Sept. 1, 2008

By Nic Hallisey
Athletic Media Relations

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The Rams set off Sunday morning to do more sightseeing of the city of Vancouver. Their main stop was to one of Vancouver's top tourist attractions, the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The bridge, which was built in 1889, allowed the team to overcome fears as they crossed 450 feet of swaying wooden planks, while being suspended 230 feet in the air. Capilano is a breathtaking view, and is surrounded by rushing water, endless rows of evergreen trees, and rainforest trails.

"I was scared," senior Willis Gardner said. "That thing was swinging back and forth. I thought I was going to fall. Overall, though, it was nice and a good experience."

Following the Capilano Suspension Bridge tour, the team took a guided bus tour across the city. Attractions mentioned during the tour included Stanley Park, Lions Gate Bridge, the Vancouver Canucks Arena, and China Town. Stanley Park is 100,000 acres larger than Central Park in New York, while Lions Gate Bridge is structured with the same architecture as San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Inside China Town, the Jack Chow Insurance building holds a Guinness World Record for the world's narrowest building.

The afternoon was spent at the Spaghetti Factory and relaxing before Sunday night's game against Simon Fraser University, a team Head Coach Tim Miles believes is their toughest competition of the weekend.

"We're still in the process of getting better, but we have to come out with good energy and intensity like we did (Saturday) night," Miles said. "Simon Fraser is known to be a very good team."

Fun Facts

British Columbia has a population of four million people and 2.4 million of them come from the city of Vancouver.

Gas in Vancouver is measured in liters because of the use of the metric system. In terms of gallons, gas costs roughly $5.80 per gallon.

Vancouver is already gearing up for hosting the Winter Olympics in 2010. Olympic merchandise is already being sold and there is a countdown to the start of the Olympic Games outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Also playing in Vancouver this weekend is the women's Louisiana State basketball team. The Rams ran into the girls at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Sunday. LSU's head coach is Van Chancellor. During his coaching career, he has led the Houston Comets to four WNBA championships, 14 NCAA Tournaments, and led the U.S. women's basketball team to a god medal in the 2004 Olympics.