I’ve always wanted to go to Italy, and the Spring Break trip with the Rugby Team let me do that.
It all started in the Philadelphia Airport, all 33 players in matching sweatsuits, and plenty of parents checking baggage and preparing to board the plane.
The first plane was a flight to Miami from Philadelphia, about a two-and-a-half hour flight, or a good nap if you are me. After a relatively short layover in Miami and some oversized pizza slices, we prepared to do the same thing again boarding our flight to Milan, Italy. Except this flight was over nine hours, three times longer than the first one.
You know, I never really understood all the stand up jokes about airline food, but after that flight I do. I’m no pasta expert, but I can guarantee it is not supposed to be crunchy, and the salad was just a piece of lettuce and a tomato—think a burger minus the meat and bun. But hey, at least they had in-flight movies to keep me occupied for the flight.
After what felt like three years, the plane landed in Milan and we gathered our bags and boarded our coach bus to Parma. After a long drive and questionable lunch, we arrived at our hotel and were given our room keys to quickly unpack before our first practice. The first practice was rough as we were all jet lagged and running on about three hours of sleep each, but we survived
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]So while we may not have won either game (or even scored) that doesn’t mean the trip wasn’t a success and a tremendous amount of fun. We discovered how to improve as a team and came closer as we traveled a foreign country with minimum sleep. [/perfectpullquote]
After our workout with the foreign coaches, we gifted them Malvern Prep t-shirts, an international tradition. We then went on to have more practices in preparation for our first game in Italy. After the game, we all traded clothes with the other team and had a great meal with them, another rugby tradition.
We finished our time in Parma and then went to Florence. Florence was the place where we really were able to travel the city and go to restaurants and such. We would practice, and then were able to explore the city in the afternoon into the night. We were also able to do plenty of sightseeing, from bike tours to climbing to the top of the Duomo’s dome. Seeing the city from that high is something I can’t even put into words—it was a great sight.
Our time in Florence came to an end when we prepared to face one of the best teams in all of Italy, and they showed us why. Let’s just say the score was a lot to not as much, and leave it there, okay? It was the muddiest game I have ever played in in any sport. I still don’t think I’ve cleaned it all off me yet. Again after the game we traded clothes and gear, and sat with them for a great meal.
When we finished our days in Florence, we boarded our nifty bus again and began our journey to Rome, where all the cool kids go when they visit Italy. But before Rome, we visited Pisa for a while and got to see the tower. There were all these signs saying that Pisa is more than the tower, but after visiting the city and being charged two dollars to use the bathroom, I can tell you for certain that it really is just a tower.
Rome was similar to Florence in that we fit in sightseeing at amazing locations like the Coliseum between practices and workouts. History teacher Mr. Tom McGuire’s presence on this trip was very helpful, as he would explain the history behind every monument and make it much more meaningful to see these sights in person.
On the last day in Rome, we held an open practice and scrimmage with another very talented team. We didn’t have a washing machine to wash our uniforms, so many of us were playing in muddy, wet, and all-in-all crusty jerseys and shorts that were as uncomfortable as they sound. We had our last meal with the team after the scrimmage and the next day prepared to return home.
We lucked out that our flight from Rome went directly home to Philadelphia, no connecting flight. But we did not luck out in that our flight was delayed almost three hours because of “technical issues” and our trip home was almost 15 hours. This time, I learned my lesson from the first flight and decided to pass on the whole airline food thing.
After what felt like 30 years, the team returned home and got off the flight. But honestly I don’t know what was longer, the Italy trip, flights included and all, or waiting for my baggage to come to me in customs.
After I finally got my bags and returned home, I crashed all day Sunday ready to start the grind again Monday, after an amazing experience with my rugby teammates.
So while we may not have won either game (or even scored) that doesn’t mean the trip wasn’t a success and a tremendous amount of fun. We discovered how to improve as a team and came closer as we traveled a foreign country with minimum sleep. So even though I arrived home with muddy clothes and more bruises than I can count, I wouldn’t trade those experiences I had for the world.
