Triple Overtime Win, Carolina Panthers Grab First Place, and 52 Places to Go in the World

Welcome to the Torg Stories Podcast. It’s Sun Dec 21, 2025. I’m coming off a triple overtime win with my high school women’s basketball team, the Panthers took over first place in their division with a win over the Buccaneers, and Anne and I picked 5 places we might want to go from the New York Times article 52 Places to Go. Click here to access the New York Times article.

Notes for our discussion:

Triple Overtime Win for Watauga Women’s Basketball at Mountain Heritage

1. We’re on a stretch of Four Games in Six Days.  

• Wed 12/17 win at home vs. Ashe 56-45
• Thur 12/18 at Avery County 48-44 loss. (two shots to tie in the last minute and thirty seconds). Wild celebration next locker room. 
• Fri practice and Christmas Party (gift exchange) 
• Fri night watch Mountain Heritage with radio broadcast on “TV” 

2. The Road to Burnsville, NC  / Wrong Turn on the bus
3. Coach Sheldon of Mountain Heritage
4. Close Game from Start to Finish

• Tied at 14 end of the first quarter, up 3 at half, down 3 end of third 
• No lead bigger than 6 for either team
• Leading scorer in foul trouble 
• Up 5 with less than 10 seconds to go. 
• Up 3 with 5 seconds to go 
• Down 4 in the first overtime with 10 seconds to go. Scored. Pressed. Got a turnover and a foul. Hit, lane violation, hit. 
• Second overtime saved the ball directly to them under their own basket and they missed a lay up right at the rim. 

5. Home game Monday to close out 2025. 

The Carolina Panthers and Additional NFL Stories of Note 

We looked at a New York Times article titled “52 Places to Go in 2025.” Click here to access the article. 

Anne, this article had some things in common with the best movies article we previously read, right? 

1. Interactive in that you add places to a personal list. 
2. Beautiful pictures that sometimes move. 

We were supposed to rank 5 places that most interested. Can we try a countdown from 5 to 1? 

1. Dolomite Mountains, Italy

• Meadows and rocky mountains. Lakes with clear water. 
• 4 hours northeast of Milan, straight south of Munich, above the boot 
• The pre-Roman Rhaetian people, indigenous to Northern Italy’s rugged Dolomite Mountains, have inspired a new 105-mile hiking circuit known as the Cammino Retico, or Rhaetian Way.
• Anne, you like France, Spain, or Italy best to visit? 

2. Kristiansand, Norway

• Bright colors on the ocean, boats, mountains 
• 3 hours away from Oslo. I don’t know where to go in Norway…

3. Amsterdam, Netherlands 

• The Ted Lasso episode 
• Canals and old buildings 

4. Aix-en-Provence, South France

• Saw town squares, mountains, a river 

5. Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates 

• Yas Island, home to Ferrari World, Warner Bros. 
• World’s largest surf park 

Where have I been on the list of 52 Places to Go in the World? 

1. New York City Museums  
2. Idaho drive through. From Seattle to Missoula. 
3. Asheville, NC 
4. Very close but didn’t stop in Concord, Massachusetts. 
5. New Orleans
6. East London – a new venue called the David Bowie Centre 
7. Detroit 
8. Washington DC  

Other places of note: 

1. Lofoten Islands, Norway had the most beautiful picture. 

2. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Beauty and remoteness. Saw lots of hotels on Google Maps. 
3. Australia – Coach James Janssen could convince me I have to go. 
4. Portugal – I was Laura Barry’s assistant and she went there. 

Thanks for checking out this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast!

We wish you a happy holiday season!