. Our team loves to dance, whether or not all of us are good - is not important. This time when we left, we timed it to get back and in our rooms before curfew to catch a few hours of sleep and try to pack all of our bags before we left the hotel early in the morning.
Â
23 hours of travel later, I was back in my bed, but all that time on the plane and in the airport, gave me time to reflect on the last ten days. It's surreal to look back on everything that we have done in the last week and a half and I can barely believe we saw everything that we did.
Â
We saw history from centuries ago in Rome. Notable spots like the Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps and the Pantheon are works of art in the middle of a city and were beautiful. The Colosseum was like stepping in a time machine to 1500 years before where hundreds of thousands of people stepped on the same stone before us. And then there was the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, which truly took my breath away. I think if you left me there for the full 10 days I could keep myself busy just exploring Vatican City!
Â
Next in Florence, we saw the most beautiful outside of a church I have ever seen, the Duomo, another giant piece of artwork right in the middle of a city. We saw one of the most famous statues EVER, The David by Michelangelo, which was finished hundreds of years ago but so beautifully depicted the human body.
Â
In Venice, we got beautiful views of the water and the city of Venice from out hotel. We experienced the ultimate Italian experience on our gondola ride through the city, and it was nothing short of a fairy tale. We walked through streets and saw canals in a city built on the water. It's hard to wrap your head around people living in a place with no roads or cars! I finished my time in Venice with an awesome sunrise that stretched across the water with the city in the distance, and I use the word "awesome" because it literally left me in awe.
Â
Lastly, in Lake Como we jumped right into the lake the locals never swim in, yet we left alive and refreshed. We hiked up to the most beautiful view I think I may have ever seen in my life. We toured the Lake on the boat and saw spectacular villas and hotels that some of the world's most elite call their vacation homes. We also won all three games we played in Italy and grew so much as a team.
Â
The highlight of this trip for me, was Vatican City and the hike at Lake Como. Both were fantastic and I would go back to both in a heartbeat! Seeing the birthplace of my religion and the world's biggest church was so humbling and beautiful. It made me proud to be Catholic, and was a great history lesson. Vatican City was near the beginning of our trip and it was Lake Como that wrapped up our trip and that hike with the amazing view! There are some great hikes all over the state of Utah, but this view of the super blue water and lush green mountains for as far as you could see, with little towns tucked into the valleys was more than I could ever ask for in a view. My heart still kind of skips a beat when I think of how great and scary it was.
Â
It's almost impossible to put into words the places I have seen and the opportunities we had in those ten jam packed days. Everyone on the team fully embraced the experience, and explored and walked for miles every day to see as much as we possibly could. I think anytime you get the opportunity to travel and experience a different culture, it helps you grow as a person and appreciate how other people live around the world.
Â
I could go on for pages and pages about how much I enjoyed this trip, but mostly I just want to thank everyone that made it possible! Shout out to our coaching staff and everyone involved in our program! Thank you to the athletics administration, and every donor and person who has invested into Utah Women's Basketball. We want to make you all so proud on the court this upcoming year, and I know this trip has helped us and will springboard us into this season. The ten extra practices gave us a leg up to implement our offensive and defensive systems and to start to gel as a unit.
Â
I can honestly say that this trip to Italy has been the best experience of my life thus far, and I am so glad that I got to do it while representing the University of Utah. This team is my family, and my teammates are now all my sisters. We will be remembering this trip for the rest of our lives, and we hope that this 2017-18 season will be one to remember as well.
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This is Emily Potter signing off, can't wait to see all the Ute fans at our games this season!
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Ciao!
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