Dec. 18, 2005
HONOLULU - Greetings from the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii. All week long UCFAthletics.com will be your place to follow the Golden Knights on their first bowl trip to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl vs. Nevada. UCFAthletics.com will feature a daily postcard from Hawaii along with daily photo galleries of the team from scenic Honolulu.
The UCF football team left the Orlando/Sanford International Airport just after 7 a.m. ET this morning before a direct flight to Honolulu. The Golden Knights arrived around 1 p.m. Hawaii time before going straight to the University of Hawaii for their first practice in Honolulu. With a five-hour time differential, many of the players slept on the long flight over to Hawaii.
"This is a great trip to be on and what a great facility the University of Hawaii has offered us to use this week," stated UCF head coach George O'Leary. "We wanted to have the kids loosen up after the long flight with a light practice today. We will be in full pads tomorrow and ready to go."
Upon arrival at Honolulu International Airport, the official team traveling party was greeted with an official Hawaiian lei and welcome to the islands.
The players donned practice jerseys and shorts during their one-hour practice at Hawaii. The team's equipment was still in transit from the airport, so the Golden Knights didn't wear helmets for the quick workout.
As UCF's players arrived at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, they were greeted with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and Waikiki Beach from their hotel balconies.
With no official bowl activities set for Sunday evening, the players have a chance Sunday night to see the sights of downtown Honolulu.
UCF has a morning practice Monday at the University of Hawaii along with a pep rally on Waikiki Beach Monday evening. The Outback Steakhouse Barefoot Pep Rally begins at 6 p.m. Hawaii time on Waikiki Beach.