Friday, April 24, 2009

Away Games

Best wishes to everyone,


As I’m writing this entry, we're on our way to the game in Cantabria, a city on the northern coast of Spain. We left at 9:30am this morning and have about 7 to 8 hours of travel ahead of us. We will have lunch along the way, somewhere between 2pm and 3pm. Well arrive in the city around 6pm, stretch out for a while and get ready for the game at 9pm. Clearly, I don’t have to talk about the 7-8 hour trip that awaits us after the game. Well arrive in Alcazar between 6am and 7am.

Spoiled by the accommodations of our Division I program at UVM, the game day travel was a big surprise for me. During my college days, we used to travel the day before each game and spend the night at a hotel, no matter how far we had to go (for instance, UNH and UAlbany are only 2 hours away from UVM). Further, our pre-game meals were always 4 hours before the game. Here, everyone is used to eat 5 to 6 hours before the game. This is certainly one rule I cannot agree on, I would arrive too hungry to the game. So I end up eating a sandwich or some fruit in between.

The same day travel is though and takes a toll on the players. Even though you are relaxed and stretched out on the bus, it is very tiresome. If a game is more than 4 hours away, the team will usually travel the day before and spend the night in a hotel. Hotels and bus rentals, however, are expensive and the current economic situation forces team officials to tighten their budgets - hence our 8 hour trip today. Some teams travel on the day of the game, regardless of how far it is. They arrive in the city in the afternoon, eat lunch in a hotel and then rent rooms for a siesta. As you may or may not know, it is customary in Spain to take a nap/siesta after lunch. To accommodate travelers, hotel rooms can be rented out for a 2 hour period in the afternoon for a very cheap rate. Teams take advantage of this offer to allow their players to recover from the bus travel and be fresh for the game.

Away games are always though, regardless of the travels. But there is nothing worse than going back after a loss. There is no talking, no laughing, no movies, no breathing... alright, no breathing is exaggerated, but it is very depressing to be on the bus after a lost game, no matter what country you are playing in!