Well, for those of you that haven't heard yet. We are going to South America for spring break this year! The NCAA allows college teams to take a foreign tour once every four years...And our administration at Utah has been kind enough to let us go on one for the very first time. We've been working hard to raise money and train for our trip and we are EXCITED!
March 14-23, during our university's spring break. Argentina and Uruguay are our destinations....Buenos Aires and Montevideo, to be specific! We will play the full women's national teams from Argentina and Uruguay as well as the Argentine club team, San Lorenzo.
Each day at practice we are learning a fun fact about Argentina or Uruguay. Thursday's fun fact was provided by junior forward,
Jen Christoffers, who told us that St. Valentine's Day is not celebrated in Argentina...(we want to know why not).
Today's fun fact was given by sophomore goal keeper,
Emalee Rogers. Emalee had traveled to South America last spring and had some photos. She told us about the neighborhood in Buenos Aires called la Boca. Boca is home to colorful shops and houses. It is also home to the world-famous soccer team, Boca Juniors. They play in the stadium called "La Bombonera". And their most famous player is the legend
Diego Maradona. Maradona, who is now retired, was the leader of the Argentine team that won the 1986 World Cup. He has his own box suite at La Bombonera and the crowd has songs and chants especially for him when he comes to the games. Show and tell to end the week of practice. We love it!
If you want to see some of great moments...go to You Tube and type in "Boca Juniors Diego Maradona La Bombonera".
Anyone that's been to those places, please let us know what the "gotta see" spots are!
We want to know.
Of course the most famous player associated with Boca Juniors is Diego Armando Maradona. Maradona played for Boca early in his career, before going to Europe. And then he returned at the end of his career and helped them win another championship. Maradona is beloved all over Argentina for winning the World Cup in 1986. However, he is especially important at La Boca. Here Jen Christoffers points to his special box he uses when he attends Boca Juniors home matches. It is lined with gold seats. When he attends, the fans sing songs thanking him for not forgetting them...a Boca Juniors game is a special experience. Unfortunately, they don't have a home game until next Sunday, after we leave. However, some of the parents are staying a bit longer and will get to see a game in the chocolate box!
Posts
