Clippers Spirit Takes China
The NBA Jam Van is in China for its seventh trip to that country. Jam Van touring hits the road every year to bring the NBA experience to millions of fans all around the world. They bring players, alumni, mascots, dance teams, and a 50-foot truck that transforms into over 1,000 square feet of basketball and interactive off-court activities. This spring, they are traveling through 20 Chinese cities, and Clippers Spirit Dancers Teresa, Jocelyn, Recee, Katrina, Brittany, and Jacquelyn are part of show! Here’s their diary about the trip so far: (Click here for more photos on the Clippers Spirit Facebook page!)
May 29, 2011, by Recee
Amazing opportunities like a 12 day trip to China don’t happen too often. So when Spirit Director, Audrea, called to invite me along, I was ecstatic!!! Traveling to Shanghai and Beijing to represent the Clippers is definitely a dream come true and I couldn’t imagine a better way to spring into summer! We arrived at LAX with multiple books, laptops, movies and any other entertainment to occupy our time during the 14 hour plane ride. The ride was long but there was much space to stretch our legs and walk around in the cabin.
We finally arrived at the Pudong Shanghai Airport and were greeted by our translator and escort, Tony. Tony immediately led us to our shuttle and set off for the center of Shanghai, about 50 minutes from the airport. Driving through the beautiful rural side of Shanghai’s surrounding cities was so peaceful and relaxing. It allowed us to see a different side of Shanghai, complete with vegetation and sprawling farmlands. Soon enough though, our scenery slowly transformed as we approached the bustling epicenter of Shanghai, which, as our guide Tony informed us, is the most recent location of the World Expo! Shanghai looks so much like New York City! The tall skyscrapers and modern buildings are extremely reminiscent of the magnificent Manhattan skyline! The city also boasts an efficient metro system which runs close to 260 mph. It was surprising and really comforting to see the similarities of the two cities.
Recee, Teresa, Jocelyn, Brittany, Jacquelyn, and Katrina
Our first two days of performance have been for the Boshiwa Kids Carnival held at the Shanghai Stadium. The carnival has been really busy and exciting! There is a rock climbing station, a shooting court, a stage and an area for autograph signing. After our signing, we were able to meet Golden State Warriors player, Jeremy Lin who is of Chinese descent. Amongst the media and press covering the event, are hundreds of energetic children. Signing autographs and taking pictures with fans who reside so far from our hometown has been life changing. Seeing the excitement on their faces made the 14 hour trip well worth it. Many of them had practiced English greetings just as much as we spent time learning how to say “hello” and “thank you” in Chinese. While communicating proves difficult at times, the desire to cross the unfamiliar cultural divide overruled and we are learning a lot from each other about our homelands!
May 31, by Spirit Team Director Audrea Harris
It has been an amazing five days for us all here in Shanghai! I pinch myself sometime realizing the awesome job I have. This is the third international trip the Clippers Spirit has been on since October, and we are so appreciative of the opportunities the NBA offers us. When I received the email with the invitation to Shanghai and Beijing, I of course did not hesitate to say YES!
As of 6:30 pm Tuesday evening Shanghai time(3:30 am Tuesday morning, Los Angeles time) the Clippers Spirit ladies have worked two days and have had two free days. The first two work days have been at the fun Boshiwa Kids Carnival at the Shanghai Arena. Lots of kids came out to enjoy the fun! The Clippers Spirit performed and signed autographs and made many new friends!
Free days have been spent shopping and sightseeing. We hope you are enjoying the photos we’ve been sharing!
Monday, May 30th:
The day was spent shopping, shopping, shopping!!
That evening we enjoyed the “ERA Intersection of Time in Shanghai Circus.” It’s similar to Cirque du Soleil. It’s a stunning acrobatic extravaganza and aerial show, the first of its kind in China. ERA’s inspiration is the combination of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts and modern technology. The lighting, sound effects, elaborate costumes, and original live music made for a phenomenal show. Our tour guide Tony said it was a MUST-SEE in Shanghai…and he was so right!
Tuesday, May 31st:
We went to the Jade Buddhist Temple. Our interpreter and tour guide Tony gave us an incredible history lesson and tour of the temple.
Our next stop was Riverside Park Waterfront. Skies were a little overcast, but we still had a great view. I can only imagine it is absolutely gorgeous on a sunny blue day!
Tony treated us to tea at a traditional Chinese Tea House. We sat around a table and were served numerous delicious teas. Our server, Zoe, described all of the different teas to us and also told us the health benefits of each one. My 3 favorites were: black, green, and jasmine. Many of the teas smelled as delicious as they taste. We then went to the Tea Market downstairs where we could purchase the tea, and various tea items, tea sets, etc.
Our final stop of the day was at Old Town Outdoor Market where we did a little more shopping and looking around. It began to sprinkle so we decided to call it a day. We are all relaxing a bit before dinner and deciding what we’ll do tonight. It won’t be a late night as the ladies have three autograph signing appearances tomorrow.
Two more days in Shanghai and then we are off to Beijing.
We’ll check in again soon!
Clockwise from bottom left: Recee, Teresa, Jocelyn, Audrea (Director), Brittany, Jacquelyn, and Katrina (center)
