The Wofford men's basketball team left Spartanburg on Saturday, August 21 for a trip to Brazil. During the trip, the team will play five games and take in plenty of sights before returning on August 30. While on the road, senior forward Tim Johnson will be sending back his thoughts on the trip. Be sure to check back often to see how the Terriers are doing.
August 30, 2010
Yesterday, my fellow Terrier teammate Matt Steelman found out the hard way that he was allergic to horses. Horse rides were offered to the team but only a few brave souls agreed to ride. Thus, Matt Steelman, Coach Young, Coach Nichols, and a few others went on a hour long trek through the countryside with all returning safely. However, upon return, my teammate Matt's eyes and nose were as red as cherries. Coach Nichols made the comment, "he sneezed so many times, after a while, people just stopped saying 'bless you'." I must admit, I laughed at the sight of this. I can just imagine Matt starting to feel a tingle in his nose about 30 minutes through the trip before realizing he was allergic. In addition, the only way back was on the back of the horse who got him there. However, of course, there is a moral to this story. You see, Matt's ride on the horse exemplifies what it means to be a Terrier. Matt hopped aboard that great dame and he had a destination. No one said the destination would be easy to reach, but as a group of Terriers, there is no doubt in my head that all who began the trip had the fortitude to see it through. It would have been easy for Matt to hop off of the dame as the ride got rough and uncomfortable, but you see, Matt Steelman is a true Wofford Terrier. Matt Steelman will not quit in the face of adversity and when the road gets tough, Matt will prevail. Many would have hopped off of the horse and probably complained about returning to where and when they were in a time of comfort, but not Matt Steelman. Matt gave a few orders in Portuguese to the horse (accompanied by a bit of sneezing) and kept going. Matt Steelman finished the job. I constantly hear Coach Young in my head saying, "it's not going to be easy, fellas!" and for Matt it was not. Although Matt returned with red eyes and a stuffy nose, I bet you Matt Steelman can tell you exactly what the countryside of Sao Carlos looks like. That's just what kind of guy he is. That is just what it means to be a Terrier. WE PREVAIL!
Our Brazilian trip comes to an end today and I can honestly say I am going to miss this place. I will miss the people, the sights, the sounds, and even listening to everyone speak Portuguese while trying my best to listen for a key word out of my 15-word Portuguese vocabulary that could serve as a clue to the general topic. I will also miss conveying my thoughts and feelings to the Wofford community through this blog. It has been a tremendous experience to take along each of you readers through our Brazil experience and I must say thank you to all of you who have sent your positive regards to myself and the Wofford Terriers pertaining this blog and our trip. It has been a pleasure to be the voice of the Terriers and the connection to many Terrier families. All of this has been a truly humbling experience that I will not forget, ever. Through the responses to this blog, I am assured that the Terrier family extends outside of those on this trip in Brazil. Thus, I would like to tell that Terrier family that we have represented you to the best of our ability while in Brazil and we are on our way home. Thank you, and it is only right that I say, "peace!".
August 27, 2010
Being a product of American culture has spoiled me very much. I am spoiled by the abundance of flat-panel TVs, smart phones and fast food restaurants, among other things. Here in Sao Carlos, I have yet to see a Brazilian with an I-Phone and each of our hotels have the basic box TVs that rarely even exist in American homes anymore. Initially, I thought such a drawback in technology would deem Brazil inhabitable for me and my spoiled American attitude. However, I was wrong. I am slowly falling in love with the culture down here, particularly in Sao Carlos. Seeing how Brazilians function with significantly fewer technological advances than that of American culture makes me wonder if we would be better off without it. The children here actually play outside! Everywhere you go you see children outside playing soccer and various other physical activities. I believe many American children, and some young adults like myself, would prefer staying inside playing a video game or watching the latest reality show. It seems as if the lack of technology in Brazil has created a more communal atmosphere and promoted a more active lifestyle for the youth. In addition, to show you how involved the members of the community have been in Sao Carlos, today we visited a summer school program and we were greeted by the mayor who was there waiting on us with the children. Besides the mayor, we also met a two-time soccer Olympian who worked at the school with the youth. She participated in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, a hero to the country, and yet, she was right there participating with the youth more comfortable than ever. I don't believe Sao Carlos needs our technological advances to succeed as they have done just fine without them, but I do believe we could learn a lot from Sao Carlos and there culture that could help us grow to have more cohesive communities.
We play again tonight against another tough professional opponent. Our spirits are high and we are very eager to play. Win , lose, or draw, coming to Brazil has been the ultimate W. We have learned and gained an appreciation for Brazilian culture as well as grown into a tighter unit. More so than winning games, the things we have gained here as a team are priceless. Winning would be a plus, but I think we have already received what we came to get on this trip and more. However, I must run. Time to suit up and go play the game I know and love. So until next time, peace!
August 26, 2010
The highlight of our trip to Brazil has not been the sights we have seen, nor has it been the excitement of leaving our country. Although the sites and sounds of Brazil have formed life-long memories for us that we will cherish for our lives, the Terriers have received something more important than that on this trip. The highlight of our Brazil trip has been the fact that various situations have called on the Terriers to become a closer family than we have ever been before. With no cell phones, no cars, and no one to count on but each other, we have become even closer than last year's SoCon championship team. The special circumstances of this trip could not have been created in the states and could not have come to the Terriers at a more appropriate time. With this year's schedule containing several challenging road games, the dogs will have to fight as the stronger pack we have become while in Brazil.
In last night's game, the Terriers received exactly what we needed from a gang of professional players; "a humbling experience." The game began close and we traded blows with the professional team and the score changed several times throughout the first quarter. However, in the second quarter, we found ourselves down 17 at one point. Once again, the Terriers were forced to pull together. We looked each other in the eye acknowledging the dog fight we had found ourselves in and for us, losing is never OK. Thus, we came out in the second half and we were Terriers. We found ourselves down 3 with 2 minutes to play. We had fought back, together.
We ended up losing the game by 5 but I would have to say, last night's loss will probably end up serving as one of the most valuable losses to the Terriers this season. It serves as a perfect wake up call that has awoken the pride and determination that carried us so far last year. We know these games do not count on our record, and that each game is the ultimate road game, but we fully expect to win our remaining 3 games. Last night we learned professionals are professionals for a reason and thus, winning out will not be easy. However, the Sao Carlos professional team we played last night will also tell you that the sleepy dogs are now awake and that a Terrier is nothing to be taken lightly. We are ready to fight like the team Spartanburg has become so accustomed too.
Brazil continues to be an amazing experience. Sao Carlos, although very different from Rio de Janeiro, is beautiful in its own right. The people continue to be genuine and the temperature continues to be perfect. In addition, each member of the team has picked up several words and phrases in Portuguese. It is exciting to be so submerged in a culture that you find yourself learning the language. Either way, until next time, peace!
August 24, 2010
Last night, we traveled across Rio de Janeiro to a youth center to have basketball practice in preparation for Wednesday night's game. Beforehand, in the lobby of the hotel, Coach Young passed out a handful of Wofford basketball t-shirts telling us to be prepared to give them to the excited children who would surely be waiting on us. Not only were the children waiting on us at the youth center, but they formed a miniature tunnel which led us right into the small gymnasium. The children, who knew little to no English, chanted "dunk it, dunk it" throughout practice and cheered loudly each time a Terrier would slam dunk one down. I think Coach assumed that the shirts would serve as a appropiate gift to the less fortunate children and although he was right, the children then became hungry for more Wofford attire. Many Terriers returned to the bus sockless, shirtless, and with much less than they had arrived with. However, each Terrier also arrived back at the bus with a smile. Personally, I admit it felt good to make someone's day and particularly the children. I have practiced hundreds of times, but I am certain yesterday's practice was one that the Wofford Terriers and the children of the youth center,will ever forget.
Today, we traveled up the highest mountain in Rio de Janeiro to see the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. On the bus car up the mountain, a small band played an assorment of Brazilian instruments and the atmosphere on the trek up became party like. I almost forgot I was 10,000 feet in the air! However, a brief peak out the window reminded me that we were high and still rising. At the top stood the statue which could not be seen unless one looked directly up. From eye level, you could only see the 31ft marble base which the statue stood on. I think this was the intention of the designer so that everyone who saw the statue up close would feel tiny next to its grandiose self. Either way, the statue was a thrilling site and the view down from the top of the mountain was just as breathtaking.
Tomorrow, we play in our first game! I cannot wait to show the Brazilian team we play and the Portugese speaking crowd just what the Terrier are made of. On this trip, whether it be through sign language and gestures, or smiles and thumbs up, actions have spoke louder than words. Tomorrow, the English speaking Terriers' passion on the court will speak louder than any Portugese words we could have used to describe ourselves. We are ready to play!
August 23, 2010
Today, the team traveled to the mall - some to sight see, and others, like myself, to search for a bargain on designer brands. The sight seeing members of the team had a great time, however, those of us searching for a bargain were slightly baffled. Not only did we not find a bargain, but Brazilian prices were about twice as expensive as American goods. A pair of Adidas shoes (the best and most comfortable shoe brand available) would cost you 599 Reals which is equivalent to about 280 American dollars!!! It is no wonder the shoe of choice around Brazil is the simple flip-flop.
Secondly, I have walked around Rio de Janeiro two days now and I have observed that most of the people look to be generally the same race. Unlike in America, there is not much variation of skin tone in Rio de Janeiro. All the people are a tone of brown and many share similiar facial features. So you can imagine, eyes gravitate to our diverse team no matter where we go. In addition, it probably doesnt help that our average group height is about 6 feet 5 inches tall. Thus, the attention is never ending. At the top of Sugar Loaf mountain today, a group of tourists took about 40 photos with us. You would have thought we were the Lakers! The sights from the top of Sugar Loaf mountain were breathtaking though. A picture of the sights from the top surely would not do it justice. It is more than worth the trek up to see the beauty of nature that is Sugar Loaf.
Tomorrow, we will travel up another mountain to see the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. This statue is truly something to marvel at. It can be seen with the naked eye from anywhere in the grand city that is Rio de Janerio. It is so large that its size has sparked a team-wide debate about how big it is. Some have guess as big as 700 feet while others think less than 100 feet tall. Either way, it is amazing from a distance. I can only imagine the sublime feelings it will develop in the Terriers tomorrow. But until then, peace!
August 22, 2010
The sights of Brazil have thrown me completely into culture shock and have developed in me a new appreciation for the blessing it is to live in America. Upon arrival, our bus traveled through the lower class part of Rio de Janeiro, and with all the places I have seen in America, I have never seen an area even slightly comparable to that of the slums in Rio de Janeiro. The housing could be called a row of huts, but anything more would be a generous exaggeration. However, once we arrived in the city, we found that Brazil in not all that different from America. The beaches are beautiful and the people are nice. I would say the most difficult part of our trip so far has been our inability to communicate with people through speaking. I have done everything from sign language to drawing pictures in the sand on the beaches to communicate with Brazilians I have met. But either way, we got the message across to each other. I would have to say, my struggles with communication have given me a new found sympathy for immigrants in our country. Its not easy to fit in when you stand out like a sore thumb. And speaking of thumbs, I have learned that a simple `thumbs up` is universal! There have been many occasions where a 'thumbs up' has solved everything.
Lastly, we play our first game Wednesday night and I am excited. The crowd at the game is supposed to be large and they say the fans here are some of the greatest in the world. I see no better opportunity than this to represent Wofford with the way we conduct ourselves here, and with the amount of determination I know we will show on the court. I am thrilled to be here, it is truly a once in a lifetime experience. Well, until next time, peace!
Tim J