May 2014: Atlantis Women in
Spain
"Readers' Digest Condensed
Books" Version
(Atlantis
tournament #144)
Emil Signes
JULY 10, 2014 (rev. July 30, 2014)
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Atlantis Women Win Madrid Sevens
Atlantis Women Win Madrid Sevens
0531d-cw- Sat Madrid Champs-ed-1200w.jpg
Condensed version. What follows is the
equivalent of a "Reader's Digest Condensed Books" version.
Background
& Summary
The
Atlantis women made their 5th visit to Spain in May of 2014,
the third to Madrid (1999 & 2000); they have also been
once to Benidorm (1992) and once to La Coruña (1997).
The Atlantis men have been 12 times to Spain, all 12 times
to Benidorm. A guest participant, we came away with
the championship of Leg 3 of the Madrid Sevens Series.
1999: Last Atlantis Madrid Sevens championship was 15 years
ago
Top: Tyshawn Henry, Jules McCoy, Natasha Kabloui, Becky
Metzger, Jen Sikora, unknown
Bottom: Michelle Persica, Haley Steele, Meg Madden, Justine
Sleezer, Tracy Moens, Tanya Hahn
1999-06 Madrid-women-champs-900w.jpg
Benidorm Out, Madrid In. Atlantis women were scheduled
to participate in the women's division of the Benidorm Sevens.
Unfortunately, after our entire team had purchased tickets to
Madrid, the women's division was canceled. Thankfully,
former US Sevens Eagle James "Guppy" Gillenwater, who had
lived and played in Spain, connected me with Álvaro Montero,
the coach of the Madrid Selection. Álvaro saved our
tour. Álvaro made several connections for us which
allowed us to compete in the third leg of the Madrid Sevens
Series on Saturday May 31. He also helped us prepare for that
by scrimmaging the Madrid Selects, who themselves were
preparing for a big European sevens tournament in Rome in
mid-June.
Our captain Lauren Rhode thanks
Álvaro with a signed Atlantis ball
0528b-mm-DSC03825-giving
Alvaro the ball-ed-1200w.jpg
Side Trip to the Mediterranean. One of the
highlights of most Atlantis Benidorm tours has been a visit to my
father's home town of Gata de Gorgos, less than 5 miles from the
Mediterranean. Thanks to Ignacio Davila, the organizer of the
Benidorm Sevens, who I'm sure felt bad about having to cancel the
women's division, we were able to visit Benidorm and his home town
of Villajoyosa (both directly on the Mediterranean, train at the
Benidorm 7s stadium (which is actually in Villajoyosa) and have a
great meal at La Vila thanks to Ignacio and his wife Maike. While
we were there we made a visit to Gata where we were treated to
some of the world's best paella.
Left: About to pounce on the paella
/ Right: Team with Antonio welcoming us at the head of the table
0529c-cw-DSC_0760-ed-1400w.jpg
/ 0529c-cw-DSC_0785-Antonio & team at table-ed-1000s.jpg
Kaelene takes off; All seven Sanse
Scrum defenders in view.
A week after we left, Sanse Scrum
took the championship of the entire Madrid Sevens Severs
0531c-fs-IMG_5964-Kaelene v Sanse S-ed-1200w.jpg
Left: Josie at the Estanque (pond)
in the Retiro / Right: One of more than a dozen Metro rides that
got us around Madrid
0526b-jz-IMG_6463-Josie
in boat-ed-1200w.jpg / 0528b-cw-DSC_0484-en route to Madrid
scrimmage-ed-600w.jpg
The individuals on the team all enjoyed themselves, and some
individual quotes are scattered throughout this article.
The official start of our tour
was after lunch on Tuesday May 27th, but several people took
advantage of the Memorial Day weekend to get there early.
I - First Days in
Madrid
Seven
of us were there in time for the 2nd leg of the Madrid Sevens on
Sunday May 25th. Álvaro Montero not only got us a joint practice
/ scrimmage with the Madrid Selects and a spot in Leg 3 of the
Madrid Sevens Series, but also made the initial contact for our
early arriving players, who wanted to try to play the first
weekend. Four of them picked up with Arquitectura, who was short
players.
Jess & Eli playing for
Arquitectura: Jess try / Eli tackle
0525b-fs-IMG_5311-jess try4-ed-1000h.jpg /
0525b-fs-IMG_5377-Eli tackle-ed-900w.jpg
Following the tournament we went to an after-match social event
with Arquitectura and joined them in a game they call
"¡Tensión!"
The early arrivals also got to participate in and enjoy Madrid
activities, which included a visit to the Prado Museum, the
Retiro Park, and several other areas of old Madrid, such as the
Plaza Mayor, the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Santa Ana.
Here's the Puerta del Sol prior to the European Cup soccer
championship. Those of us that were there went for tapas,
then a meal, watching the game our of one corner of our eye.
It was between the two Madrid powers, Real Madrid, the favorite
and Atlético Madrid, who won. The Puerta del Sol is considered the
geographic center of Spain, and there is a marker in the sidewalk
next to the clock tower that indicates Spain's "kilometer zero."
At the time, I thought having both finalists be from Spain boded
well for Spain in the [soccer] World Cup. Who knew they'd be
one of the first countries eliminated?
Left: The clock tower that
represents Spain's km 0; Right: the marker in front of the clock
tower
0524-ew-IMG_0037-Puerta
del Sol & soccer tonight-ed-1200w.jpg / km 0.jpg
Those players that visited the Prado said that its themes seemed
to be, best they could tell, "Jesus and Boobs." Perhaps to
illustrate the latter then,
this (left photo below) is the only photo anyone took at the
Prado:
Left:
Rubens' "The three graces," at the Prado / Right: Rhi, Dana,
Eli relaxing on the pond at the Retiro
0526a-cw-DSC_0198-Prado-nudes-ed-1000q.jpg
/ 0526b-jz-IMG_6466-Eli Dana Rhi in
boat-ed-1200w.jpg
Toasting you at Viña P on the Plaza
Santa Ana
0526c-cw-DSC_0348-1st
drink together-ed-1200w.jpg
Tuesday: The touring party and our official start.
You never know 100%, until people actually get off their planes at
their destination, whether your entire squad will make it.
But by early afternoon, Tuesday the 28th of May, we were all in
Madrid! Märki (Michelle Marki, AKA Märki Mark) was the last to
arrive.
Märki: "I knew the teammates
I was about to meet for the first time had kind
souls when I read the note on the Madrid
apartment door gate saying, "If you are
Michelle, press 2 and we will buzz you in. Love,
your Atlantis family."
Dana
Creager was Manager/Coach, and I was Emperor/Coach. The
players, with their Atlantis number, name and club, are listed
below.
Atlantis
Number
|
Name
|
Club
|
951
|
Rhi Clark
|
DC Furies
|
997
|
Kaelene Lundstrum
|
MN Amazons
|
998
|
Michelle Marki
|
Morris (NJ)
|
994
|
Mollie Martin
|
SD Surfers
|
898
|
Lauren Rhode
|
DC Furies
|
956
|
Jess Turner
|
Berkeley All Blues
|
704
|
Eli White
|
DC Furies
|
996
|
Jess Wooden
|
Atlanta Harlequins
|
999
|
Cynthia Wright
|
DC Furies
|
914
|
Josie Ziluca
|
NOVA
|
Left: Note to our last arrival,
Märki / Right: the extent of our apartment (from photographer to
Josie, red
0527a-mm-DSC03486-note for Marki-ed-1200w.jpg /
0527a-ew-IMG_0169-our piso extent-ed-800w.jpg
On Tuesday, the first day we were
all together, we were able to practice, thanks to Arquitectura's
coach Pilar Hernández, at the Arquitectura field. Following our
own practice, we went through some situations with them in a
semi-opposed manner. We spent all our time on open-field play,
kick-offs, and as we had a 22-m line, drop-outs.
Top: We practice the defensive
train using ropes / Bottom: scrimmage v. Arquitectura; Mollie on
a break
0527b-cw-DSC_0422-defemse
pm ropes-ed-1400w.jpg
/0527b-cw-DSC_0466-scrimmage-ed-1400w.jpg
Some of us followed up the great practice with dinner next door to
our apartment. Our dinner consisted solely of what I've
always called tapas, but have been corrected: the proper name for
them is raciones (portions). Tapas strictly just refers to
tiny portions such as those bartenders often give you as free
portions when you order a drink.
Some
great tapas/raciones at La Casa del Abuelo:
asparagus with garlic sauce / Mushroom / Shrimp
0527c-mm-DSC03629-asparagus-ed-800s.jpg
/0527c-mm-DSC03639-mushrooms-ed-800s.jpg /
0527c-mm-DSC03631-shrimp-ed-800s.jpg
On Wednesday we had our only day of double sessions; early
Wednesday we found a tiny spot among some trees in the Retiro to
work on scrums and lineouts and some situations at the
tackle. Wednesday evening, thanks to Álvaro Montero, we were
able to practice on the same ground as the Madrid Selects, and
then play four full seven-minute live periods against them. It was
great for us, and hopefully for them as well. As well as the
game, one of the Spanish national team's video analysts, Nacho
Pérez, filmed the scrimmage and provided us with tape.
Everyone told me just how difficult it would be to find practice
space in Madrid, so we are especially grateful to both Pilar and
Álvaro for Tuesday and Wednesday's practice sites.
Left: Dana showed the forwards some
fundamentals, and some tricks / Right: Great try by Rhi vs
Madrid Selects (click image to
see)
0528a-mm-DSC03686-scrum
practice in woods-ed-1200w.jpg / 0528s-Rhi try-3-245s.jpg
Click on the following links for the videos of the games; we had
some nice tries:
1st Period vs. Madrid
Selects / 2nd Period vs. Madrid
Selects / 3rd Period vs.
Madrid Selects / 4th Period vs.
Madrid Selects
Atlantis Tries
vs. Madrid Selects
It was an excellent competition - if their selection was right we
were facing the best players we'd see all week; they'd be playing
for different clubs on the weekend -, and left us feeling
prepared. If we treated it like a scoring competition we
would have won 31-12. On the other hand, Álvaro told us he
was going to put together their best VII at the end of the
competition, and - had it been two games we would have won the
first 26-0 and lost the second 5-12, and Madrid scored the only
try of the last 7 minutes. Lots of work still to do.
The Madrid Selects went on to the European championship tournament
in Rome where they were finalists, losing to Paris whom they had
beaten in pool play.
We headed back to our apartment, grabbed some food and got ready
for our side trip to the Mediterranean: to Benidorm and to the
Signes ancestral home of Gata de Gorgos (Alicante).
II - Atlantis at
the Mediterranean
We
spent two days in one of my favorite parts of Spain: the Costa
Blanca, the area around the Mediterranean in the province of
Alicante.
Ignacio Davila provided for accommodation, a big team meal
in his home town of La Vila Joiosa, and help with rental car
expenses to get us to Benidorm and la Vila. In return I
promised to see if I could help get some women's teams to commit
to Benidorm to help assure women's division in 2015 ... Finally, I
see this trip as a way to get the entire team to visit my father's
home town of Gata, where I have several relatives including a
first cousin that has a bar-restaurant and who has always welcomed
Atlantis teams.
Had we stayed in Madrid we would have been able to get a couple
more practices in; as it was we were only able to practice
once. I felt, however, the upside of this diversion would
outweigh the loss of one practice. It was my job to make sure we
were adequately prepared for Saturday's tournament and I felt one
more practice would do it.
At any rate,
if I'm taking a team on tour that's paying all their own
expenses my thought process includes the following:
1. As a team, we have to enjoy
ourselves. Or why would anyone want to tour with me
again?
2. If I select players that place a high priority on
making on-the-field results be an integral part of
enjoyment, then they'll figure out a way to mix
off-the-field fun with what they need to do.
3. A corollary of 2 is that all of us need to be willing
to prepare properly to maximize our probability of
winning. Prepare to win!
4. It helps to have players that are easy to get along
with and can combine fun with 2 and 3, above.
5. The key to success in achieving these goals clearly
lies in picking the right players.
If I've selected
the players properly, then by definition a
large component of enjoying ourselves will
include for the team, as it does for me,
success on the field, fueled by hard work on
the practice field... and treating our bodies
properly. Oh, and we'll have fun off the field
as well.
Dana put it far more succinctly: "I really enjoy coaching
players that have a carefree attitude mixed with a
strong desire to work hard and learn new things.
The players on this tour perfectly encapsulated all of
those things.
Benidorm: on the beach.
We left Madrid early Thursday morning with rental cars we picked
up at the airport. Our first stop was in Benidorm, where we hit
the beach, and had a couple of skits, by both the Cokes (oldest 5
players) and the Pepsis (youngest 5).
Team on Beach. The high rise part
of Benidorm may be seen at back, left. Below: Jess W, Märki,
Mollie
Standing: Dana, Cynthia, Lauren,
Eli, Rhi, Lunde, JT, Josie, Emil
0529b-cw-DSC_0624-Team
on Benidorm beach-ed-1200w.jpg
Gata de Gorgos [AKA Signesville:)].
The first Atlantis team that ever played in Benidorm was a men's
team in 1988. It's only a half hour drive to my father's
home town of Gata de Gorgos, and from several visits there I knew
many relatives. The team wandered around town, and visited
my cousin Antonio's Bar-Restaurant, the Bar al Pou, which
means "Bar at the Well" in Valencian. The building had, many
decades ago, been my father's. At any rate, since 1988 I've taken
many Atlantis teams for an evening of paella at the Pou; this
would be, however, the first time I'd brought a women's team.
The
first time I was ever in Gata was in 1964 and it was amazing! In
the entire town there were two cars (as well as the tiny Seat
[the Spanish-made version of Fiat] I had rented in Valencia);
the whole town seemed to be run by donkey power. There
were only a couple of TVs in town (there was one shop that had a
TV in the window for the public to watch), and almost no phones
(if you were calling from out of town, you could call one of the
ones that existed and try to get the respondent to go find your
party, wherever in town they might be).
Now it's comfortably in the 21st century, as Spain has moved
from "la España de siempre" (the unchanging Spain of forever) to
a first-world country in just a few decades.
Gata has a Signes Street, and businesses named Signes as well, a
"Signes Furniture" and others. When I last checked a nationwide
telephone directory in the 90s, 20% of Gata had either their
father's or mother's surname Signes. 90% of all the Signes in
Spain come from Gata or neighboring towns. Likewise the vast
majority of Signes in the world can trace their roots to this
tiny area. When he saw Signes on the signs of businesses on
Atlantis' trip in 1995, Benidorm 7s MVP Thadd Hill nicknamed
Gata "Signesville."
On our
arrival in Gata we headed straight to the Bar al Pou,
the last building in town. It's a bar-restaurant whose
proprietors are my cousin Antonio Signes Signes and his wife
María. Operating the bar tonight and serving us were
Antonio, María, María's mother Teresa, their daughters Rosa and
Maite Signes Mulet, and Maite's husband Juan.
The first item of business was to get
our picture taken at the outside of the bar.
Team
in front of my cousin Antonio's Bar al Pou
0529c-cw-DSC_0647-Team in front of
Pou-ed-1205w.jpg
Here I am united with the Gata Signes family.
With my cousin Antonio and his wife
María Rosa
On left their daughter María Teresa
(Maite), who tells us she is pregnant with the next Antonio
0529c-es-DSCF0716-Signes
at Pou-1200w.jpg
The story of our trip to Gata is documented here with pictures far
more than with words.
We presented Antonio with a ball signed by members of the tour
party, and Antonio brought out old balls we had left with him in
the past. I'm pretty sure the stars and stripes balls are
1995 (the year we won) and 1998, the blue ball is from 2006, and
the 4th ball is this year's.
Balls from 4 separate Atlantis
trips.
Clockwise from right stars and stripes ball, they are from 1998,
2006, 1995 and 2014
0529d-jz-IMG_6622-old Atlantis
balls-ed-1200w.jpg
My philosophy is that it's always time for a team picture: here's
one with the team joined by all the past and present Atlantis
balls in Gata. I am fortunate to be surrounded by 13 women:
not only by our entire team (minus the photographer Cynthia) but
the two young Signes women as well.
Team, Rosa, Maite, and the four
resident Atlantis balls
0529c-cw-DSC_0708-Team
& previous balls-ed-1200w.jpg
¡Paella!
Sangría and Salad. Our
main course is to be paella, but we start with salad.
As
with most meals, paella can be enhanced by some liquid
refreshment, and Antonio brings some sangría. He warns
that the drinking and driving laws - and punishments - have
become so severe in Spain that the drivers should drink NO
alcohol. As it turned out, warnings
were in order for our driving, but not due to alcohol; we made
sure our drivers didn't drink. A couple of weeks after
returning to the US, however, we received notices of fines due
to speeding as captured by police cameras. Not pleasant ...
and expensive!
Left: Rosa brings salad / Right:
Antonio brings sangría
0529c-cw-DSC_0712-Rosa
brings salad-ed-800s.jpg / 0529c-jz-IMG_6588-Antonio brings
sangria-ed.jpg
Paella. Paella is a regional dish native to the
Valencian region of Spain, and Gata is part of the "Comunidad
Valenciana," one of the 17 autonomous communities that currently
make up Spain. We begin with salad, and Antonio brings out some
sangria.
Without further ado, we are ready to
eat, and Antonio's son-in-law, Maite's husband Juan Lillo
Manzanares, brings out the paella.
We serve ourselves, and ... it's on!
Juan brings out the paella
0529c-cw-DSC_0753-Juan
brings out paella-ed-1200w.jpg
Left: the paella before eating /
Right: Kaelene looks impressed
0529c-cw-DSC_0757-the paella-ed-1200w.jpg /
0529c-cw-DSC_0759-Kaelene looks impressed-ed-1000h.jpg
We serve ourselves and get to work
eating (while the family continues to work)
0529c-cw-DSC_0762-digging
in-ed-1000w.jpg / 0529c-cw-DSC_0779-team eats dinner Ant &
family working-ed-1000w.jpg
We thanked the chefs and got in a group picture with the team,
María Rosa, and the person everyone in the family agreed was the
inspiration behind the paella and the only person that knows all
its details and secrets, María's mother Teresa Cervera. Märki gave
the inspirational chef a big hug.
After I returned home, I asked Rosa for the ingredients of
everything we ate, but to keep any secrets to herself. I got
the following list:
Salad:
lettuce, onion, tomato, olives, pepper, cheese, jamón serrano,
tuna, white asparagus. And of course olive oil and vinegar.
Other appetizers included squid and bread with "all i oli," a
garlic and oil sauce.
Sangría: wine, orange drink, brandy, vermouth, seasonal fruit,
sugar, possibly gin or rum, ice.
Paella: rice, rabbit, chicken, pork cutlet, cuttlefish, mussels,
shrimp, green beans, roasted red pepper, chickpeas, saffron,
food coloring, salt, water ... the only secret, says Rosa, is
the cook.
I have determined that when I return with my wife Heide, hopefully
later this year, we will document the recipe and get Teresa to
give us preparation instructions.
Left. Thanking the chefs: 88-year
old Teresa Cervera Molina, with ball, and her daughter María
Rosa Mulet Cervera.
Right. Märki thanks Teresa with a big hug
0529c-ew-IMG_0243-everyone with the
chefs-ed-1200w.jpg
0529c-ew-IMG_0242-praising
the chef w Marki-ed-400w.jpg
Wandering through
Gata
With Rosa Signes to guide us, we
were able to wander through a few of Gata's streets. The first
picture, below, shows us walking off the main drag onto a typical
Gata street (Carrer del Dr. Gómez Ferrer). Next we have Rosa
and I stopping in front of Carrer La Bassa 57, the house where my
father and our grandfather were born. I forgot to ask, but the
last time I was in Gata the house remained unoccupied, and it
looked that way still.
In the time of my parents' generation - and when I first visited
there - the wide doors were necessary so the cart, pulled by the
family donkey, could be taken through the door, through the
kitchen (once the table was moved), through the back patio into
his stall (which area was shared with the family outhouse). Thus
the bottom of the door is flush with the sidewalk.
Left: Wandering through Gata /
Right: Rosa & Emilio at her grandfather's, his father's
birthplace
0529d-cw-DSC_0813-wandering
through Gata-ed-900w.jpg / 0529d-ew-IMG_0249-Rosa & Emilio
@ EMS birthplace-ed-900w.jpg
We
passed the church and heard music coming out. We quietly
walked in the side door and heard choir practice. It was
really pleasant and I wish I had recorded it, but of course I
didn't think of it till after the fact. When we were
leaving we realized that Märki had gone in the main entrance to
actually use the church as a church.
Left: Church of St. Michael the
Archangel / Right: Märki
in church
0529d-cw-DSC_0807-church-ED-1200h.jpg
/ 0529d-cw-DSC_0808-Marki praying in church-ED-1200h.jpg
As is
our tradition, the entire team was photographed at Carrer
Signes. Then we passed by a place I had never particularly
noticed before: Plaça Nova (New Plaza or Square). Dana, however,
the coach of the NOVA (Northern Virginia) Sevens Rugby team,
spotted it very quickly and was happy to be photographed there!
The team at Carrer Signes /
Dana finds Plaça NOVA
0529d-cw-DSC_0816-Carrer
Signes-ed-900w.jpg / 0529d-es-DSCF0730-Dana at Plac%CC%A7a
Nova-450w.jpg
We said our goodbyes and
headed back to Benidorm.
Cynthia: "This
tour
exemplified
once more how
the rugby game
and culture
permeates our
society at a
global level .
. . It's a
good reminder
of how small
and
interconnected
our world
actually is. I
will never
forget
standing in
the orange
groves in
Gata
as the sun
sets, in awe
of the beauty
and peace.
Regardless of
what may be
going over
here in DC, I
know that
those sunsets
are still
happening in
Gata. At the
risk of
sounding
corny, i look
forward to
finding more
of those
moments. I'm
honored to be
part of this
rugby family
and can't wait
for the next
opportunity."
Märki: "My favorite
part of the
trip was
visiting Coach
Emil's
extended
Signes family
and receiving
their gracious
hospitality
and generosity
of amazing
paella
(featuring
rabbit!) and
food, touring
around, and
seeing 'Carrer
Signes' in
Gata de
Gorgos, near
Benidorm,
Spain."
Friday: Practice at La Vila's Camp de Joc
"Camp de Joc" is Valencian for "playing field" ("Campo de Juego"
in Castilian Spanish) and the first place we headed to in the
morning - so as not to forget the reason this particular group
originally signed up to come to Spain - was the playing field at
Villajoyosa. By the way, I refer to this town alternately as
"Villajoyosa" (its Spanish name) and "La Vila Joiosa" (or simply
"La Vila") in Valencian. In both languages this means "The
Joyful Town." I didn't get a picture of the front entrance, so I
grabbed this picture from Atlantis' 1995 (championship) tour to
Benidorm.
Main Entrance to La Vila's playing
field. Atlantis entering to practice in 1995
1995-05 Camp
de Joc-900w.jpg
Here's Atlantis after training at the La Vila's Camp de Joc.
Atlantis
following our practice at the La Vila Camp de Joc
0530a-mm-DSC04737-team at La Vila
field-ed-1200w.jpg
Every practice brought us closer
together.
Märki: "As
we practiced together, I felt a rush of excitement
pour in as I realized how talented my teammates
from all over the US are, and whom I was eager to
learn and gain feedback from. Coach Emil and Coach
Dana have coached great American rugby and I
gained valuable new rugby skills. We developed
into a family quickly and we adventurously
explored Madrid, enjoyed tapas & sangria, and
played on the Benidorm beach together as though
we'd already known each other for a long time."
Karting: Following our practice we went Go Karting at
the track at the nearby town of Finestrat. Unlike the wimpy
US go-kart tracks that I'd driven on, these karts exceeded
50 mph (there was a more expensive group of Karts that went
over 70mph, but most of us were struggling to come up with
the 30€ ($40) for the regular speed karts. 6 of us took up
the challenge and I'm admitting up front that I had the
slowest run, but divide our speed by the inverse of our ages
and I'd be the winner by far. At any rate, it was a
phenomenal activity.
Here's Jess Wooden trying to cut off Eli as they come around
a curve.
Part way through
this curve, Jess seems prepared to cut Eli off.
0530b-cw-DSC_0952-Jess
cuts off Eli-ed-1200w.jpg
La Vila Joiosa.
We then headed to La Vila Joiosa (the local Valencian
name; in Castilian Spanish it's Villajoyosa); both mean The
Joyful Town. It's a beautiful town with magnificently covered
façades on the buildings. We had a great meal at El Guitarra,
enjoyed the accordion player, and also the singing, by the
restaurant's proprietor. The food was awesome! We
thanked Ignacio Davila and his wife Maike, at El Guitarra
restaurant on the beach at La Vila. Then we headed back to Madrid.
Taken from the
Villajoyosa Beach; El Guitarra, where we ate, is the
middle (red) building
0530c-mm-DSC04819-main
beach street of La Vila-ed-1200w.jpg
Left: Maike Ignacio & Emil at El Guitarra / Right:
Dana presents ball to Ignacio
0530c-es-DSCF0739-with Maike and
Ignacio-ed-900s.jpg / 0530c-mm-DSC04853-Dana presents Ignacio
ball-ed-900s.jpg
I think everyone appreciated this side trip. Cynthia:
"[The mid-week Mediterranean] portion
of the trip could not have been more
perfectly-timed. Taking a break to head to the
country was like taking a breath of fresh air... I'm
in awe that amid the bustle around the world there
still exists space like [this part of Spain] where
there is a calmness, and more importantly a history
that lives on, regardless of time. Emil's family is,
just like the Arquitectura team, incredibly welcoming
and loving, without having ever met us before. Amazing
company, fantastic food (I had at least 4 helpings of
the paella), beautiful beaches!"
From La Vila we headed straight back to Madrid. We had dinner and
got to bed early enough to get to the tournament in time for a
nice long warmup (our first game was at 10 AM).
As opposed to the spacious piso [apartment] we had the first two
nights in Madrid, these were tiny rooms, with 2 bunks and 2 twins.
III - Atlantis at the Madrid
VIIs
We got up around 7 and were at the
Hortaleza field by 8:30. Our first game at the Madrid Sevens Leg
3, was against home team Hortaleza. We won the game
convincingly 30-0. Our second game was against Rugby
Atleti. We suspected from watching earlier that this team was
not going to threaten us, and I asked the team to play to our
pattern. Instead, we played a very selfish game, with each
person in turn trying to do everything on her own. I was really
angry afterwards, but Dana encouraged me to relax. In
retrospect, watching the video, there were a couple times I
would have preferred they moved the ball, but for the most part,
players were just playing what was in front of them. The final
was 57-0.
Märki
on the run against Rugby Atleti
0531b-fs-IMG_5814-Marki runs vs Rugby
Atleti-ed-1200w.jpg
There was a 4 hour time period between the first and 2nd games,
and we filled it with fun activities like charades.
Our semifinal game was against Sanse Scrum, one of the top teams
in the series. We didn't play to our potential - though
Sanse Scrum played well - but we did come away with a 17-5
victory.
In retrospect, it's great that we got a chance to play Sanse Scrum
in this tournament. It turned out,
based on the following week's results, Sanse Scrum went on to
become the champion of the entire Madrid Sevens Series; they
defeated Majadahonda 17-12 in the final of the entire series on
an overtime try by Maria Ribera.
Click on image to see GIF file of Mollie scoring
GIF file created by Majadahonda parent Francisco Santiago
0531c Mollie vs
Sanse.jpg
0531c-fs-Mollie-try-ensayo-
GIF.gif
The first 15 minutes of the 20-minute
final was the best sevens we played on the entire tour.
Majadahonda had a very talented "keep away" offense, with
midfield players capable of quickly changing directions.
To defend, we got our numbers in place, then got ready to jump
in the lanes and double-tackle when opportunities presented
themselves. We did it very well.
We scored the first try following a long break by Kaelene
Lundstrum. We had a scrum near the center and flyhalf Jess
Wooden got the ball and took it to the left corner for the
try. Jess also scored the second try when she broke the
line, stepped the sweeper and finished a 70-m try. Rhi Clark
scored a third try from a Majadahonda turnover and following a
great touchline conversion by Jess Wooden the halftime score was
19-0.
The first try of the first half belonged to us as well, as
following a scrum at the Majadahonda 22, the ball got out to
wing Mollie Martin who got outside her opposite to score 24-0.
We'd been playing with 10 players and Majadahonda 12, and with
Lauren injured we were down to 9. Majadahonda insisted on
10-minute halves (we would have done the same in their place)
and now, about 14 minutes in, their decision seemed to be a wise
one for them. They picked up the pace, we started to get
weary, and they started to turn the tables on us. Although
they did score 2 tries, we hung in there and the final score was
24-10. Great finish to the playing part of the tour!
It was now around 9 PM and by the time the men's final was over
- although it was still light - it was after 9:30 PM. In Madrid
that means it's almost dinner time.
In tourney final vs. Majadahonda, Jess breaks line, steps
sweeper, and scores
0531b-fs-IMG_6154-Jess at sweeper-ed-1500w.jpg /
0531b-fs-IMG_6155-jess beats sweeper-ed-1500w.jpg
Majadahonda
and Atlantis following the final - all in the spirit of rugby
0531d-mm-DSC05397-Atlantis &
Majadahonda-2-ed-1500w.jpg
While the entire tour was great, winning
tournaments never gets old. Eli writes:
"The best part of the trip was
winning the
tournament,
not just
because we
won, but
because of how
we won and how
it felt as we
played
together - I
almost didn't
want the match
to end. We
started off
the week a
group of
talented, but
individual,
rugby players.
On Saturday,
our first
game, though
we played
well, we were
still
individuals.
Each game we
got a little
better - maybe
it was the
bonding over
Charades, or
rallying
around our
injured
Captain, or
just the
culmination of
a week of fun
together, but
that last
match, we
really brought
it all
together. I
remember in
our pre-game
huddle, we all
looked at each
other and
promised to
play that game
for each
other, for the
player next to
us with
Atlantis on
her chest, and
we all really
took that to
heart. It
wasn't just
words, it was
a great
feeling, and
we won that
final in the
best way - as
a true team,
with everyone
making key
contributions
and playing
for each
other."
The videos (ball in play) of each
game may be seen here:
Atlantis 30
Hortaleza 0 / Atlantis 57
Rugby Atleti 0 / 17 Atlantis
vs. Sanse Scrum 5 / Atlantis 24
vs. Majadahonda 10
Our 22 tries on the day may be seen
by clicking on one of the links below:
6 tries vs.
Hortaleza / 9 tries vs.
Rugby Atleti / 3 tries vs.
Sanse Scrum / 4 tries vs.
Majadahonda
Atlantis Scoring
Summary, Madrid Sevens Leg 3
Player
|
Tries
|
Cv.
|
Pts
|
Jess Wooden
|
5
|
9
|
43
|
Mollie Martin
|
6
|
0
|
30
|
Josie Ziluca
|
4
|
0
|
20
|
Cynthia Wright
|
3
|
0
|
15
|
Rhi Clark
|
1
|
0
|
5
|
Kaelene
Lundstrum
|
1
|
0
|
5
|
Michelle Marki
|
1
|
0
|
5
|
Eli White
|
1
|
0
|
5
|
Total
|
22
|
9
|
128
|
Opponents
|
3
|
0
|
15
|
Here's a wrap up, in Spanish, of the series.
http://rugbyfemenino.com.es/2014/06/sanse-scrum-campeon-del-seven-de-madrid/
And here, also in Spanish, a mention
of the leg that we won.
http://rugbyfemenino.com.es/2014/06/atlantis-gano-la-tercera-serie-en-madrid/
IV - Atlantis
Enjoying Madrid
Sunday was a bonus day, the rugby was
done.
In the Madrid of my
Besteiro ancestors. We head to Calle de Milaneses, 6. This
is where my great-grandfather Ricardo Julián Besteiro - and his
father José Besteiro before him - owned a store.
We sat down and had brunch in front
of the old family business and residence: Calle de Milaneses is
the street on the right side of the corner in the picture below.
The building is now a bar, La Esquinita. The street on the
left side of the corner building is Costanilla de Santiago and the
Besteiro family lived there, at #15, since at least 1855, the
earliest year in which I could find them on the census; my
great-grandfather Ricardo was less than a year old at the time of
that census.
Team having meal in front of my
great grandfather's store
0601a-es-DSCF0748-team
at corner of Milaneses & C-Santiago-ed-1000w.jpg
Reina Sofia Museum. The Reina Sofia is home to one of
the most famous paintings of the 20th century: Guernica, by Pablo
Picasso.
Crowd visiting Picasso's Guernica
0601b-mm-DSC05946-Guernica-ed-1200w.jpg
I had seen Guernica at the New York Museum of Modern Art
in the 1960s. Picasso painted Guernica in Paris in 1937;
it is based on an infamous Spanish Civil War bombing by the Nazis
(Franco's allies) in the Basque Country town of Guernica in April
of that year. After Franco's victory, Picasso made it clear
that it was not to be shown in Spain until democracy
returned. After many years in New York, in 1981 it was
finally brought to the Casón del Buen Retiro (an annex of the
Prado) in Madrid for the Centennial of Picasso's birth and
eventually made its way to its permanent home at the Reina Sofia
in 1992.
Retiro redux. We returned to the Retiro for some more
boats in the pond in the park action.
Dinner. Prior to our
splitting up the following morning, we had one last meal
together. As most end
of rugby tour nights, it was long and celebratory. Dana and I
received thanks from the players, but we equally have them to
thank for a great tour.
Toasting ourselves
0601d-mm-DSC06264-salud-ed-1200w.jpg
V: Wrap Up
It was a great tour; what might have
been a disaster, due to the canceling of the Benidorm Sevens, kept
us all together. Álvaro was great and really saved the tour.
Pilar Hernández and the entire Arquitectura team welcomed us to
their social after the first tournament and again to practice with
them on Tuesday. Ignacio helped bring us to see Benidorm and
made it possible for me to bring the team to visit my father's
home town and enjoy paella at my cousin Antonio's. And I
can't speak too highly of my cousin Antonio, his wife María Rosa,
daughters Maite and Rosa, son-in-law Juan, and mother-in-law
Teresa; they're always so good to me whenever I go and bring them
a bunch of hungry rugby players to feed.
Our scrimmage with the Madrid Selects was really needed. We played
so well in the tournament final.
I believe all the players had a great time. I asked for
their comments and have already included some. Here are a
few more:
Eli:
"Since I've come back from tour, my friends, family, and
club teammates have all asked me how my trip to Spain was. I
respond to them all with the same simple word - Amazing."
"I'm not sure I can adequately communicate what exactly it
was that was so great about this trip, but I must say that
it was one of the absolute most fun and rewarding
experiences I've had in my rugby career. I've moved
around the country several times and played on many teams,
and I think what really stood out for me on this tour was
the bond between our team both on and off the field. I
think over the course of the week, having a small touring
group, staying together in a hostel and then as a team all
together in the apartment, seeing the sights, taking a long
road trip trapped in the vans, and spending a wonderful
evening with [Emil's] warm welcoming family, that all made
us become a family of our own. I came into this trip
only knowing a few of the players. I came away from the trip
with a wonderful bond with a new group of friends.
Cynthia:
"This trip stands out from the rest of
my travels in
that it was
the first time
that I went
abroad for a
reason other
than to see
the location
that I was
visiting. I
went to Spain
to combine the
skill in and
passion for
rugby that I
had developed
in California
with that of
my teammates
from around
the country
... Learning
rugby songs in
Spanish ... it
was special to
[compare] the
rugby
traditions
that exist
around the
world "
Our
last Spanish
opponents in
the Madrid 7s
final match
happily joined
us in a team
photo right
after we had
won the
tournament and
welcomed us to
celebrate with
them
thereafter."
Märki: "On this trip I gained more than new
rugby teammates, but friends who taught me many insights into
life and rugby. In spite of some setbacks, the team exemplified
the hard work ethic and values in which rugby unifies us. I will
always cherish how we lived life and played rugby to the
fullest."
Jess
Wooden: "On my first day in Spain it seemed like we walked at
least 10 miles
and toured the
entire city of
Madrid. The
architecture
and the
culture of
Madrid was a
fantastic
experience
that I don't
think would've
happened if
not for
Atlantis and
the hard work
done by Emil
and
Dana.
Through all
the early
tribulations
of this trip
they pulled
off something
truly amazing!
"I really
enjoyed
playing with
the
Arquitectura
women's team
and how they
helped us out
with a
practice field
and even
taught us some
of their
drinking
games. The
universality
of rugby
culture always
gives me
goosebumps and
makes me so
thankful that
I am lucky
enough to play
this sport."
Kaelene: "I
really loved [the tour]." It was an amazing experience to
go and play in another country and be about to experience some
of their culture as well. I always like having new and
different coaches because i learn different thing and ways of
playing the game that i would have never known. I
especially liked the relaxed atmosphere that went along with the
tour. We knew we were there to play some good rugby but
were also allowed to experience the culture and have some free
time... Overall it was an awesome
opportunity to travel, meet new people, and play some rugby that
I'm very thankful I could be a part of."
Josie: "I always love to play for Atlantis, as
it's the club I'm most proud of: Atlantis has shown me that sport
is a powerful communicator and device to transfer certain basic,
humanistic principles."
*****
One of my favorite recurring moments
with my father was, when he was in a particularly enjoyable
situation, often but not necessarily at the Jersey shore, he
would sit back, relax, often but not necessarily with a beer in
his hand, and comment, in his thick Spanish accent, "Emiliet, dees
ees dee good life," and I had shared this quote on this
tour.
Here JT is holding up a sign, after the tournament final. The sign
reads "This is the good life." This tour was, indeed, the
good life.
JT's
got the tour wrap up right here: "This is the good life!"
This
is also a great view of the Picasso drawing on our jerseys
0531d-DSC05483-this is the good life.jpg
Want to know more? Here's the
full-length version:
The full-length version has links to many sites relevant to
Atlantis.
