Ashley Oldshue of the Emory women's basketball team racked up some serious frequent flyer miles this summer.  After travelling to Spain with her Eagle teammates in mid-May, she packed her bags once again in July, venturing to Brazil with a group of Division III all-stars.  Below is her recap of the trip.

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This summer I was fortunate enough to travel to Brazil with USA Sports Tours & Events.  We travelled with the entire women's and men's D-3 teams to Sao Paulo, Jundiai, and Rio de Janeiro, where we stayed on directly on Copacabana Beach.  We played 4 games over the course of our trip, some against professional teams and some against local clubs, and both went 3-1 for the trip.  Aside from some flight trouble getting down there, the trip went perfectly.  I had an incredible time with the other players and seeing all the sights. 

In Rio, we got to visit Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue, as well as tour local markets, smaller surrounding towns, and obviously the beach.  While the food was amazing, my favorite part was the people.  The trip was so well run by Ron Smith and his staff of tour guides and coaches.  Plus, the people on the teams were all so great.  I loved being able to meet and play with so many people from other D-3 schools across the country.  I mean spending 10 days travelling around Brazil really brings you together.  We actually all still talk almost every day and hopefully can follow each other's seasons too.  We also got to hang out with the Brazilian team members after the games.  Everybody was so kind and welcoming, and the gyms were so much fun to play in.  Overall, it was just a great experience. 

Brazil is an incredible country and I'm just so lucky I got to go there to play my favorite sport, and even make some friends too.