AquaMissions paddleboard students were thrilled to meet the CSU Women’s Basketball Team at Huntington Beach.
It was just another day of kids' paddleboard camp at Huntington Beach…
And by “just another day,” we mean another amazing day, because each one is special.
But this one was extra special...
7 paddle camp girls get ready for a beautiful day on the water, with no idea they will be running into the CSU women’s basketball team.
Imagine seven bright-eyed girls from paddle camp walking to the beach to make preparations for a beautiful day on the water.
They’d hardly gotten their paddles down when, to their surprise (as well as the surprise of AquaMissions Founder, Lynne Nagy), a group of beautiful, taller-than-average women came scaling down a hill toward the lake.
Bedazzled in glitter and amazing swimwear, each woman descended the slope toward Lake Erie at Huntington Beach.
Their presence was palpable.
And it became clear this was not your average group of women…
This was the CSU Women’s Basketball team.
Head Coach Bob Dunn (who grew up in Bay Village) was back at his old stompin’ grounds, with players in-toe.
Coming off a stint as an assistant coach at Penn State, Dunn was now at the healm of the CSU Vikings women’s basketball team.
And he’d been here before…
Before coming back to CSU as head coach, Dunn had a history with the Vikings. In fact, during 3 years as an assistant coach for the CSU women’s team (before serving at Penn State), he helped lead the team to the Horizon League Championship and two back-to-back postseason appearances.
On this specific day, Dunn was orchestrating a team-building session at the beach.
Lynne Nagy and her paddleboard students watched as the CSU players descended the steps toward the beach, their presence commanding attention.
To Lynne’s delight, she had “celebrity guests” for her paddleboard students, planned or not.
When Lynne met with Coach Dunn, they became fast friends. And Dunn was all-in on leveraging his platform (and team) to support the AquaMissions mission of helping children feel safe and comfortable around water.
Not only did the CSU women’s team interface with the paddleboard group that day, but CSU basketball players Queen Ruffin, Alexa Hocevar, Silvia Gonzalez, Macie Taylor, Chloe Oliver, and Annika Corcoran all visited Sunbeam Elementary School students at the CSU swimming pool during one of AquaMissions’ everyday sessions. The students were thrilled to interface with these amazing young women and athletes.
A special thank-you to assistant coach, Mariah White, for coordinating the 6 players who volunteered, and, of course, our beloved volunteer coaches who are our lifeline on a day-to-day basis!