This season, espnW is spending time with the Stanford Cardinal and Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer, getting behind-the-scenes access to the players. Come to espnW every Friday throughout the season to get to know the Cardinal and how they live their lives on and off the court, from the start of practice to the final game of the season in March or, perhaps, April.
Time was precious for the parents who made the trip with the Stanford team to Norfolk for the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament. La Rocque's daughter Lindy is a senior and her career is winding down. And her parents' career as road warriors, traveling from Las Vegas to Palo Alto and points around the Pac and the nation, is winding down as well.
On the Cardinal's trip to Virginia earlier this week, family time was at even more of a premium, with many of the players preparing for final exams for the winter quarter. Players had their books out in the hotel lobby, the only place where there was free wireless Internet access. They went up to the conference room on the second floor at various points to take final exams with a proctor, who was doing double duty as the Stanford band chaperone.
Toni Kokenis took one at a. Coach Tara VanDerveer moved the team's video session on late notice, so Kokenis had to take her exam an hour earlier than originally scheduled. On the sixth floor of the hotel, behind doors decorated with encouraging posters created by team manager Natasha von Kaeppler and staffer Lauren Greif, the players were mostly studying and sleeping. Freshman Amber Orrange curled up at her locker at the Tom Constant Convocation Center during open media time on Sunday, reading her textbook on Greek mythology.
Some players were prepping for finals they would take on campus Tuesday after an overnight flight following Monday night's second-round win over West Virginia. The team charter would land at 4 a. So the parents hung out in the lobby and chatted, went on short car trips to nearby Virginia Beach, and gathered in the hotel restaurant waiting eagerly for their girls to pop by, which almost always happened in the evenings, when they finally had a little free time.
