Hallo Germany,

Wie gehts??? This week has been a stressful week. Not only did my friend leave and go back home to sunny San Diego, CA, but I have been sick as well as my teammates and coach. This past week we barely had any practices and when we did have practices, no one showed. On top of all this me and my roommate toya and my friend jalina ( before she left) had a little trouble with the police. This is my first experience ever having to deal with the police and better yet the German police. I was not scared when we had to go to the police station however was a bit upset because I didnt understand their reasoning of us being there. Long story short, we went out after our home game last week with our teammates because it was my friend jalina's birthday. We were all dancing, laughing and having a good time until a random girl came and pushed my roommate toya for no reason at all. So to defend herself she pushed her back and jalina stepped in as well. This girl called the police on us and we ended up having to go home. The next morning the police comes by the hotel to ask us what had happened because the girl claims she was hurt after she had went back into the club and was dancing the whole night ( she appeared to be perfectly fine). So me being a witness to the situation, I had to give my statement on what happened and well as the other girls. So now i can tell my family and friends when I get back to the states that I saw the inside of a German police station:) With all this on our minds and everything that had happened, we ended up winning our game which was a great way to end the week! We beat #2 ranked Vernhiem this past Saturday the 25th which was huge for us! This is very important because we are fighting to stay in this competitive league ( Bundislega 2) and have to prove that we are just as good as any other team in this league. Next game is against #5 ranked Liemen at their place and look forward to a victory! Until next time,

Guten Tag! Go Fireballs!!!

Ciara Iglehart #33

Hallo St. Georg Guest!

Wie gehts???? The Fireballs are off to a great start! We beat a very important team on Sat Feb 4th against #3 ranked Heidelburg. We are moving our way up towards playoffs! However since we lost this past Saturday to #6 ranked Trier which puts us in a difficult situation. For this particular trip, we took a big bus with some of our biggest fans including my #1 fan Jalina Bradley who surprised me the day before ( Friday Feb 9th) coming all the way from sunny California! I had no idea she was coming and was very excited that one of my best friends has come to support me and our team. Even though we lost to trier, we are keeping our heads up and moving on to defeat Wuerzburg this on Sat Feb 18th! We hope to see you all there!

Go Fireballs!

Ciara Iglehart #33

Hallo Germany!!!!

Its good to be back in such an interesting country! I had a great time at home in California with my family and friends for the holidays. Now its back to business. We had our first home game of the year this past Saturday, Jan 21, 2012 and beat the #5th seed in our league Sandhausen. The win felt great because not only does it help us in making playoffs but we have worked hard these past two weeks and owe it to ourselves to want to win. Next game is Jan 28th versus the #1 seed Bamburg at their place and we plan to prepare and work hard this week to defeat them. Thanks for all your support and hope to see you at our next home game on Feb 4th!

Go Fireballs!

Ciara Iglehart #33

Hallo,

Today was our last and final game of the year! Unfortunately, we lost so we could not end the year on a win! However, Im very excited because in the morning, I will be traveling back home for the holidays. Cant wait to see my family and friends . I miss them so much and feel as if its been years since Ive seen them but in actuality its been only a couple of months. Although, I would love to see how Germans celebrate Christmas and New Years, there's nothing being with your loved ones on this special holiday. Until next year Germany.........

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS: Next home game is Jan 21st! Hope to see you all there!!!! Go Fireballs!

Ciara Iglehart #33

Gute Nacht Germany!! Good afternoon USA!! This week was one of the best weeks I've had thus far. I am pleased to announce that the Fireballs finally gave their fans their first home win of the season. For the last home game before we go into the Christmas break, it was awesome, the crowd was rocking, and our team found a way to come together and pull off the win. After the game I got to meet and take pictures with some of our great fans which was pretty cool. I really do appreciate each and every one of you all; I can't thank you enough for all of your support. Just hope that our fan base continues to grow as we head into 2012 for the second half of the season. I also want to congratulate the guys on getting another win in their win column on the season. It's always good to support and watch them and see them come out victorious. If I'm not mistaken I believe all of the Fireball teams went undefeated this weekend. Go Firaballs!!!
On another note,earlier this week my teammate Ciara and I got treated to a couple of great meals thanks to our friend Anna. She introduced me to a typical German dish called Spatzl and it was soooo good!!!! OMG!! Definitely a new favorite of mine. To go along with a tasty salad that she prepared the meal didn't stand a chance...lol. Then the following day she made us Sloppy Joes, a typical American dish. She has her own special recipe that my taste buds enjoyed. Thanks again Anna, I really did enjoy and appreciate you and your husband's hospitality.
To end the week on a good note, we had our Fireballs Christmas party. It was a pretty nice dinner event held at Nibas Cafe here in B.A. It was an opportunity to get together and mingle with teammates, friends, and other important people that help make our club successful. I enjoyed myself. I guess that's all for now...so until next time my friends...Tschüs!

P.S

I would like to give my mom a special birthday shot-out. Happy Birthday Mommy!! I love you!
I have one more week then it's back to the states. I can't wait!!

Go Fireballs!!
LaToya C#23

Guten Abend Germany!! Good Morning USA! This week has been moving kind of slow for me. I guess it's probably from the anticipation of me going home soon to go along with the fact that our team didn't have a game this week. Booooo!!! But there were a few highlights from the week though...On Friday night we treated our good friend Simone and her family to a Taco night. We went to their house after practice on Friday and prepared the food. It was their first time ever having tacos and it was a definite success. They really enjoyed the food and I was happy that we were able to share something new and different with them. After tacos we had one of our German faves...Goassnmas and watched one of our favorite American movies, "Stomp the Yard."

On Sunday we went to one of Bavaria's oldest cities, Wasserburg. The architecture of the city "Old Wasserburg" is like nothing I've ever seen before and the water surrounding it was beautiful. Had my first Christmas market experience which was cool, it was small but a nice place to take your family or friends to get in the Christmas spirit and have a good time. We were in Wasserburg because our friends from the US had a game there. They play for Nördlingen in the 1st Bundesliga. It was a cup game against Wasserburg. The game went back and forth, very entertaining. Entertaining both on and off the court and when I say off the court, I'm referring to the fans. Fans over here are like nothing I've ever seen before and it's pretty cool to actually see them in action and not be playing in the game for once. They are so supportive of their teams and involved with the game. Our friends didn't win, but we were still able to laugh and catch up after the game. It's always good to see some familiar faces when you are away for a while. So even though the week went by kind of slow and I would've rather played a basketball game, it ended on a good note. So until next time my friends. Tschüs!!!

Go Fireballs!!

-LaToya C#23

Guten Morgen Germany!! Good Night USA!!! I have about two weeks left until I get to go back to the States and boy I can't wait!! I am anxious to see my family and friends as well as enjoy some of my favorite American foods. Don't get me wrong...I appreciate the German culture and the many different things you have to offer but for me personally "there's no place like home." A few weeks ago took us (my teammate and I) to this Italian restaurant called Niko's, which was amazing. A very nice spot, great friendly service, delicious food, and refreshing drinks all for a decent price. I do plan on returning a few more times through out the rest of my time here. Definitely gets two thumbs up from me!! Our team played against Munich this weekend which I have learned is a pretty heated rivalry. Very exciting game because of the different lead changes that took place during the game...it was close and it came down to the final seconds. Unfortunately once again our team came up short...ughhh so frustrating!! We lost the game by one point!!!

On another note, this week was pretty tough for me to get through because back home in the States was Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a holiday that you guys don't celebrate over here which is unfortunate because it's a great tradition. In the U.S. this holiday is a day to give thanks for any/everything and spend time with family and friends. We get together and have a huge feast, relax, and enjoy each others company. I'm pretty good about not getting/being homesick but on that day it was pretty tough. I was able to skype with my family but I definitely would have rather been there in person. I missed out on my Granny's amazing cooking. In an attempt to have a little Thanksgiving dinner both Anna and Simone cooked for us on separate occasions. Both were great and I am very grateful for them and their sweet gestures. I guess that's all for now...until next time my friends. Tschüs!!!

Go Fireballs!!!

-LaToya C#23