Fans enjoy beautiful day for"Party in the Park"

Fans enjoy beautiful day for"Party in the Park"

Another beautiful, sunny day greeted Gator fans on Sunday, when several hundred turned out to meet the 2008-09 Florida Women’s Basketball Team, which hosted its first "Party in the Park."

With so many fans attending the event held the City of Gainesville's Westside Park, the Gators hung out for an extra hour to sign autographs, pose for photos and interact with their fans.

The meet-and-greet, which was free and open to the public, also featured a basketball skills clinic for kids age 12-and-under, as well as an inflatable bounce-house.

Face-painting was provided courtesy of members of the Women’s College World Series participant Gator Softball team and Florida cheerleaders brought mascots Albert and Alberta to the park for pictures!

"This was a phenomenal day and a phenomenal event," said UF head coach Amanda Butler, who enters her second year at the helm of the Gator program. "We have so much to get excited about this season. We know how special this town is in its support of the Gators. To have this large of a turnout and this type of enthusiasm shown by Gator fans with the basketball season still being several weeks away, is a great sign of what we have to look forward to in November."

The Gators, who last season tied the program record for the greatest one-year turn-around in history, return four starters and a total of seven letterwinners from last year’s squad that won 19 games and earned a postseason bid – the first time UF has done so under a new head coach.

Florida plays one exhibition game (Fri., Nov. 7), before starting its 2008-09 season on the road at Florida Gulf Coast. The Gators then return to the O’Connell Center, where they open their home schedule against Jacksonville on Mon., Nov. 17.