Snow strands team

Being stuck in middle of the "Storm of the Decade" felt a little sweeter for the women's water polo team after coming off its successful weekend. They finally made it back to Bloomington two and half days after they were supposed to return.\nAfter finishing their four win and no loss performance at the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J., the No. 12 Hoosiers were part of the millions stranded throughout the Northeast because of the largest snowfall of this winter season.\nWhen the 19-member party left the pool Sunday at 3:30 after their victory against No. 12 University of California at Santa Barbara, the flurries began. The snow continued to fall during the hour drive to Philadelphia, where they were scheduled to take a 7:30 flight back to Indianapolis. \n"I'm from Michigan, and I was still shocked at how much snow was coming down," senior Jamie Marley said. "The snow flakes were just that big."\nAbout 10 minutes from the Philadelphia International Airport, the girls were notified that their flight was canceled and the airport was closed. Luckily for the parents who traveled to the game, they were able to re-route their flights through Newark Airport in New Jersey. However, for an entourage as big as the water polo team, finding 19 seats on a plane was all the more difficult. \nAfter returning their rental cars, the girls were told they were stuck in Philly until at least 4 p.m. Monday, which was the designated time the airport was to be closed until. \nThe group took up shelter at the Residence Inn by Mariott, located in snow-ridden downtown Philadelphia across from city hall. \nAt the hotel, the girls shacked four to a room, where they finished some homework, rented movies and sat around to pass the time. The girls were told to stay near the hotel just in case the weather cleared and they were able to leave.\n"Philly is a great town," Marley said. "It's awesome and beautiful; however in a snowstorm there is nothing to do."\nThe hotel's room service wasn't operational, but every morning the girls were treated to a continental breakfast, which was great, said Marley.\nA major issue during their stay in Philadelphia was food. Because the city was closed down for the most part, the girls had limited options when it came to finding meals. \n"We went to a nice chinese restaurant one night, and some girls had it delivered another night," said senior Kristin Stanford.\nOne of those options was a nearby 7-11, where the girls went numerous times, said junior Kristy Streefkerk. \n"The food experience was adventurous," Marley said. "I think only about three restaurants were open, and because of that the waits were about two to three hours long. There were kitchens running out of food and limited menus. But it was nice to see the girls be patient about the whole ordeal."\nOne highlight during the three days of blizzard-like conditions was being across from the NBC studios. Freshmen Emily Schmitt and Clare Meadows made an attempt to get on television as part of the massive coverage brought on by the national media, but the girls were uncertain if the two first-year players were successful.\nAnother major issue that struck fear some of the players was missing classes. \n"A lot of girls had tests this week that they studied for this weekend," Marley said. "Everyone worried about classes." \nBut once they were reassured by the academic advisors from the athletic department that because of the extenuating circumstances the girls would be excused, a sigh of relief swept those worried.\nWhen the girls were notified that the airport would re-open at 10 a.m., they returned to find the masses trying to catch a flight out.\nTheir flight again was scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and as that time grew closer, the girls knew anything could happen. The girls were relieved when they were on the plane and it took off, Marley said.\nAfter being gone from campus for a work week, the girls were all in good spirits. \n"We were puzzled at first," Streefkerk said. "But it got kinda funny, and we laughed the whole time."\nThe girls returned to Bloomington at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning after their flight was delayed leaving Philadelphia by two hours.