Final Thoughts From Oxford

By Allen Page

Page on the beach of St. Malo in France

Well, it’s my last full day in Oxford.  This semester has been really great, and I am so glad that I got to study abroad – I’m especially thankful that our program is one that enables us, even as full time student-athletes, to participate in study abroad programs.  Having been away for so long, I’m really excited and rejuvenated to return to Davidson for this last year and for what promises to be a great season.

Notre Dame in Paris

The last few weeks of my stay here have been pretty action packed!  I think that I (and others) realized how little time we had left, because things had flown by so quickly, and decided that we needed to get all the traveling in that we could.  I went with three friends on the big trip to France that I had been looking forward to for a long time.  We went to Paris and got to eat a real French dinner with a real French family, which was great, along with doing all the great tourist things that Paris offers – the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the great museums.   Afterwards, we went up to the northern coast, and got to see the cool cities of St. Malo and Mont St. Michel.  We finished up our trip with a visit to the American Cemetery at the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, which was really cool as an American. 

I also got to take a shorter day trip to Bath.  I went by myself, just to get out of Oxford for a bit and see something new.  Bath is the location of the only natural hot spring in Britain, so it has been an attraction for (literally) thousands of years.  The Romans built a bathhouse and temple there, which was rediscovered relatively recently, and now it is turned into a museum where you can go and see what’s left of the ruins.

It wasn’t all travel though.  Sometimes, I just needed some time to catch up on Oxford.  I got to take a day and do a lot of cool stuff around the city, like visiting museums and touring some of the many colleges.  Magdalen College, for example, has a unique deer park inside its gates along with the more common college features like the massive chapel and many beautiful school buildings.  New College (which I believe dates to the 15th century – don’t quote me on that – and yet retains its title) is renowned for their choir, and I got to hear them perform a service, which was really cool.  Finally, the day ended with a meal and drink at the Turf Tavern, which is very likely the coolest bar or hang-out place I have ever been to.  That will probably be my last fish and chips for a long time.

Island Abbey of Mont St. Michel

My eighth-week tutorials marked the final academic challenges of junior year and witnessed the completion of the final of the eighteen papers I have written in these three months.  Talk about a lot of writing; I’m considering just combining all of them into a giant psychology/Shakespeare/modern literature dissertation … that’s legal right?  So, now I am officially a Davidson senior, which is really wild.  These college years have flown by so fast; I hope we can prolong this upcoming season as long as possible.

There hasn’t been much ado about soccer around these parts since the season ended.  A few stories about transfer rumors, a few tabloid scandals, but no real games to watch, and considering the Oxford students are swamped with exams, not much playing going on.  Last night though, I sat up until 2 a.m. and watched Freddy Adu (who would have thought?) guide USA into the Gold Cup final.  Mexico, here we come.  Also, at our last night at the house, we had a fun pickup game in the backyard, but I am looking very much forward to getting back in a real game again.  I can’t say I’m looking forward to the heat though, but I guess that’s the tradeoff.

Anyways, it’s been a pleasure sharing bits of my trip for you.  For those of you who ever have the chance to visit England, a trip to Oxford is definitely worth it.  It’s way cooler than London.  For my younger teammates, or future recruits.  If you have the opportunity to study abroad, I encourage you to be brave and try it.  I have missed playing soccer so much, but the time away has really motivated me to come back and do everything I can to make this season our best yet.  So, now, I get to travel for a few days in the Cinque Terra in Italy, and then it’s back to the States.  Even in Oxford, though, it’s a brilliant day to be a Wildcat. 

Signing off,
Allen

Halfway Through Term and Soccer Season Concludes

By Allen Page

Page, far right, with classmates in his backyard in Oxford.

Hi guys! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I know I mentioned this last time, but it is so strange to think that it is summer back home, not only because I am still in school, but also because the weather has remained essentially the same since I’ve been here – between about 55 and 65 most every day. I’ve heard reports that temperatures are beginning to creep up into the 90s back home.

Anyways, we are well into the term here, just past the midway point. It’s fifth week according to Oxford students, who describe each of the eight weeks of term likewise. It actually makes planning much easier – you don’t have to worry about dates when you know you have an engagement Tuesday of sixth week, or Saturday of eighth week, etc. It reminds me a bit of how, at Davidson, we refer to the highway exits not by the name of the road or town, but by the number. Mooresville isn’t Mooresville; it’s 36. Each place has its own idiosyncrasies, I guess.

School here has been moving along as usual – two classes a week, two papers a week. However, I must mention I had an off week this go-around and only had one paper. One would expect that the extra time would enable me to get ahead on work; in reality, of course, I actually procrastinated more than usual for my one paper and condemned myself to doing all the reading and writing in about six hours. I generally do not recommend this approach.

I still haven’t travelled too much, although I am planning to go with a few friends to Paris and the northern coast of France this weekend. We will actually get to see the beaches of Normandy and the American soldier cemetery on D-Day, which I anticipate will be really special and cool. I have been to London a few times in the last month, though. On one of the trips, we went to see a play performed at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (notice my nifty British spelling), which was very cool. It is an outdoor theatre with a big standing area, where we stood for 3 hours, much of which was in pouring rain, and watched. It was a really unique experience, and nothing like I had ever witnessed before.

Page at Stamford Bridge

The other trip, a few weeks back, was to see Chelsea play their last home game of the season. They were playing Newcastle, and true to Chelsea form (remember I am a United fan), the blues totally underachieved. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Newcastle snatching a late goal to pick up the point. I must say though, of the few stadiums I have now been to on this trip and a previous one (Old Trafford, Wembley, The Emirates, Stamford Bridge, Craven Cottage, Loftus Road, and Kassam Stadium), Stamford Bridge might be my favorite. We were crammed underneath an overhang in the end-zone section, but it was still very cool.

As most of you know, the soccer season is now unfortunately over. The Champions League final in London showed that Barcelona is still without comparison. I had hoped to get tickets to the game, but it was nearly impossible, and incredibly expensive too, so I had to content myself to watch in the Dew Drop Inn, a pub near our house where I have watched most of the games so far. All this watching has me itching to play again, and though I am thoroughly enjoying my time here, I’m also looking very much forward to getting back on the field with the boys!

Cheers for now,
Allen

Tutorials Commence, the Royal Wedding and Old Trafford

By Allen Page

Hi everyone! It’s been a little while since I last posted. Since then, a lot has happened! The main change is that term has finally started, meaning that all the students have returned to Oxford and that tutorials have commenced. In fact, I had my first one yesterday – and I have the rest of the week off, which is great. Of course, I still have to do a ton of reading (maybe even more reading than…. Davidson? – am I allowed to say that?). It’s so strange for me that my teammates are finishing school so soon, and the seniors are preparing to graduate while I still have half of a semester left!

This past weekend, Britain has been abuzz with the Royal Wedding, the marriage between Price William and Kate Middleton. The wedding took place last Friday, and thousands of spectators flocked to Buckingham Palace, St. James’ Park, and Westminster Abbey in London to try and catch a glimpse of royalty. I tagged along with a number of people in our group and made the early morning trek to London to get a good spot to witness the festivities. It involved a lot of sitting around, but it was pretty cool to see the Queen of England and the other members of the Royal Family, even if for a brief moment. Fortunately, despite the overwhelming presence of the Union Jack, I never forgot my dedication to good ol’ America.

Though I’ve got to visit a number of cool places around Oxford and London, one of the highlights of my trip so far was my recent trip to the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford, home of the self-proclaimed world’s greatest club, Manchester United. There, I got to see the Red Devils go up against Tim Howard and Everton. Indeed it was a glorious occasion, especially since I am a United fan! As the game played out, it seemed that they were destined not to score, but just when the fans were beginning to lose hope, the young and energetic Javier Hernandez, called “Chicharito”, scored in the 88th minute to go ahead! And my, my, did the stadium erupt. It was unlike anything I had ever witnessed firsthand! By the time the crowd had settled down, my throat and arms were sore from cheering for so long. The goal had huge implications for the rest of the season, as Manchester United is only leading the title race by three points. Getting to see a game at Old Trafford had been something I’d always wanted to do, and the experience did not disappoint!

Besides that game, I got to see Oxford’s local club, Oxford United, play twice. Both games were a lot of fun; both were full of goals. The first one saw Oxford drop a 2-0 lead to one of the top teams in League Two, Wycombe Wanderers, to end in a 2-2 draw. In the second game, which was their last home game, Oxford went down 1-0 to Lincoln but rallied in the second half to win 2-1. The team draws pretty good support from the city – not quite the 75 or so thousand that Manchester United gets, but still a good 7-9 thousand, depending on the game.

To my teammates, good luck on finals. To the seniors, congratulations for a diploma well earned. To the rest, enjoy the summer.

-Allen

P.S. It can’t possibly be better weather at home than it has been here – if anyone tells you that England is cold, wet, and dark, don’t believe them! It’s only rained once for the month I’ve been in Oxford, and the temperature has hovered right around 60 for most of the time!

Allen Page Blogging from England

By Allen Page

Hi everyone! My name is Allen Page, and I’m a junior on the Wildcat Men’s Soccer team. Right now, I’m studying abroad at Oxford in England, and things are awesome here! I’m taking English and Psychology classes here (I’m a psych major back at Davidson). When I found out that the University of Georgia (I’m a Georgia native after all) had a program that spent a term at Oxford, I jumped on the opportunity. Even though I’m going through a different school, Davidson was so great in helping to get me set up with the program. I always knew I wanted to study abroad. I thought for a long time that I might go somewhere to practice foreign language skills, but ultimately, the chance to study at one of the most prestigious schools in the world was too good to pass up.

I’m living in a house with about twenty other students, all on the same program. It’s a little bit of a hike to downtown Oxford where the majority of the colleges are, but the walk is very pleasant. One of the most striking things about being in Oxford, and in England in general is the antiquity of everything. In the states, we consider something to be pretty old if it has been around for fifty or one hundred years. But here, there are very often buildings and institutions dating back five hundred years; some reach back close to one thousand! So, even from walking around town and exploring the old chapels, libraries, or pubs, the sense of history and tradition is palpable.

If you are wondering why this first update is coming so late in the semester, let me explain. Unlike schools in the States, Oxford operates on three eight-week terms. The third and final term of the year begins in May and runs through June. So, we are here about a month before that for some seminars to get us ready for the rigorous Oxford "tutorials." That’s what they call classes here, although “class” doesn’t really fit. Oxford students meet their dons one on one and only once a week to respond to questions, defend their opinions, and often present that week’s paper. The rest of the week is filled with extensive reading and writing to prepare for the next session. It’s very different from what most of us are used to!

Of course, as a Davidson student-athlete, I’m excited for much more than the educational opportunities here. England is a nation crazy about football (soccer); it’s all over the papers and all over the sports stores. In fact, in a brief trip to London, I found a four-story sports store, and the third floor was entirely devoted to jerseys from teams around the world! I’m hoping to catch an Oxford United game this weekend. They are the local club here, and although they are only a League Two team, they draw a lot of support from the city. Here at the house, we have a great backyard for pickup games and the like, so I’m looking forward to playing as much as I can.

That’s all for now, and let’s hope the Wildcats keep winning games!

Cheers,
Allen

‘Cats tear through Gamecocks

By Thomas Zimmerman 



The guys followed their mid-week victory over USL PRO league team Charlotte Eagles with a 4-1 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks (who finished the 2010 season ranked No. 12 in the nation) on Saturday, March 19. It was a hot affair, with temperatures reaching close to 80 degrees for the first time this spring. Although only having three field players to rotate in throughout the game due to injuries in the squad and one player abroad for the entire semester, the Wildcats were able to hold on to the 4-goal lead built through the first 60 minutes.

It took the first quarter of the game for the Wildcats to find their rhythm, but not long after that the goals poured in. Davidson found the back of the net three times in ten minutes to build a 3-0 halftime lead. First, Greg Macnamara converted a penalty that was drawn by some neat footwork by midfielder Peter Paras. Minutes after, Dennis Shannon provided a 40-yard ball deep in the box for streaking Andrew DiLallo, who headed it off the back post and in. Even goalie Chip Sanders got involved in the scoring. His goal kick was flicked on by Andrew DiLallo and finished on a break away by forward Thomas Zimmerman.

The Gamecocks came out in the second half with a raised intensity, but the Wildcats handled it with confidence and extended their lead to four within the first 10 minutes. Quick combinations and fluid movement opened up a seam for Brian McGue to run onto a beautifully clipped ball from defender Hunter Hayes. McGue cooly headed it over the goalie to ease any worries about a comeback. The Gamecocks were able to pull a goal back in the last ten minutes, but it was too little too late.

Final Score: Davidson 4 – South Carolina 1

Goals (Assists)
·      27’ Greg Macnamara (PK)
·      34’ Andrew DiLallo (Dennis Shannon)
·      37’ Thomas Zimmerman (Andrew Dillalo)
·      55’ Brian McGue (Hunter Hayes)

Starting 11

GK		Chip Sanders
D	Hunter Hayes	Greg Macnamara	Coleman O'Neill	Dennis Shannon
MF	Garrett Bostwick	Alex Givens	Brian McGue	Peter Paras
F		Thomas Zimmerman	Jake Keator

Contributing Substitutes
Andrew DiLallo, Chris Pettiglio, Nick Grube, Ben Gold.

Notes

• The Gamecocks were an NCAA tournament team from last season and reached the final 16 before going out to Michigan.
• Greg Macnamara and Brian McGue both scored for the second time in a week to boost the Cats
• Fast fact: The last time Davidson and USC met (Fall of 2009), the result was the same with Davidson winning 4-1.

Super Sub
Andrew DiLallo came on with 20 minutes to play in the first half and contributed to both the second and third goals, scoring the second and assisting on the third. The Wildcats were up 3-0 at halftime.

Head Coach Matt Spear’s thoughts:
“It was a big, big win because it was on the road against a team that had won their conference tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 in this past fall’s NCAA Tournament… We told the team that USC was of course to come out with a renewed vigor after halftime. But our guys responded well and killed the match off… Overall, it was a comfortable, confident win – and a confidence boost for sure.”

Wildcats open up Spring 2011 season with win over Eagles

By Thomas Zimmerman



The Davidson Men’s Soccer team began their Spring 2011 season with a much-anticipated match against USL PRO league team Charlotte Eagles on March 16. Davidson has strong ties with the Eagles as Coach/Recruiting Director Kevin O’Brien used to play for the team. Also, current assistant coaches Greg Dalby (player) and Ryan Souders (goalkeeper coach) are both members of the USL PRO club. The Wildcats and Eagles match up every spring in preparation for their upcoming seasons.

Sophomore midfielder Brian McGue put the Wildcats ahead in the 25th minute with a first-time shot that curled into the top left corner. The Eagles responded with a few chances but the boys stayed organized enough to keep the USL team at bay. For the second consecutive year the Wildcats owned a halftime lead over the Eagles.

The boys pushed on in the second half extending the lead to 2-0 on a corner kick from Peter Paras. Junior defender and captain Greg Macnamara got to the ball first and flicked on the short corner towards goal. The ball just barely crossed the goal line before an Eagles defender was able to clear it, but it went just far enough to put the Wildcats further ahead.

A late Charlotte Eagles goal caused for a tense final 10 minutes, but the boy’s fitness prevailed and the Wildcats held on for a 2-1 victory. This marks the first time Davidson has ever beaten the Eagles during Head Coach Matt Spear’s tenure. What a great way to kickoff the Spring 2011 season.

Starting 11

GK		Chip Sanders
D	Hunter Hayes	Greg Macnamara	Coleman O'Neill	Dennis Shannon
MF	Garrett Bostwick	Alex Givens	Brian McGue	Peter Paras
F		Thomas Zimmerman	Jake Keator

Contributing Substitutes
Andrew DiLallo, Chris Pettiglio, Nick Grube. 

Coach Kevin O’Brien’s thoughts about the game against his former team:
“It was a great display of collective defending and commitment to our tactical game plan…We frustrated a group of experienced and mature professionals by playing as a team and out working them in all honesty. There was not a player in our squad that held anything back…each guy exhausted himself for the greater good of the team. It was awesome to watch and an approach I hope we continue to emulate!”

Super Frosh
Freshman defender Coleman “The Hatchet Man” O’Neill got his first college career start for the Wildcats. He played all 90 minutes at center back and threw in several solid tackles throughout. Congrats to the young gun.

Goals (Assists)
· 25’ Brian McGue (Jake Keator)
· 60’ Greg Macnamara (Peter Paras)

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome

By Thomas Zimmerman

Thomas Zimmerman in action last season in the SoCon semifinals against Furman

Welcome all Davidson College students, alumni, family members, faculty, staff, friends, and all others who share an appreciation for Davidson Men’s Soccer! My name is Thomas Zimmerman and I’m currently a junior forward on this year’s team. Off the field, I work with Coach Matt Spear and Coach Kevin O’Brien in my work-study job helping them out as best I can. During the season that included cutting film, creating highlights, locker room maintenance and any other miscellaneous tasks they had for me.

Recently, I approached the coaches with the idea of creating an official online blog for our team. Fortunately, I found out that we already have space for a blog on the Davidson Wildcats website that had been used by past players who shared their experiences. For now, this will be plenty the room to accomplish what I had in mind.

You may ask why? Well, knowing that we have so many great alumni and close followers of current players I thought it’d be great way to get a closer and more “behind the scenes” look at our team. A different perspective than maybe you get through the website.

In the future, I want to include player interviews, spring game reports/analysis, any accomplishments off the field by our guys, and anything else interesting that comes up within the team.

The direct link to the blog is: http://blog.davidsonwildcats.com/search/label/Men%27s%20Soccer (Bookmark it!)

Otherwise, it can be accessed through the men’s soccer page on DavidsonWildcats.com “Multimedia” on the right-hand column under “Blog.”

If you have any comments, suggestions, or any other feedback you can send them in below or contact Mark Brumbaugh in our sports information office at mabrumbaugh@davidson.edu.

Thank you for the support! And stay tuned for upcoming reports on the Charlotte Eagles and South Carolina spring games.

Back in Davidson

By Yannick Pilgrim

• Photo Gallery

Back at Davidson. My plane touched down in Charlotte around 2:00 am on Friday the 7th. Even though I was coming back to the familiar, I was nervous. Maybe it was because I was excited to see my friends, teammates and other Davidson randoms who brighten my day, or maybe it was because a wonderful semester abroad had finally come to an end. Costa Rica had really become a home to me and leaving beautiful Central America was almost as hard as leaving my beloved Trinidad on my first trip to the US.

My last day in Costa Rica was an emotional one. My host family had problems of their own but still managed to keep it together in order to give me a very special dinner and farewell. Their kindness and unselfish ways were part of the reason I really enjoyed my time in Costa Rica. Not only did this family open their house to me but they let me into their home. From babysitting my host brothers to occasionally cooking dinner, I always felt like I was actually a member of their family. They introduced me to nearly all of their relatives and went above and beyond in terms of hospitality. If I had to suggest one thing to someone going abroad it would be to form a bond with your host family. Have conversations with them, surprise them from time to time with small gifts, and treat them as if they were your real parents or real siblings.

Before I stepped on the bus to leave the town of Puntarenas my host family stopped me. My host mom put her hand in mine and gave me a key. My host dad then explained that it was the key to the front door of the house. They said that I could return to Puntarenas anytime I wanted and would have a place to stay at their house. Back in my soft days I would have cried, but now hard and experienced, I just looked up to the sky and avoided the tears from leaking out. This exchange was truly symbolic of the relationship I formed with this family. To be honest I cannot picture my future without seeing them again.

My trip to Costa Rica has afforded me the opportunity to take a step outside of my hectic life in the States and recognize the more important things and the things about myself that I need to change. Sometimes we are too busy to actually think, and living what the Costa Ricans call ‘pura vida’ for the last four months has allowed me to approach obstacles in a very calm way. I feel rejuvenated and ready to take on my senior year at Davidson. I formed some great bonds in Costa Rica and I know that my friends there will be awaiting news from me in the future. The thought that a group of people cares for you is enough to produce a motivation within that inspires one to live a life that revolves around making these people proud to be associated with you. Knowing that someone stands with you through the good and bad inspires you to live for the good. “Para siempre” I will remember this far away family and “para siempre” I will carry with me the lessons learnt on our journey together these last four months ... “Gracias por todo,” and thank you Davidson for giving me the opportunity to experience this eventful semester abroad.

Adeu Barcelona!

By Josh Zipin

Hello Davidson family. My semester in Barcelona is coming to a close and this will be my final blog entry as I will be flying out back to the US of A this Thursday. The semester has flown by and I can’t believe my time is up here.

The last month has been very full with visits from Wildcat star athletes and friends from home. Showing friends the city has really allowed me to get to know the city much better. At the beginning of the semester I felt a little bit lost, not knowing how to get to places, especially with any kind of punctuality. But I’ve evolved into a real tour guide here, with walking and metro routes of the city that I’m comfortable with. It’s different than Davidson or my hometown of Silver Spring, Maryland, because I go so many places by foot so often. I feel almost as if I know my way around this city better than either American ones.

The weather has been incredible here for the last month, and one of my favorite activities during that time has been playing ping pong outside in the Ciutadella park. It’s a huge park, but in the corner of one of its many entrances there are 6 outdoor tables lined up. It has actually been a great way to meet local Catalans, just by goofing around and playing small, very informal tournaments. Small things like ping pong helped me feel much more connected to the city and its people.

It is a bit bittersweet because I feel so comfortable here now, but I am so excited to get home and get back to Davidson. I’ve developed a genuine affection for everything Barcelona, and it is almost like I am a real citizen now. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to study abroad, and especially choosing to study here. My Spanish has reached a level of fluency I did not anticipate reaching and I have become much more independent here. I’ve also experienced some completely new cultures, and of course, been privileged to be inundated in a soccer-crazy environment, home to the best team in the world, FC Barcelona.

I just finished my last exam of the semester, and am now officially a Davidson senior. That is really weird to think about. My flight is scheduled for Thursday morning but knowing this city, there are probably a few twists and turns left for me before I leave. It’s been great connecting with people at home through this blog and I hope everyone has enjoyed it as much as I have. Make sure to catch the Barca Champions League game today! Visc a Barca y Visc a Catalunya!

Adeu.

-Josh

Nicaraguan Adventure

By Yannick Pilgrim

• Photo Gallery

Hola Amigos,

Life is good over here in Costa Rica. In fact it rained yesterday for only the third time since I’ve been here. The temperature is still easily 95 degrees and higher on a daily basis, and I’ve gotten used to waking up in my own sweat. If the ocean was not so close, I probably would be going crazy right now. Well enough with the weather update; I have much to tell since my last blog entry.

Studying abroad is an experience, and anyone who has done it can tell you that some days are harder than others. With the travel and exploration of a foreign country comes certain risks, and for me, I learned a painful lesson crossing the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Let me first say that I have nothing against Nicaragua as a country. In fact it is a beautiful place with remarkable geography and an interesting culture. The problems I experienced in Nicaragua were limited to the border crossing.

The people that know me well can tell you that I am the kind of person who loves to do stuff on their own. Despite the warnings from my host parents, I decided to head to Nicaragua by myself for four days. I did sufficient research and planned my trip accordingly. I also spoke to some students on my program that had gone to Nicaragua in February in order to have an idea of what to expect at the border. From Puntarenas it took me 5 hours by bus to get to the border at Penas Blancas. The Costa Rican officials handled my paper work quickly and things were moving along faster than I expected.

After being done with customs in Costa Rica, I had to walk about 100 meters to a gate that was the crossover point for both countries. When I entered Nicaragua I felt a difference in the atmosphere. People were shoving customs papers in my face, asking if I needed a guide or a taxi, and telling me that if I didn’t have either, I would find myself in some trouble. I guess it was a moment in my time abroad where I really felt like an outsider. I had grown so accustomed to the “tranquila” life in Costa Rica. After breaking through the barrage of hustlers, I had to deal with a different problem. I have always heard of corruption on the border, but now I can say that I was a victim of it. The corruption practiced by police officers and custom officials at the border has become so common place that they can now do it in plain sight. I had a minor physical encounter with the border authorities who requested that I pay extra money to get into Nicaragua. They also told me I was not allowed to speak to anyone besides them. My Spanish deteriorated as my anger increased, making the situation even worse. I was outnumbered and with the law on their side I had no choice but to pay the price.

It was a tough lesson to learn and I really did not plan on using a blog entry to talk about the problems I had crossing the border. But I figure that while studying abroad a person is going to experience good and bad. Hopefully if you were planning on crossing the border to Nicaragua soon, this testimony can be of some assistance. I am doing fine now and have long since moved on from the incident. In fact, while in Nicaragua I spent time in San Juan del Sur, a beautiful beach town about 1 hour from the Penas Blancas border. While there I visited Playa Madera, a secluded beach great for surfing. It was a bit hard to find, but after hitchhiking a ride on the back of a tractor I finally found it.

I spent two days in San Juan del Sur and then I went on to Isla de Ometepe. Nicaragua has one of the biggest freshwater lakes in the world. Isla de Ometepe is also a world phenomenon, being one of the largest fresh water islands on the planet. But what makes this place so impressive are the two volcanoes located on either side of the island. I have grown very fascinated with volcanoes during my time here in Central America. They truly are magical to say the least. Beautiful yet dangerous. On the island I rented a dirt bike and went on one of the most fun adventures of my life. I stopped to see waterfalls, crystal clear streams, and to let cows cross the road. Everyone there was really friendly and was always interested in where I was from. A guy there was also kind enough to tell me that my name was a woman’s name in Nicaragua and I should change my name to Geoffrey for the duration of my stay. What a nice guy…

My Nicaraguan adventure. I must say my time at San Juan del Sur and Isla de Ometepe sure did make up for the trouble I had on the border. The thing is I had to cross it to go back. I’ll save you the details and just say that my exit was no greater than my entrance.

I am enjoying my time here in Costa Rica but I would be lying if I said that I was not missing my team and playing for Davidson. I get to play soccer here almost every day but it’s not the same. For the most part I miss the organization and scoring countless goals on Chip during practice. Too easy…

Until the next time…

PuRa vIdA

Touring and Tour Guiding

By Josh Zipin

• Photo Gallery

It’s been too long since I checked in last, and I’d like to say I’m sorry, but it’s not like I’ve been sitting at home doing nothing. Since the last time I wrote I’ve been real busy, including taking trips to Paris, Spain’s Costa Brava, and the South of Spain with my parents for my spring break. I’ve also been lucky enough to play host to some Davidson friends in Barcelona.

Paris was an exciting trip that I made with two of my best friends from home who also study here in Barcelona. Other than getting food poisoning in transit (not pretty), the trip went smoothly and we experienced what Paris is all about: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and the Mona Lisa, the Orsay Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomph, and of course, crepes.

We spent roughly the first ten minutes of our time at the Eiffel Tower looking for the perfect Heisman trophy pose on the Tower, but after a few puzzling looks, and of course, the perfect picture, we went to the top and got a view of the whole city. I felt like I was in a Google Maps screenshot with the view we had. We could see all of the other major destinations we were visiting from the top. We even picked out our hostel from the top. A few incredible art museum visits (I saw Van Gogh’s self-portrait and the Mona Lisa in two days!), an Arc de Triomph, Notre Dame Cathedral trip (to see the Hunchback of course), and roughly 3 banana and Nutella crepes later, we headed home to Catalunya.

For my spring break, I was lucky enough to spend about a week and a half with my parents. We spent the first couple days in Barcelona as I led them around and saw some things I’d been waiting to see and experience, including the Picasso museum, Montjuic, and Barcelona’s best restaurants. We were even able to go to a Catalan seder for Passover here, which was quite an experience. I was also lucky enough to have my parents over to my host family’s house for lunch. My host mom cooked for my real mom and asked her quite seriously how she was able to feed me at home. I had to do a good deal of translating as I was the person at the table with the best knowledge of both English and Spanish. It was great to introduce my family for the last few months to my blood family and vice versa.

After our time in Barca, we headed to the South for sunny beaches and the freshest paella. We spent time in Malaga, Granada, Nerja, and Cordoba. While some people might think that spending a week and a half alone with their parents would be nothing short of the most boring time ever, I realized that I actually really enjoy spending time and travelling with my parents. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen them since January, but it was great fun teasing my Mom and catching an FC Barcelona basketball game with my dad, among other fun excursions. The weather in the South was perfect and actually reminded me of what it is probably like in Davidson right now.

I have less than a month left here in Barcelona but it still feels like I just got here. I feel like I really know the city well and it’s almost like I’m a real Barcelona citizen now (minus the mastery of the Catalan language). I realized how comfortable I am with the city and getting places when I’ve had people visiting. About three weeks ago I had my first long visit from friends. Wildcat field hockey stars Courtney Tobe and Ellie Syzkowny came and stayed the weekend here. Besides seeing the local sights including the famed Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell by renowned architect Antoni Gaudi, I showed them some of my favorite food and night spots. I also showed off some of my much improved Spanish and cultural knowledge by steering them clear of the petty thieves and teaching them the tricks of living in Barcelona (watch your purses closely ladies!). It was an epic visit and it felt surreal to spend time with people I’ve known so well for three years, albeit pretty much exclusively at Davidson, in Barcelona.

With my time left here I really want to get to the Barcelona aquarium as I hear it’s one of the best in the world, and of course I need to see another FC Barcelona game. Barca plays Arsenal in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, the competition that crowns the best club soccer team in Europe. The whole city is on pins and needles in anticipation and I’m still holding out a sliver of hope that I’ll be able to score a ticket somehow. I’m not done with travelling as I still have one free weekend, as well as a trip to Amsterdam planned. In addition, this weekend I’ll be welcoming volleyball stud, Anna Bradbury, another Wildcat superstar, to Barcelona. It should be another great time. I miss Davidson a lot, including my team, my friends, the weather, lake campus, and of course girls in sundresses. That’s all I got for now. Hope everyone is well and healthy in Davidson. Hasta luego!

-Josh

Estoy bien en Costa Rica

By Yannick Pilgrim


Hola Amigos,

Estoy bien en Costa Rica. I have so much to tell since my last entry.

It is unbelievably cheap to travel around Costa Rica. They have a really efficient bus system that I take full advantage of on the weekends. I usually travel around in a small group with about two other girls, one from North Carolina and one from New Zealand. Our program only has about ten guys to the forty girls, so the men of the group usually have to do some bodyguard work. Our first major trip together was to a place called La Fortuna. This town has a very interesting history and is one of the most visited sites in Costa Rica.

It is especially known for the active Arenal Volcano that dangerously looms over the town. We took a tour of this volcano and this tour included a visit to nearby hot springs, stops at breathtaking waterfalls, and a night tour in search of snakes and other nocturnal creatures common in La Fortuna. Our tour guide (a great guy who took us to play a pick-up game of soccer against him and his brothers) also told us the story of Arenal Volcano and I must say it was a bit sad and disturbing. The volcano got the name ‘Arenal’ because this was the name of the town it destroyed when it erupted. In the 1960’s, the people from this pueblo were caught off guard when what they thought was just a mountain ended erupting, and scorching vapor swept through their homes killing many and injuring dozens. For me, this story is disturbing because according to the guide, despite the rumblings from the ‘mountain’ and many suggestions from the elders of the community that this mountain was an actual volcano, the authorities and the scientists assured the residents of Arenal that there was nothing to concerned about and it was simply a mountain. Now a lake covers the remains of this pueblo. The steeple from the church can still be seen protruding from beneath its watery grave.

Currently I am enrolled in a Latin American Field Studies class in which we have many field trips to different parts of the country. One thing for me that really stands out about Costa Rica is its natural beauty. A lot of the care that goes into taking care of the environment in Costa Rica stems from the Costa Rican’s reliance on nature’s products. They are a major exporter of pineapple and coffee. Even though they can never rival the quantity of coffee produced in places like Brazil and Colombia, the quality of Costa Rican coffee is in a class of its own. We visited the mountainous town of San Ramon where coffee and sugar cane dominate the hillsides, a true representation of the success of these industries in Costa Rica. Also with this class we had an excursion to a fishing community called Costa de Pajaros. The people of this town are very humble and have a remarkable relationship with the mangroves that border their community. Speaking with one of the fisherman it was clear that he understood and respected the laws regarding fishing and preservation of the mangroves. ‘We need these mangroves’ he told me, “Without them there is no fish and no fish means no food and money.”

Even though I spend a lot of time learning about Costa Rica I find some time to have fun here and there. It is out of respect for those of you who struggled with a cold winter that I do not mention my surfing trips, 90 degree weather, and trips to sandy secluded beaches. I mean I don’t want anyone to feel jealous or anything. With that said I must mention my highlight for the month of March. I was in San Jose this past weekend and stayed at a guest house for two nights. The family who runs the guesthouse was very “agradable” and showed extreme hospitality. On my last day there, I went to thank the lady of the house for everything she had done for us that weekend. She ended up trapping me in a conversation that turned out to have a pleasant surprise at the end. It turns out that her husband is the head coach of the Costa Rican National Team. She introduced me to him and I had the pleasure of chatting with him for a while. He is quite a remarkable man with loads of coaching experience, from being the Assistant Coach for Nigeria during the France 1998 World Cup to now being the head coach of La Seleccion de Costa Rica. He gave me a book he wrote and was kind enough to autograph it. It’s crazy how things work out over here, but stuff like this happens to me all the time in Costa Rica.

We’ll see what adventures lay ahead.

PuRa vIdA

Yannick

Davidson Sports Blog Episode 2

By Josh Zipin

• Photo Gallery

What’s good Davidson family? I haven’t checked in for about two or three weeks, but they’ve been packed with travelling, some “futbol,” new cultural experiences and of course a little school here and there. The last two weekends have been my first two weekends travelling outside of Barcelona and they have both been fantastic. Last weekend I went to Andorra with four other friends and skied in the Pyrenees, and as I write this, I’m finishing up a trip to Bilbao in Basque Country, the North of Spain.

The weekend in Andorra was definitely the best skiing experience I’ve ever had. Four of my friends from Barcelona and I took a bus from Sants Estacio to Andorra, one of the smallest nations in the world, sandwiched between Spain and France. We rented a small apartment for the weekend and we had an amazing view of the Andorran valley in between some enormous mountains.

Unlike ski resorts I’ve been to previously, skiing in the Pyrenees means skiing multiple mountains and sometimes deviating from the obvious slope. To quote Robert Frost (wutup Mo), “I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”. The slopes, especially for very advanced skiers and snowboarders, were more of a suggestion or push in the right direction (towards the bottom). We blazed our own path to the bottom a couple of times and those were the most exciting runs - weaving between trees, slow skiers, and a few moguls. The snow was actual powder instead of human-produced, and made for really smooth skiing.

Euskadi, or Basque Country, was a great trip this weekend too. We started in San Sebastian, and learned about the local cuisine there, called Pintxos (pronounced “peent-chose”). They are little one or two bite dishes, usually put on top of a thin slice of bread. We went to a local cooking school and learned how a few were made, and then we actually got to eat some. It reminded me of a special day in Commons where you walk around and get lots of little things on your plate to try.

We also visited the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. The architecture was amazing and some of the exhibits inside were unbelievable with names like Van Gogh, Picasso, and Jackson Pollock popping up more than once. I learned a little bit of Basque, the historically-forbidden language they speak there. It was really interesting to see locals’ reactions when we said something to them in Basque. They were so much more excited than when we used Spanish.

As for what’s going on in Barcelona, I’ve just started doing yoga classes at my local gym—in Spanish. It’s a bit of challenge, both physically and linguistically. I have to sometimes stop and look around to see what pose we’re doing to make sure I’m not the only one looking awkward. I also recently toured Camp Nou (FC Barcelona’s stadium) and the 1992 Olympic museum and stadium. I also went to a flamenco show with one of my host brothers which was pretty different from any dancing I’d seen.

I’ve also started playing futbol with a new group of guys. It’s a very interesting group of players, with some former semi-pro guys, some scrubs, and a host of geographic diversity. Sometimes I’m not sure what language to speak on the field because there are guys from Ireland, Scottland, England, Ivory Coast, Germany, Sweden, and of course Spain. In addition to my Spanish class, I’m learning Catalan, the local language spoken by natives of Barcelona and Catalunya, so sometimes I speak to the Spanish guys using that.

As for the immediate future, I have a midterm on Thursday next week, and then immediately I fly to Paris for the weekend. The weekend after that I’m heading to Costa Brava. Should be a good time. Hasta luego!

-Josh

96 Degrees in The Shade: Pura Vida en Costa Rica

By Yannick Pilgrim


My name is Yannick Pilgrim. I am a third year English major from Trinidad and Tobago and a member of the Davidson Men’s Soccer team. I am currently spending my spring semester in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. I chose this location because the size of the town seemed ideal for meeting and interacting with locals. The town is about ten miles long and no house is further than a three minute walk from the ocean. Despite being one of the poorest provinces in Costa Rica, the people of Puntarenas are very welcoming, and after only three weeks, I have become well acquainted with many of the locals. Coming from a small island in the Caribbean, their lifestyle was a bit similar to what I was used to back at home in Trinidad.

I am really focusing on improving my Spanish while I am here. I am currently taking four Spanish courses which include composition courses as well as a conversation course. I am also enrolled in a Latin American Cultures Class, a field studies class. However, my favorite class has to be my dance class. I figured that while I’m here I might as well immerse myself as deep as I can into the Latin American culture. Besides, it is a nice workout as well.

When I first met my host family, I felt a genuine connection to them. My host mom is a 32-year-old psychologist and my host dad is a 30-year-old elementary school teacher by day and a DJ by night. I have two host brothers aged six and three. The set up of my host family was perfect for me because their family structure mirrored that of my actual family back at home. At times when I see them interacting with each other it is like looking at and old photograph of my own family.

What made my living arrangements even better was the fact that my host Dad was an avid football fan. When I told him that I play soccer in college the expression on his face was that of a man who had just won the lottery. Every afternoon he takes me to the beach to find “un mejengon” (a pickup game). The guys I kick around with are maybe two or three years older than me. Most are good enough to play professionally, but each has their reasons for not making the most of their sporting potential. Some say that they have families to take care of, while others say that they just want to be ‘”fiesteros” (party boys). This made me realize that being a professional requires a truly different lifestyle and having skill is only half the battle.

My host dad also took me to see the local club team play these past two Sundays. This team, Puntarenas F.C. was the runner up in the Costa Rican Championship last year. The team resembles Arsenal F.C. in England because it is a young team with explosive attacking abilities. After watching two games I was attracted to their style of play, which is fast paced and very characteristic of Central and South American futbol. They play in pretty decent stadium located in the center of town. It seats about 5000 people. The fans here are passionately crazy about their team and turn the Puntarenas stadium into hell for the referees and opposing team players. After the Tiburones 1-0 defeat this past Sunday to the reigning champs, Liberia, the referees were bombarded with rocks and had to be escorted by the police out of the stadium.

All in all, it has been a great time here so far in Costa Rica. It’s been filled with interesting soccer experiences and great adventures. I’ll keep you posted.

Pura Vida.

Studying Abroad in Barcelona

By Josh Zipin


Whatsup Cats! My name is Josh Zipin and I’m a junior on the men’s soccer team at Davidson. I’m currently lucky enough to be studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain and I’m having a great time. I’m here studying through a program called IES Abroad, and I’m taking classes right in the heart of Barcelona at Plaza (pronounced Plah-Tha) Catalunya.

I’m living with a host family in a neighborhood called Gracia. One of my Davidson classmates, Mike Foglia, actually stayed with them last semester, pure coincidence. The host family is amazing, with one mom, and two sons, ages 19 and 23. I’m right in the middle so I get to hang out with both of them. She cooks for us every night, but I don’t think it’s necessarily Coach Spear approved, with a lot of fried food served and a noticeable lack of green vegetables.

When I was choosing where I wanted to study abroad, I knew I wanted to use the Spanish I’d already learned at Davidson and go to a Spanish-speaking country. Being a soccer player, naturally, I wanted to go somewhere with a great soccer culture as well. Barcelona has fit the description to a tee and I’ve already improved my Spanish immensely and experienced what it means to be a “futbol” (never say soccer!) fan in Barcelona.

If you live in Barcelona, you are an FC Barcelona fan. There is no wiggle room, and very few exceptions. The team has an immense worldwide following, but here in Catalunya, it borders on obsessive. During games, you can find most people at a bar or café with eyes glued to the screen, living and dying with every pass and shot.

This connection with the team goes deeper than just being a fan of the local side. For years, Catalunya has lobbied for its independence from Spain. FC Barcelona, as the team of Catalunya, has been an example of how the people feel. To be a fan of Barcelona is to be a patriot for Catalunya in a way. FC Barcelona’s motto is “Mes que un club,” or More than a club (in Catalan, the local language here).  The club acknowledges that their on-field product goes deeper than just entertainment and extends into the political realm.

I have to say, that living here has almost forced me into becoming an FC Barcelona fan. Being neutral is not an option and viewed with the same disdain as cheering for Barca’s opponents. I went and saw Barca play Getafe at Camp Nou, Barca’s home stadium, and a kind of mecca for fans. The game was wild, with Lionel Messi, the world’s best player, scoring and assisting on Barcelona’s goals, and two red cards for Barcelona. Tonight they play Athletico Madrid, and they are going to have to use one of their young players from the second team to fill in for the regulars that are out due to suspension. It should be pretty exciting.

Okay, well that’s all I got for now. Hope everyone is doing well in D-town and I’ll blog again soon. 

Picking Up the Momentum

By Robert O'Donnell
Columbus, Ohio


Hey, it is Rob O’Donnell checking back in. A lot has changed since my last post: the dynamic of the democratic primary as well as my geographic location.

Since my last post, I have been in Richmond, Va., Chevy Chase, Md., and now Columbus, Ohio. As you all, hopefully, know by now, Senator Obama swept the Potomac Primary by a resounding margin in all three states.

I was based out of Richmond, Va., at our campaign headquarters working in our communications department. I set up conference calls with reporters, booked national surrogates, such as Master P, Susan Rice, Tom Daschelle, Chris Tucker, and Edward Norton, on the local Virginia radio stations, and even booked Senator Obama on a few radio stations throughout the D.C. metro area. It was a great opportunity to expand my understanding of how a campaign is run, aside from working in the field.

Since Virginia, I traveled home for two days so that I could get my cast taken off my left wrist from an injury sustained this past fall in soccer. I then traveled to Columbus, Ohio, where I am currently working as a field organizer in downtown Columbus.

The people in Ohio have been great providing us with their time and commitment. We are developing an aggressive grassroots campaign as we head into the final, critical phase before the Ohio primary on March 4th. We were given a boost with the decisive victories in both Wisconsin in Hawaii, which make it 10 primary contests in a row where Senator Obama has been the victor.

Anyways, we feel very strongly that we can and will compete in Ohio to win the primary and potentially solidify our status as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. I hope things are well back at Davidson and I will make sure to check back in before the Ohio primary to give an update on how things are looking.

P.S. Here’s a picture of me with Senator Obama at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Richmond, Virginia. I was given the unbelievable opportunity to meet the Senator before he spoke to the crowd of 6,000 people. Senator Obama was engaging as well as impressive in person, and he personally thanked me for working on the campaign, which definitely was the highlight of my night!

Super Tuesday, The Aftermath

By Robert O'Donnell

Richmond, Va.

Hey, it’s Rob O’Donnell checking in from Richmond at the Virginia for Obama campaign headquarters. I’d quickly like to give a shout out to Christian Hambleton who due to injury will no longer be able to play soccer for the Wildcats. Christian has helped lead the Cats on and off the field, he has represented Davidson with courage and conviction, and most importantly he has been a trusted and loyal friend. He will be missed, and I would personally like to say, on behalf of Davidson Soccer and the entire student body, thank you for your dedication and hard work over the past two years.

As for the Democratic presidential primary, today marks the first day after Super Tuesday where 22 states voted on who would be the Democratic nominee. Senator Obama won 14 of the 22 states, while Senator Clinton won only 8. The delegates won by each candidate were much closer however, with Senator Obama narrowly edging out Senator Clinton. The focus of the Democratic primary will now turn to the February 9th caucuses and the Feb. 12th primaries.

Virginia, where I am stationed out of, has its primary on February 12th when the Chesapeake states: VA, D.C., and MD all cast their ballots. There is no word on what polling data looks like for the region, but we have a very strong grassroots base here in the commonwealth. We have hosted organizational meetings for supporters across the state, and we are planning an extremely aggressive grassroots campaign.

I’m working in the press office helping to coordinate surrogate visits as well as deal with the media in Virginia. It’s been a great opportunity to broaden my understanding of how a campaign works outside of the field aspect of it. I'm finally getting used to consistently being on the road, but the hours are still long. Anyways, now that the spotlight is on us, it is time to get back to work. I’ll check in at a later date. Hope things are well at school.
-Rob O’Donnell

Sweet Victory

By Robert O'Donnell

Charleston, S.C.


Hey, it’s Robert O’Donnell checking back in. Sorry it’s been over a week since my last post, but I’ve been on the road for the last few days. But first I’ll address Senator Obama’s decisive 28-point victory in the Palmetto State, South Carolina.

The last few days before the election were extremely long days filled with a lot of back and forth between both the Clinton and Obama campaigns. There was a heated debate where all three candidates claimed to be the victor following it, and all three candidates spent significant time campaigning throughout South Carolina. But in the end, our superior field organization and message carried the day to one of the most historic victories in South Carolina history.

It was an incredible day where all the planning and preparation we had put into recruiting volunteers, opening up offices, and reaching out to communities came together in one seamless Get Out The Vote operation. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Barack supporters flooded to the polls, breaking turnout records. Senator Obama received more votes than people who actually voted in the Democratic primary in 2004. He even beat John McCain who won the Republican primary in vote totals by over 100,000 in a state that is historically Republican leaning.

The entire staff was overjoyed when the called the election at 7 p.m. when the polls closed. We all gathered together at a local restaurant to celebrate the victory. Anyways, I have just arrived in Richmond, Virginia to work on the February 12th primary. We have a lot of work to do, but we are extremely excited about the opportunity to work here in Richmond and the surrounding areas. However, it is now time to get some rest, I’ll check back in later in the week to give you a feel of how we are doing in Virginia.
-Rob O’Donnell

Gearing up for South Carolina

By Robert O'Donnell

Charleston, S.C.


I'm Robert O'Donnell from Chevy Chase, Md. Over the last three weeks I've been an intern and, more recently, part of the field staff for the Obama for America campaign.

I started my internship in Manchester, N. H., a few days after Christmas. I came to New Hampshire with the intentions of returning to school this Spring, but I admittedly got the campaign bug and decided to stay on through the Democratic primary process.

In New Hampshire, I focused on the GOTV (get out the vote) effort in the headquarters at Manchester. I called thousands of people, knocked on hundreds of doors in preparation for the primary Day on the 8th. A few days after I had arrived, Senator Obama had a huge victory in the Iowa caucus. We felt good about our chances going into the New Hampshire primary where we had battled back from a 20 point deficit in just over a month a half.

On primary day, I ran a staging location in a small town outside of Manchester called Francestown. We set up phone banks, put up signs, and urged people to Get Out the Vote. However, victory was not to be our’s; we lost by a slim margin of only two percent of the total electorate. What was more astounding was that New Hampshire broke the record for the number of voters in the Democratic primary.

Following the tough loss, much of the staff regrouped and caravanned nearly 20 hours down to South Carolina to help bolster our ranks for the January 26th primary. The South Carolina primary will be a pivotal moment in the primary and could even be a defining moment in the campaign.

We have spent the last couple days getting our bearings, and I have spent time being trained as a field organizer. I'm working out of Charleston as we move towards primary day, and the campaign’s spirits are high.

I'll have more to report on South Carolina in my next post, and I'll make sure to spice things up a bit in regards to stories about New Hampshire voters and the Southern hospitality down south, including a story about a flat tire and a toll booth debacle. Anyways, I need to get some sleep, I'll be up in five hours.
-Rob O'Donnell