Monday, July 4, 2011

Hot-lanta, Georgia

Just got back from Atlanta, Georgia - site of the 2011 Junior National Volleyball Championships. The team I coach qualified to participate (by the skin of our teeth). It wasn't a successful weekend volleyball-wise, but I was able to enjoy some of the sights of Atlanta. We explored the Coca-Cola Factory and the Georgia Aquarium. Both attractions were great. My supervisor from the Alaska SeaLife Center is now working at the Georgia Aquarium, and I was able to meet up with her and get a behind-the-scenes tour through parts of the aquarium. VERY COOL!

Tunnel vantage point of the Ocean View exhibit.

Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world, houses 4 Whale Sharks shipped over from Taiwan.

All the Whale Sharks are trained to eat from ladles. Each keeper floats along the top of the tank trailing chunks of fish bits. This allows the keepers to accurately record their daily food intake and do a brief visual exam of the animals.

Here are some of the girls (and team mom) posing above the gigantic Ocean View tank at the Georgia Aquarium. Shout out to Lynda Leppert for going out of her way to take us around.

This was the last volleyball tournament of the season. Now it's time to enjoy my summer...maybe start working out again after I recover from the cold that Atlanta gave me.