We've Got Spirit How About You?
It came and went. Months of preparation, sweat, tears, rolled ankles, bruises, bonding and fun that can only come from an all out team sport like soccer, and it's over so suddenly. New friendships blossomed and old friendships grew deeper. Smiles cast while passing by on campus communicate shared respect and pride. It was for something.
A group of UPEACE women got together in January and decided to enter the United Nations Soccer Tournament in Nicaragua this April. We practiced every Saturday morning, played games on Monday, and held team runs on Tuesday and Thursday. Bracelets were sold, bake sales held, and an amazing fashion show event produced all to raise funds to send us on our way. The whole university and a good part of Ciudad Colon was behind us. It was a busy, stressful and tiring couple of months but I loved it. I loved it when I pried myself out of bed for practice, I loved it when I was limping, I loved it when the ladies rallied for and put on an amazing fashion show and I loved it when I was dripping sweat in the Costa Rican sun. Challenge in all of its forms feeds the human spirit. Being in the moment and not knowing if you can make it or why you are doing it and then mustering the strength and the will because you are a part of something bigger, is a gratifying learning experience. Each time I pass through stress and misery accompanied by a good dollop of purpose, I know that I can achieve many things and that the human heart and spirit are capable of more than I may ever know.
In Nicaragua we embodied the true meaning of 'team'. The women's UPEACE team revolutionized the tournament. Many of us had never played on a team before and few spoke Spanish. We showed up, donned our uniforms, and set out to do what we came to do - play soccer as a team representing UPEACE. It was fun warming up on the field and feeling all sporty and important as we ran drills and stretched.
We entered our first game with trepidation, excitement and some confusion. It was our first real game as a team besides friendly scrimmages at UPEACE. We were scandalized by the pushing and shoving on the field and the lack of, well, fun. Our intention was certainly to compete and play but we expected to have a fun bonding experience while playing against United Nations teams from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. I guess we expected sharing and playing with a peaceful perspective. Turns out not everyone was playing by the same handbook. Is it possible to play a competitive sport and share in a unified spirit of respect, the sport and maybe even some good will? We would find out.
We lost that first game 0-1. We out played them for sure but our general "confusion" and "lack of coordination" according to the announcer, cost us a point. Yes, the announcer was terrible and very un-peace like. Really, I felt like she was reporting for some rogue comedy show. She was seriously rude and at times offensive.
Our second game we lost 0-6. Some of the players from the mens team were scratching out strategies in the dirt during our break between games when two friends got on the field with the UPEACE flag and started dancing. Thumping music was pumped onto the field at half time and between games. I grew tired of new strategies and started playing toro with the flag and pretty soon the entire team was doing the limbo on the soccer field. The Nicaragua team and the Honduran team (that just owned us) watched on with a mix of amazement and amusement. We should have been stretching, preparing or resting between games but instead we were having a dance party on the field in the blazing Nicaraguan heat. It was awesome.
Nicaragua caught our spirit. It was the nicest and most fun game we played. When the refs made a call that caused general confusion on our behalf, the Nicaraguans explained it. They gave a us a re-do when the ball was turned over due to a rule we didn't understand and there was camaraderie between our teams. We chatted on the field and played our hearts out. We lost that game 0-1. And so it goes. During our last and final game for 3rd place, we scored 2 goals and lost 2-4. This could have been demoralizing but we danced through the whole thing. Yes, we shouted, cheered and strategized on the sidelines and really played as well as we could given the circumstances, but we loved the experience and each other. After our last game we did a group cheer with El Salvador yelling out the names of our 2 teams. We made everyone like us.
The men won the whole tournament. At the awards ceremony, the men won many awards and the women won the trophy for best team spirit.
Peace through sports is also a masters program. I now understand how that might look. Competition is a part of life but it's how you compete that reveals your true colors. We are all on the field for the same reasons - probably love of the game and to win. Winning is a great accomplishment but so is good sportsmanship, respect for fellow players, and fair play. When justice is on your side, no matter what the situation, it feels good. We can learn what it feels like to be on a fair playing when we all create it together. We decide what kind of atmosphere and relationship we have with our opposition both on the field and in life. Why not make it enjoyable? That way we all win.
A group of UPEACE women got together in January and decided to enter the United Nations Soccer Tournament in Nicaragua this April. We practiced every Saturday morning, played games on Monday, and held team runs on Tuesday and Thursday. Bracelets were sold, bake sales held, and an amazing fashion show event produced all to raise funds to send us on our way. The whole university and a good part of Ciudad Colon was behind us. It was a busy, stressful and tiring couple of months but I loved it. I loved it when I pried myself out of bed for practice, I loved it when I was limping, I loved it when the ladies rallied for and put on an amazing fashion show and I loved it when I was dripping sweat in the Costa Rican sun. Challenge in all of its forms feeds the human spirit. Being in the moment and not knowing if you can make it or why you are doing it and then mustering the strength and the will because you are a part of something bigger, is a gratifying learning experience. Each time I pass through stress and misery accompanied by a good dollop of purpose, I know that I can achieve many things and that the human heart and spirit are capable of more than I may ever know.
In Nicaragua we embodied the true meaning of 'team'. The women's UPEACE team revolutionized the tournament. Many of us had never played on a team before and few spoke Spanish. We showed up, donned our uniforms, and set out to do what we came to do - play soccer as a team representing UPEACE. It was fun warming up on the field and feeling all sporty and important as we ran drills and stretched.
We entered our first game with trepidation, excitement and some confusion. It was our first real game as a team besides friendly scrimmages at UPEACE. We were scandalized by the pushing and shoving on the field and the lack of, well, fun. Our intention was certainly to compete and play but we expected to have a fun bonding experience while playing against United Nations teams from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. I guess we expected sharing and playing with a peaceful perspective. Turns out not everyone was playing by the same handbook. Is it possible to play a competitive sport and share in a unified spirit of respect, the sport and maybe even some good will? We would find out.
We lost that first game 0-1. We out played them for sure but our general "confusion" and "lack of coordination" according to the announcer, cost us a point. Yes, the announcer was terrible and very un-peace like. Really, I felt like she was reporting for some rogue comedy show. She was seriously rude and at times offensive.
Our second game we lost 0-6. Some of the players from the mens team were scratching out strategies in the dirt during our break between games when two friends got on the field with the UPEACE flag and started dancing. Thumping music was pumped onto the field at half time and between games. I grew tired of new strategies and started playing toro with the flag and pretty soon the entire team was doing the limbo on the soccer field. The Nicaragua team and the Honduran team (that just owned us) watched on with a mix of amazement and amusement. We should have been stretching, preparing or resting between games but instead we were having a dance party on the field in the blazing Nicaraguan heat. It was awesome.
Nicaragua caught our spirit. It was the nicest and most fun game we played. When the refs made a call that caused general confusion on our behalf, the Nicaraguans explained it. They gave a us a re-do when the ball was turned over due to a rule we didn't understand and there was camaraderie between our teams. We chatted on the field and played our hearts out. We lost that game 0-1. And so it goes. During our last and final game for 3rd place, we scored 2 goals and lost 2-4. This could have been demoralizing but we danced through the whole thing. Yes, we shouted, cheered and strategized on the sidelines and really played as well as we could given the circumstances, but we loved the experience and each other. After our last game we did a group cheer with El Salvador yelling out the names of our 2 teams. We made everyone like us.
The men won the whole tournament. At the awards ceremony, the men won many awards and the women won the trophy for best team spirit.
Peace through sports is also a masters program. I now understand how that might look. Competition is a part of life but it's how you compete that reveals your true colors. We are all on the field for the same reasons - probably love of the game and to win. Winning is a great accomplishment but so is good sportsmanship, respect for fellow players, and fair play. When justice is on your side, no matter what the situation, it feels good. We can learn what it feels like to be on a fair playing when we all create it together. We decide what kind of atmosphere and relationship we have with our opposition both on the field and in life. Why not make it enjoyable? That way we all win.
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| Tournament Poster |
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| Warm Up |
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| Go Team! |
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| Granada |
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