sheriand
04-14-2013, 06:55 PM
The banquet moved this year to the Arrillaga Alumni Center, which worked out very well. It was a much lighter, airier, more spacious venue. It was easy to schmooze or to just observe. For the second year in a row (but who's counting?) drinks were included in the price of admission (which had gone up this year) so we didn't have to mess around with silly drink coupons. The players were sweet in their banquet outfits. Each reflected a different sense of occasion. When these young women put on heels, man are they tall! I visited with Tara at length (always a pleasure!) and with Amy Tucker. I met Bernard Muir, who was delightful and very personable. (I asked him whether he read the CARDBoard, but he demurred and explained that he's just too busy...). Tara was very on form as she thanked the very many people - staff, scholarship donors, key contributors - who needed thanking and ran through the contributions of each player. My favorite comment of the night was when Tara talked about Mikaela Ruef. She said, "A year ago I never thought I'd be saying this, but we wouldn't be 33 - 3 except for Mikaela Ruef." I also noted, maybe too optimistically, that she referred to Toni's condition as an injury, not as an illness. She left it open whether Toni would be back next year. It was a very nice event and a nice end to the season.
