The SAAVI Blog
SAAVI/AAABVI Sponsor Goalball Enrichment Weekend
January 16th-18th, 2009
Salt Lake City, Utah
By: The SAAVI Goalball Team
Sections: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
Friday January 16th, 2009
10:00 A.M. - It starts out as another Sunny Day in Tucson. We are all very excited about getting up to Utah to play some Goalball. We have been training for months now and it's time to show what we have learned. One thing is for sure, we are not looking forward to the packed flights and cold weather in Utah.
5:00 P.M. - We have finally retrieved our bags and are getting into the taxi. The hotel is about a 20 minute drive depending on traffic.
6:30 P.M. - We got checked in, threw our bags down and collapsed on the bed. I forgot for a second how much traveling wears you down. After debating for a half hour on what to do for dinner, we decided to wander down the street to find some place to eat. Although we set out to find some Mexican food, the weather forced us to settle on Denny's just about a two minute walk from the hotel.
10;30 P.M. - Everyone is full from dinner. We have spent the last three hours watching Basketball on TV. It's almost time to hit the sack, so everyone is calling home to say good night. Note: Avoid Brownish, Yellowish, Reddish Iced Tea at Denny's.
Saturday January 17th, 2009
6:30 A.M. - This is probably the most annoying wake up phone call of any hotel in the world! DING DING DING DING! Anyway, time to get up and get ready. We got our stuff together and got most of our gear on. Two of the three of us decided to head out to breakfast. Tanner, decided to hang back and sleep a little longer. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the closest place, DENNY'S!
9:30 A.M. - We have arrived at the gym and are ready to start playing some Goalball. From the looks of it, there are about 15-20 players here. It looks like it will be a great day, there are some newcomers to the sport and we have some Goalball players from the Paralympics here to help with some coaching.
12:30 P.M. - Lunch Time! We have been playing all morning and have had a great time. It is a great thing being able to play Goalball and interact with other peers at the same time. Our guys have held their own and have been scoring quite a few goals. We have even had a chance to play some of the Paralympic players who of course showed us how it's really done! Pizza for lunch, and not just any pizza, THE BEST PIZZA IN UTAH! THE PIE PIZZERIA!
5:30 P.M. - We have finally finished our long day of Goalball. Our guys gained some valuable experience and were able to interact and play with other athletes on their level as well as those at a higher level. We received many compliments by many of the players from both California and Utah. Time to hobble back to the hotel and shower.
8:30 P.M. - Oy! How sore can one be??? Well, we are back at the hotel. Unfortunately, we are all sore, hobbled and scratched up, yep that's Goalball. We grabbed a quick bite at Mickey D's and ran back to the hotel room in the sub-freezing weather. We are now watching the Terminator. It feels like we were terminated, my knee is killing me! Good Night...
Sunday January 18th, 2009
7:30 A.M. - Wow, that was a great sleep. Time to throw our stuff in our bags and stumble to the airport. Man, we are hungry!
9:00 A.M. - We are grabbing some icky instant breakfast and headed to the gate for our flight. We are supposed to get back into Tucson around 1:30 P.M.
2:15 P.M. - Finally Home! That was a fun trip, time to get some lunch and rest up. Take Care!
A special thanks to SAAVI & AAABVI for their support!